halfcentreader's review
4.0
Very entertaining read featuring the married duo Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy that takes place during a dark and stormy night in a big house where it appears that the Lady of the house has vanished at the very moment before a dinner party she arranged. I enjoy the occasional cozy British mystery and this one did not disappoint especially as the author does well keeping the dialogue in the same vein as Austen.
vivid_emma's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
zombeesknees's review
5.0
A charming little outing with a colourful cast -- a full review will follow at CriminalElement.com.
book_dragon88's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bobbiesox's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
blancwene's review
3.0
The last (for now) of the Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mysteries. This one felt like a riff on [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391120695l/16299._SY75_.jpg|3038872], in that characters kept disappearing one by one from Lady Denham's dinner party until very few of the original 14 were left. Fortunately, though, they don't end up murdered like in Christie's novel! I thought the first explanation of the disappearances was hysterical and very in keeping with the character in question; the second explanation was a little more complex, and beyond the confines of Austen's [b:Sanditon|5509247|Sanditon|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328729014l/5509247._SY75_.jpg|62966324] fragment. I enjoyed this one, although the Darcys did feel a little shoehorned in--but since that's been my consistent complaint about this series, I think I've come to accept the fact that Darcy and Elizabeth just keep stumbling into the aftermath of other Austen stories.
krisrid's review
3.0
Although I definitely enjoyed this latest installment in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mystery series, it wasn't my favourite of all of them.
Many of the things I dearly love about this series are included. I absolutely love the authentically "Austen-esque" voice and aspects that the author includes in her books. Lovers of Austen, her stories and her characters who feel proprietary interest in respectful representations of those have nothing to fear in reading Ms. Bebris' books. She honours all aspects of Austen in how she writes about the characters we all know and love.
I also enjoy the creative ways the characters from the original Austen books are combined, and placed into new mysterious situations. The author does a wonderful job of juxtaposing her own creative plot ideas with existing aspects from Austen's.
In this particular book there were two things that didn't work *quite* as well for me as have past books in the series: 1) the goings-on at points during the story felt a bit over the top, straying almost into farce territory. I will not create spoilers by giving details, but some of the things that took place in the course of the story just went a touch too far for me. 2) I didn't feel like the reader had as much actual interaction with Darcy and Elizabeth in this story as in past books, and as I especially love that aspect of this series that was a small disappointment for me. To be fair, given the large number of characters in this story, I understand why that was the case, but I yearned for more of the Darcys that I got in this installment.
But those are minor disappointments. I did enjoy this book, and look forward hopefully and enthusiastically to the prospect of future Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mysteries and will pick up any such books with alacrity when they become available. I heartily recommend this series to fans of Pride and Prejudice particularly, and of Jane Austen's writing style in general. Both are respectfully homaged by Carrie Bebris, along with the delivery of very entertaining mystery stories.
Many of the things I dearly love about this series are included. I absolutely love the authentically "Austen-esque" voice and aspects that the author includes in her books. Lovers of Austen, her stories and her characters who feel proprietary interest in respectful representations of those have nothing to fear in reading Ms. Bebris' books. She honours all aspects of Austen in how she writes about the characters we all know and love.
I also enjoy the creative ways the characters from the original Austen books are combined, and placed into new mysterious situations. The author does a wonderful job of juxtaposing her own creative plot ideas with existing aspects from Austen's.
In this particular book there were two things that didn't work *quite* as well for me as have past books in the series: 1) the goings-on at points during the story felt a bit over the top, straying almost into farce territory. I will not create spoilers by giving details, but some of the things that took place in the course of the story just went a touch too far for me. 2) I didn't feel like the reader had as much actual interaction with Darcy and Elizabeth in this story as in past books, and as I especially love that aspect of this series that was a small disappointment for me. To be fair, given the large number of characters in this story, I understand why that was the case, but I yearned for more of the Darcys that I got in this installment.
But those are minor disappointments. I did enjoy this book, and look forward hopefully and enthusiastically to the prospect of future Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mysteries and will pick up any such books with alacrity when they become available. I heartily recommend this series to fans of Pride and Prejudice particularly, and of Jane Austen's writing style in general. Both are respectfully homaged by Carrie Bebris, along with the delivery of very entertaining mystery stories.