Customer Reviews

Murder at Longbourn: A Mystery

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a sucker for all things Jane, so was excited to see this new twist. It isn't a direct re-telling, but inspired by P&P. The author did an excellent job with the suspense, and a great twist to the ending. Both Elizabeth and Aunt Winnie love P&P, which inspires the name of the B&B. They quote parts of the book to each other, which I found hilarious. This book is for the mystery genre and for the JA fans. I recommend it highly, and it isn't too short!
I am hoping the author will continue the series.

Elizabeth Parker is not enthusiastically looking forward to bringing in the New Year. She was just dumped by her two-timing boyfriend, is on her way to Cape Cod to help her Aunt Winny host a Murder Mystery Dinner Party, and she has just discovered that she will be spending the weekend with her childhood nemesis, Peter McGowan. Elizabeth, recollecting how Peter McGowan tortured and tormented her when they were children, seriously doubts that he has lost his immature and mischievous ways in the last fifteen years. The only thing Elizabeth has to look forward to this weekend is spending time with her Aunt Winny at her charming new bed-and-breakfast, The Inn at Longbourn.

Winnifred Reynolds is eccentric, unconventional, and wealthy. She has an affinity for Jane Austen, drives like a maniac, and is a delightfully quirky character. The other guest attending this murder dinner party are just as colorful and uniquely defined. Henry and Joan Anderson are middle-aged antique business owners, who are grateful recipients of patronage from the esteemed Mrs. Kristell Dubois. Gerald Ramsey, a wealthy and unfriendly man, shows up with an unpleasant and acrimonious disposition. Daniel Simms, originally from England, is extremely attractive and aggressively pursues Elizabeth (to her delight), but is rumored to be having and affair with Lauren Ramsey, Gerald's younger wife. Polly, Gerald's daughter from a previous marriage, appears to be sullen and reserved, how does she live with such a controlling and disagreeable father? Wealthy and widowed Linnet Westin is new to the neighborhood and has invited her high school friend Jackie Tanner to come live with her as a companion. Jackie Tanner is well-known for her gaudy and over-sized hats and her penchant for sharing the latest gossip.

Soon the acting troupe arrives for the Murder Mystery and everything seems to be underway for a pleasant evening full of suspense and intrigue until the lights go out and the wrong person is found lying dead... Instead of finding one of the actors "dead" after the lights are turned back on, they find one of the dinner guests' lifeless form on the carpet. When the police determine that the murderer is a guest at the dinner party everyone becomes a suspect. The tension escalates when the police ascertain that Aunt Winnie has the strongest motive for murder and peg her as their prime suspect. Elizabeth, determined to clear her aunt's name, takes it upon herself to find the true culprit. Alas, Elizabeth is no Nancy Drew and clumsily and comically bungles up the investigation for the police department and she begrudgingly accepts assistance from Peter.

What a charming and remarkable debut novel by Tracy Kiely! While I am not well-versed in mystery novels, having only read the Nancy Drew series and novels by Stephanie Barron and Carrie Bebris, I found this novel to be a praiseworthy addition to the mystery genre. The events of the novel were not cliché or predictable, and the outcome was unforeseen and clever. I adored Elizabeth Parker, and I love how she and Aunt Winnie are such Austen fanatics they interject quotes from "Pride and Prejudice" into their conversations and witty banters. Furthermore, I enjoyed the character parallels between Elizabeth Bennet/Elizabeth Parker and Mr. Darcy/Peter McGowan. The subtle nuances and nods to "Pride and Prejudice" were inventive and a pleasure to discover. My only request to Ms. Kiely is to give the brooding and complex Peter McGowan more page time!

Ms. Kiely is a skillful story-teller and this suspenseful tale of murder is sure to captivate and beguile Jane Austen and Agatha Christie fans alike. I eagerly anticipate spending more time with the lovable and quirky characters of Longbourn Inn as they embark upon their next mystery the "Murder on the Bride's Side."

Austenesque Reviews

A modern version of the classic English cozy, with lots of fun references to Pride and Prejudice, this book had me guessing "who did it" until the very end. I highly recommend this book for fans of mysteries and Jane Austen.

The author seems to be leaning heavily on the fact that audiences will buy her book due to the loose connection to Jane Austen and Pride & Prejudice. While it is a charming, short read, the only real connections I noticed were the name of the inn and the main character. The main character can be very immature at times, with her dislike of Peter due to the fact that he teased her when she was little and has thus declared her hatred of him forever. Really?? In any case, the author does not provide deep character development...most of the characters just kind of float on the surface of the novel. Maybe this is because so many characters were introduced (all the guests at the inn for the murder mystery evening plus the inhabitants of the town plus the actors) but they didn't seem relate able. Also, did anyone else recall that the twins from the tea shop had almost the exact same dialogue as the two sisters from the movie "What a Girl Wants?" just with different names? The interplay between Elizabeth and Peter was good, but I didn't feel their connection. The "Wickham" character was thrown in there to cause discord between Elizabeth and Peter, only he didn't have a past with Peter like in P&P. Anyway, it was a good book, though it could have been infinitely better. The ending *was* a surprise, so great job leading up to that part!

This book scored a double delight for me. I am a mystery novel nut and a Jane Austen nut and this book got it right on both counts. It is a very hard chore for an author to write an interesting and complicated mystery and still combine it with just enough Pride and Prejudice references to keep any Austen fan content. Tracy Kiely has hit exactly the right note for me with this book.

Elizabeth (Lizzy to her friends) Parker is invited to a Murder Mystery Dinner at the B & B recently opened by her Aunt Winifred on Cape Cod. During that New Year's Eve party there was a murder, but a real murder, not a scene performed by actors. Lizzy wants to make sure the police don't focus any of their suspicions on her Aunt so she tolerates the presence of her childhood adversary Peter McGowan. Lizzy doesn't call Peter "spawn of Satan" because she likes him. Oh no, just the opposite in fact.

This was wonderfully amusing and I thoroughly enjoyed watching this author recreate many of the major characters from Pride and Prejudice and place them in this modern setting. It's really fun to try to recognize Mr. Darcy, Willoughby, Mr. and Mrs. Collins, and Jane and Bingley. Lizzy and Aunt Winnie quote lines from Pride and Prejudice at every opportunity, but this very talented author has managed to get all of this incorporated into her mystery novel without being either heavy handed or silly. Quite a remarkable accomplishment from my standpoint because I don't enjoy seeing my Austen characters ridiculed. This mystery alone would make the book a worthwhile reading experience. Ms Kiely did a very good job with the plot and the details of the mystery itself. And if I wasn't surprised by the outcome it was only because I have been reading mysteries for a long time. I would love to read other books along this line by Tracy Kiely.

This is a clever mystery in the style of Murder, She Wrote and the town of Cabot Cove. Elizabeth Parker is vising her Aunt Winnie on Cape Cod when a very unpopular guest is murdered. Because Elizabeth's aunt is a suspect, Elizabeth starts investigating the crime on her own. If you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice, you will enjoy all the quotes from the novel that Ms. Kiely has seamlessly worked into the story. A quick, fun read.

While mystery stories are not high on my list of books to read I decided to order "Murder at Longbourn" because I am a huge fan of everything P&P and because of the many positive reviews this book has received. I have not regretted that decision. It was a delightful change of pace story with many interesting characters and lots (and I mean lots) of laugh out loud moments. The story is told in the first person which is always a treat because you basically know the heroine will live to see another day. It was also nice to see the occasional quote from my favorite Jane Austen works. There is no point in my outlining the story as it has already been done by others and everything you need to know is in the editorial reviews provided by Amazon. What you do need to know is that this is truly a unique story and very readable. I find myself eagerly looking forward to Ms. Kiely's next book. In the mean time I highly recommend this one.

I am a murder mystery fan, but also a devoted fan of Jane Austen. This book is absolutely marveous and I read it in one afternoon - it is that good! I highly recommend it.

Found myself smiling in the first few pages at some literary references. I think the author may have seen Pride & Prejudice more times than I have which is amazing. I found it charming.

Interesting, unpredictable characters, a vivid setting and a hard to solve murder. A perfect Agatha style mystery to settle down with on a long lazy Sunday.