[The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh]: An ARC Review

Hello friends!

Today I am excited to share my review of The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh by Claudia Gray! This is book 3 in the Mr Darcy and Miss Tilney Mystery series and I really enjoyed it!

This is a brilliant addition to the Miss Tilney and Mr Darcy series. I love the clever ways we get to meet more Austen characters and see some of my favorite couples several years down the road from happily ever after. While this is book 3 in the series, I think it reads quite easily as a stand alone novel. We get plenty of background details that will orient new readers to the series.

You can also check out my review of The Murder of Mr Wickham, book 1 in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.
This book releases today, June 18, 2024!

Book Summary: “The third book in the Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mystery series, which finds the amateur sleuths facing their most daunting challenge 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 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 one from the attempted murderer before it is too late—and one, perhaps, of love.“

The characters are very well developed in this series, and I enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces in this novel. Gray does such a beautiful job interweaving the characters from Austen’s famous novels. I love seeing them interact! Miss Tilney and Mr Darcy are such a fun, quirky, talented investigative duo! I enjoy seeing them back together to solve another (attempted) murder mystery, I enjoy their banter and how they bring out the best in each other. Jonathan is especially brightened when he gets to interact with Juliet. I also really enjoyed the narrator in this novel. They are full of witty comments about life and society during this time period. They made me smile and set a fun tone for the novel. It feels like being transported back to Jane Austen’s time and writing. Certainly that is a testament to Gray’s research and quality of writing.

The murder mystery itself is engaging and well developed. There are many details that seem disconnected at first. And slowly we piece together the story like Miss Tilney and Mr Darcy. You really don’t know exactly who the murderer is until the last part of the book. Getting inside the heads of so many characters was intriguing as we piece together the mystery. We get to know Colonel Fitzwilliam and Anne de Bourgh. We wonder what the Collins family is hiding especially Charlotte Collins. We piece together the connections between the servants and between the visitors. So many seem like they could be attempting to kill Lady Catherine. But the final reveal is well done!

I really enjoyed this book. I am sometimes a bit picky about the Jane Austen inspired spin-offs that I read. So many are unable to truly build something worthy of Austen’s worlds. It takes a precise and thoughtful author to create a new story out of Austen’s beloved characters and stories. I think Gray does it quite well. Looking forward to (hopefully) more stories with this sleuthing team!

What are some of your favorite murder mysteries?
Any favorite Jane Austen inspired novels?

Claudia Gray is the pseudonym of Amy Vincent. She is the writer of multiple young adult novels, including the Evernight series, the Firebird trilogy, and the Constellation trilogy. In addition, she’s written several Star Wars novels, such as Lost Stars and Bloodline. She makes her home in New Orleans with her husband Paul and assorted small dogs.