When the quaint English town of York hosts a Jane Austen Society conference, bookseller Erin Coleridge is glad to get out of Kirkbymoorside for a while--until featured speaker Barry Wolf suddenly perishes from what appears to be a heart attack.
Erin is suspicious, since Barry had no history of heart disease. But who did him in? Was it the decedent's assistant, Stephen, who was observed chatting to Barry's young wife Luca earlier that night? Might it have been Barry's ex-wife Judith, who was seen arguing with her erstwhile betrothed at the bar? Meanwhile, conference co-chairs Hetty and Prudence have been at one another's throat since the conference. Is one of them the culprit?
Matters of the heart are putting Erin off her guard. Both Detective Inspector Peter Hemming and schoolteacher Jonathan Alder have made gestures of romantic interest, but Erin isn't sure who is her Willoughby and who is her Colonel Brandon. DI Hemming tries to persuade Erin that her entanglement in the murder investigation is far from sensible, but his entreaties come to naught. Dauntlessly, Erin joins forces with Kirkbymoorside's cat lady, Farnsworth, to ferret out the guilty party.
Death and Sensibility by Elizabeth Blake is the 2nd A Jane Austen Society Mystery. Erin Coleridge is in York with a few of her friends from the Jane Austen Society’s Northern Branch for a Jane Austen conference. The morning following a contentious cocktail party, their keynote speaker, Barry Wolf is found dead from what appears to be a heart attack. Erin has her doubts about the cause of death and decides to do a little sleuthing against the advice of Detective Hemmings. When another person connected to the conference ends up dead, Erin knows she is right. Erin just needs to prove it to her dishy detective.
Death and Sensibility can be read as a standalone if you did not read Pride, Prejudice, and Poison. I enjoyed the lovely descriptions of Kirkbymoorside and York. The author provides detailed depictions that allow readers to visualize the scenes (I am starting with something positive). I really wanted to like A Jane Austen Society Mystery series, but I just do not like the characters (among other things). Erin comes across as a know-it-all (on Jane Austen trivia, Cockney rhyming slang, and so much more). She decides Barry Wolf was murdered despite evidence to the contrary (I agreed with her, but it was the way she went about it). Erin then goes about proving she is right. Erin is supposed to be British, but she comes across as American (at least to me). The mystery is one that I had figured out before Barry Wolf turned up dead (I could tell you who would die, who did it, and I even had an inkling as to why Barry Wolf was murdered). There are several suspects, misdirection, and pointed clues. I wish the whodunit had been more of a challenge. The resolution was disappointing and incomplete. I wanted a resolution with facts, not supposition. There are detailed descriptions of food, drinks, and clothing. I really did not need to know what each person ate at each and every meal. There are some comments that are borderline offensive. I believe some of them were supposed to be snarky, but they were still in poor taste. I thought there was too much romance. Erin likes Jonathan Adler as well as Detective Hemmings. She flirts and kisses both men while at the conference. I am not sure what she sees in the detective who warns her frequently to not investigate and keep your nose to herself. At times it felt I was reading a romance novel instead of a cozy mystery. In the book, Hemmings is referred to as Detective Hemmings. I believe in England, he would be a Detective Inspector. I am hoping that the details that are incorrect are fixed before the final release (there were other small things). I also found the pacing to be lethargic in Death and Sensibility. The first half of the book goes by at a snail’s pace. I was beginning to wonder if Barry’s death would ever be declared a murder. Jane Austen fans will enjoy the quotes and trivia (there is a quote about every other page). If you are in doubt about Death and Sensibility, I suggest reading a sample to see if it is the right book for you. What might not appeal to me, can be something loved by another person. We each have different reading tastes. Death and Sensibility is a cozy for Janeites with mouthwatering meals, a contentious cocktail gathering, a vile victim, a disgruntled detective, a bevy of bodies, exacting extracts, a welcoming waiter, one snoopy sleuth.
Kris
The
Avid Reader
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