NEW Mystery by a beloved author ~ Amanda Flower

Today Suspense Sisters is pleased to welcome back Amanda Flower with her new mystery, BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH. Emily Dickinson and her housemaid, Willa Noble, realize there is nothing poetic about murder in this first book in an all-new series from a USA Today best-selling and Agatha Award-winning author.

First, let's hear more about the story:

January, 1855 Willa Noble knew it was bad luck when it was pouring rain on the day of her ever-important job interview at the Dickinson home in Amherst, Massachusetts. When she arrived late, disheveled with her skirts sodden and filthy, she'd lost all hope of being hired for the position. As the housekeeper politely told her they'd be in touch, Willa started toward the door of the stately home only to be called back by the soft but strong voice of Emily Dickinson. What begins as tenuous employment turns to friendship as the reclusive poet takes Willa under her wing.

Tragedy soon strikes and Willa's beloved brother, Henry, is killed in a tragic accident at the town stables. With no other family and nowhere else to turn, Willa tells Emily about her brother’s death and why she believes it was no accident. Willa is convinced it was murder. Henry had been very secretive of late, only hinting to Willa that he'd found a way to earn money to take care of them both. Viewing it first as a puzzle to piece together, Emily offers to help, only to realize that she and Willa are caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse that reveals corruption in Amherst that is generations deep. Some very high-powered people will stop at nothing to keep their profitable secrets even if that means forever silencing Willa and her new mistress...

Now let's hear a little more about the author:

Amanda Flower is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author of over forty-five Amanda Flower is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author of over forty-five mystery novels. Her novels have received starred reviews from Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Romantic Times, and she had been featured in USA Today, First for Women, and Woman’s World. Her first Emily Dickinson Mystery, Because I Could Not Stop for Death, was a Mary Higgins Clark and Agatha Award Nominee. She currently writes for Penguin-Random House (Berkley), Kensington, and Sourcebooks. A former librarian, Flower and her husband own a farm and recording studio, and live in Northeast Ohio with their adorable cats.

Tell us, Amanda, about your inspiration for this story.
When I was fifteen-years-old, I was first introduced to Emily Dickinson, and she was my favorite poet from that moment on. I studied her off and all through high school and college, and every time I did, I learned something new about her and her work. In 2016, I published my first book involving Emily. In Crime and Poetry, a contemporary magical cozy mystery, my main character solves the murder in the book with clues from Emily’s poems. I did extensive research for the book on Emily and her work. I love historical research and had always wanted to write and historical mystery. Years later, I was trying to think of a hook for my historical story. I knew that I was most comfortable writing about nineteenth century American history because it was my favorite time period to learn about, but I needed something more. That’s when Emily came to my mind again. I wondered if anyone had ever writer a mystery with Emily as a detective. I did some digging and discovered, much to my shock, no one ever had! I knew this was the hook I was looking for and the Emily Dickinson Mysteries were born!

Sounds wonderful. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book.

Readers, leave Amanda a comment for a chance to win a copy of BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH. Print copy to USA readers only. Drawing in one week.

You can buy a copy of BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH HERE

Have a great week of reading! ~ Mary Ellis, Suspense Sisters