What Happened on Box Hill by Elizabeth Gilliland Series: Austen University Mysteries #1
Published by Bayou Wolf Press on February 1, 2022
Genres: Amateur Sleuth, Cozy, Mystery, Cozy Mystery, New Adult
Pages: 268
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
What would happen if you combined all of Austen's characters into one modern-day novel?
Murder, of course.
When Caty Morland's roommate, Isabella, falls to her death on Initiation Night, Austen University is quick to cover up the scandal and call it a tragic accident. But avid true-crime lover Caty remains convinced that Isabella didn't fall; she was murdered. With the help of Pi Kappa Sigma President Emma Woodhouse, Caty organizes a dinner party with the most likely suspects, including familiar faces such as Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, Knightley, and Marianne Dashwood. The theme of the night is murder, and Caty has three courses to find out what happened to Isabella—and to try to keep the killer from striking again.
What Happened on Box Hill is a fun cozy mystery with an Austen inspired characters within Greek organizations. I’ve only managed to read one Austen book, Pride and Prejudice, so many of the fun nods to Austen were completely beyond me. I recognized names, but that’s about it. So, with that said, I think an Austen fan would thoroughly enjoy the inspiration Gilliland pulled from original works.
This has a very “Murder on the Orient Express” Hercule Poirot vibe. The main character Caty (Catherine Morland) is a true crime junkie that investigates the death of her “friend” Isabella. I’m leaving that in quotes because Isabella’s friendship leaves a lot to be desired. The timeline jumps about; from a grand reveal at a dinner party in the present to past investigatory activity.
I waffled between enjoying Caty’s investigation and being annoyed (that’s where this new adult/YA leaning rubbed me the wrong way) because honestly she was a really terrible investigator even for an amateur. Her leaps in logic could be… impressive. The mystery itself was filled with a number of enjoyable twists and turns. I had a tough time keeping the secondary characters straight but I imagine if I had a background in Austen lit I would have had an easier go of it. I suspect a lot of the character quirks and humor sailed over my head.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this Austen U cozy and would revisit this series in the future. I think an Austen fan would thoroughly enjoy the inspiration Gilliland pulled from original works.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
About Elizabeth Gilliland
Elizabeth was raised in Litchfield Park, Arizona, and has since lived in the UK, New York, Utah, Louisiana, and Alabama. She got her first big break in writing when she won the creative writing contest in her 4th-grade class and got to go to McDonald's with her teacher and choose two items off the dollar menu. Since then, she received a BA in Theatre with an emphasis in playwriting, an MA in Screenwriting and Production, and a PhD in English Literature with a focus on 19th-century British Literature and Adaptations. Her plays "Tinsel Town Revue" and "Pump up the Evil" were performed off-off Broadway, and her short story "Mouse and Cat" appeared in the collection A Dash of Madness. She has also been published in academic journals and presented at academic conferences around the world. When she isn't writing, she's teaching university-level English courses and editing novels for Bayou Wolf Press. She currently lives in Alabama with her husband and son.