I am very late to providing this feedback, 2.5 years late. I am very appreciative still having received an advanced copy of The murder of Mr Wickhan as both a Jane Austen and a Claudia Gray fan. Unfortunately, because I’m both a Jane Austen and Claudia Gray fan, this wasn’t the book for me. The pacing was far too slow and the pay off of who did it wasn’t worth the wait. I did appreciate having a neurodivergent male main character, but felt young Mr Darcy’s portrayal was a bit too stereotypical of a person with autism (however I will leave that critique to neurodivergent readers). I will say in favor of this book, I had no idea who actually murdered Wickham until the reveal. So bravo on keeping the plot a mystery.

Quite a few of our favorite Austen characters gather at the Knightly's for a house party. Unfortunately Mr. Wickham shows up uninvited and is found dead the next morning. We gradually learn that quite a few of these characters have reason to dislike Wickham and the amateur sleuths of the next generation from the main characters help discover the killer. I really liked seeing how the well beloved Austen characters were portrayed and how they might work together as friends and have intersecting lives. I enjoyed the characters of Juliet and Jonathan and how their relationship started very rocky and grew to appreciation and friendship. It was never labeled on page, but Jonathan had some eccentric characteristics that could be seen as neuro-divergent and I loved how that was played out. Overall this was a very fun read and I gave it 4 stars.

LOVE this book. The bringing together of all Jane's characters and personalities in one place is clever beyond measure. This was a very entertaining read and look forward to continuing the series.

A fun look at what may happen if we combined all Austen's beloved characters and added a little mystery to the equation. If you want a quick fun read this fall I'd grab it.

I could not get into this book, so I didn't finish it. Since I didn't finish, I won't do a review on other sites.

I tried SO HARD to get into this book and I simply could not. I could not care about the main characters nor the story line.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham brings characters from all 6 Jane Austen’s novels to Donwell Abbey for a house party, but the merriment is short lived as Mr. Wickham arrives unexpectedly and is forced to take shelter there due to the inclement weather.

We soon realize that where Mr. Wickham goes, trouble follows. Throughout his life he has made many enemies, and curiously enough, appears to have a connection with most of the guests at the Abbey, but he is also able to antagonize even the people who had no connection to him, so shortly after arriving at the Knightley’s house, he is murdered. The guests are forbidden to leave the house until the culprit is identified because any of them could have done it, and it is in this setting the narrative will take place.

The magistrate in this case is none other than Frank Churchill, but the real investigation will be done and brought to the reader through the eyes of Jonathan Darcy and Miss Tilney, the two young and curious people in the house who discover a mutual passion in the investigation of the events.

I had never read anything from this author before so I was very curious as to how this book would play out, but I can tell you already that I will certainly be buying some of the authors YA books because not only I love that genre but was obviously very pleased with her writing style. The Murder of Mr. Wickham is written in an articulate and enticing manner, the author subtly added vital information to further the plot without making it obvious who might or might not have committed the crime, and that, along with the ability to link the stories of all characters with Mr. Wickham and the Knightley’s, made this an engaging read.

The pace of the book is splendid with new events taking place at the right time to move the story forward, and dialogues and scenes are created to build up the characters personalities in a “show don’t tell” fashion.

I loved the fact that we had characters from all Jane Austen’s books in this story and that we got to experience these events from the point of view of each couple. It is no easy task to give them all the same relevance and to blend them all so well in one single book, but this was masterfully done by Claudia Gray.

I also loved how all characters were real and relatable. Instead of creating a fairy tale romance, Claudia Gray demonstrated how every person, and every couple, have their own problems which may be accentuated at times due to certain events. In The Murder of Mr. Wickham all couples face a difficult time in their life and their personalities will be the main enemies they’ll have to fight with. Some of them will have to work on their openness, most on their communication, some on their pride (no, it’s not Mr. Darcy), others will have to overcome their prejudices (not Elizabeth either) and contemplate what the meaning of their beliefs really is, and some will just have to deal with the trauma that their lives have brought them through the years. Every problem these couples will have to work on was extremely personalized and related not only with their personalities but also the life events that have shaped them into the people they are, this means that all stories and problematics feel real to the reader. I loved to witness these couples go through these marital problems, but also to see them overcome these issues together and through the strength of their love for one another.

I absolutely adored the original characters of Jonathan Darcy and Miss Tilney. They do have some similarities with their parents, but are mostly different people with intriguing personalities, especially Jonathan Darcy who is not the usual romantic hero but whom I’ve grown to love (he kind of reminded me of Sheldon Cooper, which I found very amusing).

The entire book is extremely well written and thoughtfully planned. It is even hard to specify what I loved about it because I loved everything in it. There is a coherency in the quality of The Murder of Mr. Wickham that made me want to read it non-stop and I believe that will happen to every reader who picks it up, so I highly recommend it to everyone who enjoys a good novel.

Summing up, The Murder of Mr. Wickham is a very well written novel which has mystery, well build characters and approaches issues in a realistic manner that make it an unputdownable book. I highly recommend it!

Wild that this actually felt like Jane Austen. I mean, a little more modernized but still. Color me impressed. I absolutely adored that all the characters were brought together, and the author did a great job of keeping them in character without making them more unlikeable by who they have “grown” into over time. Sometimes sequels or fan fiction can ruin the character by making them horrible parents or romantically grow so far apart that they are no longer enjoyable to read. But Gray did not do that in the slightest. They were each still just as enjoyable as ever.
Also I appreciate that she explained the historical, cultural and social dynamics of the time and the why behind them that Austen never had to explain because they were understood by her readers at the time.
Mystery wise, she did a great job of setting it up where everyone had a motive and maybe even some opportunity, so that it was truly difficult to pinpoint who the murderer was. While ek had my suspicions, I definitely just let myself go for the ride and find out with the pages. It was quite enjoyable that way. Especially because I didn’t really want it to be certain beloved characters. It was setup very well.
I enjoyed this book immensely and plan on reading more from this author.

As the title suggests, something finally happened to that bad guy Mr. Wickham. I loved all of my favorite Jane Austen characters getting together and solving a murder mystery.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

A house party any Austen reader would love to attend! Gray has brought together all of the main characters from the Austen world at a house party. Gray has creatively given more back story to each of the readers favorite couples and thrown in a few surprises. As an unexpected and unwelcome visitor arrives at the party, readers find Mr. Wickham is more than just Elizabeth Darcey's sad familiar relation; he has become an enemy to all. With every couple keeping a secret and the curious minds of the youngest visitors to the parry, the mystery slowly unfolds.

Claudia Gray has done a superb job of bringing many of Jane Austens' beloved characters together and intersecting them in a way that allows the characters to interact outside of their original novels. The Murder of Mr. Wickham has the Knightlys throwing a party and Mr. Wickham shows up uninvited and later dies. The closed room murder mystery gives Agatha Christie vibes and allows the readers to sort of play along. Overall an enjoyable read even if I had to give myself a little Cliff Notes recap of who the original cast of characters were before starting the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for the chance to read this novel.

Embarking on Claudia Gray's "The Murder of Mr. Wickham" was like stepping into a world where Jane Austen's characters gather for a thrilling whodunit. As a devoted Austen fan, this book felt like a literary treat, combining the charm of Austen's creations with the suspense of a Christie-style mansion murder mystery.

The setting, hosted by Mr. Knightley and Emma, exuded the familiar warmth of Austen's world, and the presence of Mr. Wickham added an extra layer of tension. With enemies aplenty, Wickham's sudden demise during the summer house party unveils a myriad of suspects, each with motives that kept me eagerly turning the pages.

What delighted me the most was the unpredictability of the ending. As a seasoned mystery reader, I often find myself predicting the culprit early on, but Gray skillfully weaved a narrative that kept me guessing until the final reveal. The motives, opportunities, and the complexity of each character made it a genuine challenge to uncover the murderer.

I couldn't help but hope for a collective resolution akin to "Murder on the Orient Express," adding an extra layer of suspense. The anticipation of discovering the killer's identity kept me thoroughly engaged, and the climactic revelation left me pleasantly surprised.

While the pace mirrors the unhurried elegance of Austen's works, it perfectly aligns with the atmosphere, making it a cozy and immersive read. Picture yourself in a plush armchair by a crackling fireplace on a cold, rainy day—the ideal backdrop for diving into this captivating mystery.

For fans of Jane Austen and murder mysteries, "The Murder of Mr. Wickham" is an absolute delight—an enjoyable and worthwhile read that seamlessly merges two beloved literary worlds.

This was such a fun "retelling" of Jane Austen's books in a murder mystery key, I am very glad that 1) I have finally read it 2) this is going to be a series, because I had a great time following the shenanigans of these characters.
I particularly enjoyed that the book paid homage both to Jane Austen characters and the classic murder mystery genre, taking from both and mixing them with a dash of fun young investigators.
While The Murder of Mr. Wickham might not have been the most original mystery ever, it is still worth a read if you enjoy the mystery genre. I think you may like this book if you liked the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries trilogy by Tirzah Price. While they take from the same source material, though, they are not the same and I think both are equally enjoyable.
I can't wait to read the next instalment in the series, and I really hope to like each book more than the previous one.

Do you like Jane Austin? Do you like a good mystery? Then you really must read this book! I'm sure you'll enjoy reading every page of this book! Thank you for writing such a great book?

Jane Austen fans, of which I am one, are the ideal audience for this book but I think that it definitely has wider appeal to murder mystery readers in general. It is well written, engaging and ultimately satisfying. I look forward to reading more!

This book's characters all come from Austen novels, and many scenes are nods to the content in those books, so if you haven't read them all, you feel lost. I myself am only familiar with Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, so I kept getting the other cast members confused until I googled their stories to sort them out, but I still missed all the references to the books they were in. I'm not sure I really liked the characterizations of the characters I was familiar with, either. All the couples in the book bicker like they desperately need therapy. It was kind of disappointing to read them in that state.

The main plot is discovering who killed Mr. Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. He wasn't a likable character in the original book, but this book makes him out to be almost too evil. He's a financial con artist who has swindled all the other characters, and they disclose his history to discuss how he's ruined many women and has multiple illegitimate children. It seemed a bit over-the-top, and it also didn't make sense, given that his reputation is so far in the gutter yet all the characters still fell for his money schemes as if he were trustworthy. Everyone, essentially, wants him dead, so anyone might be guilty of the murder. But the identity of the killer and the reason for the killing were just a complete let-down to me. It would be a spoiler to disclose more, but I'll just say that the murder mystery ended up being secondary to pushing together the Darcy heir and a girl whose relations I really couldn't figure out, since I haven't read all of Austen's books.

I kind of liked the budding romance between the two teens. I really enjoyed following them along on their murder-solving shenanigans. The one thing that bothered me, especially about the girl, was that before thinking a thought or saying a word or making a move, everyone had to decide if it would be a proper thing to think, say, or do. I think the book would be halved in length if all that nonsense had been cut out. Of course it's understandable, in delicate situations, for characters of that era to consider their actions before speaking out of turn; but trust me when I say it is CONSTANT and quickly becomes GRATING. Sometimes you just wanted someone to say "please pass the salt" without them considering whether it would be too rude to speak to someone across the table instead of beside them. It was really just ridiculous. We understand the time period and didn't need a reminder with every breath a character took.

On the whole, I enjoyed this book. But I probably wouldn't have attempted it if I had known that an unfamiliarity with every single Austen character would leave me feeling so lost at times. I might continue the series to see what Darcy and Miss Tilney get up to the future, though, but maybe not until I've read Emma and Persuasion.

"The Murder of Mr. Wickham" brings together two of my favorite things: Jane Austen and historical mysteries. Gray shines as she enters into this world and gifts her readers with a fabulously written Regency-era whodunit. I can express just how much fun this book was to read.

I started and stopped this several times in the beginning. It was far too many POVs to keep track of. But once you get into it, it gets soooo good. I can’t wait to read the next book and the romance that’s starting.