Oh my! For all of us Janeites out there, (we ardent lovers of Jane Austen novels), this book was such a delight, as a number of characters from at least six of Jane's novels, gathered at the Knightleys' Donwell Abbey, for a charming house party. There were even a few creatively imagined progeny of our beloved Austen couples, who were charmingly introduced in this story. Although intentionally not delivered in the voice of Jane Austen, (after all, there is only one Jane Austen), the dialogue was most apropos for the time and setting of the story.

It was the summer of 1820. Among the guests were Fitwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy and their son, Jonathan, a clergyman's daughter - Miss Juliet Tilney, Vicar Edmund and Fanny Bertram, Captain and Anne Wentworth and Colonel and Marianne Brandon. As everyone gathered at Donwell Abbey, there was the usual anxiety of a large gathering of a mixed group of friends and acquaintances. Will they be simpatico? Will the young people, Johnathan Darcy and Miss Juliet Tilney get on well, as there are so few others their age in attendance. And the Wentworths just had to be there, as their home, rented from George Knightley's brother, just had its staircase collapse and is in need of repair. So gradually over the course of their first few hours, everyone did the delicate dance around one another as they got acquainted. Things were moving along as planned until that cur of a man, George Wickham, rudely descended upon Donwell Abbey, uninvited, demanding his due. As a storm raged outside, the Knightleys could hardly throw him out into that wretched weather. So stay, Mr. Wickham must, much to the chagrin of most of the guests. A number of them were, unfortunately, well acquainted with George Wickham and rued the day they met him. This was definitely not the house party Emma Knightley imagined but they must all make the best of it and carry on. That is until George Wickham is discovered dead in the gallery in the wee early morning hours. The two youngest guests decide that it is up to them to do a bit of sleuthing. They each knew of the other's innocence of the crime. Jonathan had been at the stable with his favorite steed and was alibied by the stable boy. Juliet had never met George Wickham before in her life. So, what possible reason could she have for murdering him? And thus the murder mystery commences.

Ms. Gray has done a fabulous job of renewing our affection for these Austen characters. She writes exquisitely and in perfect form for the period represented. The character development is steady throughout and we slowly learn of each character's thoughts, concerns and motivations. As is ever with a good mystery, there was a fair number of red herrings over the course of the story. Wickham was such a despicable soul, that almost all of the guests had reason to detest him. One might even say that it was justifiable homicide. The tension increases gradually throughout the story drawing to a peak and then relaxes to a satisfying conclusion. The budding friendship between Jonathan and Juliet is sweet and chaste. This reader is ever hopeful that a sequel is forthcoming where that relationship can be further developed. If a Jane Austen style mystery is your jam then this may well be the perfect book for you.

I am grateful to author Claudia Gray and her publisher, Vintage Books, for having provided a complimentary uncorrected proof of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of The Murder of Mr. Wickham.

Although I have only read Pride & Prejudice and Emma by Jane Austen, I understood the references quite well and Claudia Gray explains the backstories for those who are unfamiliar with Jane Austen novels.

I thought the mystery was nice but it was a bit too long for me personally. I did really like Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney.

I would recommend this book to big Jane Austen fans who also love cozy mysteries.

This was a brilliant idea to take well-known characters and create a story for them. I’m just not sure it was well executed. I enjoyed the writing well enough, but the pacing was slow.

The hard part about this story is each character, for the most part, already had a solid foundation that Gray could build on; however, some of them were just stiff. I enjoyed the drama, but there were several POVs that sometimes got confusing. It felt like an overwhelming amount of POVs, trying to remember who was talking.

I think my biggest issue with this is, for a murder mystery, Mr. Wickham doesn’t die right away. He dies around the 30% mark. The reveal was ok, but it was kind of hard to imagine a Jane Austen character committing murder… even if the victim deserves it.

Overall, catching up with these characters was nice, but the execution could have been better.

My favorite thing about this book is that it brings together many of Jane Austin's characters. There is a party at the home of Mr. Knightley and Emma. Mr. Wickham is not invited, which isn't a surprise since he isn't the most popular person around due to his financial schemes. Yet everyone is surprised when he turned up dead. Everyone is a suspect so it falls to Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy to save the day and uncover the culprit.

This is well written and quite a good mystery.

This was a charmingly creative take on the cozy mystery, blending famous characters of Jane Austen in one place. Claudia Gray honestly never disappoints for me, and this book was no exception. While slow at times, I found this book incredibly engaging and had no trouble devouring it in one sitting.

As a Jane Austen fan, there’s not much more you’d want than to be able to have all of her beloved characters in one place. The Murder of Mr. Wickham does just that. A unique, whodunnit storyline, where any and all of Jane’s characters are suspects!

I appreciated how true to character each one felt and though it felt slow at times, this was such a fun read. It had me wanting to pick up all of Jane’s books immediately for a re-read.

This cozy murder mystery of all Jane Austen’s characters is one you didn’t know you wanted. Mr. Wickham, the villian of Pride and Prejudice, is murdered during a house party but no one is terribly upset except that it means there’s a killer in their midst. The children of characters from Northanger Abbey and Pride and Prejudice become amateur detectives trying to solve the whodunit in the style of Agatha Christie. The characters and mystery are engaging and end with the potential for sequels.

Love the mending of the characters from Jane Austin’s books. Loved the cozy murder mystery and loved the romance. It really does seem like the author did her research on the Regency and the history throughout us magnificent.

Fans of Jane Austen, rejoice! The Murder of Mr. Wickham was delightfully creative and such a fun way to incorporate lots of different characters from Jane Austen's incredible list of compelling and fun characters. The mystery element was great too.

As an Austen fan fiction or spinoff, Claudia Gray pulls off a rather impressive feat, tieing together different threads and keeping them rather true to character. However, the real attraction is the yonger generation Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy who meet clandestinly to try and solve the mystery together. The joy of meeting again some of my favorite fictional couples was a little disheartening as they all go through some marrital strife, Though totally reasonable, some of it was a little too much, and of course there is the small matter of one of them turning up to be a murderer.

It seems that all the charcters had some beef with Mr. Wickham, as he scammed seduced and blackmailed his way through most of them. Nobody mourns his death in the novel and what we see of him was totally objectionable. But however well justified, making every lovable charcter a murder suspect was hard to palate.

My only complaint was that I didn't get to see enough of the main couple, but rather was constantly delayed with lots of red herrings and family drama. The second satisfying thing about the story, was seeing Fanny grow a bit of a backbone and putting Edmund in his place. Some of the story arcs nonetheless were a little depressing. Especially Elizabeth and Darcy, Jonathan's parents conflict seems unresolveable.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the Publishing house for sharing an Arc in exchange for an honest review.

#TheMurderofMrWickham #NetGalley

When the Knightleys of Donwell Abbey decide to hold a house party with the Darcys, the Wentworths, the Brandons, and the Bertrams, they’re not expecting an uninvited guest of Mr. Wickham’s ilk to come knocking on the door. Ever since his scandal of seducing Lydia Bennet, Wickham has been up to one scheme after another, and his latest scheme involves a speculation that’s swindled half of these good people out of their money. Emotions run high as Wickham begins to needle, taunt, and blackmail. But when his body is found with a fatal head wound, everyone is more relieved than upset. Magistrate Frank Churchill and the country folk surrounding Donwell Abbey are determined that the murderer must be found, however.

The young people of the company, Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy, are the only people free of suspicion, and thus the only houseguests free to investigate the mysterious case of the murder of Mr. Wickham. Away from home on her own for the first time, Juliet discovers a host of secrets harbored by the houseguests. The peculiar Jonathan Darcy, who irritated her at first with his social idiosyncrasies, becomes more and more an ally–especially once he’s willing to admit that its very possible his own parents might have something to do with the murder. Will Juliet and Jonathan discover the murderer before one of the poor servants is wrongfully accused? Which one of Austen’s heroes or heroines had the perverse pluck and criminal courage to do in Mr. Wickham?

If you look at the most recent reviews I’ve posted on this blog, you’ll see that I have a weakness for Jane Austen spinoffs. This novel was both a delight and a frustration, with heavier emphasis on the former. I loved seeing what the author did with the characters of Darcy and Elizabeth. The tragic story of their dealings with Wickham and the rift that it created between the two of them was touching and believable. The Knightleys were also charming to watch, especially when Mr. Knightley got his mild digs in at the inept Frank Churchill. Colonel Brandon and Marianne, newlyweds at the point of this novel, were interesting to watch as they navigated their new relationship–Brandon’s uncertainty about whether Marianne actually loved him was poignant.

The sticking point came for me with the Wentworths and the Bertrams. Granted, the difficulty with an ensemble cast is that not everyone can be wonderful and flawless or there’s not enough tension in the story. However, Captain Wentworth’s minor flaws from the original novel were played up heavily here, and it was a little irksome to see a hero I much enjoy in the original fall so low. The Bertrams, for me, seemed to miss the mark entirely–they were far more of a caricature than any of the other couples, and seemed almost a vehicle for critiquing the values of Jane Austen’s day (that would have been held by the Anglican church) and inserting an anachronistic acceptance of modern sexual mores instead.

Jonathan Darcy, a character who had all the markers of being on the spectrum, was a delightful character, portrayed with sensitivity. His inability to read between the lines or understand social niceties came off with winsome charm. Juliet Tilney, although far more levelheaded than her mother from Northanger Abbey, still enjoyed the air of Gothic mystery, prowling around her own abbey surroundings in the dark of knight. The interaction between the two was believable and endearing.

All in all, I enjoyed this chance to revisit Austen’s characters and surmise who might have had the most reason to rid the world of the worst Austen villain of them all.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Absolutely loved the way the author took the famous Austen characters and turned them into murder suspects. The attention to detail and historical accuracies let me know the author really did her research. This was a fun, cozy murder mystery that I enjoyed to the very end!

This book is a murder mystery / regency romance / Jane Austen lover's dream mash up. Imagine the most epic epilogue-esque story set 20-ish years after Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion. All of your favorite characters return to attend a house party, And Then There Were None style and it was glorious.

First of all, Mr. Wickham is basically the worst. But, he adds the most interesting element to the mystery. Everyone had reason not to like him and yet, he was the most likely person to be a murderer among them.

This book gave me Death Comes to Pemberly vibes but I liked the introduction of the characters from Jane Austen's other famous novels.

Was it perfect? No. Did it feel Austen-ish? Yes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was such a treat! I'm a self-proclaimed Janeite (lol), and I think Gray did a fantastic job capturing the spirit of all the characters. The murder and ensuing mystery surrounding it began about halfway through the book, but that was probably necessary to set up all of the motivations. She also introduced two original characters into the mix, and I absolutely loved them! Jonathan and Juliet were very refreshing and added a lot to the story. I would recommend to any fan of Jane Austen who wants to have a bit of fun!

If you're a fan of the recent Regency Era craze and you swoon at the thought of a Jane Austin book, but you also love a good mystery and Agatha Christie is your gal, then this is the book for you! Many famous Austin characters gather for a summer house party. They aren't there long before someone finds a body. And that, dear reader, is where the adventure begins!

Overall, I enjoyed the revisit with many old friends and loved seeing them a bit older with grown children. The writing was very reminiscent of the original books and the voice of the characters stayed true. The mystery was very Regency era, and I liked getting lost in the emotions and the backstory of the characters. There are so many people who can find something to love in this book.

The Murder of Mr. Wickman is a historical novel written by Claudia Gray.

Summary: Mr. Knightly and Emma are having a house party. They’ve invited family, friends, and acquaintances to what promises to be a lovely time in the country.

But when Mr. Wickham arrives uninvited, everything is thrown into disarray. No one wants him there, and within a short time he is found murdered.

Who is the culprit? It could be anyone-especially, when most everyone has secrets they are desperate not to share.

My Thoughts: I loved the premise of this book. Jane Austen’s characters brought back for another story? Delightful! A chance to revisit Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, the Knightlys, and more? Love it!

Unfortunately, this story fell flat for me. It was too drawn-out in the middle, and the ending was anti-climactic to say the least.

I wanted to love it, but it just didn’t work for me.

I would like to thank Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you.

I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

Gray, and her husband are huge Austen fans, and so it must have been with huge excitement and trepidation that she decided to write this book. At it’s core it is Gray paying homage to Austen and showing her love for the characters in the way she beat knows how - by writing.

You don’t need to be familiar with Austen’s main characters to read this, but it does help to understand the book more fully. I also enjoyed the new characters Gray introduced who became the sleuths when the awful Mr Wickham is murdered. I thought it was great fun and also a good “closed room” mystery. There are moments that won’t appeal to purists of the era (did young men really question that women didn’t have a voice?) but I suppose it is difficult to write true to the time with modern sensibilities without having characters question parts of their society we find unacceptable.

Recommended to fans of Austen, Gray, and easy to read mysteries set in the regency period!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Such an enjoyable read. The characters from Jane Austen’s novels but with a modern-day twist. The setting takes place at the estate of Mr. Knightly and his wife Emma. An exquisite home and an elaborate house party. The weather takes a turn for the worse, then an uninvited guest and a death. Every guest is a suspect, all of them have secrets but who did it?

The premise sounds great---all the famous couples of Jane Austen's novels come together for a house party that Wickham tries to crash, but somebody kills him. But in execution, it was rather boring. I knew none of Austen's characters could have done it, at least not in cold blood, because besmirching any of their reputations would risk fan ire, so that took some of the fun out of the whodunit. I liked Juliet and the Darcy's son, though, and the conflict of each couple were interesting. But overall, I might have enjoyed it more if it had had a little more energy, higher stakes, and perhaps if I'd been familiar with more of Austen's books. Oh, and the verse-off between the two priests was pretty funny.