Staff Picks | New Books | Events | Meet the Authors

Jane Austen’s Emma Knightly is a well-known busy body…a matchmaker and a meddler. And of course, beloved for it. But if there are traits that make a fantastic sleuth, they are most certainly being a busy body and a meddler. So, it’s only natural that Emma should now star as the sleuth in a brand new mystery series by acclaimed author Vanessa Kelly. Vanessa has a long history with the Regency period, writing fantastic romances that spanned London to Scotland and beyond…and she brought all of that—and her life-long love of Jane Austen—to this book. She captured the essence of these timeless characters, and then spun brand new stories for them, giving all of us Austen fans more in the world that we love and doing justice to her legendary storytelling. The heroes and heroines are still wonderful…and Mr. Elton is still exasperating. Emma is a cunning investigator, and with George and Harriet by her side, even this twisty mystery filled with red herrings does not outmatch her. It is well-crafted, page-turning, and absolutely delightful. I adored this book and I’m sure Austen and mystery fans alike will as well!

Alex Nicolajsen

Director of Digital Sales & Marketing

Praise for Vanessa Kelly

“Vanessa Kelly is a wonderful storyteller handling numerous plot twists and dramatic revelations with elegance and wit. The tone is delightfully Austenian: none of the characters utter a word that would be out of place in the original novel, and Highbury feels entirely familiar, despite a genuine sense of jeopardy and unease that lifts the story way out of the ‘cozy crime’ genre…I am already looking forward to many more [Emma] Knightly Mysteries.”
—Jane Austen’s Regency World Magazine

“Historical romance star Kelly deftly pivots to the world of historical mysteries with an elegantly crafted whodunit that delivers all the cozy British charm and careful cluing mystery readers crave while also paying loving homage to Jane Austen’s Emma with its dry wit and artful social observations. This start to a series featuring Emma will have readers ready for more.”
—Booklist STARRED REVIEW

“Readers will be delighted to see many familiar characters return from Austen’s novel, from the shy Harriet Martin to the rakish Frank Churchill. Emma herself makes a convincing sleuth with her inclination for discovering the truth about people and their relationships.  Charming and witty with a well-paced murder to solve, this series starter is sure to delight both Austen fans and mystery lovers.”
—Library Journal STARRED REVIEW

“Fans of Jane Austen will love this lively pastiche featuring one of her most beloved characters as a clever sleuth.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Kelly makes good use of the most memorable characters from Emma, including the impoverished Miss Bates and Emma’s dim-witted father, folding them neatly into a well-executed mystery plot. The real draw, however, is the way Kelly effortlessly transforms Emma into a successful gumshoe by exploiting the same qualities Austen gave her heroine. Readers will be charmed.”
—Publishers Weekly 

“Brimming with all the wit and charm one can expect from a visit to Jane Austen’s world, Murder in Highbury presents Austen’s beloved and interfering character Emma with a murder. When Emma puts her clever wits to use to discover the murderer who hides among them, danger and humor mingle to provide us with mystery, delight, and a clever new sleuth. Author Vanessa Kelly writes with an experienced touch and clear fondness for her well-beloved characters, giving us the sequel we formerly could merely long for and imagine.”
—Christina Dodd, New York Times bestselling author