*For my personal thoughts on Sense and Second Degree Murder, check out my review of the book.

Author: Tirzah Price
Title: Sense and Second Degree Murder
Category/Type: Young Adult Fiction
Genre: Mystery/Detective Stories
Subgenre: Historical
Publication Date: April 5, 2022
Number of Pages: 402 pages of story text
Geographical Setting: Primarily Regency era London with the book starting in the British countryside during the same historical period.
Time Period: Regency period
Series (if applicable): This book is part of the Jane Austen Murder Mystery series.

Plot Summary: The Dashwood family is shocked and reeling after Elinor discovers her father dead, apparently poisoned by a cup of tea, in his study one morning. Luckily, Elinor is a budding chemist and her sister Marianne is an amateur sleuth trained by their father. Determined to solve the case, things are complicated by their sudden change in fortune when their brother and sister-in-law kick them out of their home and provide them with barely a penny. Each sister must overcome their doubts about themselves and others if they are going to work together to solve the case. Along the way they will be aided and hindered by some of Austen’s other beloved characters including the gentlemen Willoughby and Ferrars and the up-and-coming surgeon Mr. Brandon. Along the path to figuring out whodunit, they will also discover truths about the nature of love and relationships and the importance of family.
Content warnings: Murder, death of parent, death of a loved one, sexism (mostly due to the time period), child endangerment, substance use and abuse.
Subject Headings: Historical - Europe, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Romance - Historical
Appeal/Characteristics of Young Adult Fiction:

Published by Children's and Young Adult publishers- This book is published by HarperTeen, the young adult branch of HaperCollins.
Features teenaged protagontists- The ages of Elinor and Marianne are likely similar to how old Austen’s original characters were- they are teens but, in this retelling they are having adventures more common to today instead of being primarily concerned with finding husbands.
Aimed at middle school and high school students- The writing is more simplified than that of the original Sense and Sensibility and is also modernized, clearly written for today’s teenaged crowd. Elinor and Marianne are also breaking with conventions wanting to be female detectives and scientists showcasing the power of youth and women, with the story establishing who the protagonists might become in adulthood.
The heart of YA is the coming-of-age story about a teen's first step towards deciding who they are and what they want to become- Wanting to follow non-traditional paths for women during the Regency era, both Elinor and Marianne need to decide if they will pursue their passions or follow the path of “good girls.” Elinor is guided on her path to becoming a scientist and she works through her doubts with the help of her friends and family. Marianne is set on her future as a detective but is incredibly headstrong and impulsive. Throughout the story she learns better behavior and how toning herself down a bit could lead her to become a better detective.

Appeal/Characteristics of Mystery Fiction

An imbalance of justice drives the plot. Readers understand “whodunit” and why by the book’s conclusion- The patriarch of the Dashwood family has been murdered and solving this injustice drives the story. Other injustices also come into play as part of the plot and the time period: the injustices against women being oppressed in society and not being to work or have college educations; the injustices of adults never taking children, especially female children, seriously which in this case inhibits justice being served. By the end of the book, readers know who killed Mr. Dashwood, why and how.
The story focuses on the investigator or an investigative team. Mysteries are often written as a series, following the investigator through several cases. Secondary characters, whether suspects or supporting characters in the investigation, play an important role in the appeal of the Mystery and may also be series characters.- This story focuses on the Dashwood sisters, all three of whom are working together to solve the murder of their father, though the elder two sisters are the primary focus since they are doing most of the investigating. The side characters of Misters Brandon, Willoughby, and Ferrars, are followed as they each aid or inhibit the case in their own way. Although there hasn’t yet been a character overlap, this book is a part of a series and there is an Easter egg reference at the end that links this book to the first one in the series.
The frame in which the Mystery is set—whether a physical location, or fascinating background details—plays a crucial role in its appeal- Being set in the Regency period is hugely important to the story and how the mystery will be solved. There wasn’t as much knowledge or technology at this time that could aid in crime solving. It was also an era in which women were not supposed to learn science or have an occupation and so the historical setting is also important as far as who is solving the murder of Mr. Dashwood. Details in the Dashwood home and the apothecary where Mr. Brandon works are also key to solving the crime.
The tone of Mysteries ranges from dark and gritty to lighthearted and witty with a multitude of variations in between- This story falls along the lighthearted and witty spectrum. There are several grim aspects so it does trend towards the darker side but, sticking with a style that parodies Jane Austen, there is plenty of wit and humor to be found.
The broad scope of the genre, embracing countries around the world and involving widely differing classes of characters and historical periods, demands a range of language and narrative styles- Again, this is an Historical Mystery set in Regency England. The language, while somewhat modernized, matches the time period, as does the social structure. In fact, one of the challenges the Dashwoods sisters must overcome is their change in social status due their loss of income at the hands of their brother and sister-in-law after their father’s death. This makes them not welcome in some places but also throws them together with other characters that end up helping or hurting the investigation and are thus integral to moving the plot forward.
Pacing is compelling, sometimes slowed by details of time and place, but always moving inexorably toward the reestablishment of equilibrium- This book is not fast-paced but is also not leisurely. Due to social conventions of the time period, things sometimes slow when the sisters are making a social visit or attending a ball, but these acts are also have a purpose such as scoping out suspects or seeking more information about a person or place, and so the pace always picks back up after these events and also leave the investigators with more information than they had before.
3 terms that best describe this book:

Witty
Imaginative
Lightly scientific

Fiction Read-alikes

Magic, Murder, and What We Wore by Kelly Jones- Described as a combination of a Jane Austen novel and Harriet the Spy, this book follows 16 year old Annis Whitworth and her maid as they disguise themselves as magical dressmakers and attempt to figure out how Annis’s father died and why his money is missing. This book is set in the same time period as Sense and Second Degree Murder and also follows teenaged sleuths. The magical realism is the main thing that sets the two books apart and thus they are likely to appeal to the same readers.
The Gilded Cage by Lucinda Gray- With a more Gothic tone than Sense and Second Degree Murder, The Gilded Cage is set in the early 1800s and is about American teen Katherine who travels to England with her brother after they learn they’ve inherited an estate. After a tragedy occurs on the dark and eerie estate, Katherine is left to solve the death of her brother and uncover other secrets of the past that haunt the place. For Price fans looking for a darker and more intense mystery, this book has enough connections to draw them in.
A Spy in the House; book 1 in The Agency series by Y. S. Lee- Mary is 17 and has just graduated from Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls when she is recruited into The Agency, a secret group of female investigators. This story follows Mary on her first case where she goes undercover as a lady’s companion to find clues to the mystery of why ships are sinking under strange circumstances. Also set in Regency England and with a romance that Booklist says is reminiscent of Darcy and Lizzie, this book is likely to catch the attention of Sense and Second Degree Murder fans.

Non-Fiction Read-alikes

Jane Austen’s England by Lesley and Roy Adkins- While Price gives readers enough of Regency England to set the stage for her story, Adkins’s book is a veritable encyclopedia of the world Jane Austen lived and wrote in. Anyone looking to learn more about the time period will find this resource insightful.
The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things by Paula Byrne- In this biography, Byrne uses material evidence from Austen’s life to challenge the official biography created by Austen’s family and paint a new, more realistic picture of the beloved author’s life. Price’s mystery series retells each of Jane Austen’s works and readers who enjoy the characters and settings that Price has reimagined will be eager to learn more about the original author who created these endearing fictional people.
The Thurtell-Hunt Murder Case: Dark Mirror to Regency England by Albert Borowitz- Although written for an adult audience, fans of Price’s Jane Austen Murder Mystery series are likely to want to know more about real murders that took place in Regency England. This books details the death of a gambler that captured the attention of the British public at the time.

Citations

Characteristics of Mystery Fiction taken from

Wyatt, N. and Saricks, J. (2019). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction. Third edition. ALA Editions.