Review Detail

In Sense and Second-Degree Murder, Tizrah Price hits her stride. I enjoyed Pride and Premeditation and was at first a bit surprised that this was set in the same world but not with the same characters. It was not long before the Dashwood sisters and their plight drew me in and surpassed the first book.

Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret are strong and intelligent female leads. However, what was a refreshing departure from the first book, the men in the book supported their desire to uncover their father’s murderer and helped them. I also liked that the danger felt more real in this book and our characters went through emotional turmoil and were nearly killed before the truth was uncovered.

While opium and laudanum addiction were part of the period there were smart points made about the dangers of prescribed drugs. The side story of Vincent, who was a nice upstanding boy until he broke his arm and became addicted to the very medicine everyone believed was safe was spot on to issues that are still a rampant problem today. If a YA reader is introduced to the idea of being careful around prescription drugs, then this tale was time well spent.

Overall, I liked the mentions of Lizzie Benedict’s story from book one and enjoyed that the Dashwood sisters overcame so much and found worthy love interests. Overall, this was a compelling read with nuggets of wisdom that pertain to real-life problems.