have you ever wondered what would happen if all the main characters from Jane Austen novels met? This book covers just that! And while any Austen fan may be delighted to read this title, every murder under suspicious circumstances has to be solved, and in the process everyone’s secrets are going to be revealed.

This was so interesting! I had a lot of fun seeing all the characters interact with each other— and fall back in love with them in the process. I think Claudia Gray really captured the regency era through her writing and the characters too! Almost everyone would rather go on without Mr. Wickham, so trying to decipher who really murdered him was the perfect mystery to follow. One of my favorite parts was getting to know the younger characters who are tasked with working out the case, the children of our beloved characters. And what would any Austen tale be without a spark of romance?

I really didn’t know who was responsible, and I thought going through each motive was fun and only a little slow at times. I really loved the authentic issues Gray created, like relationship struggles, and personal drama, which really added to the story as secrets were uncovered.

Overall, if you love Austen novels I think you will love returning to her characters in this murder mystery!

Poor Mr. Wickham getting murdered again in an Austen retelling. BUT this one is great. It has the same pacing of Austen's works with some great appearances of characters. It is a love letter to Austen in the best sense with some wonderful fan service.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Readers should be grateful that author Claudia Gray is a Jane Austen super fan. With her novel The Murder of Mr. Wickham she assembles many of Austen's beloved couples and deftly creates some new ones. Gray gathers her characters at a house party where no one is that sorry about the uninvited Mr Wickham's murder and most of the guests have motive to kill him. The murder does put a damper on the festivities, but definitely creates a great mystery. This novel is a fun read for everyone, but will be especially cherished by Austen devotees.

Thank you so much to the publishers for my gifted arc in exchange for my honest review! This book was so fun! If Agatha Christie and Jane Austen had a baby it would be this book! I was so invested and loved these characters! The concept was brilliant and also well executed! Bravo :)

“The Murder Of Mr. Wickham” was a pleasant and refreshing surprise to read. I’m not afraid to admit that Jane Austen adaptations are an absolute guilty pleasure of mine. The romance, the yearning, the formula work so well in her stories that any version is typically enjoyable. But Claudia Gray flips the script and turns Austen’s world from the idyllic, peaceful countryside to a murder mystery of Gothic proportions.

It’s the crossover I never knew I needed.

Throwing most of Austen’s characters together (unfortunately Catherine Moreland and Mr. Tilney stay home) is a recipe for drama, given their individual stories. We’re then pushed a step further when the iconic (or infamous) wicked Mr. Wickham appears and has a history with almost every one of our heroes and heroines. I liked this choice for the plot because it expands into unfamiliar territory, but staying quite familiar to us all.

When he meets an untimely demise, we—like the characters—must uncover the truth of his murder. I found myself liking the two main “detectives”: Lizzie and Darcy’s son and Catherine and Tilney’s daughter. The chemistry between them fits the bill without feeling entirely too forced.

I do wish a few of the more familiar characters fell more in line with their canonical counterparts. A few choices here and there felt too out of character for Austen’s work. (A few times annoyingly so.) But we know via the tried and tested formula we love, the present distress doesn’t last forever and no one leaves unhappy. Except George Wickham, but he deserved it.

Highly recommend for Austen fans looking for a new sort of adaptation of the classic stories.

Was very excited to pick this one up because of all the Jane Austen characters! This was such a unique book plot idea.

I did get overwhelmed with all of the characters and multiple POVs at the start. It was written in a way that the author somehow assumed that everybody is very familiar with all the Jane Austen characters. I also enjoyed and loved the historical details in this book!

Once you get to know the characters, and the murder happens you get intrigued and hooked with the characters. It was so hard for me to theorize who the murderer was because I love all the characters. I really love how the author gave as a snippet of a possible future of Jane Austen’s characters.

The romance between Juliet and Jonathan was adorable. I love their longing stares and subtle ways of getting close to one another. I love how awkward Jonathan would be around Juliet yet still manage to make her feel comfortable. And I really loved their teamwork, they were definitely partners in crime.

Really enjoyed the revelations and all the drama in the end. And ofc, the long awaited reconciliation between all the characters. I do wish there was more Juliet and Jonathan scenes at the end.

This one was definitely not for me. I thought I would enjoy it, but I ended up getting a little bored and actually skipped around. This probably would have been a DNF for me, but I decided to stick with it to find out who the murderer was. I think I would have liked this a lot better if it didn't have as many POVs as it did and instead just focused on Juliet and Jonathan's story.

It was so fun to see the return of so many Jane Austen characters within the realm of a murder mystery party.

While I do think this book could have been slightly shorter (it dragged a bit in the middle) I loved the premise and the plot so dang much. Excited for more from Claudia Gray.

First, thank you to Net Galley and Claudia Gray for the advanced copy of The Murder of Mr. Wickham. Unfortunately I am not going to be able to finish. I have a vague previous knowledge of Auston’s novels and characters but not enough for me to truly understand the complexities of this book.

However I do believe that anyone who enjoys Auston’s novels will very much enjoy Gray’s novel as I really enjoyed the writing.

As a huge fan of Austen, I also collect Austen-adjacent novels and was so excited to see a cozy mystery undertaking with her iconic characters. There's so much to love about this book starting, of course, with the fact that Austen's heroine's are now brought together in one story, followed closely by the demise of the loathsome Mr. Wickham. It was fun to read the imagined evolution of the couple relationships - and be introduced to a few new characters by way of their children. If you enjoy Austen and Christie - and don't take the classics too seriously - you'll love this updated take on Regency romance and a house party mystery. I'm already reimagining this book as the basis for a costumed murder mystery dinner party.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham was a fun, rainy day read. I've enjoyed many novels by Austen, so it was fun to see them all brought together in an Agatha Christie sort-of setup. There's not a lot of background on the characters, so you may want an Austen refresher before diving in. My favorite part was seeing the classic Austen relationships develop after readers got their HEA. I didn't expect the mystery to be a shocker or have so many twists, definitely a pleasant surprise. There are a lot of characters and subplots which did get confusing at times. Austen inspired novels have been done before countless times, but this was completely original.

3.5 stars. I really liked this book. It was like a combination of Clue, romance, and all of Jane Austen's characters. I do wish that some of the characters were a bit more explained just because it has been awhile since I read all of these.

The characters from Jane Austen’s six beloved books all join together for a house party at the Knightleys’ residence in Surrey, but things quickly go awry when Mr. Wickham shows up uninvited… and is soon found murdered. Mr. Wickham had no shortage of enemies in life, and nearly everyone in the house is a suspect. That they are all keeping secrets only adds to the mystery.

The adults aren’t the greatest investigators, so the two youngest guests take matters into their own hands. The Darcys’ eldest son Jonathan teams up with the Tilneys’ daughter Juliet to gather clues, make sense of the mess, and determine who among them is capable of murder.


It’s always a joy to see characters from different books finally get to meet on-page. Jane Austen’s six novels each stood on their own, but it’s fair to envision them all existing in one world, perhaps being friends with one another. Claudia Gray is clearly a fan of Jane Austen, and in The Murder of Mr. Wickham, she gets them all together for a friendly house party hosted by George and Emma Knightley.

As she states in the author’s note at the beginning, she arranged the books by when she imagined the events taking place, with Pride and Prejudice occurring first, in 1797-1798, and Sense and Sensibility taking place most recently, in 1818-1819. Thus, the main characters of those books range in age, and many of them have children of their own, some already of marriageable age themselves.

Due to the new timeline and the addition of new characters – such as Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney – I wrote and continuously added to a chart during the first several chapters. I jotted down the names of their kids and how old everyone was and made note of new connections between people. It was all in great fun!

Before we get to the murder, I first want to talk about how much I love these characters. If you’ve read Jane Austen’s novels, you’ll see their personalities shining through here. It’s also fun to see how they all know each other: Knightley and Bertram are cousins, for example, while Darcy was a friend of Knightley’s when they were at Oxford. The new characters are also splendid and fit right in. Juliet Tilney is bold and quick-witted, yet also perceptive and kind. Jonathan Darcy is a lot like his dad, yet even more formal and not so proud.

It’s never explicitly stated, but I read Jonathan Darcy as being autistic, which I thoroughly appreciated. I have only read a handful of books featuring autistic characters, and in The Murder of Mr. Wickham, Jonathan is portrayed wonderfully. He brings unique perspective which proves to be most helpful as he and Juliet investigate the murder. I also love that Juliet accepts and understands him for who he is.

Mr. Wickham, of course, is as bad as we remember him. Worse, if you can believe it. In the years since he first tormented the Bennets, Wickham has caused strife for nearly everyone he’s come into contact with. Swindling people out of money, blackmail, causing heartache, neglect with horrific consequences – he’s not likable in the least, and it’s no great loss when he does perish. But with so many enemies, nearly everyone in the house has a motive… and enough secrets to stay suspicious.

It’s fun to follow Juliet and Jonathan as they secretly hunt for clues. They have significant constraints, it being 1820 and them being unmarried and unchaperoned. But through some eavesdropping, sneaky conversations, and light snooping, the two do amass quite a bit of evidence.

Perhaps the only downside here is the slower pacing in the middle. There is too much repetition: The readers would learn things from watching the different characters, but then would watch it rehashed as Jonathan and Juliet then discover the same things. A bit of that could have been smoothed out to make the story more to the point, faster-paced, and thus more engaged.

Even so, the ending made it all worth it. Everything comes together beautifully, with plenty of little twists and unexpected connections. I want to say more, but you’ll have to read it first!

In addition to the murder mystery, I also appreciated some of the commentary that arose between different characters regarding religion, accepting another person for who they are, and the befuddling social restrictions still present in the Regency era. Watch out for some homophobia from one character, though I do think it’s resolved fairly well by the end.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham is a delightful cozy mystery starring some of fiction’s most beloved characters. It’s an entertaining update for anyone who loves Jane Austen and mysteries alike. I, for one, hope we’ll get to see more of these characters in future books from Claudia Gray.

Historical Mystery usually not my go-to read, I prefer modern one, but wow this book took me by surprise, never thought that I will enjoy and end up loving it. It's more cozy mystery and it's a mixed between Pride and Prejudice and Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. Yes it's literary Pride and Prejudice because Mr and Mrs Darcy of Pemberley made appearances, they're in the middle of this murder case and their first son Jonathan is the one investigating the murder along with Miss Tilney. The interactions between each characters enjoyable and there's a tiny dash of romance that's cute and refreshing with dancing at the ball and with all politeness and good manners and etiquette so as not to offend others. Yup it's really interesting and entertaining.

As for the mystery itself, it's a fun slow-burn cozy mystery, and it's multi POV, each has secrets and motives to kill Mr.Wickham definitely got that Miss Marple's vibes, so again it's really fun to read.

Definitely recommended for anyone who's looking for a fun hitorical cozy mystery read.

A Summer House Party. A Murder Mystery. Two Young People Investigate. I’m already in. Now add in almost ALL of Jane Austen’s leading characters! Not only I am in but I’m sure all the Jane Austen enthusiasts are dancing with glee. This was so well done!!! I love that the Darcys of Pride and Prejudice have been married 22 years when this book begins. And I love that their son has been brought in as a new character, along with Juliet Tilney, daughter of Catherine and Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey. I love that there is a touch of “enemies to friends” romance thrown in. And I love that this transports me back to 1820. The idea of a house party turned murder investigation–and nobody can leave–is an intriguing, Agatha Christie-style twist. The unofficial investigation done by the very proper Mr. Jonathan Darcy and the spirited Juliet Tilney is captivating to watch. This book is everything a Jane Austen devotee will love, with a touch of Agatha Christie and a dash of adventure thrown in. This is a nostalgic, intriguing, captivating, and fun collision of the worlds of Jane Austen. I hope to see a sequel.

I received a free copy of this book from Knopf Doubleday via Austenprose PR. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

First of all, what a gorgeous cover. This book was a smash up of Clue with Jane Austen characters. I did not know all the characters but still enjoyed the storyline. Very entertaining.

I absolutely loved how some of the most beloved couples from Jane Austen's novels came together in The Murder of Mr. Wickham! It was so fascinating to see how Claudia Gray plotted an intriguing storyline with fictional characters who we already know about. 4/5 stars! Many thanks to Penguin Random House International #partner for the digital review copy.

The stars of the novel were Isabel Tilney and Jonathan Darcy. They made such a wonderful sleuthing couple - I really enjoyed seeing them work together to solve the mystery of Mr. Wickham's death. All of the Jane Austen couples had one reason or another for their dislike towards Mr. Wickham, so the whole whodunnit theme of the plot was perfectly laid out. I couldn't guess the killer at all, which is why I was completely surprised by the ending!! The twists and turns made reading this book such an addictive page-turner! The setting of the Regency period (my favorite) was such a bonus too. :')

I do have some complaints though. I felt that there were too many POVs for a smooth flow of the plot. (might be just me though) The story dragged a few times as well so I had to keep the book down when I lost interest. Other than these two aspects, I enjoyed reading the book!

Jane Austen's most beloved characters are getting ready to gather together for a house party at Donwell Abbey, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Knightley. Unfortunately, the party is crashed by none other than the nefarious Mr. Wickham.

Wickham's presence unnerves many of the guests who seem to have dealings with him in some form or another. When Wickham is found murdered, who better to solve this mystery than the two people least likely to have killed Wickham: Jonathan Darcy (oldest son of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam) and Juliet Tilney (or Northanger Abbey).

As secrets and motives are revealed Jonathan and Juliet will have to set aside their preconceived ideas about who is responsible, even if it means pointing a finger as someone they hold dear.

I loved this idea of a Jane Austen universe! Claudia Gray is so adept at making Wickham's presence felt, that you can almost believe that his character was truly operating behind the scenes in each of these classic stories from the onset.

Equally jarring is the idea that a beloved character would have been driven to murder. But Claudia Gray gives these characters new dimensions and depth. These are not the same characters that we know and love, these are more mature versions. They've lived so much since the pages of their stories closed. They've loved and often lost. It's interesting to see what happens after a happily-ever-after. These characters feel even more real and enriched and their motivations are all plausible.

I liked the addition of the "next generation" as it were. The pair that comes onto the scene to solve the mystery and get the forwarding of their own story told. Jonathan and Juliet make a great pair and play well off of each other. Jonathan is very by the book and doesn't like to deviate from what is considered proper. Whereas Juliet yearns to get away from the restrictions of her sex, but must also adhere to what society deems as acceptable. In getting involved in the mystery, both Juliet and Jonathan get to kind of spread their wings a little. Jonathan becomes more comfortable with sometimes working outside of the lines and Juliet gets a bit more of the freedom she longs for.

I can see this pair continuing their sleuthing into another story. I mean there's more than one infamous villain within the pages of Austen.

Many of Jane Austen’s beloved characters join together for a house party when an uninvited guest arrives and stirs up trouble—Mr. Wickham! When he is murdered soon after, the young Jonathan Darcy and young Juliet Tilney work to solve the case behind the adults’ (and suspects) backs. Which of our heroes is capable of murder? Apparently all of them have motive and opportunity, but the truth will out.
This book is well written and a fun idea, with a satisfying conclusion and a delightful budding romance. My one quibble is that the adults seemed more interested in healing their various marital troubles than figuring out which one of them was the murderer. They were content to wait for the magistrate (Frank Churchill!) to figure it out, and only the two young people were occupied with the clue gathering. That didn’t seem realistic, but with all the manners and propriety of the times, maybe it is. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I would definitely read a sequel.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham brings characters from Austen's 5 main novels together for a house party at Donwell Abbey when one Mr. Wickham shows up uninvited and seems to have a history with most parties present. It's no surprise that he shows up murdered within 48hrs. I admit to struggling with so many main characters, even though I have read their stories before, and remembering who knows Wickham how and why each couple are on the outs with each other. However, I found the main storyline with Juliet and Jonathan to be adorable and is where the story really shined for me. The mystery was fairly well done, in that I didn't guess who the killer was, and I don't feel cheated by who it was, which had me a little nervous with the book being about beloved characters. I typically avoid Pride and Prejudice sequals, but I am a fan of Claudia Gray, so I had to give this one a try. She definitely did justice to these well-written characters, and it was interesting to see someone's view of what they think these characters' happily ever after looks like.