Murder Most Pemberley by Jessica Berg is the first an Eliza Darcy Mystery.

Eliza heads to England for a family reunion. It's being held at Pemberley, her father's ancestral home and she is a direct descendant of the Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Eliza hasn't had a lot of interaction with her British family because her father had a falling out with his brother. On the way to the reunion she has a meet cute with a British man at the airport. Heath ends up being a guest at the event and a romance ensues.
A murder occurs to one of the house staff and there is also some mysterious going ons with Eliza's Aunt. Eliza gets dragged into the investigation with the help of Heath, her relatives and a secret passage. Lots of romance, action and jane austen goodness. If you like Pride and Prejudice and cozy mysteries you're sure to enjoy this one.

I liked the book, but only found it to be an average read. It took a while to get to the murder, almost halfway thru the book so that's partially why I wasn't overly enthusiastic.

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting. It was pretty slow and I had a hard time keeping my focus on what I was reading. I appreciate what the author seemed to be going for, it just wasn't for me.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

Very slow to start. Format was terrible, quite confusing as to who was speaking and who was answering. Thought about not finishing the book, but was hoping it would get better. There was no reason to have the original Elizabeth Darcy writing at the beginning of each chapter, contributed nothing to the stor.y. Thankfully the story did get to the mystery and murders. Not the book for me.

In this delightful mystery, American Eliza Darcy heads to England for a Darcy/Bennet family reunion with hopes of mending the rift between her father and uncle. However, her visit takes a dark turn when a dead body is discovered on her ancestors' estate. Afternoon teas and flirtations with the charming Heath Tilney quickly give way to murder investigations. Despite her initial reluctance, Eliza finds herself drawn into the mystery, especially as it intertwines with her family’s secrets. With the eccentric help of her great-aunt, Eliza races against time to solve the murders before she becomes the next victim in the family graveyard.

This is a fun and quick read! A little romance, a little mystery and stir in some Jane Austen equals a good fun read. This is book 1 of the series and I greatly look forward to book 2 and a long series.

It was hard work reading this book to the finish.

Eliza Darcy is going to a family reunion in England and she’s bringing her cat. Despite this, she goes through customs hassle free and is soon on her way to meet her family, all descendants from Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. It seems to be a rather incestuous family: six generations latter the last names of the family members are still all Darcy, Wickham, Bingley.

Eliza laments several times she did not get a chance to crack open her book of British colloquialisms. But the author sure did have chance to open her copy. I read a lot of contemporary British authors, but I have never seen this much British slang in one novel.

Well before the murder happens Eliza shows she is of the nosey sort. Her favourite pastime seems to be eavesdropping on other people. She is an avid reader of murder mysteries, and when Pemberley has its very own murder, Eliza offers the DCI in charge her help. Which he politely declines. Or actually, he declines through a simile that offends Eliza. As an avid reader of amateur sleuths she ought to know that help of the amateur is rarely encourage by the local constabulary.

Marvellous, the overuse of British colloquialisms has affected me too.

Determined to solve the mystery - one of many at Pemberley - Eliza presses on, with the aid of her cousin Joy and love-interest Heath.

Neither the mystery nor the romance could hold my interest. The romance is of the sort that is only attractive if you’re one of the participants. The mystery is too much hiding in shrubbery and turning around corners and seeing/overhearing things.

I much prefer a mystery where the sleuth has a vested interest because they actually know the person that was killed and do their sleuthing while talking to people. Rather than eavesdropping a lot and making assumptions.

It’s not a British colloquialism about when you assume… Eliza should know it.

It took me a little while to get into the story and figure out that part is current-day Eliza and part is Elizabeth Bennet-Darcy’s journal. There was almost immediate romance and I was waiting for the mystery to start. Once Eliza got to her ancestral home and the various family members were introduced, I started to follow along a bit better but still felt like I needed a family tree. Part light romance and part cozy mystery but Heath grew on me and I found him funny and endearing and not just there to be a pretty face. I absolutely loved Aunt Iris and her stories and quips and wish she had more interactions earlier in the story. The mystery(ies) were a little confusing and the body counts toward the end were a bit excessive and unrealistic but I found the book entertaining overall and will read the next in the series to find out what happens next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

"Murder Most Pemberley (Eliza Darcy #1)" by Jessica Berg is a Cozy Mystery Romance. I say this because it was heavier on the Romance between Eliza and Heath but in a cozy romance way. At times felt like a romance author restraining themselves to keep it to cozy levels. So, not my preferred cozy mystery but those who like a bit of romance in their cozy mystery will enjoy it.

The mystery part was interesting and kept me guessing. Eliza is visiting her British family for the first time for a big family reunion. Then the servants start dropping like files. Some embezzlement and theft is discovered and a teetering tier of scandal starts crashing down. I bounced around on who I thought the culprit was and didn't quite settle on them until just before the reveal.

This is the 1st time reading this author. This book was a lot of fun to read. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery kept me guessing. I also enjoyed the tie into Jane Austen's characters.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

Murder Most Pemberley by Jessica Berg is the first an Eliza Darcy Mystery. I started reading Murder Most Pemberley looking forward to being transported to England for a mystery, a touch of romance, and a dash of humor. I found Eliza to be a cliched protagonist. She is a bumbling, babbling woman. Eliza is twenty-six going on sixteen. She meets Heath at the airport and luckily is seated next to him on the plane. It is inevitable that they will meet again. The romance was too much for a cozy mystery (it dominated the story). It was juvenile (reminded me of two teenagers in love). While Aunt Iris was amusing at times, I did tire of her going on about romance and marriage (I thought this was a cozy mystery). Aunt Iris was my favorite character (she is fun, clever, and feisty). I even found Eliza’s cat annoying, which is very unusual for me. Murder Most Pemberley is a story that is heavy on the dialogue. The author, I believe, is relying on the dialogue and zany characters to carry the story (I kept hoping for a serial killer to come to Pemberley). The identity of one of the guilty parties was obvious from the beginning. There is more action near the end along with a “twist.” The story takes on a darker overtone as well near the conclusion (which does not go with the rest of the story). I felt the reveal was lacking (we are left with unanswered questions). I wish Eliza had been like her namesake instead of stumbling into rosebushes and looking googly-eyed at Heath. The author stuffed so many British expressions into the story. If it were a sausage, the casing would explode. The Britishisms were overused and some of them are used incorrectly. The author made an effort to tie in the Darcy, Bingley, and Wickham ancestry as well as the Pemberley estate. I wanted more though. The small inclusion of Elizabeth Bennet’s journal entries did not cut it. I’m sorry, but Murder Most Pemberley was not my cup of tea.

I completely understand this is an unfinalized product. The book did have some technical issues that took me an extra second to read through. I found that the book was very enjoyable, and I usually really enjoy Jane Austen in cozy mysteries. As you read through this it focuses a bit more on the character and building the story rather than a twist immediately. I did find that the characters read a bit teenager and cheesy. That is not always a bad note, but it is a style of some cozy mysteries.

I did not mind the ending, though it did seem a bit off for the rest of the book. I found that the predictability is something common with cozy mysteries at times and was not off putting, I also am able to gauge many books endings and it still is enjoyable. I would love if there is a second book that Eliza were to embody the intelligence and deductive skills her ancestor Elizabeth would showcase. As this was the first book and clearly not her field of study, she seemed a bit clueless at times. I think that is very realistic as not everyone is adapt and pretrained to solve mysteries and she was a charming character.
I would give this book a 3/5 but I would reread it and found it a lighter read

This is a fun and quick read! Part chick lit, part mystery, and all sorts of fun. When Elizae comes to England, she isn't expecting anything other than to meet her cousin in person and meet some of the rest of the family. Instead, she gets a stranger meeting on the plane ripped from a romance novel and when she lands, a full family reunion in the family manor, complete with a snooty lady of the manor (her aunt), the rogue (said aunt's son) and wait, here's the romantic stranger, as an invited friend for her to meet. The stars have aligned. Only they haven't quite, and she soon finds that manor life has some issues, that can be quite deadly. Soon with only her great aunt and aforementioned cousin to trust, she's out to find out what evil is afflicting the manor. This is book 1 of the series and I greatly look forward to book 2!

Yes yes yes. It is a truth universally acknowledged that I absolutely love Jane Austin and Pride and Prejudice, I also adore a murder mystery! This book is Amazing.
The characters were absolutely spot on. Eliza is awesome but I must admit I want my own Great Aunt Iris and an Uncle Fitz wouldn't be to bad either.
The setting is perfection, I mean Pemberly 😍
This story had me on more than one occasion saying I just can't figure this one out. And that is what makes this book so good, it's not just a simple case, it's got things going on, I'm not going to spoil anything!
I cannot fault this book in anyway to me it was just too good. It was unputdownable (like Shakespeare I can also make up a word - thanks Eliza 😉)
One thing that I adored about this novel is the beginning of each chapter is a piece of Elizabeth Bennett's journal. So good.
I cannot wait to put this on my shelf next to my overflowing Jane Austin collection.

This book was pretty awful. I was really looking forward to reading it but the formatting of the text made it hard to follow. There were random numbers in the middle of a sentence and conversations blending into one another. I made it about 40% before I finally gave up.

This was such a fun concept. A cozy mystery starring the descendants of Jane Austen's characters? Yes, please! It sounded like a book I'd really love.

Unfortunately, I can't say I loved it. I liked it well enough. There were definitely some fun parts. My favorites were the excerpts from the "real" Elizabeth Bennet. I just wish the modern parts had entertained me as much as those did.

I read a copy of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This was a pretty cozy read. It kind of reminded me of madam Blanc, I think it's called. I think it's definitely worth a read

From the start, I was captivated. As a fan of Jane Austen, a lover of cozy mysteries, and someone who enjoys a touch of romance, this book initially felt like a perfect fit for me. The first few chapters drew me in effortlessly, and I didn’t even mind that there wasn’t a dead body right away. I adored the whimsical Aunt Iris, even if she was somewhat stereotypical, and I found the lively cousin Joy, who introduces our American sleuth to British life, quite charming. However, by the midpoint, I was put off by the overly saccharine and immature romance between Heath and Eliza. It felt more like a young adult romance novel than anything else, with the characters behaving more like teenagers than adults in their mid-twenties. Even Aunt Iris’s constant chatter about love and marriage started to grate on my nerves.

For a cozy mystery, it was all too much. At one point, I nearly put the book down because of the overuse and misuse of British expressions in the dialogue. It felt as though the author was trying too hard to showcase a superficial understanding of British vernacular. A few phrases here and there to highlight cultural differences would have been amusing, but this was over the top. During my time living in England, I never heard people speak the way Berg's characters do.

The predictability of the plot was another letdown. It was obvious from the outset who was involved, and the rest of the story was just piecing together the clues. Towards the end, there was an attempt to add a twist, but it veered into a darker, thriller-like territory, which felt out of place.

The effort to incorporate Pemberley and the Darcy/Bingley/Wickham lineage was commendable and could have provided a thrilling backdrop for Austen fans and a connection to the unfolding events. However, merely inserting Elizabeth Bennet’s journal entries fell short for me. I wished the sleuth had embodied more of Austen’s original Elizabeth Bennet's wit and intelligence, rather than being a clumsy, awkward character prone to stumbling into rose bushes. The cringe-worthy romantic moments with Heath were also off-putting.

On a structural note, there were discrepancies in the time of day and the settings, and some clues didn’t align with the narrative. A thorough review by a line and copy editor could have caught these issues. Berg relies heavily on dialogue to advance the plot, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. The sudden shift from a cozy mystery to a thriller towards the end was jarring. While it added excitement and made the book a page-turner, it wasn’t true to the genre.

Is there anything wrong with blending genres? Not if it’s done well. But for me, this novel didn’t succeed. It seemed undecided about its identity but ultimately leaned towards being a cheesy young adult romance more than anything else.

I received an advance reader copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review.