Carrie BebrisBesprekingen

I'd forgotten how much I really love this author. I first read this book about 8 years ago and loved it then; but now, after visiting England a few times, reading through all the Austen novels, and learning a ton about their authoress, I found that I loved it all the more. I'll definitely be looking to find and reread the other Carrie Bebris Darcy Mysteries.

This was a fun mix of storylines as the Darcys traveled to Northanger Abbey and met the Tilneys, later finding that their lives are intertwined through the friendship of the two families' matriarchs. The story offered an interesting insight into what Elizabeth may have faced as new mistress of Pemberley---following in the footsteps of Darcy's mother.

My favorite phrase from the story was, "invent cause for correspondence", which I found to be much more poetic than, "find a reason to write a letter."

If I have any complaint about the story, it's that I don't think Lady Catherine and Lizzy would have been quite so horrible to one another. Once Lizzy was married and mistress of Pemberley, I believe the same spirit that caused Lady Catherine to be so cold to those "beneath" her would also force her to give more respect to the station Lizzy now occupies. With Lady Catherine, it's the standing of the person and not the person herself to which she responds.

I stumbled over this series when casually glancing through a “what should I read next” utility, which I normally view with something approaching scorn. However, in this discovery I was pleasantly surprised, and suspect I shall be diverted for some time to come. The Mr and Mrs Darcy Mysteries blend two of my favourite genres: Pride and Prejudice fan fiction and mystery. I’m not sure if “fan fiction” is the correct depiction of these works, which imagine the world of a beloved story and its characters beyond the pages of the original, but I think it’s the easiest way to describe them. Here, Darcy and Elizabeth and Bingley and Jane have just been happily wed, and a mystery erupts in the form of Caroline Bingley’s sudden betrothal to the season’s most eligible bachelor. Soon, distressing and eerie things start to happen, and of course it is up to the intrepid Elizabeth Darcy—formerly Bennet—to sort them out. This is a lovely extension of this world, the narrative language lovingly recreates the original without sounding cloying or contrived. A successful beginning!

Mr. and Mrs. Darcy are newly married, as is Elizabeth Bennet Darcy’s sister Jane, to her Mr. Bingley. Various logistical problems prevent the Darcys from going to Pemberly after the double wedding, and soon both couples are sequestered at Mr. Bingley’s rented estate, along with a few relatives and hangers-on.

It’s clear to the readers early on that some sort of magic is afoot at the impromptu and reluctant house party; this is frustrating since none of the characters are actually catching on. With elements of The Moonstone and Jane Eyre, the story very slowly unfolds until a murder occurs (very late in the book) and the killer is eventually, of course, unmasked. But who is the magician?

Pride and Prescience has been rated quite highly in Goodreads, and I can see why a die-hard Austen devotee might love the book and the series. The author mentions on her website that she is not trying to imitate Miss Austen’s work; rather, she is trying to respect what has been created while telling her own stories.

While acknowledging this, it seems impossible to write a story using Jane Austen characters while not striving to coninue the tone and style with which those characters were imbued by their creator. Ms. Bebris is successful most of the time, but some anachronistic phrases slip through, and modern viewpoints sneak in there too. I think this is unavoidable; this author has two centuries of perspective to work with, and that’s not easy to hide.

I found the book to be longer than necessary, with lots of speculation about the murder and the events leading up to it. I don’t have patience for that kind of conjecture in mysteries anymore; the identity of the killer was obvious, and the ruminations added nothing but length to the story for me.

Again though, I’m not a huge Austen fan. I’m rating this story at 2.5 stars, but don’t let that stop you from reading it! If you want to spend more time with the Darcys you will enjoy this book.

Darcy Mysteries book 2. Just loved it.

magic mixes in mystery of Henry Dashwood taken over by spirit of his ancestor before he can marry Kitty Bennet

Mr. and Mrs. Darcy solve a gothic style mystery

A fun book Austen fans who are looking for stories beyond the end of the work. Starting with the double wedding of the Darcys and Bingleys, this mystery kept me engaged the whole way, seeking out the solution alongside Elizabeth and her new husband. This work does challenge to reader, and Mr. Darcy, to consider that there may be more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in their philosophy.

Synopsis: After the wedding, Elizabeth and Darcy are thrown into a mystery when strange happenings; such as a wheel breaking off a carriage and a suspicious fire, as the couple visit Bingley and Jane for Christmas.

My Rating:

4/5

This is book 1 in a series and I have mixed feelings about continuing on. This story introduces a supernatural element that I wasn't prepared for and which took me by complete surprise though I did ultimately decide I liked. I read reviews on the series and apparently the supernatural element to this series is inconsistent. Early books play on it but later books don't.

As I wasn't prepared for the supernatural element I felt slightly cheated by the author initially though that is probably unfair. I was expecting a cozy mystery. The author did introduce the possibility of supernatural causes early on, but I was expecting those to be overturned for the mundane by the end of the novel and the supernatural elements to be nothing but a red herring. I probably was suspecting this due to the mundane cover of the book that indicated to me only that this book was a mystery.

Despite the unexpected addition of the supernatural influence, I liked the irony of the end of this mystery. I could feel the nod to Jane Austen and I could imagine her writing a similar ending to a story because of the jabs she takes at Victorian society and ideas.

Darcy and Elizabeth were well done. This book was a treat to read and their back and forth was delicious. The essence of the characters felt true to character. In fact, I enjoyed all the characters and thought them interesting and well done. They were engaging and fun to be around.

I liked the mystery and after I got past my shock at the supernatural element of the story I could appreciate what the book did. As a mystery reader I had a good time even though the book wasn't what I expected going in.

If you enjoy Darcy and Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice, are a mystery fan, and don't mind a bit of supernatural in your story, I recommend picking this up. It was an entertaining read, and despite the surprises I did enjoy it.

I am a fan of Jane Austin, of fan fiction and of mysteries. So why don't I like this book? I'm quitting on p.105. Somehow this feels like Jane Austin mocked: all of the mannerisms and none of the essential kindness, insight and good humor.

I kept giving this book new names, like "Nonsense and Suspense of Disbelief". For a Jane Austen pastiche, the swerve into supernatural horror is surprising. Why did Bebris not decide to write Wilkie Collins or Conan Doyle, one wonders. The Mirror of Narcissus, on which the plot hinges, is a bizarre cross between the Picture of Dorian Grey and the Mirror of Erised; not something that the eminently down-to-earth Austen would have used as a plot device. But the historical existence of Sir Francis Dashwood, of Hellfire Club fame, is too happy a coincidence and the author was struck by inspiration to bring this rakehell of a previous generation into contact with the much more well-mannered Regency era in which the Dashwoods of Norland and the Darcys of Pemberly flourished. Most of the author's anachronisms and Americanisms are found in the text rather than the dialogue, so it's not too horribly jarring. But the nonexistence of the "mystery" of the subtitle was annoying and frustrating. "A Mysterious Interlude with the Darcys" perhaps, but the book does not follow the kind of plot arc that one expects in the genre we label mystery. Nonetheless a fun read, a pleasant diversion, albeit not a book that will find a permanent place on my shelf.

Finally an ACTUAL murder, most foul! And the decedent will not be missed!
You know what this one really reminded me of? If Agatha Christie were writing Pride and Prejudice episodes, no really, it's set in a small village in northern England- not far from Gretna Green and there are suspects aplenty!

I won't give it away, but it did have me guessing almost till the end. ;]

Obviously, if you are reading a take off (or continuation) of the Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy love story, you like'd the original. I like this series and that while there are mysteries they aren't necessarily murder mysteries- they are mysteries, where is this or that, who did this or that-finding the answers and discovering lost history is the endgame.

It wasn't a traditional mystery, touching more on the edges of a Gothic horror story- not Frankenstein, but I don't want to mention the one it reminds me of, for that is the fun part of trying to figure out a mystery from your chair, isn't it? ;]

This is a case of I really enjoyed the story even though I probably shouldn't have, so I'm up-starring it, if I can use that "word." This was a perfect light read-silly and quick, but let me revisit some of my favorite characters. Anyway, just fun.

Fun enough, although I flatly refuse to believe Lizzy would start throwing around terms like "crim con" no matter how many papers the Darcy household took in. The plot took an overly wonky and melodramatic turn at about the 3/4 mark, but for the author to pull off this fusion of characters from P&P and Northanger Abbey without enraging me is really quite a feat.

si rimane in dubbio sul cattivone almeno fino a metà libro. E' già qualcosa. E che Jane ci perdoni.

This book was entertaining and kept my mind off of things for a while, so I have to give it some credit. Obviously it was nothing like an authentic book by Jane Austen. To me, it is silly to even expect such a thing. So I am judging it as a mystery based on Jane Austen, against other mysteries based on Jane Austen. On that score it does fairly well. There are anachronisms in speech as usual and one has to suspend disbelief somewhat more than in other imitation-Austen books because of the mystery. Some of the characters were done better than others. I found Henry Crawford more believable than Elizabeth, for instance. It's pretty easy to figure out part of the solution to the mystery but I confess to being surprised by the other part. I liked that the author gave Mr. Rushworth a happy ending as I have always felt sorry for him. I thought it interesting that the author chose not to let Fanny Price step into the picture at all, but I think that is probably for the best. Fanny is often misunderstood by readers as it is and she cannot be an easy character to depict in a setting full of criminal activity! It is almost impossible to imagine. Thank goodness the author did not attempt it.

I struggled at the beginning with this one; partially, I'm sure, because Sanditon is the only one of Austen's works I haven't read. This made it very difficult for me to keep track of all the characters (there's a lot of them).

Elizabeth and Darcy find themselves at Sanditon on the behest of Colonel Fitzwilliam, who is considering an investment in Sanditon's development as a resort for families of good quality. An impromptu dinner invitation from Lady Denham lands them in the middle of a mess that begins with Lady Denham's disappearance.

Once I sorted out the who's who and got past the story setup, the book became a lot of fun. We have a large important house, a terrible storm, a missing Lady, and a bit of a locked room mystery vibe from the whole thing, with just a touch of the gothic. Some of the reveal was a bit silly but not enough for me to roll my eyes.

Has the author has kept true to the real Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy? Certainly I thought so when I read her first book, Pride and Prescience. But I've read all 7 of them and after 7 books I can't say the two of them haven't become Bebris' own characters in some ways. This book is also told in the 3 person narrative, so we actually spend a lot of time with the others, and overall, the reader gets very little time with either Darcy or Elizabeth. Bebris has an afterward at the end that talks about how she studied Sanditon by accessing and studying Austen's original manuscript. I imagine this allowed her to remain true to the other characters as well, even as she speculated about what kind of people they might have been had Austen lived to complete the work.

I'm curious whether Bebris will continue on with this series; she's run out of novels and manuscripts to use for characters and settings. This would be the logical place to bring things to a close, but if she comes out with another I might give it a try.

Emma was never my favorite character so I suppose my rating is a little biased but I don't think this was the best of the series.

It started off pretty good but the supernatural aspect really was off putting and the ending was just disappointing. I have nothing against magic in novels but I can't reconcile it to the world of P & P.

Mr. and Mrs. Darcy get caught up in mysterious goings-on at Northanger Abbey. Meanwhile, Elizabeth tries to deal with her burgeoning pregnancy and a mysterious artifact the former Mrs. Darcy left behind.

The newly-wed Mr. and Mrs. Darcy are caught up in the mystery of Caroline Bingley’s increasingly odd behavior. The writing is in keeping with the time but not overly stiff, and the author clearly has a good feel for the personalities of Austen’s characters. The one problem is the inclusion of mystical silliness, which will hopefully be excised from the rest of this promising series.

Mr. and Mrs. Darcy (of Pride and Prejudice fame) solve difficulties in this book that incorporates the characters of Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Like it's successor, North by Northanger, it's got some strange far-fetched aspects but I liked it.

Mr. and Mrs. Darcy (of Pride and Prejudice fame) solve difficulties in this book that incorporates the characters of Austen's Northanger Abbey...a bit farfetched in occult but otherwise an enjoyable read.

Mr. and Mrs. Darcy (of Pride and Prejudice fame) solve difficulties in this book that incorporates the characters of Austen's Mansfield Park.