A Very Vexing Murder

Andrew debuts with a winsome mystery that reimagines the timid Harriet Smith from Jane Austen’s Emma as a skilled con artist whose innocuous appearance belies her street smarts and criminal prowess. When the wealthy Mrs. Churchill suspects that someone has attempted to poison her, she reaches out to Harriet, who has gained a reputation around Highbury as a discreet if unsavory fixer. Mrs. Churchill is convinced that her murderous foe is none other than Jane Fairfax, the woman aiming to seduce Mrs. Churchill’s nephew, Frank, and secure access to the Churchill family fortune. Harriet is hired by Mrs. Churchill to break Jane and Felix up, but matters get complicated when the job puts Harriet in danger of being recognized by one of her old marks. Then someone in the Churchill household actually does die by poison, and Harriet tries—with the help of her best friend Robert Martin—to figure out who among the Highbury set has the capacity to kill. Andrew’s version of Harriet Smith proves a witty, appealing antiheroine, and her investigation takes enough worthwhile detours to justify the book’s length. A sequel would be welcome. Agent: Euan Thorneycroft, A.M. Heath Literary. (May)