I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died (An Emily Dickinson Mystery)
Intrepid poet Emily Dickinson and her maid, Willa Noble, return as a pair of amateur sleuths in this delightful and well-researched historical mystery. It’s August 1856, and eminent man of letters Ralph Waldo Emerson arrives to deliver lectures in the sleepy college town of Amherst, Massachusetts. Emerson and his secretary, Luther Howard, are guests of Emily’s brother and sister-in-law, newlyweds who live next door to the Dickinson homestead. Among the many other guests on hand for the festivities is Louisa May Alcott, who is embarking on her own literary career.
The Dickinson family falls under suspicion when a guest dies in their garden under suspicious circumstances, the victim of a fatally allergic reaction. The gentleman, it turns out, had broken hearts and made enemies across the commonwealth. Even kind, reserved Emily is relieved to see him gone when he begins to romance her younger sister. But when an Italian peddler is arrested for the murder, Emily persuades Willa to help prove the immigrant’s innocence.
You don’t need to have read the Agatha Award-winning Because I Could Not Stop for Death, the first in this series, to appreciate the second novel’s period details, quick pacing, and strong characterization. Emily’s inquisitive mind and daring spirit are a perfect match for the keen eye of Willa, a servant who sees everything while being largely ignored. Observations about the status of women, immigrants, and Blacks bring the past into focus as a lens to the present. Avid mystery readers may guess the murderer two-thirds of the way through, but they’ll still enjoy the journey.
