Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Investigator is a charming murder mystery novel investigated by our favorite Regency villain. This book is set a couple of years after Pride and Prejudice, focusing on Caroline Bingley and Georgiana Darcy. This is an unusual P and P imagining, as Darcy and Elizabeth are referenced but never make an on paper appearance. The story focuses on Caroline, who has grown up a bit since her disappointment at Pemberly but who is still a snobby English Regency lady. Caroline comes to the aid of Georgiana and stumbles upon the murder of an Indian servant. Caroline, of course, thinks herself more capable than the riff raff and investigates.

The story was fun and provided enough suspects and details to let the reader create their own theory. I appreciated that Caroline stumbled a bit in her investigation and that she so steadfastly resisted attempts by men to interfere with what she wanted to do. There's also discussion of abolition and slavery of the era, expectations of marriage for wealthy women, and perception and treatment of India and Indian people during the colonial occupation. I think this was handled well and incorporated into the story.

The writing itself was good, and I sped through the chapters pretty quickly. The middle part of the book felt a little slow and tedious as Caroline gathered evidence, but the pace picked back up by the last third. The ending was not my favorite but likely more realistic.

It's the semiquincentennial (250th) anniversary of Jane Austen's birth this year, which means this is the perfect time for Austen world works. If this is a series, I would certainly read the next Caroline Bingley mystery.

Thank you, HarperVia, for the arc!

As a Pride and Prejudice fan who’s read multiple versions of the book, I never expected to enjoy a story focused on Caroline Bingley, the character who always got in the way of my favorite couples! But Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective surprised me in the best way.

Caroline stays true to her original character, but we see real growth and depth, especially in how she supports her family and friends. The mystery was engaging, and while the story reflects some of the racism of the era, it did seem to match what I would expect from that time in England.

Overall, I really enjoyed this fresh take on the Pride and Prejudice world and if this turns into a series, I’ll definitely be reading the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

"In this imaginative cozy mystery, the search for a missing maid leads Miss Caroline Bingley from Jane Austen's beloved Pride and Prejudice into murder and mayhem in the gritty underbelly of Regency London.

Two years after her brother Charles Bingley weds Miss Jane Bennett, Miss Caroline Bingley is visiting her brother's country estate near Pemberley, the home of their best friends, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. Restless and out of sorts, Caroline wonders if there's more to life than playing cribbage and paying calls on country neighbors.

When Georgiana Darcy's maid, Jayani disappears and Georgiana sets off to find her, Caroline races to to find them in London, where she stumbles on a shocking, cold-blooded murder. Reunited with Georgiana, the pair careen through the gritty, grimy underbelly of London, a world unfamiliar to two genteel aristocratic ladies. Assisted by Caroline's trusty manservant, Gordon, the tenacious Caroline demands answers of shady characters, police magistrates, and mysterious East India Company men to discover the killer. Their search will reveal the cost of Empire on India and its people...and Miss Bingley's incomparable powers of investigation.

As Caroline puts her superior new talents to work, she finds out exactly what an accomplished, independent woman with a sharp mind and a large fortune can achieve - even when pitted against secrets, scandal, and a murderer with no mercy."

No one ever doubted that Miss Caroline Bingley was smart, she always saw what others didn't, which makes her the perfect detective.

When her young friend, Georgiana Darcy, takes off to London on her own to find her missing maid, Miss Caroline Bingley feels she must follow. Soon she traipsing around parts of London previously unknown to her and stumbles upon a body in a rundown boarding house. When Ms. Darcy’s young maid is accused of the crime, Miss Bingley takes matters into her own hands to try to find the real murderer.

This cozy historical mystery features characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and really should have been right up my alley. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood for the genre, but I felt like it was a bit of a slog. The titular character is, as fans of Austen will know, a snob- if an intelligent one. I just felt that it really lagged in the middle as she slowly gathered information. The ending felt anti-climatic.

The writing was good but the story left something to be desired. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for the e-galley.

A cozy mystery for fans of Jane Austen, who are eager to see some of the minor characters from Pride and Prejudice have a chance to shine. This is a great choice for fans of Tirzah Price's books, "Pride and Premeditation" or "Sense and Second Degree Murder". The mystery is solved by Caroline and Georgianna Darcy, using the Regency era to provide background and actions that propel the mystery forward.

Similarly to Tirzah Price's books, the female characters are given more agency and feminist tendencies than in the original book. This is a fun cozy mystery that I recommend for libraries and book clubs.

This was a fun retelling for Austen fans, A different take on Caroline Bingley. A mystery read for Austen read. Highly recommend!

This was a unique and fun twist on the classic Pride and Prejudice character. Caroline Bingley as a private investigator is an interesting choice, and I enjoyed how the authors brought a fresh perspective to her character. I loved the writing style and clear dialogue, which made the book enjoyable to read. If you are a fan of Jane Austen, or enjoy mysteries with a historical twist, then you definitely need to give this book a try.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Investigator by Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar

This book is well-written and rich with historical details. The authors did a good job of making the characters interesting and not TOO perfect; Caroline and Jayani definitely both pushed the boundaries of what would be expected while they and Georgiana still remain mostly realistic for the time period. In my opinion, Caroline did act a bit out-of-character sometimes, and the mystery was a bit predictable. However, I still enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to others who like historical mystery. You can enjoy it even if you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice.

Also, Gordon is the best. No notes.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions. This review is cross-posted on Goodreads, and will be posted to Amazon and Instagram within one week of the book’s publication.

This mystery is set a couple of years following the close of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Caroline Bingley is living with her brother and Jane not far from the Darcys’. She’s become good friends with Georgiana Darcy. Georgie’s maid runs off to London; Georgie runs after the maid; and Caroline runs after Georgie. Caroline finds herself in the middle of a mystery, meeting people and visiting places in London she would never have visited otherwise.

Before starting the book, I was curious how the story would go when the main character is so unlikable in the original Pride and Prejudice. But the authors did a great job of balancing Caroline’s original, flawed personality with curiosity and independence. (And that’s coming from someone who usually likes my “detectives” loveable.)

I enjoyed this book. I‘m a big fan of Jane Austen and all things Pride and Prejudice, but even if you don’t there’s still plenty to like!

I could see this book being a good fit for readers who enjoy the Regency period in general and like when it feels a little more modern or updated. The mystery itself is more along the lines of intrigue and puzzle solving than thriller, and there's definitely a group of readers who prefer that.

pretty fun little mystery. lagged in the middle but in general was fun and well-done. 4 stars. tysm for the arc. would recommend.

December 16, 2025 will mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, and what better way to celebrate than with this delightful reimagining of Elizabeth Bennet’s antagonist from Pride and Prejudice. Two years after the events of that novel, in which the snobby and haughty Miss Caroline Bingley lost the battle for Mr. Darcy’s affections, she is “marooned” at her brother Charles’s estate in wintry Derbyshire, bored with weeks of country dances, unchanging society, and dull conversations. Despite her complicated relationship with the Darcys, Caroline has grown fond of Mr. Darcy’s younger sister, Georgiana. When Georgiana’s Indian maid, Jayani, disappears from Pemberley and Georgiana heads up to London alone in pursuit, Caroline, accompanied by her loyal manservant, Gordon, tracks both fugitives and stumbles upon a brutal murder that implicates Jayani. Drawing on her keen intelligence, her bold self-confidence, and her large income, our Miss Bingley plunges into a gritty underworld of poverty, cruelty, and exploitation far from London’s glittering Ton. As she seeks to clear Jayani’s name, she also discovers the brutal colonialism practiced by the East India Company. Australian authors Gardiner (1917) and Kumar (who produces Melbourne’s Austencon) transform Austen’s mean girl into a more sympathetic protagonist while preserving her quick wit, sharp tongue, and independent spirit. Janeites will eagerly await Miss Bingley’s next adventure in sleuthing.—Willy Williams