Review (#giftedbook): The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh

By Megan on July 7, 2024

Thanks to Austen Prose, NetGalley, and Vintage Books for this free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now!

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The third book in the Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mystery series, which finds the amateur sleuths facing their most daunting challenge yet: preventing the murder of the imperious Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Someone is trying to kill Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Esteemed aunt of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, generous patroness of Mr. William Collins, a woman of rank who rules over the estate of Rosings Park with an unimpeachable sense of propriety—who would dare? Lady Catherine summons her grand-nephew, Mr. Jonathan Darcy, and his investigative companion, Miss Juliet Tilney, to find out.

After a year apart, Jonathan and Juliet are thrilled to be reunited, even if the circumstances—finding whoever has thus far sabotaged Lady Catherine's carriage, shot at her, and nearly pushed her down the stairs—are less than ideal. Also less than ideal: their respective fathers, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Mr. Henry Tilney, have accompanied the young detectives to Rosings, and the two men do not interact with the same felicity enjoyed by their children.

With attempts against Lady Catherine escalating, and no one among the list of prime suspects seemingly capable of committing all of the attacks, the pressure on Jonathan and Juliet mounts—even as more gentle feelings between the two of them begin to bloom. The race is now on to provoke two confessions: one from the attempted murderer before it is too late—and one, perhaps, of love.

My Thoughts:

Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy are back in the third installment of Claudia Gray's mystery series based on Jane Austen's characters. This time, however, instead of solving murders, they are tasked with preventing one: Lady Catherine de Bourgh's, Jonathan's great-aunt. Jonathan's father (Mr. Darcy) and Juliet's father (Mr. Tilney) tag along, and it's clear the two fathers do not like each other or the possibility of a match between their children. A part of me found this funny, but a bigger part of me found their behavior annoying because they are absolutely getting in the way of Juliet and Jonathan's happiness.

I would classify this series as "slow burn" in all ways. The mysteries meander and the the possibility of romance is definitely a slow burn. I don't mean any of this as negative though--I thoroughly enjoy this series and while this third book did feel slower, I found aspects of it compelling, especially exploring Pride & Prejudice characters such as Lady Catherine, her daughter Anne, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Charlotte Collins (Lucas), and Mr. Collins as they could be many years after the end of P&P. Charlotte Collins was especially interesting--especially when comparing her life to Elizabeth's. While there was a mystery to solve, this novel feels more like a deep character study. As always, I enjoyed our sleuths Juliet and Jonathan, and their thoughts and feelings about each other.

I love this series, and I recommend this for those who enjoy Jane Austen retellings and historical mysteries! This is a series you should really read in order!

AUTHOR BIO

Claudia Gray is the pseudonym of Amy Vincent. She is the author of the Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney Mysteries, which began with The Murder of Mr. Wickham. She is also the writer of multiple young adult novels, including the Evernight series, the Firebird trilogy, and the Constellation trilogy; in addition, she's written several Star Wars novels, such as Lost Stars and Bloodline, and is one of the story architects of the High Republic series. She makes her home in New Orleans with her husband Paul and assorted small dogs.