Erin Coleridge is the classic cozy sleuth with a flirtation with a sexy detective, quirky friends, and a nosy attitude that creates her involvement in every murder she stumbles upon. The story is set against a backdrop of a literary society which is one of the several connections to literature that's prevalent throughout the story. The tone has been influenced by the love of Jane Austen, literature, the classics, and reading. The writing is stunning through the vivid descriptions Blake uses to set her scenes such as describing Winnifred through the gifts that Nature cruelly denied her and Jonathan Adler who Nature capriciously bestowed those gifts upon. Jonathan Adler is the classic seductive and charming gentlemen - who Erin can't help but be drawn to - and who receives high praise even in his description. The scene of him walking down the hall is compared to Moses parting the Red Sea at his will and how every woman fell under his spell "like enchanted fairy tale princesses." These are just two examples of the essence that genuinely reflects a classic literary style that's seen in Blake's writing. Even the names fit the world of Jane Austen with Farnsworth, Prudence Pettibone - fervent and competitive about Austen knowledge -, Carolyn Hardacre and her husband Owen, Hetty Miller, Jonathan Adler, Barry Wolf - the victim -, and Winnifred Hogsworthy.

Erin and her boyfriend have a delicate dance as he's a detective and she - as a sleuth - tends to be nosy in murderous affairs. This tends to create a conflict between them that goes further than his moody standoffish nature at times. Other characters include Sergeant Rashid Jarral who as Hemming's easygoing partner creates an opposite to him. While Hemming is described as the classic moody and intense love interest, his partner is described as being good-natured and trusting. The mystery sends Erin on a hunt for a killer among them with the help of her friend Farnsworth and the Jane Austen Society. The twists and turns create a mystery that is addicting with Death & Sensibility delivering the perfect treat for book lovers. ( )

Death and Sensibility by Elizabeth Blake is the 2nd A Jane Austen Society Mystery. Erin Coleridge is in York with a few of her friends from the Jane Austen Society’s Northern Branch for a Jane Austen conference. The morning following a contentious cocktail party, their keynote speaker, Barry Wolf is found dead from what appears to be a heart attack. Erin has her doubts about the cause of death and decides to do a little sleuthing against the advice of Detective Hemmings. When another person connected to the conference ends up dead, Erin knows she is right. Erin just needs to prove it to her dishy detective. Death and Sensibility can be read as a standalone if you did not read Pride, Prejudice, and Poison. I enjoyed the lovely descriptions of Kirkbymoorside and York. The author provides detailed depictions that allow readers to visualize the scenes (I am starting with something positive). I really wanted to like A Jane Austen Society Mystery series, but I just do not like the characters (among other things). Erin comes across as a know-it-all (on Jane Austen trivia, Cockney rhyming slang, and so much more). She decides Barry Wolf was murdered despite evidence to the contrary (I agreed with her, but it was the way she went about it). Erin then goes about proving she is right. Erin is supposed to be British, but she comes across as American (at least to me). The mystery is one that I had figured out before Barry Wolf turned up dead (I could tell you who would die, who did it, and I even had an inkling as to why Barry Wolf was murdered). There are several suspects, misdirection, and pointed clues. I wish the whodunit had been more of a challenge. The resolution was disappointing and incomplete. I wanted a resolution with facts, not supposition. There are detailed descriptions of food, drinks, and clothing. I really did not need to know what each person ate at each and every meal. There are some comments that are borderline offensive. I believe some of them were supposed to be snarky, but they were still in poor taste. I thought there was too much romance. Erin likes Jonathan Adler as well as Detective Hemmings. She flirts and kisses both men while at the conference. I am not sure what she sees in the detective who warns her frequently to not investigate and keep your nose to herself. At times it felt I was reading a romance novel instead of a cozy mystery. In the book, Hemmings is referred to as Detective Hemmings. I believe in England, he would be a Detective Inspector. I am hoping that the details that are incorrect are fixed before the final release (there were other small things). I also found the pacing to be lethargic in Death and Sensibility. The first half of the book goes by at a snail’s pace. I was beginning to wonder if Barry’s death would ever be declared a murder. Jane Austen fans will enjoy the quotes and trivia (there is a quote about every other page). If you are in doubt about Death and Sensibility, I suggest reading a sample to see if it is the right book for you. What might not appeal to me, can be something loved by another person. We each have different reading tastes. Death and Sensibility is a cozy for Janeites with mouthwatering meals, a contentious cocktail gathering, a vile victim, a disgruntled detective, a bevy of bodies, exacting extracts, a welcoming waiter, one snoopy sleuth. ( )

The town of York is hosting the Jane Austen Society conference at the fanciest hotel in town but things start downhill when the featured speaker Barry Wolf dies of what looks like a heart attack. But Erin Coleridge, one of the organizers, along with her friend Farnsworth Applesby think that it was poison. When the waiter from the evening of Wolf's death is found dead, Erin is even more convinced when the waiter from the night of Wolf's death is found dead as well.

Erin and Farnsworth's investigation is surrounded by the Regency convention and numerous quirky characters and panel discussions.

Not sure how this series will progress with the Jane Austen theme. ( )

When Erin Coleridge and her best friend Farnsworth Appleby attend a Jane Austen conference, they're excited to stay at the best hotel in York and sample the food the restaurant has to offer in between their duties as moderators and panelists. The first night they meet Barry Wolf, their keynote speaker, and neither is impressed. The man is pompous, and obviously a bully. But when Barry is found dead not long after, Erin is suspicious. It looks like a heart attack, but she knows differently. Trying to convince DI Peter Hemming of that fact isn't working, so she decides to check up on the man herself. But in doing so, she opens a bigger can of worms than she ever thought. And if she doesn't figure it out soon, a murderer might be slithering away...

First off, I feel I need to correct the blurb. Judith isn't engaged, and Hetty and Prudence aren't at each other's throats. That being said, I also have to say that I really enjoyed this much more than the first in the series. I try to give authors a pass on the first, because they're still honing the characters and deciding what they want them to be. In this book, Ms. Blake seems to have found her way.

Erin is delightful; she's smart, witty (very), adventurous, attractive, thoughtful, and downright curious. She's inquisitive and knows she's invasive when she asks questions. What else would you expect a rural bookseller to be? Her emotions are explored in this book (and I'm grateful for that), because she lost her mother to cancer at an early age and is still coping. I also lost my mother to cancer at an early age, and it never gets easier. You just learn to live your life and remember the love. It's all you can do, really.

Farnsworth is comfortable in her own skin. She's a larger woman, but lovely as well, and has as much of a wit as Erin. Farnsworth is also addicted to Hallmark Christmas movies (as am I!) and Erin teases her for it, but gently. Her character is a bit more explored in this book, too, and it endears both characters to me even more. I also love cats and have several, so there's a soft spot for Farnsworth anyway.

But the ladies find that merely moderating panels on Jane Austen's books, life, and times is more than they signed up for when another incident occurs and now everyone at the conference is on edge -- except of course Hetty, who's too self-involved (and we all know someone like her, trying to hold on to their youth). It gives an interesting tale of murder, greed, lies, secrets, and more, as they are trying to find a killer without realizing that they're being under scrutiny themselves.

When the ending comes it really is a surprise, and quite a climax it is. You never really know what is in the mind of a murderer, and the length someone will go to for what they feel is justice. The ending gives us something to look forward to in the next, and I almost wish I could have attended the conference myself. Recommended. ( )

cosy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, small-business, small-town, law-enforcement, family, friendship, murder, murder-investigation, England*****

Erin and her friend Farnsworth, the town eccentric, are a riot! The friends in the Jane Austin Society group from Kirkbymoorside, in North Yorkshire, England are at a conference in York. Then the first body is found and Erin is certain that it was murder. She had snooped in a previous incident and got to know DI Peter Hadley who gets to investigate this case as well. The storyline was well written and the characters are very likable. I thought the mystery was well-plotted and written with some great red herrings. Practically every character quotes some person from a Jane Austen novel throughout the course of this book. Great fun!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )