Arsenic with Austen: A Mystery (Crime with the Classics, #1)

by Katherine Bolger Hyde

When Emily Cavanaugh inherits a fortune from her great aunt, she expects her life to change. She doesn't expect to embark on a murder investigation, confront the man who broke her heart 35 years before, and nearly lose her own life. Emily travels to the sleepy coastal village of Stony Beach, Oregon, to claim her inheritance, centered in a beautiful Victorian estate called Windy Corner but also including a substantial portion of the real estate of the whole town. As she gets to know the town's eccentric inhabitants including her own once-and-possiny-future love, Sheriff Luke Richards. She learns of a covert plan to develop Stony Beach into a major resort. She also hears hints that her aunt may have been murdered. Soon another suspicious death confirms this, and before long Emily herself experiences a near-fatal accident. Meanwhile, Emily reads Persuasion, hoping to find belated happiness with her first love as Anne Elliot did with Captain Wentworth. She notices a similarity between her not-quite-cousin Brock Runcible, heir to a smaller portion of her aunt's property, and Mr. Elliot in Persuasion, and her suspicions of Brock crystallise.
But as she and Luke continue to investigate and events speed toward a climax, Emily realises that underneath the innocent-looking rocks of Stony Beach lurk festering jealousies that would have shocked even the worst of Jane Austen's charming reprobates.

• ISBN10: 146687242X
• ISBN13: 9781466872424
• Publish Date: 12 July 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Minotaur Books
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

First in a new series, and first by a new author, but ultimately disappointing.   

When Emily Cavanaugh inherits a fortune from her great aunt, she expects her life to change. She doesn't expect to embark on a murder investigation, confront the man who broke her heart 35 years before, and nearly lose her own life.   

It started off strong with a great premise and all the pieces were there: independent, English Lit professor, widowed without heavy emotional baggage, older but not middle age.  In the first third of the book it felt like it would be a 4 star read.   

After that first third though, I found that while the writing is technically very good, it lacked a subtly and sophistication that became more and more apparent; it felt like a mature story written for a middle grader.  By the half-way mark the book was down to a solid three: I was still enjoying the plot, but not the writing.   

The last third though... Several things became harder to ignore for me.  I'm typically ambivalent about insta-love, but Emily and Luke have not laid eyes on each other in 35 years, separated by a big Misunderstanding and a little conspiracy, but they are instantly in love again after meeting at her aunt's funeral - before they even get the big Misunderstanding sorted out.  

They acted like teenagers, and I kept picking up this feeling that she was being a tease because she wasn't using her words.  Emily worries that her friend is going to steal her boyfriend too, which felt childish.  Add to this that by this time, Emily and Luke's wild speculations about who was guilty, with Emily trying to solve it based on the plots of classic literature, just got silly and I was down to 2.5 stars.   

Finally, the last couple of chapters - out of nowhere - went suddenly super Christian.  I don't mind general references of a character's faith - I'm Christian myself - but when it becomes too heavy handed, I'm out.  And at the point where Emily has a dream telling her to not only forgive the killer or killers but offer to pay for the defence, it was officially heavy handed.   

Then the plot, though it had potential, fell apart (there really isn't any mystery about who is guilty) and I was down to a generous 2 stars.  Which is really doubly disappointing because I had really high hopes for this book and it started out so promising, but I'm really doubtful I'll be reading the next one.