Thank you Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for allowing me to read and review this title! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

To be honest, I have not read any, but Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, JA novels. I know, I know. You're probably thinking "Why request a book based on a whole slew of Jane Austen characters?" Well, Claudia Gray is my reasoning. I absolutely love her books and wanted to give this one a shot.

Claudia Gray's writing has a good amount of humor and thrilling moments to keep me entertained in this murder mystery but not enough to enjoy the book overall. I don't think it's because of my lack of knowledge when it comes to JA novels because I do know most of the lore and the stories written. I just couldn't wrap my head around some of the characters decisions and their personalities were a little grating to read. The writing style was good and flowed well with the time period it's based on. I was consistently reminded of the movie Clue with Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon. I think this was a lesson learned for me: just because one of your favorite authors wrote the book, doesn't mean your instantly going to fall in love with the story.

3 stars

What a fun and unique read! It was a very quick read filled with characters you kind of already know and love (or dislike). This is definitely a fun, new take on Austen’s work and I can’t wait to recommend it to everyone who loves Jane Austen.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham was an incredibly fun and intriguing atmospheric whodunnit novel. I enjoyed the characters, and it was a quick read. I found the writing to be engaging and entertaining; I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

This is such a perfect book in so many ways. It is mash up of Jane Austen's most famous characters along with the entirely enjoyable mystery format of Agatha Christie. I didn't really care who murdered Mr. Wickham, I just wanted to keep reading this book. Claudia Gray has replicated the feel of Jane Austen's writing in such a way that you get carried away with details that in less capable hands would have been tedious. I can only say this is a must read for anyone who loves a well written story with a fabulous cast of characters - so basically every reader!

This charming book combines two elements sure to please any Anglophile: the characters and manners of Jane Austen with the mystery of Agatha Christie. In the Author's Note at the beginning of the book, we are told that the events take place in 1820. While I'd never given any thoughts to precisely dating Jane Austen's novels, here dates are assigned in order to make the events in the novel fit together. Main characters from all of Austen's novels come together for a house party at the estate of Emma and George Knightley. Based in the dates assigned earlier, when the story takes place Elizabeth and Darcy from Pride and Prejudice have been married for over two decades, while Marianne and Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility are still newlyweds of only five months. The Darcy's twenty-something son Jonathan accompanies them, so he must of course have a female counterpart in the person of Miss Juliet Tilney, daughter of a female novelist Emma befriended. All of the assembled guests are experiencing problems, both financial and personal, so it doesn't help matters at all when the odious Mr. Wickham makes an appearance. Mr. Wickham was forced to marry Elizabeth Darcy's sister Lydia in order to save the family from scandal, but marriage did not improve his character. A violent storm means that no one can leave, and this includes Wickham. He's reluctantly put in the servants' quarters but is soon discovered murdered. When it turns out that pretty much every guest at the house party had a reason to want him dead, Jonathan and Juliet team up to try to figure out the culprit before an innocent servant is blamed. I quite enjoyed re-visiting all of Austen's characters and seeing their imagined futures. While no one was sad to see Mr. Wickham meet his demise, the resolution of the issues facing all the characters was satisfying. I do feel that door was left open for further installments, so I hope we will be stepping back into Austen's world soon for new adventures.

What an excellent book!
As soon as I read the description I had high hopes, and Claudia Gray exceeded all of my expectations!

It was incredibly fun to see all of the characters from Jane Austen's novels getting together and of course, murder!

The book ended satisfyingly, and is a perfect standalone, but I certainty hope that we shall be seeing more!

CW:
Homophobia in keeping with the general beliefs of the time.

I saw the title of this book and immediately thought “YES. I need this.” And “The Murder of Mr. Wickham” by Claudia Gray did not disappoint.

It had everything I wanted it to have:
-My fave characters from each of Jane Austen’s six main novels
-New characters introduced who were well thought out and felt like they absolutely belonged in that world
-A “where are they now?” look into the Darcys (and getting to know their eldest son!), the Knightleys, the Wentworths, and the Bertrams, plus newly wed couple Marianne and Colonel Brandon, and an introduction to the teen daughter of the Tilneys
-Social comedy very in keeping with Austen’s works
-THE ACTUAL MURDER OF WICKHAM

This book is an imagined “sequel” of sorts. Because Austen’s works take place at different times, the timeline of when this takes place is spread out after the other books. For example, Colonel Brandon and Marianne are within the first year of married life, but the Tilneys, Knightleys, and Darcys have all been married long enough to have teenage children.

The Knightleys decide to throw a month long house party, and these are all their guests, all known to the Knightleys in various ways. Wickham crashes the party, and as we discover, he has deeply wronged everyone in attendance in some way or other (excepting young Miss Tilney). Then… he is found dead, and virtually everyone is a suspect because everyone had motive. Miss Juliet Tilney and Mr. Jonathan Darcy (eldest son of our beloved Darcys) commit themselves to solving the murder.

This book is somewhat niche in its audience- the people who will most enjoy this book are those that are familiar with all six of Austen’s main novels, not just P&P, S&S, or Emma, and additionally are very open to a non-Austen writer imagining what happened next to them all, plus enjoy what is basically a cozy murder mystery. (It’s me, I am that reader.) If you haven’t read all of Austen’s works you will still enjoy this book, but knowing the full and detailed history of all the main characters certainly takes it to another level.

I loved evening about this book. Not only did the author, in my opinion, stay true to Austen canon, she developed everyone in ways that felt very true and fitting to who they were originally written to be. Adding to that, the author has managed quite successfully to introduce topics that Austen herself could not have, but in a way that the responses from the characters felt very authentic to who Austen wrote them to be.

Example- we can tell from the way Jonathan Darcy’s character is written that he is neuro-diverse, and while Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy could not have had the terminology or understanding of what we understand now as being on the spectrum, they approach their son exactly as we would expect them to- with love and support and encouragement in helping him navigate social etiquette and propriety where we know that would be extremely difficult for him.

Five stars to this book, I will absolutely read it again, and recommend it to all of the Austen fans in my life.


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review.

Genuinely delightful, though admittedly to a specific audience. The conclusion was reasonably satisfying, which was more than I was hoping for from a book that actually got the classic characters pretty spot-on.

The characters from several Austen novels are attending a house party at Emma and George's place. They will be together for a month conversing and following the rules of etiquette for such an event. Two young people have been included in the group. Now an uninvited guest arrives, the nefarious Mr. Wickham. After two days of being quite awful to the other guests he is found dead. What a relief, BUT who did it? The two young people investigate.
This is a review of a digital galley provided by NetGalley.

I recently read a review copy of The Murder of Mr Wickham by Claudia Gray thanks to Knopf Doubleday and Netgalley

Set in 1820, right at the end of the Regency Era and featurung characters from all six of Jane Austen's completed novels + a couple of new characters from the next generation.

Emma and Mr Knightley are hosting a country house party and have invited various friends and distant relations who just happen to be characters from the other Austen novels. Some new characters, the oldest son of Mr Darcy and Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice and the daughter of the Tilney's from Northanger Abbey are also in attendance.

The party soon goes awry when an unexpected and definitely uninvited George Wickham (from Pride and Prejudice) crashes the party. It turns out pretty much everyone has a good reason to hate Wickham and soon almost everyone becomes a suspect when Wickham is found dead in the middle of the night.

Miss Tilney and Mr Darcy Junior join forces to investigate the crime but have to be pretty low key sneaky about it.

I've previously read six YA science fiction novels by Claudia Gray and highly recommend the Firebird trilogy and the Defy the stars trilogy.

I'm a big fan of Jane Austen. I've been to her former home in Chawton, Hampshire & visited her grave in Winchester Cathedral. I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time when I was 17 and have read most of her books twice or more. I've seen just about every screen adaptation there is and read modern retelling like Clueless & Bridget Jones diary. At some point this year I plan to read the four Austen project novels... modern adaptations of Austen's stories by best selling authors. Basically I'm saying I know Austen's stories and characters pretty well and I'm not convinced that I would have enjoyed or even understood this book so well if I wasn't an Austen fan. There are a lot of characters to keep track of all with their own personalities and back stories.

I was in love when I read the description for this book, but it didn’t quite live up to the hype in my mind; I loved reading what all the couples were up to, but Juliet and Jonathan’s investigation curtailed my delight. Also, I did not like how Fanny and Edmund were portrayed.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I absolutely LOVE the idea of this. Jane Austen's beloved characters in an Agatha Christie-esque story? I couldn't request this fast enough. I especially loved that one of the original characters would be the older son of Elizbeth Bennet & Mr. Darcy.

Unfortunately, the whole thing fell a little flat. I get that you have to make Mr. Wickham EXTREMELY unlikeable, so that everyone would be a suspect, but he comes across as a caricature of villain, and too vile to actually be real. And some of the connections these characters had to him were a little ridiculous.

It also started to drag a bit in the middle. Too much explaining, not enough showing, and it gets repetitive. We're told over and over and over how inappropriate it is for Jonathan and Juliet to be alone together, or to exchange letters, or for Juliet to involve herself in this in the first place.

But the ending was satisfactory, and it was nice to revisit with some of these beloved characters for a little while.

4.5 stars

There was so much to like about this Austen mash-up closed circle mystery. I had to look up the “closed circle” thing—I was mistakenly calling this a locked room mystery.

First of all, the suspects being all characters I already knew and loved made the wondering all the more distressing and delicious. I didn’t want any of them to be the murderer! Of course, I love some more than others, and my guess at who the murderer was (made at the 75% point) was definitely biased.

Almost every romantic couple from Jane Austen’s novels is present in this book. The Tilneys are absent, sadly, since I have a soft spot for Catherine from Northanger Abbey, the first Austen novel I ever read. But their daughter Juliet is a guest, and she plays an important role, along with the Darcys’ son Jonathan. I loved their growing friendship and understanding as they quietly conducted their own investigation of Wickham’s murder. They’re both wonderful characters, and the portrayal of Jonathan’s social challenges was well done. I just loved him and Juliet’s response to him.

The author did a lovely job of creating connections between these different characters, so that a house party with all of them present felt plausible. It was hard seeing couples who had all gotten their HEA endings now in a state of conflict and unease. Secrets and misunderstandings generally drive me crazy, but I thought the ones here were resolved well. I’ve only reread a few of the novels recently, and I wasn’t sure about the portrayal of the Bartrams, which seemed exaggeratedly pious. Since Mansfield Park is my least favorite of Austen’s novels, I don’t know if I’ll ever reread it, but I was happy with the development of that couple’s attitudes and relationship, although it also seemed the least likely of the changes of heart that happened in the book. I enjoyed the set-up for it with Edmund’s confrontation with Elton, though—easily one of my favorite scenes in the book.

The language didn’t feel especially Austeny, but it wasn’t distractingly not Austeny either. I know some folks are pickier about that than I am, and that might be a sticking point for them. Then again, the premise of this novel might be enough to cause super Austen sticklers to avoid it, which is perfectly fine. We’re all Janeites, sticklers. I still like you.

Once the murder occurred, I found this hard to put down. The rather tidy resolution once the murderer was revealed (although I also found it easy to buy) and the trouble between couples I love knocked down my rating a tiny bit, but I still highly recommend it to Austen fans.

What Jane Austen fan could resist a novel that kills off her quintessential “ bad boy” Wickham? Well, certainly, not me! This book quickly accomplishes the title’s promise and sets to lay ruin to Emma Knightly’s house party.

The reader best served by this Austen-inspired novel will be the one with total recall of all of Miss Austen’s heroines, suitors, and families. I have read each novel multiple times, but must confess to forgetting “ who’s who” and who was wronged by whom. So, I was often a bit at sea as the relationships ebbed and flowed in this novel.

I enjoyed the young protagonists very much. they were a treat to imagine and fun to follow, but they were characters that sprang to life in this novel alone. Those characters of Jane Austens who’d matured ( like Emma) were not so satisfying for me. They lost their sparkle in this novel, or perhaps were just lost in the sea of other Austen heroines we met ( and loved) in their youth, but didnt enjoy as much in their maturity.

Netgalkey provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me an ARC for review*

The Murder of Mr. Wickham is like the Avengers of the Austen universe - and like the Avengers, I found it to be a little too scattered and a little too weighed down by its enormous cast to give it a full five stars.

I came into this book only having read Pride and Prejudice of the several referenced works (Austen's other works are on my TBR), but enjoyed myself nonetheless. Juliet Tilney is a breath of fresh air in a world so constrained by propriety, and her unique chemistry with the young Jonathan Darcy was charming, if not adorable. Overall, this is a book that I think most modern Austen fans would enjoy, especially if they also appreciate a decent, drama-filled murder mystery.

I don't know if anyone else got excited with crossover shows growing up, but something about my favorite characters from one show interacting with my favorite characters from another show just made me irrationally happy. This book is the grown up version of that.

A story that involved all of Austen's most beloved characters going to a house party at Donwell Abbey together was something that I didn't really know I needed until this book, but let me tell you, it was absolutely delightful (the fact that the narrative closely followed Agatha Christie's style was just an added bonus). I loved how Claudia spaced the events of Austen's books out so that they roughly took place during the year they were originally written in. It was really interesting to see that all of the heroines were at different places with their marriages, from newly married in Brandon and Marianne's case, to happily married for more than twenty years in Darcy and Elizabeth's case. I loved getting to see how they all ended up after the close of their original tales.

One of the top things I look for in a book that is a retelling/spinoff of a classic is how well they captured the essence of the original, and this book excelled on that point. The characters aged generally how one would expect, the way they interacted with each other was completely believable, and even the tone of the writing was on point for Austen's style. It felt like Austen wrote a sequel. Plus their references to the original books were absolutely golden.

There were only two points that I didn't completely love. First, some of the characters - while in keeping with their original personalities - felt a bit caricatured at different points. I noticed it especially in Edmund and Fanny Bertram. This Edmund reminded me a good deal of Mr. Collins, which I don't remember thinking of the original, and Fanny was much more timid than I remembered. Again, it is in keeping with their characters, it just felt a bit exaggerated at times.

The second saddening point is that I wanted an epilogue. I wanted to see how all of the characters moved forward from the events of the book, and whether or not they stayed friends (or became more than friends as the case may be). This is totally a minor detail, I just care deeply about my happily-ever-afters.

Overall, this is a gem of a book. It is perfect for fans of Austen, especially if they are also fans of Agatha Christie.

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.

Nearly everyone at the house party is a suspect, so it falls to the party’s two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, eager for adventure beyond Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys’ eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem almost relaxed. In a tantalizing fusion of Austen and Christie, the unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions and uncover the guilty party—before an innocent person is sentenced to hang. (Goodreads synopsis)

I have not read any novels by Claudia Gray prior to this, but I certainly will be checking out her previous works.

I, like most people, have read Jane Austen’s novels. The obvious and most likely one of Pride and Prejudice, but also Emma. I have not read any of the others, nor have a seen any adaptations of them. With that stated, I thought Claudia Gray did a fantastic job in keeping Jane Austen’s characters true to themselves. I am not a fan of Emma Knightly nee Woodhouse, but found I did like her better in this novel. I imagine that years of being married would change the individuals and their personalities somewhat. Claudia Gray’s interpretation of their maturity was more than acceptable. However, she did not remove some of the personality traits that make the characters so enjoyable, like Elizabeth’s wit. I liked how she, also, made sure to include key scenarios from Jane Austen’s novels, weaving them through her novel smoothly. I would add, for those of us who are casual Austenites, that a Cast of Characters with a brief synopsis would be slightly helpful.

Additionally, Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney are a very compatible sleuthing duo. Jonathan is indicated as being on the spectrum, and I love how he copes with his many “peculiarities”, but that doesn’t seem to bother Juliet at all. If Claudia Gray were to continue them as a series, I would wholeheartedly read it with the hope that they also continue their romantic partnership as well.

I thought the mystery was well written. Obviously there is no shortage of suspects because Wickham is such a despicable man, but the clues and theories flowed. In this novel, Wickham has continued his harmful ways, not only towards the Darcy’s, but also with many of the other characters. To be honest, I almost felt that the ending could have been written like the 1985 movie Clue, where there are 2 possible solutions and then the actual ending. Though anyone with a wit of sense would agree that this ending was the only true way it could have gone. But alternate endings would have still been fun.

A Jane Austen novel is not exactly a fast paced novel with the graphic descriptions, but that’s also what peaks certain readers’ interest. This novel was very similar. It wasn’t fast paced but it felt that way because I simply couldn’t put it down.

Overall I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I'm going to start off by giving this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars. Yes, I loved it that much!

OK, so let me say the author's love for Jane Austen shines through and makes this book a rare treat. The characters feel act like themselves and the language was *chefs kiss* historically accurate. It read like an old school mystery and I couldn't be happier. The introduction of two new characters, Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy, was done very well and by the end of the book I was entirely invested in their (hopefully?!) Next adventure. If you love Jane Austen and want to read a great take on her work I implore you to pick this book up!

Posted to my Instagram @booknookcook04

A very witty and fun novel. I loved all the Jane Austen detail. That was both interesting and entertaining to read. Writing was well done and story kept my interest, highly recommend!!

This book is absolutely fantastic and though it is only February, it is definitely being marked down as one of my favorites of the year!

Pulling together a group of Jane Austen's most beloved characters was never going to be an easy feat, but reading this novel, it feels like the most natural thing in the world. I especially loved that there are pairings of characters together who you would never expect to have a conversation (Fanny and Elizabeth, for one) and yet have a surprisingly deep connection on the pages of the novel. The murder mystery is well plotted throughout and will genuinely keep you guessing through to the very end, with plenty of red herrings and twists. While the book feels like a true continuation of Jane Austen stories, it is also commendable that it is inclusive as well! It is clear that Jonathan Darcy is written to be autistic, and while it is never named, his behaviors are clear and super well done. I also happen to love the brewing love story between Jonathan and Juliet - if somehow a sequel is written, continuing to follow them would be an absolute joy.

But what I loved most about this book was the natural continuation of the love stories from Jane Austen's works. Darcy and Elizabeth's love after twenty years is genuinely beautiful to follow, especially seeing how it is tested and changed. Marianne and Brandon hold a very special place in my heart and reading more of what their life is like after their wedding and how they still are learning the specifics of each other is so truthful to how their experience would be. I could rattle on about all of the couples because each feels true and captivating.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.