Actual rating 3.5 stars. I liked this book for the most part, just felt there were too many quotes being thrown around by the characters. I enjoyed the setting, characters and the overall story. A good first book. Thank you to netgalley and the author for an e-ARC.

Pride, Prejudice and Poison by Elizabeth Blake is the first book in Jane Austen Society Mystery series.

Set in a beautiful little English village in North Yorkshire the story revolves around members of Jane Austen society.
Tempers flare as they try to resolve some issues. President of the society is not very liked Sylvia Pemberthy and when she dies after drinking tea during one of the meeting everyone is more than shocked.
Erin Coleridge is a young transplant to the village who runs local bookstore and adores reading mysteries.
When her friend becomes person of interest in the murder investigation she asks Erin to find out the truth.

Even though enigmatic Detective Inspector Peter Hadley finds her charming and amusing he still doesn't want her getting involved, especially as there are definitely some sparks flying between them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I liked the setting, I liked the mystery, well written and with enough suspects to keep readers engaged.
I liked all the characters, well rounded and described but I especially liked Erin, strong, brave and intelligent young woman, devoted to her family and friends and soft hearted
I did find quotes from Jane Austen novels amusing at first but as the book progressed it really started to annoy me. I felt it was overdone even though I realize it served a purpose of describing a annoying character traits.
Very good start of what promises to be great series.

The meeting of the Northern Branch of the Jane Austen Society in Kirbymoorside is on its tea break. But for an unfortunate member it will be their last drink. Poison is the method of murder. D.I. Peter Hemming and Sergeant Rashid Jarral are called in to investigate. But bookshop owner Erin Coleridge decides to undertake her own investigation.
Wanted to read this being a fan of Jane Austen and it was an easy and well-written cozy mystery.
But I didn't really take to Erin or why it was decided she was a 'crime expert' or why anybody would answer her prying questions.

I love the original Jane Austen, and I have been a fan of Jane Austen fanfiction for several years. So whenever a book pops up that mentions my favorite Austen book, I have to grab it. This is not what one commonly thinks of as Jane Austen fanfiction. True JAFF is variations on Miss Austen's actual books. This book, rather, is deeply inspired by our favorite Regency author but is not any type of retelling of her stories. Instead, the story action takes place around a Jane Austen literary society in a small town in Yorkshire where the denizens are quite enamored of Miss Austen. Their get-togethers are surprisingly contentious. The characters are at times actually a bit ridiculous, which makes it a bit humorous sometimes (and a little tedious at others). When a rather disliked leader of the group is poisoned, the town has a mystery to figure out. I will admit that I nerded out on all of the Jane Austen references and quotes; I found that aspect of this book so fun. The story seemed to start slow. From her bio, I think the author is American, but she might be following what I consider to be a British tradition of cozy mysteries, where the stories can be a little slow and actually be much more about the characters--and even the community as a character. I like both styles of cozies, so this one was fine for me. I look forward to more in the series.

I didn't love this one. The beginning was a little hectic with all the characters being thrown at you and trying to get acquainted with this little town. The mystery was interesting because there were a lot of plausible suspects. Erin's bold way of letting the detectives know she was on the case was a little odd and her whole relationship with Investigator Hadley was kind of chemistry-at-first-sight but we-can-never-be-together and don't get me started on the "romance" between Erin and Alder. It seriously felt like a slap in the face. Personally I'm team Hadley if it comes down to it but i would not categorize this as romance by any means. The wrap up of the mystery was also a little unclear. I know who did it and why they said but I have questions about how somethings are relevant and affected the outcome.

meh. I probably wont continue this series.

"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.

In this Austen-tatious debut, antiquarian bookstore proprietor Erin Coleridge uses her sense and sensibility to deduce who killed the president of the local Jane Austen Society.

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."

Any book that starts with killing a pompous member of the Jane Austen Society gets two thumbs up from me.

A little draggy at first but it didn't take me long to get into it. I liked the settings and characters. I look forward to reading more in the series.

This should have been the perfect book for me - a cozy mystery that revolves around a Jane Austen Society - but I could not get into it. The characters fell flat for me and all of the Austen quotes began to feel cumbersome. I did not finish it.

Pride, prejudice and poison .
Being a Jane Austen fan I was hooked .loved the quotes through out of the book.
Erin runs a second hand book shop and is part of the Jane Austen Society.
Fun story , enjoyed getting to know the characters and their quirkiness .
A bit old fashion but in a good way .
Plenty of suspects and was surprised in the end.
Looking forward for the second book of the series to come out.
Thanks to Crooked Lane books and NetGalley for advance copy for honest review.

The characters were very well developed and the underlying mystery was quite well woven. I get that the premise of the book is based around a club of Jane Austin supporters and in fact was partly the motivation in selecting the book to read, but the incessant quotes were a bit much and over the top, they actually became a distraction to the story. Once I started skimming past some of the incessant quoting, the storyline became much more enjoyable and I absolutely was pleased with how the mystery unfolded as well as the development of the relationships among the characters. I actually would like to see this book continue on as a series and see how the characters progress. I do hope that the author finds a way to tie back into the Jane Austin Society without beating you about the head with quotes though.

This book was a lovely surprise! I enjoyed visiting the village of Kirkbymoorside and meeting Erin and her friends and being a part of the local Jane Austen Society. The Jane Austen quotes come fast and are relevant to the discussions at hand. When murder strikes the current leader of the Jane Austen Society, Erin finds herself with a reason to investigate for it seems that her friend Farnsworth handed Sylvia the fatal cup of tea.

Erin and her friend Farnsworth are a riot! Erin's reasons for investigating make sense! Often in a cozy mystery the reasons for our amateur detective to be involved are thin indeed, or worse, the detective is a bit of an idiot and does dumb things. In this case Erin involves the police regularly and doesn't go running off into danger foolishly!

There's a slow burn romance, funny friends, a poignant reason for murder and a few well named cats! I'm really looking forward to the next novel!

There is however, one minor nitpick! And it is indeed a nitpick! Feel free to skip this next section! I will point it out because others might also stumble across it and be thrown out of the story - several of the characters refer to Mr. Bennet, from P&P, as 'sensible'. I personally disagree! Compared to most of the Bennet clan, yes he is sensible, but in many ways he's as ridiculous as some of the other members of his family and he takes more than a little joy in pointing out the folly of others while glossing over his own. Again, this is a tiny thing but it did bug me! If I recall he even points out some of his foolishness later when the trouble with Lydia comes to a head. (It's been a few years since my last read!) Again, feel free to ignore my comments on this!Four and a half awesome stars!!

Get to know Erin Colridge, a used book seller, and the residents of Kirkbymoorside. When the president of the local Jane Austen Society is poisoned during a meeting, Erin’s interest in solving crimes sees her trying to clear the names of her friends from the suspect list. Because, like Jane Austen, Erin can say, “There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends.” And that means that Erin finds herself in the killer’s crosshairs.

A new series with a village full of quirky residents who quote Jane Austen at every turn will have you hooked. You’ll feel like you are right there in Yorkshire and be making your own Jane Austen quotes. Because as we all know, with every murder, “Time will explain”.

Meh mystery. I just couldn't get into the story. Didn't like Erin much, didn't like any of the other characters much either. And a little over halfway through the book I found myself not actually caring to find out who killed Sylvia.

There's a plethora of possible suspects, but none of them have a very strong motive. So Sylvia wasn't well liked. If we all killed one person we did not like, there would be no people left on Earth.

For me, the story lacked urgency. Erin investigates because her friend Farnsworth thinks she's a major suspect because she served Sylvia her tea. But apart from the question of how could Farnsworth be sure she served Sylvia, it was very busy and crowded at the tea buffet, there is the question of how she was able to mix the poison in the tea unnoticed as it was very busy and crowded at the tea buffet. I missed these sort of deductions in the story: who had means, motive and opportunity?

Instead we get Erin having (lucky) run-ins with people that result in overhearing things that might be clues and her closing up her shop during her regular opening hours to play the piano or do some sleuthing. Just as well it is mentioned that she makes most of her sales over the internet, but never once did she go to the post-office to drop off a lot of parcels for delivery.

In the end, I liked the cover of the book more than the actual story.

As a side note, the sentences in German should be proof-read by someone with better knowledge of German than the author. (I found a biography that says she has a second major in German, but Schuld is a female word (not male), du and dir are not capitalized, and if Kurt's argument on the phone was with the same person as in the end of the story, why does he use formal you (Sie) on the phone and familiar you (du) later on?)

Erin Coleridge runs a used bookstore in Kirkbymoorside, England. She is a poet and a crime buff. She spends a lot of time reading books about forensics. When the president of their chapter of the Jane Austen Society is poisoned, Erin decides to help the police look into it. After all, she knows the characters and the rivalries that plague the Society. DI Peter Hadley and his sergeant Rachid Jarral aren't at all sure they need Erin's help. She was present when Sylvia Pemberthy died and is a suspect herself.

This story is filled with all sorts of colorful characters who have secrets. From marital infidelity to not-so-secret drug addictions and the rivalries for the presidency of the Society, Erin has lots to unravel. The story is also filled with quotations from Jane Austen and comparisons of the characters and their relationships to some of Jane Austen's characters. Never having read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE I found myself missing a lot of the information that would be gained by familiarity with Jane Austen's books.

I liked Erin. I thought she was quite perceptive. I also liked the relationship that grew between Hadley and Erin who was also interested in the secretive new schoolmaster who had come to town and become the focus of all the single ladies.

I think the strength of this one comes from the vivid and interesting assembly of characters. I found the the mystery was less strong. I found the identity of the murderer came as a complete surprise to me.

Ah, gentle readers, I confess an admiration for Ms. Jane Austen and her literary masterpieces. Naturally, I am a sucker for most novels that utilize her canon. And if it takes place in a bookstore, in England? Well, I'm all in. Erin Coleridge runs a small bookstore (and admits most of her sales are via the Internet; a nice touch; most fictional independent bookstores are extremely successful and never mention competition from large online storefronts) in North Yorkshire and is a member of the local Austen society. When a member is murdered and Erin's friend is the chief suspect, she tries to solve the mystery without becoming the next victim. I loved Erin's house, I loved her bookstore, I loved her town, I envied her having two suitors (a suspect and the policeman), and I really enjoyed this mystery. Highly recommended, and you don't have to be a Jane Austen fan to enjoy it.
Some slips careful editing would have found: Angela Morelli's office hours are lsited as Monday through Thursday from 12-4 pm, but on the very next page, office hours are reported as Monday and Wednesday, 12-4 pm. A minor inconsistency, but only sentences apart.

I am not usually a reader of detective stories but i enjoyed this one. it is a story of Erin, an owner of a bookshop in England who is also a member of the Jane Austen society. The Jane Austen society's chairperson was killed and so the investigation begins. Erin like crime stories and she tried to investigate the case (aside from trying to exonerate her good friend). P & P was injected in the story as the characters have some/little similarities with the P & P characters.

I like the way the story unfolded. There were so many characters that were explored who might be involved in the murder. Each of these suspects history were explored so I didn't feel surprised why they had such behaviors.

I feel this is a good book/strory esp coming from someone who doesn't read crime stories. I just wish there was more romance. The ending gave a promise of what might transpire for the couple (the couple we think wil end were not the ones presented at the beginning) .

A decent first in a new series, although it reads a bit like it should be further into the series with characters and relationships kind of already settled. Erin Coleridge is a bookstore owner living in North Yorkshire - where Jane Austen was born and raised - and belongs to a Jane Austen Society. I don't fully understand the Society, but believe it's to maintain the 'Austen' feel of the area for those who are fans. And everyone is, apparently. Someone else used the word 'superfan' and that would be accurate.

During the murder investigation of someone we don't really get to know all that well, Erin involves herself because a friend of hers asks her to and she feels she's got the skills and qualifications for this because she reads a lot of crime novels. People seem to turn to her for her 'expertise' in this area, rather than going to the police and relying on their actual expertise.

I didn't dislike this book, but I found that I eventually starting skipping over all the Austen quotes. Last year I read three books that had characters having Shakespeare 'quote-offs' with other characters and it wore very thin; sadly, for me, this also happens with the Jane Austen quotes. It became tiresome and began to feel simply like showing off after awhile. As well, one character has about six cats, all named after Austen characters, and there's much reference to which love interest (there are three men who are interested in rather frumpy-sounding Erin) is 'Mr Bingley', 'Mr Collins' or 'Mr Darcy' and why. Anyhoo...

There were also some Americanisms that I caught:

Trunk (of car) = boot
Second floor (Shambles in York) = first floor (two storey buildings in the UK have ground and first floors)
(dog) leash = lead

I also figured out who the murderer was about halfway through, which took away some of the enjoyment, and I felt the reason behind it all was a bit lame.

However, despite all my complaints above, I like the premise and there is promise. There are some quirky characters, and if you're a Jane Austen fan it's one to put on your TBR pile. I would enjoy reading the second in the series to see if it's got its feet a bit more firmly placed on the North Yorkshire moors.

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

Always curious about these cozy type mysteries and automatically lured in by the Jane Austen references, I just couldn't wait to dive into this story. To say that all the people in this English village enjoy Austen and her books is an understatement. They interweave quotes from the novels and Jane Austen's letters into their daily conversations and name their cats after her characters. Often they can be found reading annotated formats of her books. They're more like SUPERFANS!

Bookstore owner and Austenite, Erin Coleridge(related to THE Samuel Taylor Coleridge) soon becomes an amateur sleuth after the poisoning of the president of the Jane Austen Society shakes up the village. Although reluctant to have her assist, Special Inspector Hemmings cannot deny his attraction to Erin even though his partner reminds him she's still as much a suspect as anyone else.

My thoughts: I definitely felt that this book had a Murder She Wrote vibe to it that made for easy reading. Although the constant references to Austen's writings eventually wore on my nerves, I did enjoy the characters and was satisfied with the conclusion of the story.

Would I continue with the series? I sure would !


Goodreads Review published 20/06/19
Expected publication 13/08/19

This is the first book in a new series.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this mystery.
The characters were an absolute delight and the whodunit was well written and kept me guessing.
I cannot wait to read more books in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I don't know if this book is too British or what but I just could not get into it. Kind of dry too. I'm sure some people will like it but it didn't appeal to me.