Arsenic with Austen

"A cleverly-constructed village mystery, filled with hidden treats for Jane Austen fans and mystery lovers alike." —John Clement, author of the Dixie Hemingway series

Emily Cavanaugh travels to the sleepy coastal village of Stony Beach, Oregon, to claim her inheritance, centered in a beautiful Victorian estate called Windy Corner. 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 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, 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.


"An intelligent traditional mystery that stars an endearing woman of a certain age who draws on her knowledge of literature to solve crimes." —Library Journal

"Arsenic with Austen—what's not to love in crime solved by a classic?" —Cara Black, New York Times–bestselling author of the Aimée Leduc series


"Murders are solved handily, and first love is reignited in this contemporary cozy with a literary bent . . . An engaging start to a series by debut-novelist Hyde." —Booklist