April 1, 2022
As the title clearly indicates, Emily Dickinson is at the heart of this series starter from the USA TODAY best-selling, Agatha Award--winning Flower (also a former librarian). Hired as a housemaid by the Dickinson family, Willa Noble soon develops a warm relationship with the reclusive poet, and the two women together investigate the death of Willa's brother in what appears to be a stable accident but proves to be something more sinister.
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 15, 2022
Emily Dickinson uses the power of her family name to help solve a murder. After Willa Noble lands the position of maid of all work at the Amherst, Massachusetts, home of the Dickinsons, her life changes in many ways. When her younger brother is killed by a horse, stable owner Elmer Johnson blames him, but Willa is skeptical, since Henry had an affinity for horses, and on a recent visit to her he claimed to have a plan that would make them rich. Sensing Willa's doubts, Emily supports her maid when the police question her, encouraging her to investigate her brother's death. Emily doesn't attend church, spends much of her time writing, and often seems lost in the clouds. But her intellect is formidable, and she uses her father's position as a congressman to push the limits of respectable female behavior. Together with Emily's dog, Carlo, the two women visit the stables where Henry died and learn that the horse that killed him has been deliberately burned. Jeremiah York, a young Black man who was a friend to Henry, was absent the night he died and refuses to say where he was. The women hope to find clues in the diary Henry left or in an anonymous threatening letter. Their investigations suggest a link between Henry and the Underground Railroad during a time when slave catches are coming north, igniting controversy. Emily insists that Willa accompany her family on a trip to Washington, D.C., where they learn a great deal, but not until they're back in Amherst do they finally put the clues together. Historical context adds excitement to the twin mysteries of murder and the poet's hidden life.
COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
July 25, 2022
Emily Dickinson plays sleuth in this sprightly series launch from Flower (the Magical Bookshop mysteries). One night in 1855, Henry Noble, a stable hand with a tendency to get into trouble, tells his sister, Willa, a shy, insecure maid who’s just been hired to work for the Dickinsons, a well-to-do family in Amherst, Mass., that he’s about to make enough money to change both their lives—but he won’t tell her how until this coming Sunday. When Henry dies in a seeming accident at the town stable before Sunday, 25-year-old Emily, moved by Willa’s grief, insists that she and Willa launch their own investigation, starting with the stable. Courageous and intelligent, Emily asks uncomfortable questions of those with money and power, not just in Amherst but in Washington, D.C., a trip that the Dickinson family actually made by train in 1855. This mystery works best when it delves into the complexities of the Dickinson family, particular its depiction of Emily’s cold father, Congressman Edward Dickinson, and her controlling sister, Lavinia. This is a good start to what could be a rich historical series. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency.
August 5, 2022
When Emily Dickinson hires Willa Noble as a housemaid in 1855, neither young woman knows it will lead to a murder investigation. At 18, Willa's brother Henry dreams of adventure. But his schemes lead to his death in the livery stable. With no one left in her family, a grieving Willa confides in Emily that she suspects her brother was killed. Emily is determined to find Henry's killer. She and Willa soon uncover stories of slave catchers and secret involvement in the Underground Railroad in Amherst, MA. Emily even finds ways to investigate when she joins her father and family in Washington, DC, insisting on bringing her maid along so they can follow and meet with men from Amherst. But when they're back home and questioning local residents, they stir up trouble that endangers them. VERDICT Agatha Award winner Flower's ("Amish Candy Shop" and "Magical Bookshop" series) first historical mystery introduces a courageous Emily Dickinson as a protagonist who's stronger than expected. The thoughtful story involving class, social, and political issues may appeal to the poet's fans, as well as readers of Edith Maxwell's "Quaker Midwife Mysteries" series.--Lesa Holstine
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.