If you enjoy Jane Austen, I don't think there's any way you won't find this book somewhat enjoyable. For me, it was a fun ride and an absolute joy! Think of it as a crossover between Clue and Jane Austen.

We follow the main characters from all of Jane Austen's 6 novels as they're invited to a month-long house party at Emma and Knightley's home. I thought the reasons the characters were there made sense and were explained completely. Claudia Gray's explanation at the beginning of when each Austen novel took place for her timeline was also appreciated. It helped me keep straight in my brain which of the couples had been together for a long time and which were newly together.

Bringing in Johnathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney as Gray's new characters was so fun! I loved their interactions and thought Gray did an excellent job making it plausible that they could be working together.

I don't think it's a spoiler since it's in the title: Mr. Wickham is murdered! Gray did a fantastic job giving multiple suspects who would have significant reasons for wanting Wickham dead. I wasn't expecting the ending, either. It was fun to try and piece together who did it for myself. I created wildly unrealistic suspects in my own head. XD

I honestly cannot recommend this book enough to anyone who enjoys Jane Austen. It pays homage to the original stories while bringing in something new and fun. I think Jane Austen would approve.

My only complaint was some parts were slow.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review. I loved this book so I'll be buying a physical copy when it releases!

If you are a fan of Jane Austen's work, then The Murder of Mr. Wickham should definitely be on your TBR! Claudia Gray did a great job of recreating the world and characters of Austen. She entwines their backstories seamlessly and creates motive for many different characters. And let's be honest - who wouldn't want to see Wickham dead? I also enjoyed the new characters she brought into the mix and would love to see a sequel to learn more about their futures. Overall this was a charming whodunnit with beloved characters. In fact, it might make an even better board game than the original Clue. 4.5 stars

I was excited about the premise of this book, a locked-room murder mystery featuring some of Jane Austen's most famous characters! The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray was clever and fun. It opens by filling us in on what life has been like for some of our favorite Austen couples as they are preparing to attend a month-long house party at Donwell Abbey, the home of Mr. Knightley and Emma. When the scheming and detestable Mr. Wickham crashes the party, no one is pleased to see him. Wickham's plots have wronged every member of the party in some way. When Wickham meets a violent end, every one of the characters we know and love becomes a suspect. It falls to the second generation to uncover the truth, Juliet Tilney, the daughter of Catherine and Henry from Northanger Abbey, and the Darcy's son, Jonathan.
Gray does a good job of maintaining the character's personalities while also allowing for the passage of time and life to weigh on them. (Well, except Knightley still doesn't like Frank Churchill, no matter how much time has passed!) The dialogue and style have an Austen flair, and the murder plot has Agatha Christie intrigue, a mash-up I found entertaining. In her world-building, Gray transports us back to the Regency period and notes some constricting societal norms. I'm a casual Austen reader, so I'm sure I missed some fun Austen references. Still, Gray's love of the original subject matter is apparent. Juliet and Jonathan were charming additions to the cast, and as there is a sequel planned, I look forward to seeing more of them. I also look forward to seeing which literary villain might get knocked off next! Not sure how to categorize this,e that's a good thing. It is a sequel/crossover/murder mystery with a touch of romance, and I think Austen fans will enjoy it! Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Vintage, for this ARC in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

“The world is a ridiculous place, my child. Make of it what you can.”

The Murder of Mr. Wickham is out tomorrow, 5/3!
If you are a Jane Austen fan, love a good mystery and would love to see Wickham finally get his comeuppance, pick up this book ASAP!
This was such a fun read and I love how all of JA’s main characters were brought together.

I have been a fan of Claudia Gray's books for years, first reading all of her Star Wars books (which include some of my all-time favorite Star Wars books) and moving onto her YA Sci-Fi trilogy Defy the Stars. I am also a big fan of Agatha Christie's books. When I saw that Gray's upcoming book The Murder of Mr. Wickham was described as Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie, I knew it was a MUST READ for me.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham did not disappoint! It has all the hallmarks of an Agatha Christie closed-circle murder mystery. The fact that Gray uses characters from Jane Austen's most popular books* takes the fun to the next level.

I'm not a Jane Austen super fan. I have only read Pride and Prejudice and that was back in high school. I watched the movies/TV shows for most (but not all) of the relevant Austen books before diving into this book. If you haven't read Austen's books, Gray does an excellent job of bringing the reader up to speed seamlessly. However, if you know these characters I do think you'll get added enjoyment from revisiting them and seeing Mr. Wickham murdered!

I truly loved the combination of Austen's characters with the Christie mystery plot. There is also a romance subplot that is great!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you love Jane Austen, Regency era books or Agatha Christie, add this to your TBR!

The Murder of Mr. Wickham will be out this Tuesday, May 3.

Thank you to @doubledaybooks and @netgalley for the eARC.

*This book has characters from Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park, and Northanger Abbey.

Reading The Murder of Mr. Wickham is like catching up with an old friend — there’s a comfortable familiarity while still a sense of curiosity.

Author Claudia Gray has created a timeline in which all of Austen’s characters fit: for example, Darcy and Elizabeth have a grown son, but Colonel Brandon and Marianne have only just recently wed. This gives readers a sense of growth among the couples, and the range of ages and timing within each relationship makes for a fuller, more developed reading experience.

The novel jumps from character to character, which you’d think would make for a jumbled mess. But each change is clear and sequential. This setup offers great stopping/starting places, and pushes the story forward.

Though The Murder of Mr. Wickham has a large cast of characters, Gray has smartly introduced Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy as the main characters. Brining in two characters never seen before allows Gray to make them into whoever she wants. They also act as sort of a grounding around which all the others interact. Beyond that, they’re a likeable duo that Gray hints more stories could center around.

While not specifically a young adult novel, The Murder of Mr. Wickham is a fast, enjoyable mystery perfect for Jane Austen fans of any age.

Fans of Agatha Christie and Victorian style mysteries will adore this book.

Great world building, descriptive wording brings the mansion, the fashions and foods alive.

Characters come in all flavors of personality- sweet, intelligent young wives, debonair husbands, nasty tempered gentlemen, servants who know their pla es in life and a well deserved death. But who is responsible for the death of the unlikable Mr. Wickham?

I recommend this book as an qddition to you tbr list.

*arc provided by netgalley & publisher*
This book was a blast! Obviously as a fan of Jane Austen, this perfect couldn’t have been more fun. I loved the inclusive of all the characters from multiple Jane Austen novels. And what’s better than the murder of mr wickham! The writing was accessible to the reader and not super hard to understand like Jane Austen novels can sometimes be. The plot was so unique and fun! highly reccomend for this fun murder mystery 🥰

I have always been a huge Jane Austen fan, since the first time I opened up Pride and Prejudice at 15. I am always on the lookout for fan-fiction or stories inspired from the characters, and as soon as I saw this great cover on Goodreads, The Murder of Mr. Wickham was on my "to-read" list. I was super excited to receive The Murder of Mr. Wickham as an ARC! What a great idea, to combine all of Jane Austen's characters into a book!
My favorite Austin-inspired Wickham-death is PD James Death at Pemberley, and Claudia Gray does a great job with a Wickham murder-mystery of her own. I love all Jane Austen's characters and some of their offspring having a place in this book. Not only are characters in this book, but Claudia Gray brings their personalities into the book. And the easter eggs! So many great ones!
The scene of Mr. Wickham's murder is Donwell Abbey, Emma and Knightley's (true to Emma's word, she never calls him by his given name and I can't even remember Knightley's first name right now!) house party. Wickham shows up, unannounced, and disrupts the party with his usual villainous mayhem. He is found a couple of nights later, dead-- and everyone is a suspect. Two new characters in this book are Juliet Tilney, daughter of Northanger Abbey's Henry and Catherine and Jonathan Darcy, son of icons Elizabeth & Fitzwilliam Darcy. These two have a rocky introduction but come together to investigate the murder. Just like Elizabeth Bennett, Juliet manages to smooth out Mr. Darcy's (the young) shy, abrupt, socially inept edges. I hope there is a sequel because I just fell in love with these two characters. I don't even need another mystery! Just some more of them.
I also loved Highbury and it's townfolk being visited upon! Miss Bates is perfect, and I think everyone will be glad for just a short piece of Mrs. Elton. If you love Austen, and you love a mystery-- or even just want a house party mystery, The Murder of Mr. Wickham is for you.

I received an early e-copy to review in exchange for an honest review. I loved all of Jane Austen’s books. I couldn’t wait to devour this one. I learned the original Austen books weren’t published in chronological order but this one begins within the same timeframe as what would have been her last book. ‘‘This book takes place at the end of The Regency era. About 1820at the home of George and Emma Knightleywho have been married 16 years.and live in the former Domwell Abbey in the village of Highbury. One of their guests is Juliet Tinley from Glouchestershire. Emma and Juliet’smother felt it would be good for her to go out and see the world on her own in a safe environment. Emma and Mrs Tinley felt this would be the perfect opportunity, it would make the perfect setting to learn how to mingle and make new friends. The story begins with George and Emma bickering about the houseguests each has have invited. Emma is upset George has overstepped his responsibility by inviting his cousin and his wife, the Darcy’s... George was upset Emma invited her cousin Brandon and his new wife.. Also that Tinley girl because her mom is weird, the families met while on vacation in Bath. There must have been palpable tension between the two. They did greet their guests as they arrived. The guests mingled since they all knew each other..They also tried to include Juliet in conversation.Dinner is served as everyone sits down. Then an uninvited guest arrives. One who they all know. Not fondly. They feel he is just there to collect money they supposedly owe him after a bad investment deal. He ruined many a household. Because of his nefarious dealings. He comes into the house totally wet . His horse like to never made it through so much mud. The butler quickly escorts that Mr.Wickham has something warm to wear. Later that evening p, the guests couldn’t sleep, and were up pacing in their rooms or in the hallways. Juliet was walking in the hallway when she ran into the body of Mr. Wickham. She screamed so loud it alerted everyone to come now. Juliet and Jonathan set out to find the murder.. They ruled out the Knightleys immediately, and each other..I feel like this is where it turned into a cozy mystery.which is also a favorite genre off mine.. it was nice to revisit old friends but I wish it would have been more it wasn’t as much as I had jhoped hot but I still lobed going back and visiting my old Regency fictional friends. I would still recommend with the caveat it turns into a mystery.

Although I am not a huge fan of Austen books I did enjoy this quaint little mystery. I am sure this author put a lot into the research and writing for this book but I just wasn’t exactly for me. For me these characters are all just a little lack luster with not a ton of depth except for their conflicts. I do feel that fans of Austen will enjoy the continuation of her characters.

I absolutely loved every minute spent in this story. The Murder of Mr. Wickham is an excellent read and I want more! Please, Ms. Gray, write more of these fantastic Mysteries. There is so much to love about this book. I am blown away by the amount of dedicated research Ms. Gray did for this story. It is beyond obvious that she is a huge Austen fan for sure, but the research she had to do to make sure all the timelines and character interactions work seamlessly is totally impressive. I love how she perfectly captures each Austen character’s unique personality and quirks, yet they feel fresh and uniquely Ms. Gray’s creations.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham is ultimately a story about relationships. It is a look at couplings and how we relate to our significant others — the pitfalls and miscommunications of the newly married, the testing of firm foundations by life’s unexpected hardships in established marriages, and the foibles and insecurities of potential new love. In this story, we get a taste of it all, and I really loved it. It made me think on the many stages of my relationship with my husband. There are issues that come up in this story that made me grateful that Robert and I are not newlyweds or newly dating anymore! So grateful we are the established relationship that we are today. It took a lot of work to get to where we’re at in our relationship — we had to overcome some serious obstacles in the early days of our marriage that could have easily broken us if we had let them. And that is one of the many themes in this novel: real relationships take work. It’s about spending quality time with each other, accepting the things you cannot change about your circumstances and/or one another, loving your person’s quirks and uniquenesses because that’s how God made him/her, admitting when you are wrong and asking for forgiveness, and fighting the battles life throws at you together. It’s about being a united front always. I love how Wickham’s murder becomes the vehicle for change in each character. They are forced to take a good, hard, honest look at who they are as individuals and as they are in their couplings. And the murder gets characters to admit to needing to make necessary changes, to opening lines of communication that had never been opened before or that had been broken by past events, and to forgiving and making new, better plans for their futures. Who knew a murder could be so cathartic?! 😉

I could go on and on with this review. This book is SO good it lends itself to be discussed at great length. But I don’t want to spoil a thing. So, purchase a copy of this magnificent book today. I had so much fun immersing myself into this world and I know you will, too!

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, via AustenProse PR and NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Have you ever wondered what happened to all your favorite Jane Austen characters after the end of their book? Ever wished that they could go on and you could see what their lives were like a few years later, or what would happen if they met each other? Maybe you just wished they would have another outing of some sort. Well - your wish has been granted.

This book combines all the fun of a cozy mystery with a house party full of Austen characters all stuck under the same roof with one of our favorite villains. It seems that everyone who knows Wickham has a reason to hate him, and those who have only just met him soon see why. When he turns up dead, there are far too many suspects and motives to go around.

Part of the fun is encountering beloved characters again and seeing them in new situations. But there are a couple of new characters that steal the show (as far as I am concerned). Juliet Tilney is the daughter of female novelist Catherine Tilney and is invited by Emma Knightley to help round out the party since Jonathan, the eldest Darcy son, will also be attending. The two young adults are very different from each other. Juliet is vivacious, inquisitive, and a bit more into sporting activities than is thought proper for a young lady her age. From the descriptions of his behavior and what we see of his thoughts, Jonathan seems to be on the autism spectrum. He depends on rules to get him through social situations and does not know how to respond when the rules are broken. He has difficulty coping with large crowds and noisy gatherings and must withdraw to a corner to regain his calm. He has difficulty with lying and does not understand why people do not mean what they say. Together, they are a formidable pair of detectives - charming people into confidences, noticing when accounts do not tally with events, etc.

The book was so absorbing that I read it through in one sitting, staying up far past bedtime because I just had to see how it would end. Between the multiple suspects, motives, various clues discovered around the house, and all the couples each trying to protect their partner (for fear that their motive might be the one the police decide is most compelling), it was a breathless rush to reach the last page and see it all resolved. The best part is that with this new pair of characters, and possible siblings and friends to mix in, there could easily be another mystery in store for readers sometime in the future.

Highly recommended for fans of Austen's novels (as the editor says "This is a six-way Jane Austen crossover/sequel event." Also perfect for Agatha Christie country house mysteries.

I am a huge fan of Jane Austen so this book sounded like a lot of fun! The tone of the book was very similar to an Austen work, however there were a lot of POV changes to navigate. Had I not been familiar with this cast of characters it would have been really confusing to keep up with such a large group of characters and their POVs. There were points in the story where I felt like things simply stalled. So much back story, so much detail into things that didn’t actually affect the investigation. There was a heavy reference to a same sex relationship that played a large role in this story and I fundamentally could not get behind that. Allowances made by the clergyman for a same sex relationship would have never been culturally appropriate at the time and I did not appreciate the author taking that approach. There were a few mild curse words. This book held a lot of promise but fell flat for me. The only parts I enjoyed were between Juliet and Jonathan and they were not enough to carry this story.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing/Vintage for this ARC!*

A mashup of all of Jane Austen’s heroes and heroines in one murder mystery romp? Sign me up!! This was such a fun read and such a creative idea! I loved getting to see the main characters of Austen’s different novels interact with one another and try to solve the mystery of who offed Mr. Wickham (which, let’s all be honest, we have all fantasized about at least once!)

The way that the author wove all of these characters together to have them end up in one house was nothing short of masterful. I loved seeing the characters interact and hear what opinions they had about one another. It was such a creative and fun idea, and I wish I had thought of it myself. I enjoyed getting to see what the marriages of these famous couples look like after that final page.

I really liked the mystery in this book. I felt that the author did a great job of keeping you on your toes and constantly guessing as to who killed Mr. Wickham. Also, just the act of killing off one of the worst villains in Austen’s novels was a sinister joy in and of itself 😏

I enjoyed the two characters that were added to the story: Juliet Tilney (daughter of Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney) and Jonathan Darcy (son of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet). Their partnership in trying to solve this murder was so much fun. I enjoyed that they each had aspects of their parents present in their character, but that they were also their own unique person as well.

I thought that Jonathan Darcy was very interesting in that I am fairly sure that the author was hinting heavily that he might be on the autism spectrum. He had a hard time with social queues and norms, physical touch, and self-soothing behaviors. It makes me wonder if she was insinuating that his father, Mr. Darcy himself, might have been somewhere on the spectrum himself, which would actually make a lot of sense. I thought this was an interesting thing to include, as talk of mental illness was certainly not the norm in this time period.

The mystery was well crafted. The intermingling of these beloved characters was masterful and heartwarming. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and would love to see another book like this one. Maybe we can kill off Willoughby next? 😉

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave The Murder of Mr. Wickham 4 Stars!

I requested this book because I loved the cover. I should have paid more attention to the summary, because I realized once I started reading that this was a retelling of a classical book and I am not huge on the classics. However, I did like the murder mystery and it was a fun read.

This was something else and I want to let everyone know that this was a me issue more than the books. I did not like the short chapters that hopped between all the people. It really drove me nuts. So much so, it took me forever to finish this.

I was not really overly shocked to find out how this mystery ends, but it was an enjoyable read.

3.5 stars

This novel is set in Jane Austen’s world with characters we’ve all come to love and hate with the addition of a number of their children. It is then mixed with a classic who done it mystery. And would hasn’t wanted to read about Mr. Wickham being murdered?

If you love Austen you will at least like this novel and have a fun time reading it. The characters felt thought out and were realistic to the original works, but the prose and some word choice weren’t perfect. This did not bother me at all, but I could see some having complaint with that.

I also think it would be most enjoyed by one who has read all of Austen’s novels. I have only read 4 of 6 and did have to do a little background on the characters of the other 2 novels. We do gets bits and pieces about everyone throughout this novel, but one can tell it is assumed the reader likely has some prior background. So while you don’t need to know all of Austen’s works, I think people who have read them will love this novel most.

I also liked how this novel was structured. There are longer chapters, but we get different points of view within each chapter and they are broken up with a symbol so there’s no confusion. Since these are characters we love, it’s nice to get each of their voices.

I did not have a clue who the murdered was, so that was quite fun in the end.

What lowered my rating down was mostly my lack of background by not having read all the novels, so that’s on me. Additionally I found the pacing to be a little too slow at times and it did take me a bit to get into the novel. I also wished there had been a bit more humor like in an Austen novel, but that too is personal preference.

Overall this was a fun time and I think many people will enjoy reading this Austenesque murder mystery. Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham was a fun take on the lives of some of our favorite literary characters. Claudia Gray did an excellent job of depicting the characters together at the correct ages based on when the original books took place. My favorite characters however, were the additions of Jonathon Darcy and Juliet Tilney. They are well written characters with many characteristics of their parents. There are some areas where the behavior of the characters is a little strange, but since this take place months to years after the original stories some allowance can be made for the passage of time. The mystery itself is interesting with plenty of intrigue and misdirection to keep the reader guessing right up to the very end. I would love to see more adventures with Jonathon and Juliet.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

True confession time: I don’t think I’ve ever read Jane Austen. I remember trying to read Pride and Prejudice many moons ago but wasn’t in the reading mood so I didn’t get very far. I have, however, seen countless adaptations of her work on film and loved them all, which is what drew me to The Murder of Mr. Wickham (Amazon). I received a digital copy of the book from NetGalley and Vintage in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Besides all the Jane Austen favorites, there are two new characters, Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy, who turn into teen sleuths in order to solve the mystery of Mr. Wickham’s untimely demise. It’s been years since I’ve seen any Austen adaptation, but I remember Mr. Wickham. So there was an immediate dislike to him when he enters the story.

The Regency Period is depicted accurately, as far as I know. I’m not an expert on the period, but the descriptions of settings and clothing and societal norms seems on point. It’s clear the author did a lot of research, not just with the Austen novels but with the period in general.

As for the mystery, I thought it started out slow simply because there was so much time spent setting the scene before Wickham even arrives, and I think he gets killed about 25% through the book, which seemed a little late for me. However, if it’s been a while since you’ve read Austen, or like me and are only vaguely familiar with the characters, this is necessary. Once Wickham is dead, the story picks up until about the halfway point, when I found myself a little bored by all the exposition. Then, the pace picks up again and out comes a surprising yet satisfying conclusion.

I enjoyed the book overall and just thought the middle part needed work. I think I would have liked it more if I were a Jane Austen devotee or a devout reader of Regency period novels. There’s a half-hearted attempt to add romance to the story, but it’s put on the back burner in order to solve the mystery and wasn’t fully fleshed out. I’d recommend The Murder of Mr. Wickham to Austen fans and anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries and period novels.