Tracy Kiely, Murder at Longbourn

Tracy Kiely, Murder at Longbourn: In DC, newspaper fact checker, Elizabeth Parker fears another New Year's Eve alone. Still she makes resolutions to give up fat especially her cheating boyfriend. She heads up to the Cape to spend the holiday at her great-Aunt Winnie's bed-and-breakfast the Inn at Longbourn.

At the B&B is Winnie's childhood enemy Peter McGowan who seems a lot more attractive as an adult than he was a pest. Other guests are also attending as Winnie's mystery gala holiday weekend is expected to be fun. That is until someone is actually murdered and Winnie is the prime suspect turning Elizabeth Parker into Nancy Drew, adult amateur sleuth playing Clue with a horde of suspects.

Although the story line is thin and goes exactly the way the audience will expect, MURDER AT LONGBOURN is a fascinating entertaining cozy due to aunt and niece tossing all sorts of Jane Austin quotes into the fray. Elizbath is terrific as the lead protagonist with her referring to Pride and Prejudice as a guide while seeking clues; she needs to join the Jane Austen Book Club (movie and Karen Joy Fowler's novel). Her great aunt brings New England eccentricity into the mix while the guests are suspects as far as her niece is concerned. Tracy Kiely provides a fun tale of sleuthing, Austen style.

Harriet Klausner