Eight years ago Ann Reynolds broke up with her boy friend, Joe Muldoon, because her family convinced her that he wasn't good enough for the Reynolds' family. If you are a Jane Austen fan and this storyline sounds familiar to you, that's because MURDER MOST PERSUASIVE is a modern rewrite of Jane Austen's Persuasion with a murderous twist. Narrated by Elizabeth Parker, Anne's cousin, Tracy Kiely has cleverly written a humorous murder mystery inspired by one of Jane Austen's most beloved novels.

When Martin Reynolds dies after a battle with cancer, his house in St. Michaels, Maryland is sold, but when the new owners uncover a dead body under the pool, the Reynolds' family has some explaining to do. Not only is the Reynolds family outraged that they are all suspects, but Ann is stunned when the lead detective on the case is none other than her old flame, Joe Muldoon. The body under the pool is identified as Michael Barrow. Michael was once engaged to Reggie Reynolds, Ann's cousin. Michael was last seen alive at the Reynolds' Fourth of July party and also happened to disappear after embezzling one million dollars from Martin Reynolds' company.

Reggie Reynolds isn't the only suspect in the Reynolds' family. Days after Martin Reynolds died, and after a very theatrical funeral performance, his much younger widow, Bonnie, leaves town for a few days of rest at a spa. However, Bonnie does not come back alone. She returns accompanied by Julian St. Clair, a much younger piece of eye candy who sees auras, and who has been hired by Bonnie as her new financial adviser. Julian's first order of business is to invest the money on the sale of the St. Michaels house. No matter how hard the Reynolds family tries to prove their innocence, each new clue points to a family member. When a startling new development suddenly makes Ann a person of interest, she is comforted by the fact that Joe comes to her defense.

I had quite a few laughs reading MURDER MOST PERSUASIVE. I would love to meet Tracy Kiely, who obviously has a wicked sense of humor! I thought she nailed Joe and Ann's first meeting after eight years. Joe Muldoon and Ann Reynolds were magically transformed into Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth -- with a murder case hanging over their heads, of course! The murder mystery was a little contrived. I felt disappointed with the identity of the murderer. But the humor alone is enough to make MURDER MOST PERSUASIVE a very enjoyable read for Austen fans or anyone looking for a good laugh!