annieb123's Review of The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh (MR. DARCY & MISS TILNEY MYSTERY, #3)

by Claudia Gray

The third book in the Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mystery series, which finds the amateur sleuths facing their most daunting challenge yet: preventing the murder of the imperious Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Someone is trying to kill Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Esteemed aunt of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, generous patroness of Mr. William Collins, a woman of rank who rules over the estate of Rosings Park with an unimpeachable sense of propriety—who would dare? Lady Catherine summons her grand-nephew, Mr. Jonathan Darcy, and his investigative companion, Miss Juliet Tilney, to find out.

After a year apart, Jonathan and Juliet are thrilled to be reunited, even if the circumstances—finding whoever has thus far sabotaged Lady Catherine's carriage, shot at her, and nearly pushed her down the stairs—are less than ideal. Also less than ideal: their respective fathers, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Mr. Henry Tilney, have accompanied the young detectives to Rosings, and the two men do not interact with the same felicity enjoyed by their children.

With attempts against Lady Catherine escalating, and no one among the list of prime suspects seemingly capable of committing all of the attacks, the pressure on Jonathan and Juliet mounts—even as more gentle feelings between the two of them begin to bloom. The race is now on to provoke two confessions: one from the attempted murderer before it is too late—and one, perhaps, of love.

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh is the third Regency romance/mystery featuring Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney written by Claudia Gray. Due out 18th June 2024 by Knopf Doubleday on their Vintage Anchor imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is an homage series, featuring some of the iconic characters from Austen's classic works. This outing sees Darcy and Miss Juliet Tilney trying to get to the bottom of the attempts on the life of Lady Catherine before it's too late. Much of the plot stretches the boundaries of belief and readers need to bring a healthy suspension of disbelief to the party.

The story is self contained in this volume, so it works very well as a standalone mystery. If read out of order, readers should be aware that there are references to the plot and incidents from the earlier books, which could cause some spoilers.

It is well written, however, and very well edited and polished, but ultimately recommended mostly for die-hard Regency romance/mystery fans, and not as much for fans of historical Jane Austen who won't be fooled for a second.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

17 June, 2024: Started reading

17 June, 2024: Finished reading

17 June, 2024: Reviewed