This is the first in a series of Emily Dickinson mysteries by this author. This one takes place in 1855 when Willa Noble was hired as a second maid for the Dickinson family home in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Willa and her brother Henry were alone in the world as their mother had died years before. Willa went into service and Henry found work in town. He had left a job at a warehouse and started a new job at the large stable in town. Soon after she began working at the Dickinson home, he showed up and told Willa that he would earn a lot of money in the new job.
A day later Willa was told that Henry had been killed in an accident at the stable. When Willa visited the stable and saw the horse who was to have killed her brother, she began to doubt that the death was an accident. Emily had befriended Willa and soon decided to help solving the mystery of the boy’s death.
The author used historical details about Emily Dickinson’s life to craft this mystery. Willa Noble was a fictional character but Margaret O’Brien and the other members of the Dickinson household were not fictional. It is a known fact that Emily was a recluse and often dressed only in white. However this tale takes place in the years before when Emily was more social.
I enjoyed this story and the use of historical details that made it believable.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A fast moving plot introduces us to Emily Dickinson and her new maid, Willa. When tragedy occurs, turning Willa’s life upside down, Emily insists that the two of them investigate.
Emily, her family, and that time in history are accurately portrayed throughout the book-even down to the

Dickinson’s real maid’s name. What I found riveting was how slavery, the Underground Railway, and class distinctions were portrayed so meticulously. Even though there were times throughout the book that I did not like how Emily treated Willa, it was how servants were treated during those times.

Recommended for cozy & history lovers..

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own. This review can also be found on my Goodreads page..

This novel is a mystery set in 1855 in Massachusetts and Washington DC. Willa's too timid to really investigate the murder, but Emily's bold, curious, and wants justice for Willa. Emily's used to getting her way and had a certain disbelief that anyone would harm her family. Together, they asked questions, poked around, and found clues as to why Willa's brother was murdered. It's a clue-based puzzle mystery, though I didn't think it was very difficult to figure out whodunit once they uncovered what Willa's brother had been doing. Historical details about the time and the Dickinson's lives were woven into the story and brought it alive in my imagination. The main characters were interesting and likable. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical mystery.

Willa Noble accepts a position as a maid in the Dickinson household in Amherst, Massachusetts and her brother Henry is killed in a stable accident only a few days later. People are saying it was Henrys fault and there are burn marks on the horse. Willa knows her brother would never hurt a horse and that there is foul play involved. Miss Dickinson wants to help her and together they go to the stables her brother worked and meet some interesting characters, including a stable hand Jeremiah York, a free black man, and the livery owner, the unlikeable Elmer Johnson. The author brings in real historical people and interesting fictional ones to the mystery. Willa is a very sympathetic main character and Emily Dickinson is presented in a respectful way, with a little humor also. Class distinctions, slavery, the underground railroad, and the perilous 1850's in Washington, DC and New England are written realistically and I look forward to Willa's next path. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.