One of the world’s best mystery writers pens a crime novel and sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. James certainly takes us for an engaging ride back to Pemberley and events one autumn surrounding an annual event called Lady Anne’s Ball. The questions those who love Austen’s book always have at the ending get answers. Will Wickham and Lydia ever be satisfied with life? Can Darcy overcome his fear for sister Georgiana? Will Georgiana find a husband to love as much as her brother and Elizabeth have? It’s not exactly like reading P. D. James or Jane Austen, but it’s enough. I’m happy the Baroness James of Holland Park put her love of Jane into one more book for all of us.

posted Dec 27, 2011 at 3:47PM

I love Jane Austin but I’ve gone off PD James several books ago- on balance, I thought I’d give this a try. Somehow I expected James to change her style to a more Austin-ish optimism and good cheer. My bad. Humorless and arrogant, as usual. An interesting editorial flaw is three instances of detailed narrative repeated for no apparent reason: not to display another’s point of view, not to emphasize and important point – no reason I could see. One involved lighting candles in the gun room, one involved Darcy’s grandpa, and the last in the wrap-up of the mystery. Like her or not, you at least expect competent writing from PD James. Not recommended.

posted Jan 16, 2012 at 11:49AM

It’s too late for me, but save yourselves! This book doesn’t just fail both as an Austen sequel and as a James mystery, it fails as any kind of mystery, it fails as historical fiction, and it fails as fiction, period. My resentful compliments to the jacket designers and marketing people, but where oh where were the editors?

posted Mar 11, 2012 at 8:45AM

Such a disappointment and waste of my reading time. There was no mystery to puzzle out, just a boring narrative of a murder and subsequent trial. Nearly no dialog between Darcy and Elizabeth, so why even bother writing this? Boring, boring, boring.

posted Jul 8, 2012 at 8:54AM

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