Publication: 3rd January 2023 – Berkley
Phaedra Brighton is on the case when an innocent murder-mystery weekend turns into the real deal, in the newest Jane Austen Tea Society Mystery.
Phaedra Brighton has her life all figured out—she has a profession she enjoys, a wonderful (if exasperating) cat, and a cozy carriage house on the grounds of her aunt’s inn. She needs no Captain Wentworth to sweep her off her feet (though, she would not mind a Mr. Darcy).
But when Aunt Wendy decides she is selling Laurel Springs Inn, Phaedra faces losing her beloved home. In a last-ditch attempt to drum up more business, Phaedra convinces Wendy to host an immersive Persuasion-themed murder-mystery weekend. It is a fool proof plan to draw attention to the establishment in the hopes of saving it.
Until make-believe becomes reality and one of the participants winds up dead.
With more suspects than she knows what to do with, Phaedra finds herself on the hunt for a killer once again. But with time running out, Phaedra quickly realizes that with this investigation, there will be no second chances.
She’s back! Professor Phaedra Brighton is once again involved in a murder investigation, but, this time, during a Jane Austen Murder party. After Pride, Prejudice, and Peril, Phaedra and her Jane Austen Tea Society are reading Persuasion, so it seems just appropriate to organise a Jane Austen Murder Party based on it at her aunt’s hotel to help and save it from closure. Among the guests, a historical romance author and her husband, a journalist, a failed writer, a custom designer, a real estate agent and his assistant, and a certain striking Shakespeare professor from Oxford, who makes Phaedra’s heart skip a bit despite their very different opinion on literature. Things are right off to a wrong start when the historical romance author is not happy about the character she is going to play and things take a turn for the worse when she is found murdered outside the hotel. Since no one seemed to like her, the cast of suspects is quite long and, despite Detective Morelli’s warnings, Phaedra sets out to investigate on her own.
After Pride, Prejudice, and Peril, A Murderous Persuasion is another entertaining read. Most of the characters from the first book return, including Phaedra’s possible love interest, Oxford professor and Shakespeare scholar, Professor Mark Seldon. I love the chemistry between her and Mark. I guess if you can fight over English literature it could be true love, right?
There is an intriguing mystery, suspense, romance, family drama, and lots of Jane Austen references, besides a cast of engaging characters, two unusual cats, and a list of suspects full of secrets to uncover. I adore the character of Jane Austen scholar and English professor Phaedra Brighton, with all her quirks and unique characteristics, and I truly enjoyed this second book in the Jane Austen Tea Society Mystery series and I am already looking to the next one!
A huge thank you to Austenprose and Berkley for providing me with a proof of this brilliant novel.
Katie Oliver is known internationally as a writer of Jane Austen rom-coms with a hint of mystery. In the U.S. and the U.K., she’s the bestselling author of the Dating Mr. Darcy and Marrying Mr. Darcy series.
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