Publication: 12th December 2023 – Berkley
Murder is on the menu and Phaedra Brighton is called on to serve up justice in the latest Jane Austen Tea Society Mystery.
While Phaedra Brighton might not have a Mr. Darcy (yet), she’s quite content with her loving family and loyal cat. Phaedra’s sister Hannah is the Jane to her Elizabeth, and Phaedra is ecstatic that Hannah has decided to move home for her next adventure—opening a business.
All of Laurel Springs is out in full force to celebrate the grand unveiling of Hannah’s new patisserie, Tout de Sweet, including local celebrity Rachel Brandon. Hannah is a master of her craft, with confections so divine, one bite will make you think you’ve died and gone to heaven.
Of course, you never want that to happen literally.
When one of Hannah’s famous dark chocolate cupcakes sends Rachel’s assistant to the hospital with poisoning, Hannah begs for Phaedra’s help to save her reputation and budding business. But Phaedra has more questions than answers: Who was the cupcake actually meant for? And how far is the culprit willing to go to take their target off the menu—permanently?
English Professor and Jane Austen scholar Phaedra Brighton is back to solve yet another murder, but this time it hits closer to home than ever before.
It’s almost Christmas time and, between giving lectures and grading essays, Professor Brighton is helping her sister Hannah prepare for the opening of her French bakery (or patisserie), Tout de Sweet. Everyone in the small Virginia town of Laurel Spring is attending, including the famous journalist Rachel Brandon and her entourage. However, things don’t go as planned. First, the fire alarm goes off, and then Rachel’s assistant is killed after eating one of Hannah’s delicious dark chocolate cupcakes. The cupcake was poisoned with cyanide, but was Rachel’s assistant the intended victim? With Hannah’s reputation and future on the line, Phaedra is determined to find out the truth.
Cyanide and Sensibility is yet another entertaining and intriguing novel in the Jane Austen Tea Society Mystery series. Its unique protagonist, Phaedra Brighton, who dresses in Regency dresses during her classes, can quote all Jane Austen’s novels, and can “communicate” with her cat Wickham, involves herself, once again, in a murder investigation, despite the warnings of detective Morelli, and she’s helped by her loyal friends and members of the Jane Austen Tea Society whose book of the month is none other than Sense and Sensibility. And like the two sisters of Austen’s novel, Elinor and Marianne, Phaedra and Hannah are now living together while dealing with some romance trouble as Phaedra tries to figure out her relationship with Shakespeare Professor Mark Selden.
The mystery is gripping and full of twists, but also cozy. The story is very well-developed and I enjoyed that the chosen murder weapon is a chocolate cupcake. I loved the Christmas atmosphere, and while everyone is busy buying Christmas presents, Phaedra needs to figure out if one of them is the killer and, as more poisoned chocolate appears, the list of suspects just keeps growing.
Cyanide and Sensibility is a mix of fun, mystery, and romance. Fans of Jane Austen will love the many references not only to Sense and Sensibility, but her other novels as well, and the fans of mystery will love the suspense, the twists, and thanks to Phaedra’s family’s mystery bookshop, quite a few recommendations of crime novels. Engaging, witty, and immersive, Cyanide and Sensibility is another win and I am already looking forward 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 US and the UK, she is the bestselling author of the Dating Mr. Darcy and Marrying Mr. Darcy series.
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PRAISE FOR CYANIDE AND SENSIBILITY
“This is the first book I have read in the Jane Austen Tea Society series, but it won’t be my last…If you enjoy cozy mysteries, then this is a book you will enjoy.”— Book Looks by Lisa
“The book is filled with great characters and a fun, twisty plot. Highly recommend.”— Cara Putnam, author of Come What May
5 STARS— Gwendalyn’s Books
Book After Book 