Austen fans rejoice! The Knightley’s are throwing a summer house party and everyone is invited – including the Darcy’s, the Wentworth’s, the Brandons, and young Juliet Tilney. Unfortunately another well known Jane Austen character shows up uninvited – Mr. George Wickham. Mr. Wickham has come to collect money from those he has swindled in a dishonest financial scheme. A storm means Wickham must remain at the Knightley’s home, much to the chagrin of the party guests. But then Mr. Wickham ends up very, very dead – and someone at this party is very very guilty of his murder. The local magistrate, Frank Churchill, is on the case, but so is the teenage son of Darcy and Elizabeth, as well as young Miss Tilney. These teenage sleuths attempt to solve the case while still maintaining proper social etiquette and decorum (of course).
I absolutely loved this book. It’s definitely better suited to Jane Austen fans who are familiar with all of her characters from her novels. It’s delightful to catch up with everyone again and see how their lives may have turned out. It’s also very satisfying to see Wickham get his final comeuppance, although the Austen villains still manage to infuriate whether they are dead or alive. Of special note is Jonathan Darcy, teenage son of Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth. It is heavily implied that this character is on the Autism Spectrum and I found this to be a wonderful addition. Obviously this was not something that was understood in Regency England so I loved reading about how other characters interacted with him. I thought it added a lot to a book that was already very enjoyable.
Posted in: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Reviewed by Dawn