User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Jane Austen’s epic novel Sense and Sensibility meets whodunnit thriller with Christie vibes is tempting and absolutely promising reading concept I could never resist!
I liked the author’s way to retell the original Jane Austen concept with smart changes and transferring the entire plot into murder mystery.
She added quirky tone to mature, sensible, rational Elinor’s character who dreams to be a scientist, meeting with her adorable Edward at the wrong circumstances: poor guy telling them their cruel step brother and his merciless, greedy wife ( she’s also her sister) left them penniless.
Romantic, reckless Marianne is also portrayed as fiery, bold and determined.
You know the original story: their father suddenly passed away and he leaves the bulk of his estate to his son from his first marriage and three daughters Elinor, Marianne and little Margaret in straitened circumstances. But there’s a quite big difference in this new version: their father owns Norland& Company- the private investigation firm where Marianne works as his protégée and he dies in suspicious circumstances even though his death was reported as heart attack.
Now poor family moves from their estate to cramped apartment on London’s Barton Street.
Marianne is extremely furious about not only losing their family estate but also the investigation firm she’s dreamed to take over. But what if their father didn’t die of natural causes? He had too enemies because of the nature of his occupation and let’s not forget his greedy son and greedier daughter in law who are fully and financially benefited from his death.
You may sense what’s gonna come next: Marianne’s impulsive, straightforward, intuitional methods balance with Elinor’s observant, rational side and scientific approach to find the perpetrator and bring out the justice!
So buckle up, get your popcorn and your choice of poison ( mine is chilled bottle of Chardonnay as usual) and get ready to be lost in this historical cozy murder mystery!
I liked the smart approach of the author to throw the thriller elements into the retelling equation. The characterization and dialogues are well developed. There are so missing pieces and plot holes about mystery side but at least the conclusion is satisfying.
Overall: I found this creative retelling idea brilliant! I’m looking forward to read more works of the author and more books from this series!
Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books - Harper Teen for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Rating: really liked it
This series is a true delight. The second book is even better than the first. Our favorite S & S characters come to life in a murder mystery with the narrative split between Elinor and Marianne. Don't you for one minute think that Margaret is forgotten. Her character arc really shines in this retelling. So precocious and endearing! Another fun surprise is having a teeny bit of crossover with Pride and Premeditation. If you haven't read that one yet, no worries. You can jump in with either book as they are standalones just as Austen wrote her versions to be. Tirzah Price has added some STEM elements (Elinor aspires to be a chemist) and a thrilling murder mystery (Marianne assisted her late father in his detective business). Edward is as adorable as ever. Fanny and Lucy Steele as infuriating as ever. And watch out for Willoughby! There is a central element to this tale that haunts us still in its modern version. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Edward is as adorable as ever. Fanny and Lucy Steele as infuriating as ever. And watch out for Willoughby!
Thank you to HarperTeen and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
This was such a fun read. With the wit and charm of Jane Austen and the mystery and sleuthing of Agatha Christie, this book was a delightful blend of romance, humor and who-dunit?
When their father unexpectedly dies, the Dashwood sisters go on a hunt to discover what really happened. They soon find that their father was in fact murdered and the killer may still be on the loose.
I loved the dynamics of the sisterly relationships in this book. Elinor has a scientific mind and is continually trying to learn more as she dreams of one day being a chemist in a man's world. Marianne is a romantic and dreams of marrying for love. And young Margaret is a budding novelist with a quick mind, forever on the lookout for inspiration for her upcoming stories. Their spats felt true to typical sibling rivalry and often made me chuckle. But in the end, bonds of family and love run deep. I loved the loyalty they showed for eachother.
This book was a delight. While the plot was a little predictable, I absolutely loved watching it unfold.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc.
I really enjoyed the first installment - Pride and Premeditation - so I was very excited to see she'd be tackling my favorite Austen next, and this did not disappoint!
Personally, I struggle with retellings, and I struggle with historical fiction, so when I tell you I loved this, understand what a high bar it had to clear with me. I think this book (and so far this series) absolutely threads the needle of taking liberties with both source material and historical period, while also staying true to both. This is a fun mystery in itself, but it's even more fun to see the characters and events of S&S redefined and reshuffled in ways that create new contexts and new reasons for familiar beats to occur and add new dimensions to familiar personalities.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves either mysteries, Austen, historical fiction, or some combination thereof.
Rating: really liked it
...Hmm. Hmmmmm. 3.25?
So this was...Better than the awful first book that I DNFed, but still was...Just Mostly Fine. I think I'm more attached to and defensive of P&P so some retellings of it just completely fizzle out pretty early on. Sense and Sensibility has different things to work with, and I'll give this writer some kudos for contriving a...mostly feasible mystery out of this plot.
I will say, I sort of blanked out once Marianne said "I'm not a gold digger", a term not in common parlance for at least another century according to google. The historical inaccuracies abound, but then, the author has huge disclaimers at the end of every book so I guess it's kind of down to how much you can suspend your disbelief to enjoy a read (I personally find it really difficult in most cases that aren't like a fluffy puff piece read...).
Margaret was a spunky, enjoyable little gremlin like I usually find her, and a total scene stealer. The best parts were when she was on-page; or, since I listened to audio, when the narrator was channeling her with a hilarious little voice. Marianne was, funnily enough, on-brand in the sense that she was like Hmm this man's hot so definitely not a suspect. In the matter of her and Elinor's "roles" as investigators, I didn't buy her as a hardcore detective in training, not with her latter weaknesses lol.
Anyways this was a Fine listen to while away time at work, I'm glad I gave the author another shot. We'll see if Manslaughter Park is worth it.
Rating: really liked it
'Elinor stood frozen just on the edge of it all. No amount of society training or experience had ever prepared her for the moment in which she had to safely extricate her sister from a fight at a private club!'I absolutely adored this murder-mystery retelling of
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.
Sense and Second-Degree Murder is a fun and intelligent mystery that gives us the nostalgia of Jane Austen's beloved characters while also giving us a freshness and unexpectedness with the added mystery. Tirzah Price is a very confident writer and this is a very solid 'follow-up' to her debut
Pride and Premeditation. Taking upon Jane Austen is a big task and I feel like Tirzah Price has accomplished something great here that gives Austen fans what they want. I really loved this book and I was instantly enthralled by the mystery and the writing. Elinor and Marianne are an iconic sisterly duo as they try to solve their own father's murder - it is dark, humorous and twisty.
Even though I've read
Sense and Sensibility and know the plot very well, Price uses that to her advantage. While certain culprits are obvious (if you have read the S & S), the twists and the ways in which Elinor and Marianne find clues were not. I found it so fascinating and I was kinda sad when I finished it! I wanted more from these characters.
Sense and Sensibility, I'll be very honest, is not my favourite Jane Austen novel, however, I really loved this book. It brought to life certain characters I didn't care for and really shaped them into characters I
did care for. I loved the sisterly bond and I loved how Tirzah Price developed Margaret's character a lot more. She is an aspiring novelist and wants to know every gritty detail about solving a murder purely for her writing. She was a fun character!
A very promising trilogy and I'm very excited for
Manslaughter Park that is coming out next year!
Rating: really liked it
Delightful rambunctious romp it is. This book is close enough to Austen that I can accept these as legitimate versions of these characters even if they are quite different from Austen. It does feel very modern, not really Regency. I'm just telling myself that this is an alternate timeline where women had far more choice in work than in Austen's time era. The mystery isn't amazing, but it's more about the characters and their growth than the mystery proper. This means I find it highly rereadable. The Romances are actually good and when bad portrayed as such, huzzah! Need more of these characters solving mysteries. Please make another book where the Dashwoods, Edward, and Brandon are some precursor to Sherlock and Watson or some sort of Scooby Doo gang. The chemistry of this 4 to six member band is great. I couldn't put the book down, and found it rather funny as well. Quite the madcap adventure. I'd say more but would rather not give spoilers away. Lets just say that the gothic villains were the acquaintances and lovers we made along the way and the pay off for this update to Jane Austen's use of the gothic in Sense and Sensibility had great pay off and comumpence here.
Mansfield Slaughter is next. Why does this sound like a 1970's slasher horror starring Fanny Price as the final girl? Correction, it is Manslaughter Park, which sounds like a potential black Widow situation. Though now I want a slasher horror version of Mainsfield Park...
Rating: really liked it
Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility gets a murder mystery makeover that is perfect for fans of the original story. I love how the author stays true to the character’s personalities while presenting a new and fresh plot that still has elements of the original story.
The Dashwood sisters are fantastic, and the author does a great job in creating layered and compelling young women with feminist ideal, determination, and intellect. They are so different from the typical women in their social circle, and they have hopes and dreams that extend beyond balls, marriage, and motherhood. Elinor is an aspiring scientist, and Marianne wants to follow in her father’s detective footsteps. Each goes through their own trials and tribulations, yet they work together to find out what really happened to their beloved father. They each use their strengths to help solve the mystery, and they work together so well.
The mystery is intriguing and has many twists and turns, which I enjoyed. It is such a fresh twist on the original story, and I like how the author still included important events that occurred in Sense and Sensibility while adding a whole new plot that is unique. I thought mystery and sleuthing complemented the original piece well.
The plot also includes two fantastic romances that you will recognize from the original story. Though the mystery is the focus of the novel, I enjoyed the love stories just as much. I also appreciated the messages about following your dreams, trusting your instincts, and supporting those you love.
Although this is the second book in the series, it is a standalone, and if you’re looking for a fresh twist on a classic novel, you should definitely check it out. Special thanks to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Rating: really liked it
I didn’t think I will get to this book immediately after finishing Pride and Premeditation but I’ve been having trouble reading anything these days because of how busy I’ve gotten and an quirky audiobook sounded like the right way to go.
Sense and Sensibility is my favorite Jane Austen. Though I did enjoy P&P on my second read, my first love will always be S&S, so this book was exciting to read. And adding a multiple murder mystery and making our Dashwood sisters investigators was fun but I loved how the author kept the essence of Eleanor and Marianne intact. Eleanor is intelligent, rational and scientific in her observations while Marianne is spirited and a bit impulsive (and I did feel exasperated with her just like in the original) but together they make a formidable team. I also thought the underlying thread behind the murders was very fascinating and while I don’t know how accurate the issue is to the times, I found it very plausible. The supporting characters are also quite fun, especially Margaret who is a delight and I especially adored the way she was narrated in the audiobook.
Overall, I’m unexpectedly loving this Austen meets Agatha Christie series and I have to emphasize that I feel it’s extra enjoyable because of the entertaining narration. The next installment is a Mansfield Park reimagining and because I don’t remember much of the original, I’ll have to see how I’ll like it.
Rating: really liked it
SENSE AND SECOND-DEGREE MURDER
by Tirzah Price
HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen
Pub Date: April 5
Oh how I adored this second in the Jane Austen Murder Mystery series. Even more fun than Pride and Premeditation, Sense and Second-Degree Murder is a delightful nod to Austen's story of the Dashwood sisters with a fine twist of mystery.
Elinor finds her father dead in his office and she and Marianne soon discover traces of poison in his teacup. And as their father once instructed, where there is poison, there is always murder.
The sisters work together to discover the killer, and to deal with their half-brother's inheritance of the estate. He and his snobby wife soon kick the sisters out of their father's house, forcing them to move to a tiny apartment. Will they succeed in finding the murderer? And what about the will that's turned up giving all to their nasty half-relation?
Any Janeite will love this story, as will fans of wonderful mysteries that keep them pinned to the last absorbing page.
Thanks to Tirzah Price, HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen, and NetGalley for the e-ARC. Opinions are mine.
#SenseandSecondDegreeMurder #TirzahPrice
HarperCollinsChildrensBooksHarperTeen
#NetGalley #AustenInspiredMysteryNovel #DashwoodSisters #SenseandSensibility
#bookstgramcommunity
Rating: really liked it
well this book was nothing short of delightful! i haven’t actually read Sense and Sensibility, but there’s a BBC series that i’ve watched several times and it is just the best 😂 so i basically know the story and the characters, and this book followed them to the very minute details (which i loved, bc i love the original characters :) ) the murder mystery aspect of this story was really intriguing and it felt like an agatha christie story (someone who’s read both lmk if i’m wrong, but i’ve seen a few of her movies and it seems similar lol). complaint: this book moved sooooo sssslllloooowwwwllllyyyyy for like the first 60% which was pesky (like i found myself counting down the percentages on my kindle), but it sure did speed up past that 😅 honestly that’s my one and only complaint. the author kept both of her books squeaky clean, besides the very few according-to-the-period curse words. overall very nice book 4.5/5 stars
Rating: really liked it
This book is just so much fun. I love Tirzah Price's Jane Austen mystery series. They're so smart and engaging.
Rating: really liked it
CW: Drug Addiction
Oh, I just loved this. There is a slight possibility I enjoyed this more than
Pride and Premeditation and I think that has to do with how well I know that source material. I am a little less familiar with
Sense and Sensibility and it made for a more thrilling read of this reimagined version.
I loved the powerful Dashwood sisters and their dreams of becoming more than societal ladies and their mother's (plus Edward and Brandon's!) adamant support of their wants. I loved Edward and the swoony Mr. Brandon (who I will always, always picture as a young Alan Rickman) and I even enjoyed these iterations of Willoughby and Lucy Steele.
It was incredibly interesting to read of opium and morphine at this early stage in their 'medicinal' uses. I loved the line where Brandon says something like, 'just because a doctor gave it to you doesn't mean it is completely safe.' and I felt that so deeply. I personally know many people who developed drug habits after being prescribed medication for an injury. Reading about that type of situation in this historical setting made me so sad because the horrible after effects weren't necessarily known then as they are now.
I highly recommend this book for any regency/Austen fan and of course any thriller fan! I cant wait to purchase a finished copy in April.
*Thank you to Edelweiss for the chance to read!*
Rating: really liked it
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Sense & Second-Degree Murder is a well written period murder mystery pastiche based on Jane Austen's characters and the second book in this series by Tirzah Price. Due out 5th April 2022 from Harper Collins, it's 416 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
Although it's the second book in the series, this is a standalone story and self contained in one volume. The characters and dialogue are appealingly written (with nods to the original period characters) but the whole is perfectly accessible and enjoyable for the modern reader. Although fairly true to the original source material, the author has constructed a solid mystery with a satisfying denouement and resolution.
Although published under the HarperTeen imprint, this is a robust mystery for all ages.
Four stars. Enjoyable and well done.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Rating: really liked it
"I will be mistress of myself."Sense & Second-Degree Murder is a fun mystery with twists, murder, and a dash of romance.
This was such a delightful and clever spin on the original. The Dashwood sisters are a force, and the last quarter was an absolute page turner that kept me glued to the book. Despite wanting to shake Elinor and Marianne on several occasions, I adored their sisterhood and seeing them as progressive women. And Margaret, she is so clever and mischievous here. So glad she got to shine here! Sadly, I was a little underwhelmed by the lack of swoon-worthy moments, but it still kept me guessing and rooting for the sisters, for justice, and for everyone's HEA!
This is book 2 in the Jane Austen Murder Mystery series, but can be read as a standalone.
what to expect:
• dual pov
• sister bonds
• twists & turns
• Elinor, an aspiring scientist
• Marianne, an investigator apprentice
• Margaret, a budding novelist 😂
• cozy murder mystery
• balls & gowns & stink bombs
• fun retelling of Sense & Sensibility
• a dash of romance & secret pining
cw: drug addiction
