Publishers Weekly
09/02/2024
Hobbs introduces aspiring archaeologist Miss Marigold Manners in this amusing debut and series launch set in 1894 Boston. Marigold’s socialite parents have just died, leaving her without property to inherit or sufficient funds to continue her education. Facing an uncertain future, the witty and confident 21-year-old receives a letter from her mother’s cousin, Sophronia Hatchet, summoning her to Great Misery Island—a largely abandoned blip off the coast of Massachusetts—so Sophronia can right a “great and godless wrong” her “man” did to Marigold’s mother. Curious, Marigold heads to the island and finds the Hatchet home in disrepair, with her cousins beaten down by their patriarch, the Bible-thumping Ellery Hatchet. Marigold tries to get her taciturn relatives, including Sophronia, talking, but most are brooding and tight-lipped. When someone turns up dead and a local girl goes missing, Marigold suspects the tragedies might be connected to the secrets the Hatchets are harboring. The narrative carries unmistakable echoes of Stella Gibbons’s Cold Comfort Farm, and the mystery only kicks in toward the end, but Marigold is such good company that readers are unlikely to care. A sequel would be welcome. Agent: Danielle Egan Miller, Browne & Miller Literary. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
Praise for Misery Hates Company:
“A humdinger introduction to a new series whose characters bring to mind those of both Emily Brontë and L.M. Montgomery.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“[An] amusing debut and series launch . . . The narrative carries unmistakable echoes of Stella Gibbons’s Cold Comfort Farm.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Recalls Crimson Peak and Cold Comfort Farm.”
—Library Journal
“I want Marigold Manners in my life! I need her wit and warmth, her pragmatic problem-solving skills, and her devoted and compassionate friendship. I loved meeting her in Elizabeth Hobbs’s atmospheric, spine-tingling gothic mystery Misery Hates Company where danger—and opportunity—lie at every twist and turn.”
—Sherry Thomas, USA Today bestselling author of the Lady Sherlock Mysteries
“Miss Marigold Manners is a joy, an inspiration, and a dashing example of a New Woman, out to conquer the world and its limitations. She attacks injustice with positivity and grace, and I cannot wait to see where she goes next!”
—Deb Marlowe, USA Today bestselling author of the Kier and Levett Mystery Series
“In Misery Hates Company, Elizabeth Hobbs introduces Marigold Manners, an unlikely detective who navigates the historical catacombs with intelligence, determination, and grit. Smart, gutsy, and flawed, Marigold uncovers bodies, gothic humor, and a rich historical atmosphere, making this a must-read. Set against the backdrop of dark family secrets on Great Misery Island off the coast of Salem, Massachusetts, the novel delivers suspense, giggle-worthy moments, and a well-plotted, unique story.”
—Vanessa Riley, award-winning author of Island Queen and the Lady Worthing Mysteries
“A perfect New England storm of family secrets, societal expectations, and murder. If Edith Wharton and Agatha Christie decided to team up, we'd get the headstrong and capable Miss Marigold Manners.”
—Emily Edwards, author of the Girl Friday mysteries
“Misery Hates Company is a rollicking ride that's part mystery, part comedy of manners, and thoroughly delightful! Full of rich prose and vivid descriptions, it’s such fun to follow the charming and determined Marigold Manners on her adventures.”
—Kate Belli, author of the Gilded Gotham mystery series
“With Marigold’s magnificently acerbic voice giving life to the mystery, Elizabeth Hobbs transports readers into a tale at once bleakly gothic and dazzling with the gritty decadence of the Gilded Age.”
—Kate Khavari, author of the Saffron Everleigh Mysteries
Library Journal
09/01/2024
DEBUT In 1894, after her parents' deaths, Miss Marigold Manners learns that most of the family money is gone, so she can't continue her education at Wellesley College. She writes to relatives for help but only hears back from Sophronia Sedgewick Hatchet, a distant relation who lives on Great Misery Island off the coast of Massachusetts. The letter sounds mysterious, as Sophronia says she has to be forgiven for wrongs to Marigold's deceased mother. Marigold travels by train but ends up rowing herself over to the island where she finds a ramshackle place, three odd cousins, the ranting uncle who owns it, and women who lock themselves away. Marigold decides to clean up the island and help her cousins move on with their lives. She feels successful until first one body, then another shows up. When Marigold becomes a murder suspect, the intrepid heroine turns amateur sleuth. She might uncover a killer, but when family secrets are revealed, even Marigold is shocked. VERDICT With its old-fashioned language and slow pace, this historical mystery, which recalls Crimson Peak and Cold Comfort Farm, isn't for everyone. However, the gothic atmosphere and family secrets will appeal to some.—Lesa Holstine
