Sense and second-degree murder

The Dashwood family is thrown into disarray when Mr. Dashwood passes away while working in his study late at night. An outdated will means that his wife and daughters, Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret, must vacate the family home and turn it over to their half-brother and his unsympathetic wife, and Mr. Dashwood's successful private investigative practice is shut down, leaving the Dashwoods without an income and Marianne, her father's protégé, without her passion. Everything changes when Elinor, an aspiring chemist, discovers a potential poison in her father's final cup of tea, leading the Dashwoods to follow an ever-deepening mystery and expose his assassin. This second installment in the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries is an absolute treat--though the original plot, characters, and time period remain mostly intact, the added elements of a classic murder mystery feel surprisingly organic, and Price's affection for the source material is obvious. There are still balls and gowns and longing looks, but there are also lock picking and opium dens, bullet wounds and big reveals. A thrilling Regency romp worth investigating.

Gr 9 Up--Price's second "Jane Austen Murder Mystery" is just as clever as the first (Pride and Premeditation), this time giving a murderous spin to Sense and Sensibility. This novel begins much the same as Jane Austen's classic, with the death of the Dashwood patriarch and their brother's inheriting everything. However, in this tale Elinor and Marianne discover that their father's death was a poisoning. Marianne, an apprentice detective following in her father's footsteps, and Elinor, an aspiring chemist, are the perfect duo to take on the case. Over the course of the investigation characters from the original novel appear, easily recognizable despite changes in circumstance for many of them, because Price expertly crafts their personalities to match the source material. The mystery is just complex enough to keep readers guessing without becoming frustrating, it revolves around opium, so the book may be better suited to more mature readers. A suspension of disbelief may be necessary due to the historical inaccuracies (explained in an author's note) regarding the Dashwood sisters' unladylike, but empowering, behavior. All characters are white. VERDICT A delightful reimagining of a classic that will be enjoyed by Jane Austen fans and mystery readers alike.--Mariah Smitala

This follow-up to Pride and Premeditation (2021) reimagines the intrepid Dashwood sisters tracking down leads about the murder of their father, who ran a detective firm. After sensible Elinor, a budding chemist, discovers her father slumped over his desk, she, her mother, and her sisters, Marianne and Margaret, grieve his loss to an apparent heart attack. It is only later that they begin to suspect that his death might not have been natural, as they struggle with being forced from their home by their half brother, John, and his conniving wife, Fanny, to whom their father's estate was left due to his failure to update his will. Maintaining the original's setting, time period, and characters (both in regard to name and personality), this whodunit embellishes the storyline with a subplot involving the burgeoning use of opium both in medicine and recreationally. The plotting takes its time, wending its way around twists and turns that will be more obvious to readers who know Sense and Sensibility, but the sympathetic nature of both the elder Dashwood sisters should keep both existing fans and newcomers sufficiently in their corner. Likewise, the neat resolution of this tale will satisfy those with a taste for happy endings and the comfort of the familiar, even if it's not particularly memorable. All characters are White. A light, mostly engaging mystery that will find a ready audience among Jane Austen fans. (author's note) (Mystery. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.