The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

The Murder of Mr. Wickham

by Claudia Gray

A summer house party turns into a thrilling whodunit when Jane Austen's Mr. Wickham—one of literature’s most notorious villains—meets a sudden and suspicious end in this brilliantly imagined mystery from a New York Times bestselling author featuring Austen’s leading literary characters.

“Had Jane Austen sat down to write a country house murder mystery, this is exactly the book she would have written.” —Alexander McCall Smith

The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a party at their country estate, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.

Nearly everyone at the house party is a suspect, so it falls to the party’s two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, eager for adventure beyond Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys’ eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem almost relaxed. In this tantalizing fusion of Austen and Christie, from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray, the unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions and uncover the guilty party—before an innocent person is sentenced to hang. 

A VINTAGE ORIGINAL

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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For every Jane Austen fan in the world, there is the perfect retelling waiting for them to find. For those that share the same hated character, may I recommend The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray?

The happy couple Emma and Mr. Knightly are throwing a house party, which isn't unusual. Parties are a natural way to have fun and see friends. What is significantly less usual is the appearance of Mr. Wickham. He certainly isn't welcome, not with all his conning and scheming.

To say that his death came as a shock would be an overstatement. The only surprising part about it is that it took this long for him to be murdered. Yet they will still have to get to the bottom of this case. After all, his appearance (and subsequent death) ruined a perfectly good party.

Okay, I'm just going to say it: if you're part of the "Hate Mr. Wickham Fan Club," you absolutely MUST read The Murder of Mr. Wickham. It is everything you could ever want, and arguably quite a bit more.

Not only was this book highly satisfying, thanks to the death of a character we all love to hate, but it was a lot of fun. Bringing all of Jane Austen's characters to one place is a delightful concept, one I'm sure fans have fantasized about on more than one occasion. I love that they were introduced chronologically. It added a semblance of order to the piece. I was going to say that Mrs. Bennet would approve, but I'm not sure that's the case? Despite her appearance, that woman loved chaos.

Long story short, take a minute to read The Murder of Mr. Wickham. It will be one of those books to stand out in your memory. I'm speaking from experience here.

Thanks to Vintage and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 19 May, 2022: Finished reading
  • 19 May, 2022: Reviewed