A Very Vexing Murder, the debut novel of Lucy Andrew, the first book in the Harriet Smith Investigates series, will be published on 5th March 2026 by Corvus, part of Atlantic Books.
A Very Vexing Murder is a cosy crime retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma which transforms Emma’s timid little sidekick, Harriet Smith, into a feisty con-woman-turned-detective who is hired to investigate a murder that hasn’t yet been committed.
Dr Lucy Andrew is a crime writer, crime fiction scholar and former Senior Lecturer in English Literature, with a PhD in English Literature from Cardiff University. She is an avid fan of Jane Austen and cosy crime and decided to combine her two passions to create a Jane Austen Regency world of murder, mystery and mayhem.
Lucy is launching A Very Vexing Murder at Waterstones Bath on Wednesday 4th March at 6.30pm, the night before the book’s official release date. Tickets are available here.
‘I was delighted to be invited to Bath Waterstones to launch the book,’ Lucy Andrew said. ‘As a huge fan of Jane Austen, I love the city of Bath. So much of its Georgian architecture has been preserved and to walk the routes that Austen herself walked and step into buildings that she frequented is such a thrilling experience. As an academic, I like to do a lot of research, and the best kind of research is to be able to immerse myself in the culture of the world in which I’m writing.
I’ve been lucky enough to spend a lot of time in Bath while writing these books, particularly as my sister lives close by. A Very Vexing Murder is set in the fictional village of Highbury in Surrey, but I’ve learned so much about Jane Austen and life in the Regency period through my travels in Bath. I’ve visited the Jane Austen Centre, breakfasted in the Pump Room, enjoyed a backstage tour of the Bath Theatre Royal, explored No. 1 Royal Crescent. I’ve done walking tours of Bath’s Georgian Crescents, Jane Austen’s Bath and Bath’s musical venues. I’ve sung carols in Bath Abbey, listened to Gothic tales at the grotto at Lansdown Cemetery and watched Death Comes to Pemberley at the Theatre Royal. I’ve attended many events at the Jane Austen Festival and, last year, I was lucky enough to speak at the festival at the BRLSI for the 250th anniversary celebrations, where I explored Jane Austen’s influence on the rise of detective fiction.
Spending time in Bath has enabled me to immerse myself in Georgian culture in a way no other city in the world would allow me to do. It has become a second home of sorts. I love the history, the culture, the bookshops, the festivals. In fact, I love it so much that the second book in my Harriet Smith Investigates series, due out in 2027, will be set in Bath, as Harriet and her unwilling sidekick, Robert Martin, travel into the world of Austen’s Northanger Abbey to solve more murders in the high-society world of Bath. I’ve been doing a lot of on-location research for book two this year.
Jane Austen herself may not have had the happiest time in Bath, but it’s a place that has been immortalised in her novels and Bath has played a huge role in keeping Austen at the forefront of the public imagination, particularly during the amazing 250th anniversary celebrations. Bath has been a huge influence on my writing and had such a profound impact on Jane Austen and her work that it feels only right that I launch my own Austen retelling here.
Bath also holds a special place in my heart because it was where I found out that I was going to become a published author. The email from my agent came through while I was sitting on a bench in Queen Square and it felt like fate. When I visit Bath, I love to sit on that bench and remind myself that this was where it all started.’
At her launch event on 4th March, Lucy will be sharing her inspirations for A Very Vexing Murder, discussing why Jane Austen’s Emma is such appropriate source material for a detective retelling and explaining why she chose Harriet Smith as the heroine of her novel, as well as signing copies of the book.
‘Bath is the perfect place to celebrate the launch of my cosy crime retelling of Emma,’ Andrew said. ‘I’m very excited to be staying at No. 4 Sydney Place, Jane Austen’s Bath residence from 1801-1805, during my trip to Bath. After my launch event at Waterstones Bath, I will be out and about in Bath on launch day – which also happens to be World Book Day – and I plan to celebrate the release of my debut novel in style with breakfast at the Pump Room. And I might treat myself to ‘The Darcy’ cocktail while I’m there!’
If you want to find out more about Lucy’s books and research, you can sign up for her Secret Sleuths Club for access to her monthly newsletter and her exclusive Secret Sleuths Club article ‘Five ways Jane Austen paved the way for Golden-Age detective fiction’.
