I love Pride and Prejudice so this rewrite was absolutely delightful. Lizzie is just as spunky and self assured as a sleuth as one would hope she would be.

Book 192 towards my goal of 280! 4/5 stars for this historical mystery! The author calls it Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie. I'm calling it Stalking Jack the Ripper meets The Lady Janies meets A Curious Beginning. Absolutely loved the setting! Such a fun story! The characters were fantastic! Absolutely recommend if you enjoy period fiction.

*I received this book in exchange for honest review from Netgalley*

Thank you publisher and netgalley for this early copy!

I was happy to get an early copy of this interesting novel but sadly, I could not listen to it because the audiobook would not download on my phone. I will not be requesting any more audiobooks from now on.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a voice galley of Pride and Premeditation in exchange for an honest review.

Pride and Premeditation is such a unique way of retelling Jane Austen's most famous work. Following 17 year old Lizzie Bennett who dreams not of husbandry and courtship like her mother, but of law and crime solving like her barrister father, Pride and Premeditation sees Lizzie step out of her expected role in society to try and solve the murder she's certain Charles Bingley was falsely accused of.

The choices of where to stick to and stray from the source material were really well done. All the characters are recognizable as their original incantations, but also altered enough to fit into a more murder mystery-esque setting. The way the mystery unfolded was well done and positioning Darcy as the son of a barrister for a much bigger, more respected firm was a really fun choice. I never knew I needed to see Elisabeth and Mr. Darcy as rival detectives racing to solve the same crime but now that I've gotten it, I want more.

I can't wait to see which Jane Austen story Price adapts for her next mystery (please be Emma, please be Emma, please be Emma) and thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the Jane Austen Mysteries series.

I liked the dialogue. I liked Elizabeth. I wasn't sure if I liked Elizabeth's father. I liked the tone and pace.

Initial Thoughts

I’m all about Pride and Prejudice retellings and also, I love a good murder mystery. Death Comes to Pemberly was one of my first forays into P&P retellings and I read that so long ago. I was so excited to find this title in NetGalley.

Some Things I Liked

Historical inaccuracies. If you read this book, please take the time to read the author’s note. That being said, I loved that Tirzah Price did not let the sexism of the time limit her storytelling. I loved that Lizzie’s father was as openminded and forward thinking in this iteration as he was in the original and I loved that the author extended this to his law practice.
Collins portrayed as the weasel I always thought he was. I was so glad that Collins was shown in relatively poor light. I always hated his character in the original.
Slow burn and enemies to lovers romance. Darcy and Elizabeth are basically the original enemies to lovers couple and I loved the way it was portrayed here.
Wickham. I can’t say too much, but I was actually quite a bit happier to see his characterization here. He’s still a scoundrel, don’t get me wrong. But, I was happy to see the changes made for the plot in Pride and Premeditation.

Audiobook Thoughts

This was one of my first audiobooks from NetGalley. The audio sounds a bit awkward at the speed that I like to listen because of the application, NetGalley Shelf. It’s not the real audiobook format but, I can definitely say the writing style lended itself beautifully to the audiobook style. I loved having the story narrated. While the NetGalley rendering wasn’t ideal, this audiobook has a ton of potential. I’m very glad I listened to this one.

Series Value

I loved this book. As much as I’d love a sequel with more of Lizzie and Darcy’s sleuthing, I think their story is complete. The original Pride and Prejudice was a standalone and it feels fitting that this story would be as well. However, fear not, Tirzah Price is already set to publish at least two more re-imagined Jane Austen novels with a murderous twist. I am definitely going to be looking out for those.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. I’m also really glad to see “classics” getting updated to include more modern thinking. I will definitely be continuing with this series as well as reading more of whatever Tirzah Price decides to write.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox – if you enjoyed the murder mystery elements but want to see a little more of a supernatural element, try this story set in 1840s Boston.
Deadly Curious by Cindy Anstey – if you’re looking for a murder mystery with Jane Austen vibes, look no further. Cindy Anstey’s books have that classic Austen sass with all the best twists.
The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill – again, if you’re looking for a historical YA murder mystery, try this standalone set in Chicago.