Review - Pride, Prejuduce, and Poison

This new series is touted as "Perfect for fans of Laura Levine and Stephanie Barron, Elizabeth Blake’s Jane Austen Society mystery debut is a mirthfully morbid merger of manners and murder."  Find out more about this exciting debut novel with a Jane Austen Society as the main theme for the series.  

Author: Elizabth Blake

Copyright: August 2019 (Crooked Lane Books) 332 pgs

Series:  1st in Jane Austen Society Mystery series

Sensuality: Mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy

Main Characters: Erin Coleridge, owner of a used bookstore out of her home 

Setting: Modern day, Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England

Obtained Through: Publisher (Netgalley) for honest review

From the book blurb: "Erin Coleridge’s used bookstore in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England is a meeting place for the villagers and, in particular, for the local Jane Austen Society. At the Society’s monthly meeting, matters come to a head between the old guard and its young turks. After the meeting breaks for tea, persuasion gives way to murder—with extreme prejudice—when president Sylvia Pemberthy falls dead to the floor. Poisoned? Presumably…but by whom? And was Sylvia the only target?

Handsome—but shy—Detective Inspector Peter Hadley and charismatic Sergeant Rashid Jarral arrive at the scene. The long suspect list includes Sylvia’s lover Kurt Becker and his tightly wound wife Suzanne. Or, perhaps, the killer was Sylvia’s own cuckolded husband, Jerome. Among the many Society members who may have had her in their sights is dashing Jonathan Alder, who was heard having a royal battle of words with the late president the night before.

Then, when Jonathan Alder narrowly avoids becoming the next victim, Farnsworth (the town’s "cat lady") persuades a seriously time-crunched Erin to help DI Hadley. But the killer is more devious than anyone imagines."

Erin Coleridge is such a genuine character that I became vested in her quickly.  DI Peter Hadley is portrayed well, balancing his job with a growing interest in Erin when she could be a suspect.  I love Sergeant Rashid Jarral's character and hope to see more of him.  The myriad of suspects and townspeople each have their motives and quirky personalities as you expect in a cozy, but they have some depth. 

Kirkbymoorside (a real town in North Yorkshire) is a delightfully rendered setting that is like a warm blanket on a chilly night, you don't want to leave it.  The plot seems simple but has a few surprises and twists.  The pacing is spot on and kept my interest as new motives come to light.  

The killer reveal was a surprise and handled well for shock value.  The wrap up left me wanting more of Erin and to find out about her and DI Hadley.

I had been immersed in several historical mysteries and wasn't sure if a modern mystery would keep my interest.  This book did the trick.  I couldn't help but feel like this was remeniscent of Miss Marple only with a younger heroine and updated writing style.  The Jane Austen Society provided a great theme to build the mystery around.  I think any cozy mystery fan will enjoy this new series.

Rating: Near Perfect - Couldn't Put it down. Buy two copies, one for you and one for a friend.