Death & sensibility

Blake's uneven sequel to 2019's Pride, Prejudice, and Poison takes Kirkbymoorside bookstore owner Erin Coleridge, a member of the Jane Austen Society's Northern Branch, to York, England, for a Jane Austen conference. At the meet and greet in the packed bar of the conference hotel, Erin observes middle-aged Oxford don Barry Wolf, the keynote speaker, looking at his assistant, Stephen Mahoney, with an expression of "pure malice" as Stephen chats in an overly familiar way with Wolf's much younger wife. The next morning, Wolf turns up dead of an apparent heart attack in a hotel cloakroom. Or is it a case of foul play? Not just Stephen might have had reason to murder Wolf, who had a knack for making enemies. Det. Peter Hemming, with whom Erin tangled in the previous book, investigates, as does Erin, despite being warned off by Peter. An ingenious plot and an appealing setting help compensate for a nebulous time frame and a sequence of events that can be hard to follow. Jane Austen fans will look forward to seeing more of Erin and friends. Agent: Paige Wheeler, CMA Lit. (Aug.)

When an Austen conference brings fans to town, a bookstore owner finds herself trapped in a Christie-style plot. A fan of all things Austen, Erin Coleridge is delighted to go to the York Grand Hotel to help plan the Jane Austen Society's conference. Her nearest and dearest friend, Farnsworth Appleby, is delighted too, but part of her excitement is seeing that York detective Peter Hemming has sent Erin a welcome bouquet complete with an Austen pun. Farnsworth loves the idea that the two may have a chance at romance after pairing on a previous mystery in Pride, Prejudice, and Poison (2019). This time around, mystery blooms before any romance can get started when conference speaker Barry Wolf dies, apparently of a heart attack, before his keynote address. Erin, who must find a replacement speaker, suspects that Barry's death may be murder. As in so many quaint English mysteries, there are more suspects than crimes. Barry appears to have been unpopular with both his ex-wife, Judith, and his current wife, Luca, but Erin is pretty sure he has more acquaintances with motives. Before she can dig in too deep, a member of the hotel staff is killed. Could Barry have connections to the hotel? Is this an unfortunate coincidence? Or is something else afoot? Even though Hemming implores her to stay safe and stay out of it, Erin can't resist poking around with Farnsworth, only dimly aware that the two may dig up more than they can handle. It's no Austen, but it still does the job of providing a good time. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.