“It is six years after the final scene in Pride and Prejudice, and Elizabeth and Darcy are living happily ever after in Pemberley with Jane and Charles living happily nearby. Their lives are going along smoothly until the eve of the social event of the season when a carriage approaches Pemerbley at full speed. When it stops, Lydia tumbles out in hysterics claiming her husband, Wickham, has been murdered.
I liked reacquainting myself with some of my favorite literary characters of all time! You do have to be vaguely familiar with Pride and Prejudice for this mystery (you could watch the movie, the mini-series or use wikipedia), but James does a great job of refreshing your memory about the characters and their histories without ever becoming mired down in the details. She also passes on her keen insights about the characters’ motivations. Then she gets to the murder and the intrigue. It fits that Wickham and Lydia would be at the heart of the all the problems, since Lydia and Wickham continued living the wild and unrestrained life that they showed no interest in altering in Pride and Prejudice. I am a huge Austen fan and have read a large number of the books based on the canon. This is one of the few that did a great job with keeping the feel of the original writing, while adding a new author’s twist on an old classic. The mystery itself is engaging and fast-paced. I would recommend it to anyone who loves Austen or wants a good mystery.”—Amber, Seattle Mystery Bookshop. Buy Death Comes to Pemberley from Seattle Mystery Bookshop.