Louisa May Alcott moves to Concord after the success of her book Little Women, wanting a slower life raising pigs. But when Miss Emily Collier is found dead after her birthday party, Louisa is engrossed in the investigation. Partnering with Captain Briers she must find out which of the Misses of Concord is the murderer. Louisa soon finds out that not only Misses will lie, cheat and steal to evade the truth.

I was really excited to read this book based on the premise of Louis May Alcott being a sleuth. I really enjoyed how Dunne portrayed how a small town filled with rumors and lies can spread like a disease. I truly wish we got more character development and the struggles that they might have gone through to entice their decisions. The accuracy of gossip between grown women in a small town is spot on, however I felt it was most of the book's context.

*Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Level Best Books for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

The concept alone is a fabulous idea for a novel. 👏🏻
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Concord, Mass. is a historical township that lays claim to many notable residents (Thoreau) outside the primary incidence of the revolutionary war. It is a small area that has worked exponentially hard to maintain a wilderness and natural beauty to it, even now in modern times. (I personally visited in 2010 and it felt like a step back in time).

This delightful novel captures all of that.
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The “Misses” are a group of choosen spinsters that are independent in their lifestyles in Concord. At the beginning of the book one is murdered. As it unravels, the most famed actual “Miss”, Louisa May Alcott is the sole individual whom the entire Concord area can rely upon to not only help investigate the mysterious death, but help to keep the secrets that many in the town are keeping.


This story was written brilliantly. Louisa May Alcott is so well represented in both her character and in her speech. The writing didn’t try to match the classical nature of one of the most profound authors, and in doing so it aligned well. The mystery aspect was interesting and kept me hooked from the start.

Absolutely fascinating and would highly recommend.

I had a very hard time following the storyline, it was very formal and extremely detailed.
Overall the story itself has great components, it just took me a little longer to read it ( I usually read YA so maybe that played a factor).

Louisa Alcott has retired to a pig farm in Concord after her success with writing Little Women. In a turn of events Louisa is roped into a murder investigation due to the captain of the police force having secrets and not being able to be fully trusted. At first she helps investigate along side but as more secrets are discovered the less involved the captain becomes due to his dishonesty, leaving Louisa at the helms. As more secrets are discovered amongst the residents of Concord the more murders seem to be occurring. Will Louisa be able to figure out who did all the murders and why?

This book was ok. I gave it three stars. The writing style was not for me and all the women characters minus Louisa were all bland and didn’t stick out distinctly making it hard to keep track of who was who and who did what. The plot had holes in it making the ending seemingly out of nowhere. The ending seemed quite rushed while the rest of the book was very slow.

I received this book as an advanced reader copy and doing the review voluntarily.

I enjoyed the idea of a historical fiction book with Louisa May Alcott, it had everything that I was hoping for. I was as intrigued as Louisa and thought the mystery element worked well overall. It does everything that I was hoping for during this type of book. It left me wanting to read more in this series and from Elizabeth Dunne.

I picked up this ARC based on the book blurb. Having read Louisa Alcott's Little Women way back, it was interesting to read about the author in a book featuring her as the star. Several authors have entered this fray including James Patterson who has got not one but three classical star investigators into one book in Holmes Margaret and Poe.
I started this story with very high expectations and at the end of it have to say that Elizabeth has got most of it perfect. The story is good, articulations of Alcott as the protagonist is also fabulous. What I loved about the book was the language, prose and dialogues used in the story so reminiscent of the classical books of a bygone era. It brings to mind the style of prose by the Bronte sisters and has an old world feel to it.
I normally do not read periodic pieces but this story really stuck with me. The Victorian ambience, the long formal dialogues, the respectful demeanor in addressing people. How far Louisa's character was true to life, I've no idea because she's a pig farmer here but for a writer whose most famous book was a coming of age story and considered as semi-autobiographical as in based on her own living areas; this was a big jump from children's novel to a murder mystery.

But Elizabeth has done full justice to the story. The story progresses from a murder of one of Louisa's friends in a party and the small closed community is shocked with gossip flying and intrigue everyday. With suspicion everywhere Louisa steps in to pursue with the Misses (old ladies spinsters) of Concord.
This seems to be a start of the series, would look forward to another one of the episodes.

Louisa May Alcott author of Little Women is investigating the death of Miss Emily Collier. Ones of the Misses of Concord. Emily does at her birthday party of poison. The Misses are a group of widowed or spinsters of Concord.
How fun was this book ? I loved it. I have no idea what the real Louisa May Alcott did but if it was to run a pig farm and investigate murders I am all for it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Very good book. It was a little slow going in the beginning but it soon picked up. Was not disappointed. It was a very unique read with several misses. I found this book enjoyable. It is set in the Victorian era but unlike most Victorian ear books this was set in the US not the UK. I liked that spin on things.

It was fun to watch a renowned author as a character investigating a murder mystery in Concord, Massachusetts, although I had hoped for some sense of the 19th century intellectual climate in that town. This book will appeal to readers who enjoy small-town gossip in a historical setting and a variety of characters who keep plenty of secrets. It's a tangled web, but the writer is up to the task.

The Murderous Misses of Concord is a truly captivating read! I couldn’t put it down! The mystery remains until the very end, and through Elizabeth Dunne’s skilled writing, the reader cannot guess who the murderer(s) is! I definitely recommend this book!

First in a new series featuring Louisa May Alcott as the heroine. Filled with details of life in 19th-century America, Miss Alcott solves a series of murderous involving the people of Concord, MA. A convoluted plot but the author brings together all of the strands at the end. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

An enjoyable and well plotted historical mystery that i enjoyed. Well researched and vivid historical background, solid mystery, fleshed out characters
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a short read but enjoyable. Very descriptive with scenes and era..sometimes too much so. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced readers copy.

As a reader, I had a hard time following some areas in this book. While I do enjoy reading the classics, at times this book got long in the descriptions. I really did enjoy the outcome but it took me longer than normal to actually get into the story. I look forward to the next in the series. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

The Murderous Misses of Concord was a quick and mostly enjoyable read for me. The writing was descriptive but predictable.

I enjoyed this world and Louisa is lovable of course. It was a quick and pleasant mystery with a creative concept.

Louisa May Alcott is farming pigs with enthusiasm after her novels success in Concord. Observing people around her and being respected in her community helps her in her detective endeavours.

Miss Collier, not popular dies on her forty second birthday by poisoning. The entire community is ruffled and many of them could be included as suspects. The plot is convoluted, the characters very many. All of them with secrets to hide, practically all of them with back stories connected to the victim.

Not easy to follow but the setting of the story - a small village in a rural area was in itself interesting.

A second victim follows the first and the detective pace hots up. The author kept the suspect well hidden till the end.

Historical Mystery set in 1870 Massachusetts in which Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, finds herself enlisted by the local Justice of the Peace to uncover a killer.

1/5 stars: This is the first entry in Dunne's Concord Mystery series, which is a Historical Mystery set in 1870 Massachusetts and features a fictionalized version of historical figure Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women. Dunne's writing and character work are nicely done. Unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me leading me to DNF it at 28%.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Level Best Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

I was really torn between giving this book two and three stars. I decided to go with three because I thought the descriptive writing was fantastic, it really placed one within a brisk early winter New England. The premise too was very interesting. But in the end I just couldn’t get into it. It was a short read, but it felt long. I think sometimes the descriptiveness of the prose got in the way of the plot moving along. I found myself rereading portions just to figure out what was actually happening or being said. By removing some of the density of the language, the author might be able to improve upon this though and have a great short story/novella.

The Murderous Misses of Concord is a unique read that I found immensely interesting and enjoyable. The story is based in Concord Massachusetts in 1870 (and being a fan of cosy mysteries of the Victorian era and early 1900s, this immediately piqued my interest) However, this was a whole new dimension for me being that it was based in the US and not in the UK

What was familiar, however, was the writing style, reminiscent of the classics like Bronte and Dickens, beautifully in keeping with the era in which it is set, while retaining a good narrative flow

The story follows a Miss Louisa Alcott whose peaceful life is turned upside down when her friend, Miss Collier dies at her birthday party. As was the case in those days, communities were very small and suspicion and intrigue rife. To restore life as she knew it, Louisa must investigate, with an incredible number of pitfalls, barriers and nefarious neighbours all set to interfere

I found Mrs Lucy Miller to be hilarious and that poor woman would likely explode if her ever-suffering husband would not cotton on to the hints of the daily gossip she procured from working as the towns Postmistress. Calling pigs Danny and Doodle was absolutely inspired!

A very good read and a tale to be savoured. A great book if you enjoy cosy mysteris, classics and the humour of the Pickwick Papers