This was an enjoyable read for Austen fans, bringing together many cherished characters in an entirely new set that of circumstances. The middle of the story, during which many of the characters by their own admission were ‘acting not like themselves’ seemed to drag somewhat, but it was a delight to see each return to themselves by the mystery’s conclusion. I look forward to the next title in the series.

It was fun to see and recognize characters from my favorite Austen books. I found the beginning and ending to be engaging but felt the middle was slow and unnecessarily drawn out.

I love a cozy mystery and this one did not disappoint! A classic whodunit with interesting and complex characters. I could not put it down!

“Had Jane Austen sat down to write a country house murder mystery, this is exactly the book she would have written.” —Alexander McCall Smith

The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a party at their country estate, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.

Nearly everyone at the house party is a suspect, so it falls to the party’s two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, eager for adventure beyond Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys’ eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem almost relaxed. In this tantalizing fusion of Austen and Christie, from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray, the unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions and uncover the guilty party—before an innocent person is sentenced to hang.

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Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Too slow for me but I give a point plus for the beautiful cover. it's also pretty hard for me to get through and sadly, I don't get invested in the characters.

I loved The Murder of Mr. Wickham so much. Full disclosure though: I'm a ride or die for Jane Austen and most especially Pride and Prejudice. Reading this book felt like visiting old friends.

Jane Austen is my favorite classics writer ever so I was both thrilled and hesitant to get this book. Once I started reading though I knew I was going to absolutely love this book. Claudia Gray does an absolutely amazing job at portraying Austen’s characters and even though I had to stop and refresh myself about certain characters, I throughly enjoyed this murder mystery. Hopefully there will be a second book for the two youngest characters solving more mysteries together.

I enjoyed this book, but the middle was a little slow and repetitive. I never expected the ending, and was shocked at who committed the murder. I felt that the author really captured Jane Austens characters and enjoyed the original characters that she brought in. Overall a fun read for fans of Jane Austin stories. 3.5/5 just because of the pacing.

It's probably not an exaggeration to say that thousands of readers have wanted to kill Mr. Wickham. If anyone must die in Jane Austen's world, he is an excellent choice. I enjoyed this locked-room murder mystery and look forward to reading the next entry in the series. It made me want to re-read all of Austen's novels. I'm a lightweight Janeite and no doubt many interactions and characterizations went over my head but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The main characters of Jane Austen's novels (Emma, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, Sense & Sensibility and Northanger Abbey) all descend on the home of Emma and George Knightly for a house party. Things go cock-eyed when Mr. Wickham arrives and is murdered. Who did it? Can anyone be trusted? Young Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney band together to find out what happened...with all of the constraints of 19th century society. A really fun read!

Claudia Gray is my FAVORITE author so it kills me to say I had to DNF this. I might try again one day but I'm eternally saddened that I didn't love this

I started this, but didn't get very far. None of the characters were as interesting as they are in Austen's novels, and Wickham is too much of a cartoonish villain. I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't work for me.

This is an interesting book with good characters. The plot kept me interested until the end. It was well written and was a fairly quick read for me. All in all I found it enjoyable

I feel like I was always going to love this book!
If you are a fan of Jane Austen, I think this is a fun book you'll like.
All of Jane Austen's beloved characters come together and a murder happens. From there we get a cozy regency murder mystery full of Austen characters and references.

DNF'd after about a third of the book. This had none of the spark of Austen's originals. The characters were like the heavily-watered-down whiskey version of themselves. No nuances, no dimensions, nothing. The perspective seemed to switch around every five lines, and everybody was just miserable in their life. This was just a waste of time.

After reading this book, I have been inspired to read the actual books that the characters come from!
What a clever concept for a book.
I have been recommending to patrons at the library who enjoy murder myteries and Austen characters.

In the beginning, I was intrigued by the dark cloud looming over our characters.Then the murder mystery captured my interest. I had to keep guessing until the end! (then shocked at who did it).

Loved the development of the story: the revelations of each character and the resolution of their issues. Also, was enticed by the snippets of phrases from the original stories, which blended well with the scenes, Overall, this was a page-turner.

If you want to be engrossed in a murder mystery with a brush of JA novels, this is one to read.

Who hasn't wanted to see Mr. Wickham dead after reading Pride and Prejudice? Apparently a lot of people! In this Regency, Jane Austen set murder mystery we start off with that exact premise. Turns out a lot of people both in real life and in this story have a reason to see Mr. Wickham dead. You are able to re-meet some your favorite Jane Austen characters interact and it feels like the weirdest, but coziest crossover ever. I will say that if you are new to Jane Austen a lot of references might be missed, but also if you are a huge Jane Austen fan you might be bothered by some of characterizations of some of the characters.

This was an interesting take on the beloved characters. I have read Claudia Gray before, and have always enjoyed her writing, and I think that helped my enjoyment of the book. I think I would've liked it to have been a more cozy mystery without heavier themes, but that's a preference. I also felt like there were too many POV's, so that wasn't my favorite. Overall, I'm glad I had the chance to read it, but I won't be rereading it.

I was overjoyed when I first saw this book, given what a vile character Mr. Wickham is. The first several chapters were just was I was looking for—a reunion of some of my favorite Austen characters. As the book progressed, however, my joy waned. It felt as if the author was trying too hard to shoehorn every Austen character into the story, which required creating convoluted connections to the point that it became difficult to follow. This confusion coupled with the slowing pace, left me disappointed. The idea was great, but the story would have benefited from having half as many characters.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars

What happens when old familiar characters are tossed together into a new genre: a murder mystery? Claudia Gray cleverly crafts the answer.

Some of Jane Austen's most famous characters are gathered together, (literally, at a house party), when a shocking murder happens — that of the infamous Mr. Wickham. Each character must be scrutinized under a new light — from Mr. Darcy to Fanny Bertram — as they come to terms with the fact that one of their own party is a murderer.

Gray is, no doubt, a skilled writer, and clearly devoted to the original novels of Austen and to the historical time period. This book provides a very thoughtful study of characters we know and love, often drawing me in with genuine belief that this would be how the characters had developed over the years since their novels ended. The relationships between all of the characters was nimbly done. However, as a mystery novel, it didn't quite grab my attention — leading to a *very* long reading process (I'd put this novel down, and then genuinely forget about it for weeks at a time). In a mystery, I expect twists and turns, something revealed that is then undone, a puzzle to try to piece together. I did not experience that with this novel. We learned more about character relationships every chapter, but there was a lack of many of the clues and questions that intrigue me in mysteries. I grew to love the characters (both Austen's characters in new situations and Gray's own new characters), but I did not leave the story with the thrill of a murder mystery.

If you're longing to spend more time with some of Jane Austen's characters, this is a charming read. But if you're looking for a true, thrilling mystery, this might not be the book for you.

Originally received by the publisher as an ARC.