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 bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author Amanda Flower.

Emily Dickinson plays sleuth in this sprightly series launch from Flower (the Magical Bookshop mysteries). One night in 1855, Henry Noble, a stable hand with a tendency to get into trouble, tells his sister, Willa, a shy, insecure maid who’s just been hired to work for the Dickinsons, a well-to-do family in Amherst, Mass., that he’s about to make enough money to change both their lives—but he won’t tell her how until this coming Sunday. When Henry dies in a seeming accident at the town stable before Sunday, 25-year-old Emily, moved by Willa’s grief, insists that she and Willa launch their own investigation, starting with the stable. Courageous and intelligent, Emily asks uncomfortable questions of those with money and power, not just in Amherst but in Washington, D.C., a trip that the Dickinson family actually made by train in 1855. This mystery works best when it delves into the complexities of the Dickinson family, particular its depiction of Emily’s cold father, Congressman Edward Dickinson, and her controlling sister, Lavinia. This is a good start to what could be a rich historical series. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Because I Could Not Stop for Death is USA Today bestselling author Amanda Flower’s first foray into historical mystery, and she acquits herself beautifully. She brings beloved American poet Emily Dickinson to life in a nuanced portrayal, giving us glimpses of the brilliant literary mind at work, turning over ideas and phrases, even as she teams up with an able and sympathetic maid to solve a murder. Well-researched, richly textured, and skillfully plotted, readers will fall for Flower’s lyrical mystery—word, verse, and stanza.” –Anna Lee Huber, USA Today bestselling author of A Perilous Perspective

“Amanda Flower captures the culture of mid-19th century American society in the absorbing and well-written Because I Could Not Stop For Death. Flower adds her plotting and pacing skill to make this book hard to put down.”- Charles Todd, New York Times bestselling author of A Game of Fear

“A fascinating glimpse into the life of beloved poet Emily Dickinson as she and her maid solve a murder together. You will be delighted by this clever premise set in a little-explored historical time period.”—Victoria Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of Murder on Madison Square

“Historical context adds excitement to the twin mysteries of murder and the poet's hidden life.”-Kirkus

“Amanda Flower does an exemplary job of extrapolating from the real Ms. Dickinson’s life to construct a clever, socially-conscious historical mystery…It is a superlative effort, and entertaining to boot.”-Criminal Element

“[A] sprightly series launch…a good start to what could be a rich historical series.”—Publishers Weekly

Historical Mysteries

Release November 2023

Agatha Award-Winning Series!

Mary Higgins Clark-Nominated Series

Emily Dickinson Mysteries