Most of us would recognize the title of Amanda Flower’s first Emily Dickinson mystery, Because I Could Not Stop for Death, as a quote from a poem. In a departure from her cozy mysteries, Flower’s latest is a historical mystery grounded in the facts of Dickinson’s life and the setting of Amherst, Massachusetts. I’ll admit I was a little skeptical, but Emily Dickinson and her family history is handled beautifully.

It’s January 1855 when Willa Noble shows up at the Dickinson household, hoping to move up in the world with a job as a housemaid there. She knows she has little chance of getting the job because she’s been out in the weather and is splashed with mud. As the housekeeper is ready to dismiss her, Emily Dickinson intervenes. She hires Willa as the new housemaid to the exacting family of five. Mr. Dickinson is seldom home, though, as he finishes out his term as a representative in Washington, D.C.

When Willa’s younger brother, Henry, shows up in her room one night, she warns him away. She doesn’t want to get in trouble with the household. It’s Henry with his grand schemes for making money who is known in town as a troublemaker. This time, though, he’s secretive about what he’s doing although he is working at the local livery stable. That’s also where he dies in the middle of the night. Although people say it’s an accident, Willa is convinced her brother died because of his latest scheme. With no family left in the world, in her sorrow she confesses to Emily that she’s convinced her brother was killed. It’s Emily Dickinson who turns Willa’s fears into a murder investigation.

As the oldest daughter in the prominent Dickinson household, Emily isn’t afraid to question anyone in town. As Willa trails along, Emily leads her to the stables, where she doesn’t hesitate to ask about Henry. When Mr. Dickinson requests his family come to Washington, Emily sees it as a chance to continue their investigation, an investigation that leads to the politics of the 1850s, slavery and the Underground Railroad. But, will it lead to a killer as well?

While Willa comes across as naive and frightened at times, nothing stops Emily Dickinson who is confident in her position as the daughter of an important man. The contrast in class and expectations is important to the overall story. Flower’s research into Dickinson’s trip to Washington and the politics of the time period is carefully incorporated into this engrossing historical mystery. Flower’s Emily Dickinson is an interesting amateur sleuth.

Amanda Flower’s website is http://AmandaFlower.com

Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Amanda Flower. Berkley, 2022. ISBN 9780593336946 (paperback), 336p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I read a galley for a journal review.