Thanks so much to the author, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog

TW: murder, homophobia

This book was such a delight to read! People who know me know that I love me some Jane Austen, so seeing her characters come together for a good, old-fashioned, Christie-style mansion murder mystery? It felt like my birthday! I was seriously so excited to read this book, and I am very glad to say that it did not disappoint.

As anyone who has read Pride and Prejudice can probably tell you, George Wickham has no shortage of enemies, and so it should surprise nobody that after his death in this book there are no shortage of suspects present at the house. And honestly, I spent most of the booking hoping that whoever it was would just walk away no questions asked. And also kind of hoping for a Murder on the Orient Express situation (sorry, spoiler warning? I suppose?) where they're all in on it together.
So I will say that I was pleasantly surprised that I did not see the ending coming! I usually have a pretty good idea of who the murderer is in these situations before the "now let's explain how they did it" portion at the end, but this one really kept me guessing. It could equally be so many different people, based on motive and opportunity and all that, and so it wasn't until the end that I was sure who had done it.

Also just as a brief aside for anyone else who, like me, re-reads and re-watches Austen when they need something easy and comforting - which TV/movie versions of the characters did you see in your head as you read this book? Was it the BBC actors? I bet it was. It absolutely was for me. As much as I love the more modern movies, those particular performers couldn't escape my head while reading this book. And honestly, part of me wonders if that isn't (at least for me personally) some indication of how true to the characters a lot of this story seemed, because in my head the BBC adaptations of these stories always feel like some of the most true to the source material. Okay, fangirl moment over.

Overall I would absolutely recommend this book to friends and fellow readers! It is a bit of a slower-paced read, much like the Austen books that the characters come from, but if you like that or can get passed it, I think that this is a really enjoyable and worthwhile book to pick up. I think that the perfect way to read this book would be sitting in a big, comfy arm chair by a fireplace on a cold, rainy day. The louder the rain is on the windows, the better.

-I liked this featured Pride & Prejudice characters and didn’t bore me like when I try to read Jane Austen’s books, but I am familiar with Pride & Prejudice since I do love the movie
-Entertaining and I liked the mystery
-Kept me guessing

Thank you netgalley for the digital arc but I just couldn't get on with the writing.
Picked it up and set it down again more times I could count but ultimetly I decided I couldn't continue reading it.
This was clearly my fault and not the book tho and it doesn't mean this will be your experience too.

while this was a clever idea, I just could not get involved with the characters. I really wanted to like this book, since I had heard so much about it. Just could not finish it.

"The Murder of Mr. Wickham" by Claudia Gray is a mystery set in the world of Jane Austen's characters. Emma Knightley and her husband are throwing a house party that will bring together Marianne Brandon (and her husband); Elizabeth Darcy, her husband, and son; Fanny Bertram and her husband the rector; Anne and Frederick Wentworth; and Juliet Tilney (the daughter of Catherine Tilney). On the first evening at dinner, Mr. Wickham (who most know from "Pride and Prejudice") shows up uninvited. He has connections with most of the people in attendance. A few days later, Wickham is dead and Juliet and Elizabeth's son John decide to solve the mystery despite the involvement of the magistrate Frank Churchill.

A fun story for Jane Austen fans. Some may find the mystery to be resolved in a overly convenient manner, but others may appreciate it. Based on the invitations issued to Juliet at the end (and a little matchmaking by Emma and John Darcy's mother), there will be more stories with the same characters in the future.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham is for Jane Austen fans who loved mystery and thriller genre! It's everything you wanted in a book: Jane Austen characters, thrilling story, mysteries, and murder! What more you could ask for? This book is a very interesting take on "What if Mr. Wickham got killed off?" and indeed it wasn't disappoint.

Overall a decent book referring to couples from Jane Austin’s Pervious books . Mr. Wickham arrives, uninvited, to the party and causes a disturbance amongst all. The overall premise is the two youngest guests take upon the role of detectives to determine whodunnit. Many have reason, but how will they figure it out? Thanks to Net galley for an advanced copy!

Jane Austen fans: here’s another JA inspired book to enjoy, “The Murder of Mr. Wickham” by Claudia Gray.

It was published by @vintagebooks in May of this year. It currently has a 3.78 average rating on Goodreads with over 3,000 reviews.

Set in 1820, this historical fiction retelling follows a summer house party hosted by Mr. Knightly and Emma. The party brings together characters from other stories 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.

This book is often described as a mix between Jane Austen and Agatha Christie. The author is a successful prolific writer; in fact, when I first picked up this book, I was actually surprised when I saw the author and googled it — I love some of her Star Wars novels, so I was surprised to just so happen to come across another of her newer books.

It is a delightful idea and well executed. I think Gray is a top talent in the writing community and has done a great job branching out into JA retelling.

This was an excellent mashup for all Austen enthusiasts. It captured the spirit of all of Austen's beloved characters and provided a glimpse into their possible futures. The addition of some next generation characters was also well done and they held their own against the originals that people know and love (More mystery solving for Jonathan and Juliet please!). The mystery element was also well done. Although not many people would be sad to see Mr. Wickham go, it was fun to follow the shifting suspicions surrounding the mystery. All in all an enjoyable read equally appealing to teens and adults and Jane Austen lovers!

I recommend this title to all Austenites but will caution that it is slow to start book as it involves so many couples and it reads so much like an Austen novel. It is worth the time investment in the beginning as you reacquaint yourself with the various couples and then get used to how Claudia Grey is telling THIS story. I particularly loved Jonathon Darcy and felt he was portrayed so well. It is clear her sensitivity and authenticity reader helped her do a wonderful job. I did not guess correctly what had happened to Wickham and enjoyed it being revealed.

Thank you so much to the publisher and the author for this review copy. I have been on a bit of a Jane Austen-Retelling binge of late, it's so fun and comforting to have characters we know and love in brand new adventures. This one was done very well. It reminded me a lot of an Agatha Christie mystery, a whole bunch of people locked away in an English manor when someone is murdered. The killer has to be one of the guests, and they all seem to have their motives. I loved our two main characters, their storyline was so sweet and I'd 100% read more of them.

Such a fun read, definitely recommend.

This is super fun, though a true Austenite might like and appreciate it more than I did. The author took all of the major characters from Jane Austen's books, aged them according to their book ages and publication/written order, put them all together in a house party setting, added everyone's favorite villain to the mix, and turned it into an Agatha Christie style locked room mystery. As I said, fun. I appreciate what she was going for here and I appreciate the effort. I would recommend this to Jane Austen super-fans that also enjoy a cozy mystery. It's quite a niche.

3.5 stars.

This was an enjoyable whodunit, written as a classic Country House-style mystery. Mr. Knightley and Emma have invited a variety of guests (all characters from Jane Austen novels) to their country estate for an extended visit, when the deplorable Mr. Wickham shows up, uninvited. Due to circumstances of bad weather, they are forced to let him stay in the house. As the title suggests, he is murdered, and the young Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy must team up to discover who the killer is among the guests.

I must admit, I have only read one Jane Austen and that was required reading for an English class long ago. So I didn't really know any of the characters (outside of Emma being an inspiration for the film Clueless). If you are a Jane Austen lover, I think you will be delighted with this imagining of her characters all in the same house. If you are a lover of Agatha Christie, this is a mystery for you, as it does have the feel of a "Golden Age" of crime mystery. And if you enjoy both Austen AND Christie, definitely do not mix this book!

The story is very character heavy. Not knowing Jane Austen, I did get a little lost at times between all the couples and their backgrounds. But all-in-all this was a pleasant read.

This book at times was hard to follow but I did enjoy the concept of the story. It was fun to see the different characters from Jan Austen book all in one story. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Jane Austen books and characters.

I love both cosy mysteries and Austenesque works, so this book was a must read for me. The Murder of Mr Wickham takes place over 20 years after the close of Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. Characters from Austen’s other novels appear at the house party where Mr Wickham meets his grisly fate and the author helpfully sets out at what point in time those books took place, as they have been moved away from their publication dates.

The house party is being hosted by Mr and Mrs Knightley of Donwell Abbey (Emma). They have invited Mr & Mrs Darcy (P&P) plus their eldest son Jonathan, who is aged 20. From Sense & Sensibility we have the recently married Colonel and Mrs Brandon, The Wentworths (Persuasion), who rent Hartfield are there, as are Mr Knightley’s relative Mr Edmund Bertram and his wife Fanny (Mansfield Park). From Northanger Abbey we have the eldest daughter of the Reverend and Mrs Tilney, seventeen year old Miss Julia Tilney. The house party has only just gathered when there is an unexpected and uninvited arrival, Mr Wickham. He is a very unwelcome guest, come to collect money that Mr Knightley’s younger brother has come to owe him following an unsuccessful business transaction. The weather turns, meaning that Mr Wickham is unable to leave due to the road conditions, and less than 36 hours after he arrives at the house he is found struck down.

Austen’s Mr Wickham is not an upstanding character, and this version of Mr Wickham has become worse over time, becoming a con-man with a chip on his shoulder about what he is owed by society. He has encouraged ‘investments’ which only enriched himself but remained just on the correct side of legal, so there is limited chance of redress. Both Captain Wentworth and Mr Knightley’s younger brother have lost significant sums to him. The Darcys obviously have had bad dealings with him in the past but they also have more recent suffering which they blame Wickham for. As time progresses it appears that members of the Brandon and Bertram couples also may have a motive. But who is responsible?

Jonathan Darcy was tending to his horse at the time the body was found, and Juliet Tilney actually makes the discovery of the body. These two, one with an alibi and the other with no knowledge of Wickham, decide to try and investigate, once it becomes clear that the local magistrate, Mr Churchill is likely to blame it on the servants or travellers.

There was a lot to enjoy in this book. It was good to see so many characters from Austen’s works all together. I particularly enjoyed the new characters of Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy. Juliet is as imaginative and compassionate as her mother but far less naïve than seventeen year old Catherine was. My main love, however, is held for Jonathan Darcy. I just adored this character. He lives in a world of rules that he obeys but doesn’t really see the point of. He is certainly written as neuro divergent, probably as somebody with Asperger’s. How close this is to a faithful portrayal of a person with high functioning Autism I don’t know. He has to spend mental energy on masking and fitting in, and is aware of how often his intentions are misunderstood. He is much relieved when he realises that he can be open with Juliet and still be accepted.

"It is peculiar of course," Miss Tilney said, "but my mother has often told me that most people are really very peculiar, once you get to know them. The only difference is in how well we hide our peculiarities."

As for the couples, there is sadness and misunderstanding between most of them, for various reasons, which is quite sad, although we and they work towards a path of greater understanding during the time of their stay at Donwell Abbey. I felt a little bit sad and worried for whoever had murdered Wickham, as I was sorry to think of any of them having to face the consequences of their crime!

Some of the details seemed a little off to me, such as Sir Thomas Bertram being a lord rather than a baronet, and I don’t think that Frank Churchill would have lived in Highbury – he was definitely headed for the family seat in Yorkshire directly after his marriage although it’s possible that he may have headed back south if his uncle died soon after the aunt. I also felt that some of the language used came over as too modern or US English.

I usually like to sleuth along with a cosy mystery (with variable success) but I didn’t get anywhere with this book, as the opportunity of killing Wickham was there for a number of people to have taken so it still could have gone a number of ways at the dénouement.

I have read another mystery/Austenesque story, Death Comes to Pemberley, and so of course this story comes to mind when reading The Murder of Mr Wickham, although Wickham was suspect rather than victim in that. DCtP is much more of a police procedural than a cosy mystery, so we get to see a lot more of the characters in TMoMW.

Although the murder is solved and wrapped up in this story I wonder whether Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney may meet again… is there the possibility of a sequel? I would love to meet these particular characters again! This is an extremely readable book which I found hard to put down. And I love Jonathan Darcy, did I convey that in my review?!!!! I’d rate this a 4 star read.

Haven’t we all dreamed of Wickham getting his comeuppance? I loved the concept behind this one so much, but kept getting bogged down in the characters - some I was more familiar with than others. I think for a diehard Austenite, this would be a home run - but for a casual fan (me) it didn’t quite hit the way I’d hoped.

Thank you to @netgalley for my gifted copy. I really enjoyed this title. As a Jane Austen fan, it was the perfect read to get to see some of Austen's heroines and heroes and to give a satisfying end to one of the most hated villains in Austen's novels. I loved the introduction of Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy, they were a refreshing pair of eyes to be looking at the regency world. I also really appreciated the representation of someone being on the spectrum in Jonathan Darcy. I work with individuals with autism, so I thought Ms. Gray's description was awesome and tactfully done. I do hope that we get to see more of the younger members of the Donwell Abbey house party in future books.

I didn't know quite sure if I would like this book. However, I found myself quickly immersed in the story. Fun read.

This book was an absolute delight. An Agatha Christie style locked door Murder mystery inside of the Jane Austen universe… standing ovation. The characters were handled with love and care and you can tell the author genuinely loves Jane Austen’s stories. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone again, and the next generation and I would absolutely LOSE MY MIND if this was a series 👏🏻

I DNF this one about halfway through. I really wanted to like it but I had a really hard time with it, since I really love Jane Austen's books. I thought I would like a fun continuation of their lives with a murder sprinkled in but it felt wrong. I don't want to think of my favorites making bad life decisions, etc. beyond the stories I already know and love. It's a fun concept, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you for the advanced copy though!