Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Amanda Flower is the debut of An Emily Dickinson Mystery series. The author takes us back to 1855 in Amherst, Massachusetts where Willa Noble gets a position as a maid in the Dickinson household. Not long after she begins her new position, Willa learns that her younger brother, Henry is dead. The police are calling it an accident, but Willa does not believe it. Willa receives Henry’s diary from his friend at the livery. When she reads it, Willa knows that Henry was murdered. Emily Dickinson believes they should look into Henry’s death. The pair team up to learn the truth. The author’s vivid descriptions bring Amherst to life as well as Washington, D.C. I especially enjoyed the depictions of the Washington Monument and Mount Vernon. The Dickinson family travels to Washington to visit their father and Emily brings Willa along. I thought the story was well-written with developed characters. I did find it to be a slow-moving story. I can tell the author did her research for this story. The story does include the subjects of slavery, differences between social classes, and gender roles. The mystery was nicely laid out. There are a couple of suspects, misdirection, and good clues. I appreciated the epilogue that nicely wrapped up the whodunit. I was able to solve the mystery early on. However, it was interesting following Willa and Emily’s investigation to see what information they would uncover. I did find this book to be very different from the author’s other novels. It is missing the lighthearted humor that is normally present in Amanda Flower’s stories. Because I Could Not Stop for Death is a dark tale with a departed brother, a revealing diary, a threatening note, a helpful employer, tasty strawberry ice cream, a trip by train, and a revealing arrest.

I received a complimentary advanced copy of BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH by Amanda Flower . Thank you to Berkley Publishing and PRH Audio for the chance to provide an honest review.

BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH follows Willa Noble in 1855. When she arrives at the home of the Dickinson family in the middle of a storm, Willa thinks getting a job is a longshot. She’s surprised when Emily Dickinson steps in and says she has the position in spite of her dirty and wet condition. This is a job that is a step up for her and a way to care for both her and her younger brother.

When Willa’s brother is killed at the town stables, Willa is sure that there is more to the story than the officials believe. She is surprised when Emily agrees with her and decides to help her get answers. From employer and employee, the pair become friends and together they work to solve the mystery.

Trigger warnings for slavery, racism.

I was immediately intrigued by the idea of a fictional account of Emily Dickenson working to solve a murder mystery and I was immediately sucked into the story. We don’t see Willa and her brother together for long before he is killed, but their bond was clear even as the frustration of siblings also came through. I felt very bad for poor Willa in losing the brother she loves even as she’s in a new job with few connections to help her out. I really loved the friendship that developed between Emily and Willa.

I didn’t know much about Emily Dickenson’s life, but it was interesting learning a bit about the poet and her family life in the form of this fictional account. I thought the mystery was well developed and it definitely kept me hooked to keep reading. The audiobook was very well done and I definitely recommend it!

BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH is out today!

More than a cozy!

I'm a fan of Amanda Flower cozy mysteries and The Magic Garden series is my fav! When I saw her new historical fiction cozy I knew I want to try it. This is Emily Dickinson historical mystery which I believe is going to be a series. The story is told by Emily's new twenty-year-old housemaid, Willa Noble.

It's 1855 Amherst, MA, not long after Willa Noble started working for the Dickinsons, her brother, Henry who is a stable boy died in an accident at the village livery. After his death, Willa receives Henry's diary and comes to believe he was murdered. Emily thinks they should start looking into Henry's death.

This was a delightful read, especially the characters. I like the description of Amherst, Main Street, and the townspeople. Emily, her sister Lavinia and Willa also took the train to see Mr. Dickinson, MA House Rep in DC. The Trip to DC and Mount Vernon is a fun little travelogue. The book does touch heavily on slavery and gender roles.

I guessed the whodunit part quite early but still had fun with the book and of course, had to see if I had the right suspect! 3.5⭐

A slow-moving homage to Emily Dickinson, the greatest of American poets, surely the greatest of the 19th century. Ms Flower creates an Emily fey and strange, but her dialogue is so stilted that it's hard to believe that spare, harsh, idiosyncratic poet is this character. I adored Ms Flowers' earliest mysteries, the Amish-set ones, but her later attempts haven't been working for me. I had hoped this intriguing premise and historical setting might bring out the same qualities I admired and enjoyed in the earlier mysteries, but I was disappointed.

Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Amanda Flower is well-researched, richly textured, and skillfully plotted, readers will fall for Flower’s lyrical mystery—word, verse, and stanza.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amanda Flower for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Because I Could Not Stop for Death coming out September 20, 2022. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I am a new reviewer. I joined NetGalley back in April 2022. I don’t work as a teacher, librarian or in publishing. I just really love reading! I upload my reviews to Goodreads and Amazon when the book comes out. I do reviews on TikTok but I don’t have a large following (295 people).

In 1855, Willa Noble is a new maid hired by the Dickinson family. She has no parents and has had to work for a living. Her younger brother Henry works in the stables. Soon in the story, Henry is killed in an accident by one of the horses. Willa suspects foul play at hand. With no family to help, Willa tells Emily of her brother’s death. She senses that Henry wasn’t killed in an accident. Emily and Willa soon form a friendship and bond as they work together to find Henry’s killer. With the help of Willa’s police officer friend Matthew (who had once asked Willa to marry him), they race against time to solve Henry’s murder. They realize they are caught in a deadly game that may unveil greed and corruption in Amherst. Can Willa and Emily find justice for Henry before they too are targeted and silenced?

I loved everything about this story! Emily Dickinson is one of my favorite poets. I love her poem Because I Could Not Stop for Death. I enjoyed the aspect of Emily teaming up with her maid and being on the same level as her. Not everyone had opportunities in that time and it was wonderful to see Emily give opportunities to Willa that she wouldn’t have had otherwise. Emily was educated but knew it was still a patriarchal society. So I loved to see her help lift her friend. I really enjoyed the Underground Railroad plot as well. There were a lot of abolitionists there at the time and it fits with the murder mystery. I really hope this becomes a series! I would give it a million stars!

I would recommend this to anyone who loves historical mysteries featuring real literary authors.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I liked this side of Emily Dickinson! I was a big fan of the Apple TV series "Dickinson" so seeing this title grabbed my attention. Flower is more known for her fuzzy, cozy mysteries but quickly proves herself as a darker, grittier author of mysteries as well. Dickinson jumps off the pages and she and her maid become not just employer/employee, but allies and friends as they work together to solve a murder. Well done! I'm looking forward to seeing if Fowler will write more novels in this vein.

This is a fun mystery taking place in Amherst where Miss Dickenson and her maid solve a mystery that is close to both of them. It's clear Flower did her homework on the Dickenson family and I was engaged immediately! If you're a lover of Dickenson, this book is for you for sure, but if you love a good mystery I'd pick this up!

Willa’s job interview doesn’t go as well as she’d hoped, but Emily instructs the housekeeper to hire Willa anyhow. Reclusive poet Emily takes Willa under her wing, and the two become friends, despite their different social stations. When Willa’s brother is killed in what the police are deeming an accident, Emily offers to help Willa prove it was murder – and to find out who is responsible.

I have read many of Ms. Flower’s books and have yet to be disappointed by one. Fortunately, this book was no exception. The difference between social classes made me cringe yet again, but they played an important role in this story. Emily’s involvement in the investigation gave Willa entrance to many situations that would otherwise have been denied, and access to people who would not have paid Willa even the slightest bit of attention.

I had always envisioned Amherst, MA, as a large, college-centered city. This story compelled me to look for more information about it, and I learned that it is slightly smaller than the area in which I live, and (today) it is a highly educated area. That academic bent comes through in this book, even though it is set more than 150 years ago. I liked the characters and thought they were realistic for the time period.

The mystery here was good, with clues scattered here and there for the reader, and it was hard to put the book down once I started reading. Almost from the character’s introduction, I began to suspect this person as the culprit, and I was eventually proven correct. There was an additional theme running through the story, which took me by surprise, but it made sense given the time period.

I don’t know if this book is going to be a stand alone or the first book in a new series. If it’s the start of a series, I will most definitely read the next book to see what happens next with Willa and Emily.

4.5 stars

This is the start of a new mystery series from Flower, and I can't wait to read the rest! While this is a bit of a departure from the Amish and cozy mysteries I've read in the past by this author, this one is just as engaging and enjoyable!

Flower uses historical details from Emily Dickinson's life to create a mystery that will keep the reader following the clues along with the characters. Some of the characters are based on real-life people, though Willa Noble, the maid, is fictional. I've always enjoyed Emily Dickinson's writing, so it was a joy to learn more about her through this story, which is told through Willa's POV. She's a strong character determined to do what she can to discover the truth behind her brother's death. Emily is curious, as well, and it's great to see the rapport between them that is more than what is standard at the time for a maid and the family she works for. The reader is also show the darker side of the story, which pertains to slavery and the Underground Railroad. This is a great option for fans of historicals, as well as mysteries.

Soon after young Willa Noble gets a job as a maid for the Dickenson family in Amherst, she learns that her younger brother Henry has died in a stable accident. She is both heartbroken and unconvinced of the accuracy of this verdict.

When the eldest daughter of the family, Emily, offers to help her investigate Henry's death, Willa begins something that will answer her questions and expand her life. Emily is not yet the famous poet, but scraps of paper all over the house and a unique viewpoint give hints about her future. Willa is dragged along as Emily takes them to the stable where Henry died and as far away as Washington, DC, in their search for answers.

I thought the setting and time period were particularly well done in this mystery. I loved the descriptions of the train trip and the sites in Washington. Since this story takes place in 1855, it was no surprise that the Underground Railroad and the issue of slavery would be major plot points. I had the villain figured out pretty quickly but still enjoyed the journey to the resolution of the story.

This was a slow-paced story with some interesting characters. I liked Emily. I had some trouble with picturing Willa as a detective even though she really wanted to know what happened to her younger brother. She seemed to live too narrow and safe a life.

Fans of historical mysteries will enjoy this one.

This book was very enjoyable. I love the idea of Emily Dickinson using her intelligence in a way that was completely different from her poetry. Willa joins the Dickinson household as a "maid", but comes to be a friend to the young woman. After Willa's brother is murdered, Emily decides there needs to be an investigation and vows to help Willa. From Massachusetts to Washington DC, there are multiple suspects and a surprising motive. Does it have something to do with the slave catchers making their way to Massachusetts? Did Willa's brother run afoul of these dangerous men? The relationship between the women is central to the story, and I found it to be so nice. I would love to read more of adventures of these two.

Amanda Flower’s charming historical mystery is set in the household of Emily Dickinson and her family around 1855. The main character is not Emily herself (though she is a strong second) but the new maid in the Dickinson household, Willa Noble. One of the more fascinating aspects of this novel is Flower’s simple ability to put the reader into a different mindset. Willa, who has always been poor, is grateful for the work and for a roof over her head. Her simple expectations are so different from the highly enlarged expectations of the early 21st century.

The other revelation is simply Emily Dickinson herself, who hires Willa on a whim and whose character is delineated, quite believably, by Flower as intelligent, unconventional and clear and direct in thought. While the household puts up with her writing “hobby” it’s also clear they protect her, especially her sister Lavinia. Flower has added Emily’s (real) dog, Carlo, to the mix, a dog that was probably a Newfoundland, one of the largest and friendliest of breeds.

As Flower is a mystery writer, however, she also supplies a heartbreaking mystery. After Willa has begun work and moved in, her brother, Henry, turns up outside her window one night, telling her he has wonderful plans for her future. She sends him away and shortly after, he’s discovered dead at the stables where he worked, the apparent victim of a horse gone rogue. Willa, who knew of her brother’s kindness and expertise around animals, is not so sure it was an accident.

Emily, who takes matters in hand, insists they investigate, and the two women start their detective work at the stable where Henry died. They discover some clues that point in the direction of murder as well as a stable boss who seems abrupt and unkind and who sends them on their way.

Putting the book into the context of the times, the issues that were front and center were abolition and the coming Civil War. Emily’s father is finishing a term as a U.S. representative in Washington, D.C. and the women of the household, including Willa, take a trip to Washington as Mr. Dickinson wraps up his term and wishes his family present. Back home the household is packing for a move to a new house and Willa is taken away by Emily at the extreme displeasure of Willa’s housekeeper boss.

That sets the stage, but what was really front and center for me was not the gentle mystery but the character of the two women who are investigating it. Willa is obviously grieving but she pushes herself through her grief to work and to be a good companion for Emily when she requires and requests it. The benefits to Willa are many – she gets to take a trip to Washington, leaving Amherst for the first time and boarding a train. All these things are made new in Flower’s deft storytelling hands.

Also made new, to a degree, is Emily’s poetry. Scraps of paper are everywhere around her and at one point Willa discovers a scrap with the words of the poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” on it. Flower takes the reader to a moment when these words, which must have been both radical and odd for their time, were new, and not familiar as they are now. It’s quite a feat on Flower’s part.

I very much enjoyed this book and hope it will be the beginning of a series. The working bond between Willa and Emily was beautifully drawn, and I feel there is more shading to come.

This is not the fluffy, cutesy cozy books you might be use to from this author. This is a historical mystery so it has some darker themes. It's set in 1855 so it's before the civil war, there is a lot of slavery talk, those for and against. The MC's are Emily Dickenson and her new maid Willa Noble. When Willa's family member is killed and she doesn't think that it was an accident like everyone else thinks, Emily decides they should investigate. 

They find out that he new a lot about the Underground Railroad and slavecatchers and Willa finds out there is a lot about him she didn't know and feels bad that she wasn't able to protect him. 

It weaves some historical real time things with some fictional things to make an interesting mystery. I will say I didn't know much about Emily Dickenson and I am not sure if this would have been something she would have thought of doing as I know in her later years she was a recluse, but maybe in her younger years she might have been a sleuth...lol. I really liked Willa Noble and a few other characters that you meet along the way. I enjoyed the mystery.

1855 Amherst. Maid Willa Noble has started her employment at the Dickinson family home. But soon she is told of the death of her younger brother, Henry, who worked at the local livery and stables. But what and who caused his death. Emily and Willa investigate.
A entertaining, if somewhat slow paced cozy mystery with its likeable and interesting main characters. A good start to a new series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Because i could not stop death was a book loosely based on Emily Dickenson, the author took true pieces of her life and filtered them into her story.

Willa is a maid whom torn job working for the Dickenson’s shortly after starting she finds out her brother has died in a tragic accident, or was it?

This story is about the Underground Railroad and what people would do to protect and stop it. Finding out why her brother died even though it was ruled an accident is Willa’s main priority and her and Emily are doing everything in their power to figure it out. Danger lurks for them around every corner but they still persist.

This was a good book, some of the writing through me off but overall i liked it

This is the first book in a new series, and I look forward to recommending it to readers who enjoy historical mysteries with a literary emphasis. In this case, it is Emily Dickinson, and our amateur detective, Willa, has just been employed as a servant in the Dickinson household. After a murder, Willa and Emily team up to solve the case. Readers who have enjoyed the Stephanie Barron series featuring Jane Austen will particularly enjoy this one.

Because I Could Not Stop For Death
by Amanda Flower
Blurb from the publisher:

ABOUT BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH
Emily Dickinson and her housemaid, Willa Noble, realize there is nothing poetic about murder in this first book in an all-new series from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Amanda Flower.

January 1855 Willa Noble knew it was bad luck when it was pouring rain on the day of her ever-important job interview at the Dickinson home in Amherst, Massachusetts. When she arrived late, disheveled with her skirts sodden and filthy, she’d lost all hope of being hired for the position. As the housekeeper politely told her they’d be in touch, Willa started toward the door of the stately home only to be called back by the soft but strong voice of Emily Dickinson. What begins as tenuous employment turns to friendship as the reclusive poet takes Willa under her wing.

Tragedy soon strikes and Willa’s beloved brother, Henry, is killed in a tragic accident at the town stables. With no other family and nowhere else to turn, Willa tells Emily about her brother’s death and why she believes it was no accident. Willa is convinced it was murder. Henry had been very secretive of late, only hinting to Willa that he’d found a way to earn money to take care of them both. Viewing it first as a puzzle to piece together, Emily offers to help, only to realize that she and Willa are caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse that reveals corruption in Amherst that is generations deep. Some very high-powered people will stop at nothing to keep their profitable secrets even if that means forever silencing Willa and her new mistress….

My Thoughts:
This book is a departure from Flower’s usual cozy mystery novels. This is a historical mystery novel, (still with cozy elements), and Flower does an excellent job immersing the reader into Emily Dickenson’s world. She does this by telling the story through Willa Noble’s eyes, a servant girl trying to better her life. Through Willa’s point of view, the reader learns about the difficult life she’s had and how, without Emily’s friendship, no one would have taken a second look at Henry’s death. Through Willa, the reader is immersed in the tensions surrounding slavery and the boundaries imposed by class. Willa also shows the reader an Emily Dickinson who refuses to be defined by society’s expectations of how a woman should and should not behave. Add a murder mystery and the result is a book difficult to put down. Recommended.
Publishing information:
Paperback | $17.00
Published by Berkley
Sep 20, 2022
336 Pages
ISBN 9780593336946

Willa ends up getting a servant role in the Dickinson household. Not long after, her brother is killed in an accident with a horse. She and Emily Dickinson have a hard time believing that it was merely an accident and start to investigate his death.

This was a fun, fast mystery. However, it was too light for me, even when dealing with serious subjects like the Underground Railroad. Willa was too naive for someone her age who had been a servant her whole life. Emily Dickinson was fun to read about.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

this was a great mystery novel, I loved the use of Emily Dickinson as the main character. This was a great start to the Emily Dickinson mystery series. It was a great plot that worked out way better than I could have thought. The characters were great and worked out well for the time period, it really worked out so well. It left me excited to see where this series will go and more from Amanda Flower.

"There was much to do to prepare the family for their trip to Washington, and on the way home the Dickinson ladies would be visiting friends in Philadelphia. Emily would be away from Amherst a total of five weeks. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to our “investigation,” as she called it, when she was gone. Should I carry on alone?"