Because I Could Not Stop for Death

By: Amanda Flower

Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Emily Dickinson and her housemaid, Willa Noble, realize there is nothing poetic about murder in this first book in an all-new series from USA Today best-selling and Agatha Award-winning author Amanda Flower.

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....

©2022 Amanda Flower (P)2022 Penguin Audio

It was wonderful!

This was an excellent story & I was sad when I finished it! Very well written & well performed!

Excellent story,

Captivating and flows very well. Amanda Flower is one of my all time favorite authors. I have read almost everything she has written!!

Delightful

I love Amanda Flower's Amish mystery series, but this book reaches another level altogether. It is somewhat reminiscent of Anne Perry, Victoria Thompson, or Rhys Bowen, but unique in its own right. The mixture of genteel society, the service class, and a growing middle class in 1850s America is well done, as is the sleuthing duo of a fictionalized but believable Emily Dickinson and her maid, Willa Noble. The mystery was sound, and I did not zero in on the murderer until late in the book. The book is altogether entertaining, and though well developed, these characters have so many more stories to tell. I cannot wait for Emily's and Willa's next adventure. Bravo, Ms. Flower!

Underground Railroad and Murder most fowl.

I am a fan of historical fiction and this is a book I loved and highly recommend. The events woven the story were researched by Amanda Flower and adding Emily's adventures in her younger life complet with a trip to DC and a visit to Mount Vernon added much to the story. To write a top notch novel like this is a pleasure to read. The murder was full of suspense and fun to try to solve.Thanks to Amanda Flower great read. The narrator was present to listen to.

Wonderful Mystery Wrapped in History

I really loved listening to this book on audible. Not only is the reader excellent but the author has carefully researched and used historical persons and events with precision. I found the details of the Dickinson household and the very accurate history of pre- Civil War, United States to be a stunning setting in which to unravel a mystery. The details are rich and engrossing. I have read or listened to books by Amanda Flower for a long time and I found that this book is exceptional in its detail and story telling. I hope that this series will be continued as I would enjoy more adventures of Willa Noble.

A young adult novel?

This book was not advertised as a novel for young readers. It’s simplicity suggests otherwise! The historical facts seem well researched but the lack of complexity in the plot and the characters do not make it appealing for the older well read reader!

Very Slow

This book is so wordy and doesn't move. It drags and drags. Every single action like, "she raised her hand" is in the story. If you can't get to sleep tonight, just listen to this book.

annoying

This could have been a decent story if the maid, who was the main character, hadn't been such a whiner. Not a book for those who prefer strong women characters. Emily Dickinson provided some relief.

Couldn’t finish it

The narration made the main character sound silly and breathless and helpless. The story is slow and so predictable. The plot is very easy to guess and this makes it tedious.