The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy

A P&P sequel where not many months after Darcy's marriage to Elizabeth Bennet he is informed of his father's cousins death - Samuel Darcy and of a share in the inheritance of the estate.
They travel to Dorset to find that Samuel Darcy's body has disappeared and another body found on the grave.
But then more bodies are found, and some of Samuel's treasures are lost and found. With the help of Colonel Fitzwilliam can the mystery be solved.
An enjoyable read of this mystery made more delightful as the Colonel was more than a supporting role.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was a little worried about the title of this story being that I’m a huge Pride and Prejudice fan, but when I saw what it was about I sighed in relief, don’t scare me like that. This story takes place 6 months after Pride and Prejudice. The story read like a movie, and I adored every minute of it. I loved seeing Elizabeth and Darcy working together to solve the mystery. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

I am not an Austen fan but a friend told me to give this book a go and I am glad I did. The characters are as Austen developed them but somehow not half as irritating (again, not an Austen fan, but understand there are lots out there who will disagree with me). The story itself is fast paced and credible. Highly recommended.

A very complex nurder mystery with Mr. & Mrs, Fitzwilliam Darcy investigaring. When Darcy's cousin dies & he is names one of the heirs, the couple. still in their first year of marriage, go to help put the estate in order. What they find is mysterious deaths & disappearances, beginning with Darcy's cousin.

As the deayhs & dangers mount, the pair has to solve the mystery.

i liked the complex plot, but I found the author's at times stilted language and romantic intrusions boring, unnecessary to the plot and out-of-place. i kept feeling as ifJeffers couldn't decide if she wanted to write a mystery or a romance novel. She should have stuck with just doing the mystery, it was a good one.

I am a huge fan of the classic "Pride and Prejudice" and consider it one of my all-time favourite books, so when I spotted this book with its intriguing blurb, I immediately got it. This was the first classic spinoff that I've read that beautifully combines my favourite book and my favourite genre of mystery thrillers. It was quite fascinating to observe my favorite pair don the detective hat as they investigate the mystery plaguing an otherwise peaceful Woodvine. The book starts in a solid manner, albeit with a little too many mushy moments. The author manages to capture the essence of the original to an extent but it felt clunky and awkward at the beginning when the dialogues from the original were incessantly repeated to establish the bond of the leads. Elizabeth and Darcy remain faithful to Austen's vision and I loved how we could see more of the Colonel in this book. The author manages, to an extent. to retain the conservative air and ensures the style of dialogues match the classic.
Coming to the mystery, it is very interesting to read and engrosses the reader. But as the story progresses, too many subplots and narratives are introduced which ruins the effect produced thus far. As much as I like seeing bodies pile up,the reasons justifying it doesn't seem worthwhile to me. The fact that almost the entire household was complicit in one crime or the other seems too tall to be believable for me, and the perpetrators were a bit guessable .
Overall, this is a good book for the fans of the original classic. The mystery is a bit of a letdown at the end, but was a enjoyable ride nonetheless. The author fully fleshes out the arc of the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth- and the additional characters introduced weren't half-bad. The mystery could have been worked on a bit.
My ratings: 3.5/5 rounded to 4 stars. Will try to read the next installment in this series if any comes.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very well done P&P sequel. The mystery was extremely complicated! The suspense at the end was palpable. Loved it!

The main highlight of the story is Darcy and Elizabeth. I loved their relationship and dialogues. Generally, in such books, I would feel the romance as a barrier towards progressing the mystery. However, in this case, I did not mind Darcy and Elizabeth’s interruptions to show their affection for each other. Their love is so sweet and adorable, and made the story stand out. Also, I loved Edward and his role in the storyline.

Similarly, the author also did a very nice job in maintaining the suspense. As the story progresses, the plot gets intense where Darcy and Elizabeth’s life is at stake. The author also adds quite a few twists and turns that you do not expect. For example, the story touches on gypsies, ancient practices, rituals and Egyptian mummifications that you do not expect in such a book. Moreover, many of the characters like Mrs. Ridgeway, Stowbridge, Gry etc. have an aura of mystery where you feel they are hiding something. Some of the memorable scenes are when the gypsy attacks Elizabeth and they go underwater, or when they investigate the shoe size. The climax is amazing and one that I would not forget.

However, the story is a bit detailed at times, which in my opinion, could be shortened. I was so engrossed with the plot that I wanted to see how it continues. But at times, the author provided regular recaps which slowed the pace. But, I loved that this could be enjoyed as a standalone, as I had not read the previous books. Also, the dialogues felt true to the era and the characters felt authentic.

Overall, this was a terrific historical mystery novel and I now want to read the previous novels.

Pride an prejudice and murder, a bit mushy for Jane Austen but still has the feel of one of her books.

No one can deny that classics shaped many of the romance tropes and storylines we know today. Pride and Prejudice, which paved the way for the popular "enemies to lovers" trope we all love, has been a fan-favorite for years. Therefore, when I came across The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy, a Pride and Prejudice vagary, I lost no time in requesting it. As someone who is fond of both romance stories and murder-mysteries, I had high hopes for this book. And I was not disappointed.

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, after being married for a couple of months, have yet to take a trip together to celebrate their marriage. Unfortunately, certain matters that needed to be addressed, such as looking after Pemberley, delayed their plans. Now, Mr. Darcy is devastated to find out that his cousin, Samuel Darcy, is dead. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy travel to Woodvine to pay their respects, deciding to spend time exploring Woodvine together to make up for the vacation they never took. However, mysterious matters come to light, and secrets about Samuel Darcy's death prevent them from not only sorting out matters regarding the death, but also from maintaining peace of mind.

First, they find out that Samuel Darcy was murdered by an unknown person who struck him with an ax. Then, they find out that two men met at the place Samuel Darcy was buried, and one of them was killed in a mysterious explosion. After that, they discover that Samuel Darcy's body is missing from his grave. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are determined to solve this mystery. But that does not prove easy. In the quiet town of Woodvine, Samuel Darcy is not the only person who has been murdered. And the person who killed him isn't the only murderer. As they go through Samuel's belongings, trying to make sense of what happened, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy find that each clue only further tangles up the mystery. They try to single out people who seem suspicious, but that proves difficult, especially when there are way too many such people. As things begin to get traumatic, dangerous and, at times, deadly, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy struggle to stay alive, to solve the mystery, and to stay a couple.

Regina Jeffers has clearly read Pride and Prejudice thoroughly and constantly. Her writing style perfectly reflected that of the classic. It had the same sophisticated speech, the same carefully expressed emotions, and the same passionate yet conservative romance. I could not help but admire how strong she wrote Elizabeth Bennet to be. I loved how well she described her and Mr. Darcy's relationship after marriage, especially since we did not see that in the classic. Her characters were interesting, complex, and wonderfully written. Her plots were crafted to perfection. Overall, the book had everything you would want to see in a Pride and Prejudice vagary.

Due to the number of characters, it was, at times, difficult to keep track of who was who. Moreover, apart from Elizabeth's nature, the depiction of women was still on the weaker side. There were some "you're not like other girls" moments which I did not particularly like. There was some subtle classism, but I suppose that sort of thing is common in classics. Even so, some of the instances of classism were irking. Despite these slight shortcomings, I enjoyed this book as a whole. It was gripping and interesting, and had several surprising revelations which I immensely enjoyed reading.

An excellent story, perfect for fans of Pride&Prejudice. It's highly entertaining and well written.
The characters are well thought and interesting, the mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
I thoroughly enjoyed and it's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.