I am a huge Jane Austen fan so when I saw the title I knew I had read this book! The plot of the story was such a fun concept. I loved reading more about some of my favorite Austen characters and what they’ve all been up to in their lives and it was enjoyable having these characters from different books come together. Even if you aren’t an Austen fan, the author does a great job giving a brief backstory for the characters.

This book is a mix of historical fiction and mystery which made it entertaining. Each character has a tie to Mr. Wickham that comes out. I had no idea who was the murderer and the story kept me guessing until the very end!If you’re an Austen fan (or not) check out this book when it comes out May 3rd!

Thank you Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the advanced copy and Claudia Gray for giving us more of these beloved characters!

I am a big fan of Claudia Gray's Firebird trilogy, so when I saw she wrote a book where Jane Austen characters meet the board game Clue, I had to read it.

I have read or saw an adaptation of most of Austen's work:
Sense and Sensibility - read book + saw movie
Pride and Prejudice - read book + saw movie
Mansfield Park - haven't read book yet, saw movie
Emma - read book + saw movies. Plus, Clueless is one of my favorite movies ever!
Persuasion - read book, still have to see movie
Northanger Abbey - still have to read book and see movie, but I know the basic plot

I really enjoyed The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray. It has our favorite Jane Austen characters meeting for a house party, and I think Claudia did a good job of writing in their voices and not making them do anything that would be wildly out of character. I even think her original characters, Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney, felt like they fit in with the characters Austen created. Not having read or seen any Northanger Abbey adaptation didn't harm my enjoyment of Juliet Tilney or cause me to not understand where she'd get her love for investigating from. She was one of my favorite characters, actually, and I loved Jonathan and Juliet's friendship and how they took it upon themselves to investigate Wickham's murder. I would read more about them, if Claudia ever decided to write another book with them. Some of the Jonathan moments made me laugh out loud.

I will say with the large cast of characters, some did end up getting highlighted more than others. I felt like there were more Emma/Knightley + Jonathan/Juliet scenes than there were Anne/Wentworth, for example. And without giving away spoilers, there was a scene between Anne/Wentworth that made me cry. Though each of the couples had their marital issues, it was good to meet everyone again and see how they overcame troubles.

Overall, it was an engaging mystery and I was surprised by who did it. But when we found out the whole story behind who did it and why, it made sense and didn't cheapen what Jane created.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you love Jane Austin or even just enjoy that time period, this is for you. If you’re into murder mysteries in general, this might be a tad slow. The writing certainly captures the time and place well, and the plot has enough complications, but it is not a quick read. The best part of this novel for me was the portrayal of young Jonathan Darcy who is described as “unusual” but we recognize as neurodivergent. He is treated with respect and increasing affection by our protagonist, Juliet. Bravo.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this murder mystery early for an honest review.

It was a lot of fun to see these characters interacting after their “happily ever afters”. The new characters of Juliet and Jonathan were also welcome additions. And the ending was quite satisfactory. I’ll be recommending this story to all my friends that enjoyed the original Jane Austen stories and are looking for more with these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!


This was a fun twist! It’s described as Austen/Christie and I agree completely. A lot of times some “retelling” or added on type books from beloved classics end up short and cheap, but I think this turned out grand. The characters seemed realistic enough, their spats to be expected, and I’m just thankful my younger day fantasies played out to ol’ wickham- fictionally, of course. Well done! If you like mysteries/who dunnits and miss our favorite Austen characters (ok, my favorites…) you’ll like this!

The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray is a good 1920's fiction that includes mystery, suspense, and lots of characters. It was a very hard to keep with so many characters and each of their back ground stories. I did finally enjoy it and it was a good mystery.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley for my honest opinion.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham is a mystery novel that takes place during a house party in the Regency period. What’s unique about it is that all the characters are characters from or children of characters from Jane Austen’s six major novels, so in addition to being a mystery, it is also a “continuation” of plot lines from those novels. In spite of being a murder mystery, it is a pretty lighthearted “cozy” mystery with very little actual bloodshed or trauma. Fans of Stephanie Barron’s excellent Jane Austen mystery series may enjoy this spin on the idea, with characters instead of Austen herself doing the investigation, Fans of P.D. James’ Death Comes to Pemberley make likewise enjoy this take on what how the Darcy clan might handle being potentially implicated in a murder. Austen readers may also enjoy the “what happens next” aspect of the story, since imagining the life of the Darcys, Brandons, Wentworths, Knightleys, Bertrams, and Tilneys after the end of the novels is often food for thought. Having so many characters in one novel does diminish the ability of the author to fully explore individual characters as much as readers might want, however, and some readers may object to choices made by the author in the portrayal of the temperament and/or behavior of certain characters which may seem either anachronistic or untrue to Austen’s original design. Nevertheless, most readers of Austen-adjacent stories will want to add this one to their collection, and readers who are coming to Austen from other novels set in the Regency period may also want to check this one out.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham was a very lovable book. I loved seeing all of the Jane Austen characters together! I definitely had to brush up on some of my Austen stories, but it was such a fun read! I loved seeing all of these characters in a new genre too. The murder mystery was so much fun! And I honestly love that Mr. Wickham is the person who was murdered.

I will definitely be rereading this book when it comes out, and hopefully we’ll see more of this story in the future!! 😁

If ever a person needed to be murdered, Mr. Wickham is the ideal candid. As you may remember in Pride and Prejudice , he is forced to marry Elizabeth Bennet's sister Lydia. Now in this book he unexpectedly appears at a house party with some victims of his phony investment deals and someone takes offense. Before too long, Mr. Wickham is no more. Jonathan Darcy, son of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy, and a young female guest named Juliet Tingley decide they need to solve the murder. A sense a sequel.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham has a delightful premise and an eye-catching cover that made me want to read it. The plot was logical and intriguing- but quickly, the limitations of using Jane Austen's beloved characters as murder suspects becomes awkwardly apparent. I struggled with making some beloved characters less likable. I also had to refresh my memory about some of the less well-known characters, and so spent a pleasant morning watching a newer movie version of Northanger Abbey to refresh my memory. Perhaps the most jarring affectation was the anxiety ridden teenage son of Darcy.... I surmise that the author wished to portray him as having autism, but it was not mentioned in the author notes. Having helped to raise an autistic child many years ago, I am struggling with the portrayal, In one sense it was done well, but it always brought me out of the story. Then it was not mentioned what his struggles were.... So I am undecided on that.

And although Gray has a lovely turn of phrase and some beautiful passages, I was missing the deeply researched and poetry like phrasing of Stephanie Barron (in her Jane Austen mystery series) almost immediately. I struggled to not put the book down. It was not overly long, but the transitions were clunky. The solution was, however, satisfying.

If you've ever wondered what happened to the couples in Jane Austen's novels in the years and decades after they marry...
If you've ever wondered whether Darcy and Knightley would be friends, or what Anne Wentworth would have to say to Fanny Bertram...
If you love a cozy murder mystery set in genteel Regency households...
Check out The Murder of Mr. Wickham.

Because let's be real: if ever there was a character in an Austen novel whose murder would generate a long suspect list, it's Wickham. When his murder occurs at a house party being held by Emma and Knightley, nearly all the Austen characters present have motives. Jonathan Darcy (Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam's oldest son) and Juliet Tilney (Catherine and Henry's daughter) are the exceptions, and in the interest of ensuring that the magistrate (an older and perhaps equally impulsive Frank Churchill) sees justice done, they begin to sleuth.

The mystery propels the plot, but the story is equally about the ways that the couples--some recently married, some the parents of near-adults--work through conflict during this disastrous house party. This works in a bit of a hit-and-miss manner, as to keep the mystery going, we get greater access into some relationships than others. The mystery itself has a fine if abrupt resolution after a drawn-out investigation, but ends in the perhaps the only way it can when considering the audience for this story. In other words, Austen fans won't be disappointed on this front.

The author's style was charming and in the spirit of Jane Austen's warmth and wit. An enjoyable read, and a world I would not mind revisiting in future novels.

An interesting mesh of murder mystery and characters from Jane Austen’s beloved books. A sequel with a twist and, in my opinion, was a captivating read. The book definitely had the feel of a Jane Austen style but a little more serious. There was not much bantering here.

Imagine the main leading couples living under one roof as house guests with offsprings. The author did note the length of each marriages is based on the time frame when the books debut. I like how their marriages are flawed which made their relationship relatable.

“We cannot truly grieve the death of a man so immoral as Mr. Wickham…”

The author used certain details from each book to connect the main characters to Wickham which made them credible suspects. Although she did a great job in giving false leads so it was unpredictable but after the revelation, i found it a bit humdrum. Maybe crime & punishment was dealt differently in Regency Times or upper class. I do wish there was more development between the younger generation, Jonathan Darcy & Juliet Tilney. Maybe in a second book?!!

I received this ARC from @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for an honest review.

was able to get into this book somewhat. There were a number of characters in this story. Keeping track of who is with who and their background ground story was a little much for me. I will admit the the book moves fairly easy. The entertainment does make the book a page turner. The characters are charming and funny. The mystery part was very entertaining. There is a lot of narrative talk, but it seems to balance out with the dialogue from the characters.

Yes, THAT Mr. Wickham! Starting approximately 25ish years after the settings of the original books, Claudia Gray has brought together all of our favorite Austen couples….Eliza and Fitzwilliam Darcy, Fanny and Edmund Bertram, Colonel and Marianne Brandon, Captain and Anne Wentworth.…at the home of Emma and George Knightley for a house party. Also joining the group is the 23 year old Darcy heir, Jonathan and Juliet, the 17 year old daughter of Catherine Morland Tilney.
Mr Wickham’s still dastardly behavior is well known to some at the Knightley house party and his newest scheme/scam has ensnared those who had no previous knowledge of his enormously flawed character. Thus, all the houseguests, except for Juliet and Jonathan, had motive to murder George Wickham. J & J join forces to investigate and identify the murderer before an innocent person is arrested. Jonathan’s behavior and his inner voice indicate that he’s on the Autism spectrum and Juliet is smart, inquisitive and not as ladylike as the mid 1800’s would have required. They make an interesting and charming team as they gather clues and information about possible suspects and learn about and except each other’s manner and personality.
I hope that Ms. Gray gives us more of the next generation of Austen lovers.

I adore how the author contrived to pull almost all of the main Austen characters together in a way that made sense. And then we all got to enjoy the death of Wickham (huzzah!), and solve his murder through the eyes of two new, young characters. I have no idea if the author intends for this to be more than a stand-alone, but I would dearly love to read more about Jonathan and Juliet solving murders.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Well.... I'm a little disappointed in this book. I had high hopes, but this was a little off the mark for me.
I think the mystery was fine, I think the setting was fun (who doesn't love a regency read??), and I think the writing was very witty in parts.
However, I found this book extremely hard to connect. Personally, I thought the characters were a little dull. I just had a hard time caring about the story because of that. I also tend not to like a multiple character jumping story telling style.
Those are my gripes, but I still think people should read this book! I think there is an audience for it, but it's not me.
Read an advanced copy from Netgalley

I enjoyed the Advance Reader's Edition of this book so much, both for the mystery and for the novelty of seeing so many of Jane Austen's wonderful characters in the same book. On top of that, almost all of them are suspects in the murder of the truly obnoxious Mr. Wickham.

The Wentworths, the Brandons, the Knightleys, the Darcys, the Bertrams, and Juliet Tilney have all assembled for a month-long house party at the Knightley estate. Who should appear (uninvited, of course) than the dastardly Wickham. It soon becomes apparent that almost everyone has some unpleasant connection with him.

As the title makes clear, someone in this party does away with Mr. Wickham. Since almost all of the party has some serious complaint with him, it is quite challenging to figure out who committed the deed. I didn't solve it, but that certainly didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.

I thought Claudia Gray did a superb job in bringing the characters from Jane's books into her own. It was a pleasure to be with them again.

This book was a delightful read, not only does it contain characters from all of Austen’s books but it’s a nicely paced isolated murder mystery. It was so much fun seeing the ever-afters for my favorite Austen couples and seeing a second generation investigate the mystery. And it has to be said it was a joy to see the dastardly Wickham finally meet his end. If you’re a fan of Austen’s books or even just seen the movies and want more of the characters as they deal with a mysterious death then you will very much enjoy this book.

4 stars

Claudia Gray's The Murder of Mr. Wickham is a Clue-style romp through the extended Jane Austen universe as they are forced to contend with who killed the slimy Mr. Wickham during a house party.

I absolutely loved the concept of the book and it was such a treat to see the direction in which Gray took both fan-favorite and lesser known Austen couples. The addition of the second generation in Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy provides a great vehicle through which the murder can be investigated and getting to see how the children take after their literary parents was adorable.

In juggling the shifting perspectives of every single couple and character, the mystery does occasionally get bogged down and there was a certain level of Christie-level intrigue that I would have liked to see more of. However, I found that it was just so easy to get swept up in the Austen of it all. Gray slyly leaves the door open for a sequel and I will jump for joy if and when it arrives!

Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

THE MURDER OF MR. WICKHAM weaves together a familiar cast of Jane Austen’s heroes and drops them in the midst of a house party plagued by poor weather, closely clutched secrets, and the murder of a man whom was friend to none. Alibis in short supply and motives overflowing, Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy take up the case, daring to toe the boundaries of propriety in the name of justice. This is a whodunit written with the clever acuity of an Agatha Christie novel and spun with the alluring stories of Jane Austen’s characters. In other words, don’t pass this book by and be prepared to find yourself staying up late into the night devouring each page!