Murder in Highbury

An Emma Knightley Mystery, Book 1

By: Vanessa Kelly

Narrated by: Polly Lee

Less than one year into her marriage to respected magistrate George Knightley, Emma has grown unusually content in her newfound partnership and refreshed sense of independence. The height of summer sees the former Miss Woodhouse gracefully balancing the meticulous management of her elegant family estate and a flurry of social engagements, with few worries apart from her beloved father's health . . .

But cheery circumstances change in an instant when Emma and Harriet Martin, now the wife of one of Mr. Knightley's tenant farmers, discover a hideous shock at the local church. The corpse of Mrs. Augusta Elton, the vicar's wife, has been discarded on the altar steps—the ornate necklace she often wore stripped from her neck . . .

As a chilling murder mystery blooms and chaos descends upon the tranquil village of Highbury, the question isn't simply who committed the crime, but who wasn't secretly wishing for the unpleasant woman's demise. When suspicions suddenly fall on a harmless local, Emma—armed with wit, unwavering determination, and extensive social connections—realizes she must discreetly navigate an investigation of her own to protect the innocent and expose the ruthless culprit hiding in plain sight.

©2024 Vanessa Kelly (P)2024 Tantor

Excellent plot.

Dragged in places. However, despite being complex hung together well !provides a gd pic of life so long ago in Uk.

Interesting twists.

The facts repeated too often.
Narrative bit boring. Story is slowed down by this. But average story.

Enjoyed this immensely

I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to read the second installment. It was a clean murder mystery with not to many gory details and I appreciated that. The relationship between Mr and Mrs. Nightly was so sweet yet they challenged each other in a respectful way.

A Clever Continuation!

Sometimes stories continued by different authors, especially classics, are risky and disappointing-not so in this case. The characters remained true from the first and the narration gave believable life to them. The story was engaging and the voices different enough to be able to differentiate between characters. Worth the listen!

Emma continues…

Love the continuation, I have often wanted more when I listen to a great book, this was a pleasant surprise, great story!