Wednesday 9 November 2016

Arsenic with Austen (Crime with the Classics #1) by Katherine Bolger Hyde


Arsenic with Austen (Crime with the Classics #1)

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-possibly-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 crystallize. But as she and Luke continue to investigate and events speed toward a climax, Emily realizes 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.  (Summary via Goodreads)


This is an amazing new series. This isn't your ordinary cozy. The author gives you little tidbits to follow by adding literary quotes to each chapter even before you continue on with the adventure. I am a sucker for literature and love how she was able to include subtle references throughout the book.

Emily is thrown into wealth and a huge Victorian house called Windy Corner left to her by her Aunt. She is an English professor now thrown into a totally different world where not everyone is happy about her inheritance. On the other hand she does get a second chance at the love of her life. No spoilers we will just see where this goes.

Some people in Stoney Beach were glad to see her Aunt pass because they thought they would be able to take over. That didn't happen because Emily doesn't want to change Stoney Beach either. Problem though, there are people in town willing to kill to change her mind! Will she survive or be the next victim to succumb to greed and secrets? 

Review by Penny M.

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