An Interview with Vanessa Kelly — Author of Murder in Highbury

From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:

Have you ever wondered what Emma Woodhouse’s life would have been like after she married Mr. Knightley at the conclusion of Jane Austen’s novel? Would she continue to be the misapplying matchmaker we saw in Emma, or would her husband’s influence send her in a new direction?

Since we do not know what Austen’s intensions were for her “troublesome creature,” we can only imagine based on her personality, and Queen Bee status of Highbury, that she channeled her need to observe and solve everyone’s problems into a new avocation. Did you ever think she would solve crimes? I didn’t, but it suits her perfectly in Vanessa Kelly’s new Austenesque mystery novel, Murder in Highbury!   

Kelly has reverently continued Austen’s Regency-era world, characters, and story in her first novel in the Emma Knightley Mysteries. If you would like to know more about it, please enjoy this entertaining interview by Kelly’s fellow bestselling mystery writer Dianne Freeman, author of the popular Countess of Harleigh Mysteries.

Welcome Dianne and Vanessa.

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INTERVIEW

Can you give us a short summary of your latest book?

The really short summary: Jane Austen’s Emma solving murders. J

OK, I’m a bit of a smart aleck, but that’s the core story of the book. The Emma Knightley Mysteries feature the title character in the role of amateur investigator. Emma, now happily married to George Knightley, resides with him and her elderly father at Hartfield, her childhood home. Surprisingly, she’ll discover an uncanny knack for solving murders, a talent soon to be called on when murder comes to the sleepy village of Highbury.

What inspired the idea that Emma, the former matchmaker, would make a good amateur sleuth?

I will freely admit that the original idea came from my editor, and I absolutely leapt at the chance to write this book and series. Emma is clever, quick-witted (except for a matchmaking lapse or two), with the confidence to go where angels fear to tread—much to the occasional consternation of her magistrate-husband. She’s also possessed of a lively imagination and a curiosity about all things Highbury—her beloved village and indeed her entire world. Add those qualities together, and I think you’ve got the recipe for the perfect amateur sleuth. 

You really capture the characteristics of the residents of Highbury as Jane Austen originally portrayed them. How did you manage to craft a mystery novel around characters who are so well known? Was it more complicated than creating new characters?

Thank you! I loved the opportunity to explore Austen’s world in a new way. Of course it was a bit daunting, so I did everything to ground myself in Emma’s world—including multiple rereads of Austen’s book and re-watching the various movie and mini-series versions of the novel. The movies and the miniseries were really helpful in visualizing the characters in a way that I could translate to the page. More than anything, I wanted to remain true to Austen’s world and the integrity of her characters. Perhaps counter-intuitively, that made my job of creating this world and the characters a bit easier than starting completely from scratch. 

Murder in Highbury takes place before a police force, as we would recognize it, existed. Who was responsible for keeping the peace and arresting criminals? How do they feel about Emma’s involvement?

In the Regency Era, the law was a mish-mash. Who enforced the peace, investigated crimes, and arrested criminals could be markedly different from one jurisdiction to the next. Some towns or villages relied on the local constable, sheriff, bailiff, or even the parish beadle. In the case of murder, the coroner and the local magistrate would also be involved. MURDER IN HIGHBURY features a constable, a coroner, and a local magistrate as the local officers of the law. That magistrate also happens to be Emma’s husband, Mr. Knightley. While my constable and coroner are often fighting over control of the investigation, they’re both united in their opposition to Emma’s involvement. Proper ladies shouldn’t be investigating murders! As for Mr. Knightley, he’s torn between admiration for his wife’s surprising investigative skills and keeping her out of trouble!

You’ve written historical romance and suspense. How is writing a mystery series different?

Although Emma’s relationship with her beloved Mr. Knightley does feature in the story, the murder mystery takes center stage. The murder investigation drives the plot, not romance. MURDER IN HIGHBURY is also a cozy mystery, so it doesn’t have the ramped-up action (or bloodshed) one generally sees in a thriller. The story is more intimate and grounded in the life of a small village, and people who’ve known each other their entire lives. One other significant difference from my earlier books is the absence of on-page sex. While Emma is happily married, her private life remains private!

You clearly enjoy the Regency era of British history. What draws you to this era and location?

You can blame it first on Georgette Heyer and then Jane Austen. My sister introduced me to Heyer’s Regency romances when I was a young teenager, and in university I focused on Austen and other women writers of the era. It’s a fascinating period that toggles between the glamor of the London ton and the grittiness of working-class life and poverty in the stews, as well as village and agrarian life in the English countryside. The Regency encompassed such a short space of time and yet it had an incredible impact, both culturally and socially. Jane Austen’s books are a stellar example of that impact.

Will Emma have another crime to solve?

She certainly will! I’m currently hard a work on MURDER AT DONWELL ABBEY, which will release in the fall of 2025. Emma and George will once more find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery—this time right on the Knightley family estate, Donwell Abbey.

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Murder in Highbury releases today, October 22. Congratulations to Vanessa Kelly, and thank you to Dianne Freeman for joining us.  

Best, LA

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AUTHOR BIOS

Vanessa Kelly is a bestselling author of historical mystery and historical romance. She has won multiple awards, including the prestigious Maggie Medallion for best historical romance. She is a USA Today, Barnes & Noble, BookScan, and Amazon bestseller several times over. To date, her books have been published in eleven languages. After receiving her MA in English literature from Rutgers University, Vanessa spent several in the Ph.D program at the University of Toronto, studying women authors of the 18th Century. She worked as a researcher for many years, and currently resides in Ottawa, Canada, with her husband. Visit her at VanessaKellyAuthor.com.

Dianne Freeman is a life-long book lover who left the world of corporate finance to pursue her passion for writing. After co-authoring the non-fiction book, Haunted Highway, The Spirits of Route 66, she realized her true love was fiction, historical mystery in particular. She also realized she didn’t like winter very much so now she and her husband pursue the endless summer by splitting their time between Michigan and Arizona. Her debut novel, A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder won an Agatha Award for Best Debut, a Lefty Award for Best First Novel, and was nominated for a Mary Higgins-Clark Award. Visit her at DFreeman.com.  

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BOOK INFORMATION

• Murder in Highbury: An Emma Knightley Mystery, by Vanessa Kelly
• Kensington Books (October 22, 2024)
• Hardcover, eBook, and audiobook (400) pages
• ISBN: 978-1496745972
• Genre: Austenesque Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Historical Mystery

AMAZON | PUBLISHER | ADD TO GOODREADS

We received a copy of the book from the publishert. Cover image courtesy of Kensington Books © 2024; text Laurel Ann Nattress, Dianne Freeman, & Vanessa Kelly © 2024, austenprose.com, an Amazon affiliate. No AI: material on Austenprose.com may not be used in datasets for, in the development of, or as inputs to generative AI programs.

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