📚 Miss Caroline Bingley: Private Detective by Kelly Gardiner & Sharmini Kumar ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5 stars)
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jane Austen and a whodunnit?! Yes, please. I absolutely love the premise and dived right in – this was near perfection for me. I sincerely hope this is just the beginning of a series because I need more.

Set two years after Pride and Prejudice, Caroline Bingley finds herself bored with country life – that is, until Georgiana Darcy’s maid mysteriously vanishes. When Georgiana goes missing in pursuit, Caroline embarks on an adventure neither polite society nor Lady Catherine would approve of. What follows is a brilliant tangle of murder, intrigue, and social commentary as Caroline navigates the grim underbelly of London, uncovering dark secrets of the Empire.

I absolutely adore how faithfully Gardiner and Kumar stay true to Caroline’s character – elegant, ambitious, and wonderfully sharp-tongued. They expand on her in a way that feels authentic to Austen’s world, while giving her room to shine as an investigator. The subtle (and not-so-subtle) barbs, her unwavering confidence, and her complicated relationship with the Darcys are all beautifully handled.

One small note – the repeated references to Charles Bingley’s poor financial management felt slightly inconsistent with Austen’s original portrayal. Bingley has always been more amiable than astute, but his wealth was never depicted as precarious. This is a minor quibble, though, in an otherwise delightful reimagining.

If you love witty historical mysteries with a dash of Austen flair, this book will not disappoint. The humour, the social commentary, and the immersive period detail made this a standout read. A fun, funny, and thoroughly imaginative addition to the Austen-inspired literary world.

I’ll be impatiently awaiting the next instalment – Miss Bingley has many more mysteries to solve!

#NetGalley #MissCarolineBingleyPrivateDetective #JaneAustenFans #HistoricalMystery #Bookstagram #AustenInspired #BookReview

DNF - Can't read in the format that works for my device. This sounded good but unfortunately was unable read this one.