The mystery was just so-so, but the 3 stars are for the tribute to Jane Austen's Emma. The fact that I didn't know about all the parallels at the beginning made it interesting to analyze and come to realize who was cast in the role of Knightley, Emma, Jane Fairfax, Frank Churchill, and his aunt. Also appreciated the very obvious send-offs of several scenes from Emma including the word game, the strawberry party, the riddles, and everything having to do with the Jane and Frank characters. I wouldn't be surprised if there were other parallels that I missed.
In some authors this all would have seemed like rank plagiarism or like they had no imagination of their own to draw on, but in Anna Dean it was more of a deliberate tribute, and for me it worked. To me it seems like she has a very true, comfortable voice for the Regency era, which is more than I can say for most modern authors attempting to ape Jane Austen. ( )

Slow moving, well constructed Regency mystery where an unmarried woman (with all that implies for that time) looks at the possible murder of an older woman .

Enjoyable story. Interesting heroine with interesting, hidden
relationships that come out in a small community.

Second book in the series. I'll look forward to the next one. ( )

Once again, this begins with a letter to her sister Eliza, which I found boring & skipped...... I realize her letters to her sister provide background to the mystery & her thoughts, but I've found that I can easily do without them.

Miss Dido Kent (spinster & smart-cookie) is now staying w/ her cousin on "holiday" and she is overcome by "ennui" until a neighbor is found dead and another (most obnoxious) neighbor begins malicious gossip that it is murder committed by the dead woman's nephew.

Miss Dido Kent is happily surprised to find her gentleman friend, Mr. Lomax, has arrived and enlists his help in uncovering the truth of the old woman's death.

There are several aside mysteries: the previous tenants of the dead woman's home, a break-in, the dead woman's visitors (of which she usually never had any), an emerald necklace, and a dead dog.... several of which were never cleared up.

It was fast reading and mildly entertaining...... I'm not sick of her yet, so I'll read another! ( )

It's Richmond, 1806 and Miss Dido Kent has developed rather a taste for mysteries.
This is the second book in this cozy mystery series and it is a very cozy mystery indeed. The pace is slow and gentle and you get a really good feel for the place and time the book is set in.
It was interesting to watch the developments in Dido and Mr. Lomax's relationship, and her thought processes behind what she is doing and why, and it's value.
The mystery was interesting though I felt it a bit over complicated in the end. Still, it was fun to watch it unfold and it did feel somewhat believable...at least in the setting of this book if not the real world.
I didn't care for the ending, it felt a bit forced, but it does set up a complication for future books so...
So far this series has been a fun, pleasant and easy read and I am looking forward to more. ( )

Miss Dido Kent, an unmarried woman of a certain age, is spending a holiday with her cousin Flora in Richmond. At first, Dido’s time is consumed by nothing more interesting than the neighborhood gossip; but when the wealthy and temperamental Mrs. Lansdale suddenly dies, leaving everything to her handsome young nephew, tongues really start to wag. Could the charming Henry Lansdale have murdered his aunt? Dido’s naturally inquisitive disposition leads her to gather more information, and she soon discovers some perplexing facts that may indicate Henry’s innocence. Can she untangle the confusing puzzle before Mr. Lansdale is arrested for a crime he possibly didn’t commit?

Last year I read and loved Bellfield Hall, the first Dido Kent mystery, so I was eager to get my hands on this second installment. Like its predecessor, this book combines a likeable sleuth with a fascinating mystery (or, in this case, several mysteries) and a wonderful 19th-century setting. Anna Dean is obviously inspired by Jane Austen, and in this book the allusions were especially overt. I actually found it somewhat distracting, especially when I recognized some language lifted straight from Austen’s novels. Emma, especially, is all over this book. But aside from this little lack of originality, the book is very entertaining, and I look forward to reading Miss Kent’s next adventure.