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.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This ended up being too much of a chore to get through. It didn't feel like the author was used to writing in the genre. It was very dull and forced. There were too many people to keep track of. Overall, the book was lifeless and had no spark to it.

I have never read or seen a Jane Austen book/movie, yet for some reason I'm drawn to adaptions of her books. Most of the time the authors do a good job of making sure you know what the main storyline is going to be in case you haven't read the original book, but I felt kinda lost reading this. I didn't understand why Elizabeth was mad at Darcy, didn't know their love story, so that was a negative for me.

Writing Jonathan like what I'd assume is nuerodivgent (or whatever the term is) was a but strange, like it does a great job ig of seeing the weirdness of that time period.

Before I begin, I have to confess I’m not a Janeite. I’ve never read Jane Austen, nor do I plan to, and I’m not generally inclined to like Regency-era anything.

But, thanks to my obsession with the 2005 Pride & Prejudice movie, I had just enough hatred for Mr. Wickham to pick up THE MURDER OF MR. WICKHAM by Claudia Gray.

This mystery brings together Jane Austen’s leading couples (and some new characters) as they attempt to enjoy a summer house party at the residence of Emma and Mr. Knightly. Things start to go awry when the devilish Mr. Wickham arrives unexpectedly—and is soon found bludgeoned in the gallery. As two amateur sleuths work together to crack the case, it becomes clear that everyone in the house has a motive.

I really appreciate the originality and novelty of this one. This book is just as much a mystery as it is an expansion on the stories of Austen’s most famous love pairings (sort of a “where are they now” setup). I especially loved the duo of Johnathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney, the two new characters, who step up as the amateur sleuths. I wouldn’t consider this a “quick read” due to the writing style and complexity. It’s definitely a meatier mystery.

This one’s for readers who like:
- Jane Austen!! Duh!
- Regency formalities and etiquette
- Anyone BUT George Wickham

Take it from me—you do not need to have extensive Austen knowledge to read and enjoy this mystery, though I believe there are certain Easter eggs Janeites would appreciate.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for this eARC. I've shared my review to Goodreads, and will post it on Instagram on the book's release date.

I'm just going to start with the fact that I have never read a single Jane Austen book ever. I thought i'd give this a whirl but after reading the first 15% I'm just not finding myself interested. I don't know if it's the slow start or the fact that I don't have any of the backstory on these characters but I've given up!

Thank you for the early copy!

An absolute delight for any Jane Austen fans who have wondered what might happen if all of her characters ended up a house party.

A treat for fans of Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and historical mysteries in general, you’ll be hard-pressed to guess the identity of the murderer. A well-written cozy mystery with an intricately-concocted plot, this is a golden opportunity to interact once more with a whole cast of your favorite Austen characters in a romp of a good story.

Content warnings: murder, blackmail, homophobia, sexism, classism, referring to Romani people as "gypsies"

All of Jane Austen's protagonists come together at the Knightleys' country home in Donwell Abbey. Mr. and Mrs. Darcy bring their son Jonathan and George Wickham crashes the party. His wife, Elizabeth (Bennet) Darcy's youngest sister Lydia, has died years prior to the beginning of the novel. Joining Emma (Woodhouse) Knightley and the Darcys are Marianne (Dashwood) Brandon and her husband, the Bertrams, and Juliet Tilney (daughter of the Tilneys in Northanger Abbey).

When George Wickham is murdered, everyone in the household is a suspect. Frank Churchill is called upon to investigate the crime, but young Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney take it upon themselves to solve the murder. Jonathan and Juliet are the only members of the house party that are innocent, so everyone else (including the other Darcys) are suspects. Everyone has secrets, and many members of the party have been swindled by Mr. Wickham or know someone who was his mark.

The novel has a Christie-meets-Austen vibe that delivers twists and turns on the way to its shocking conclusion, where no one will suspect the actual murderer. Recommended for fans of murder mysteries, historical mysteries, and Jane Austen.

Representation: neurodivergent main character

I feel like this book was tailor made for me. Its a cozy mystery a la Agatha Christie featuring characters from all six Jane Austen novels. The book was well written, all of the characters felt true to the original novels, and the mystery kept me guessing until the end.