Harriet Smith Investigates: Book 1
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
A witty debut whodunit that reimagines Harriet Smith, the gullible sidekick of Jane Austen’s Emma , as a spitfire con woman, hired to break off an engagement and uncover a murderer in the genteel village of Highbury.
“Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure.” —Jane Austen, Emma
Is a killer lurking in the idyllic country domain of Emma Woodhouse?
No longer Emma’s naïve companion, Harriet Smith is a feisty con-woman-turned-detective tasked with breaking off Frank Churchill’s engagement and uncovering his aunt’s would-be murderer. The shrewd Mrs. Churchill suspects Frank’s unsuitable fiancée, Jane Fairfax, is out to kill her, while Harriet suspects little more than a society scandal. But what begins as a routine investigation among Highbury’s elite quickly spirals into a web of deception, deadly secrets, and a game of survival.
As Harriet interrogates a growing list of suspects with the help of her long-suffering best friend, Robert Martin, not only does she have to contend with a potential homicidal maniac and striking out as a single woman in Regency society but is also afraid her father (and former partner-in-crime) is out for revenge.
With a cast of unforgettable characters—including a charming scoundrel, a lovesick farmer, a ghoulish butler, and a ruthless heiress determined to hide her skeletons at any cost— this brilliantly reimagined mystery featuring the characters from Jane Austen’s Emma is as deliciously dark as it is delightfully clever.
Harriet Smith is on the con, but suddenly a murder gets in the way in A Very Vexing Murder by Lucy Andrew.
Harriet Smith is a con-woman ready to take on a new case. Her new employer, Mrs. Churchill, has a simple task: to break up the relationship between her nephew, Frank Churchill, and Jane Fairfax. Harriet must integrate herself into Highbury society, befriending many to get close to Jane. But in her efforts, murder makes its way to Highbury.
Mrs. Churchill’s maid is poisoned after eating food made for Mrs. Churchill herself. Determined to find the killer, Harriet goes from con woman to detective. But after a second murder, Harriet finds herself in harm’s way, and she must find answers before it’s too late.
I don’t mind retellings of classics, and oftentimes they can provide a unique view of the story. However, I found this retelling hard for myself. I think that making Harriet an investigator could work, and could have been a very interesting story after the events of Emma.
However, as this book begins at the start of Emma, I had to remind myself of all the characters and plot points of the original story. I had a hard time with how Harriet talked about Emma, especially as Emma is one of my favorite Jane Austen stories. It felt like Harriet was the biggest hater of them all. I couldn’t help but feel that the author read Emma, hated the title character, and decided to write her own story that featured Emma as little as possible and made her look as bad as she could. The mystery was interesting, if a little convoluted, and the writing was well done. I just personally couldn’t get into the story because the characters from the original novel were poorly portrayed.
A Very Vexing Murder is a unique take on Emma and a mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.
Lucy Andrew is a crime writer and crime fiction scholar. Her first novel, A Very Vexing Murder, will be published by Corvus (Atlantic Books) in the UK and William Morrow (HarperCollins) in the US in early 2026.
