Death Comes to Pemberley

by P.D. James
3 Stars
Historical Fiction
Setting: England
291 pages
Published 2011

Ellie's Review

P. D. James, who is a renown mystery writer, combined her skills with the world created by Jane Austin in Pride and Prejudice.  Death Comes to Pemberley looks at the life of Elizabeth and Darcy six years after they were married.  Their happy life at Pemberley is disrupted when Lydia arrived unexpectedly to announce a murder.  James was creative in putting her murder mystery genre into the story so many people loved.  If you look at it from a mystery standpoint, it was an entertaining read.  I learned more about the life of that period through the thoroughly researched details included.  However, if you want to see more of the love between Elizabeth and Darcy, you will be disappointed.  I do absolutely love Pride & Prejudice and will probably just reread it the next time I long for Mr. Darcy. This is the first novel by James I have read, and I probably will not read any more of her works.  If you like James' other novels and Jane Austen, this is probably a great read for you.  

If you are an Austen fan, I suggest Shannon Hale’s novel Austenland (4 stars). 

Book Summary
It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy's magnificent estate.  Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable.  Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house.  They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles.  Elizabeth's sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy's sister Georgiana.  And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered.  A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth's disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley.  She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered.  with shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.

Inspired by a lifelong passion for Austen, P. D. James masterfully re-creates the world of Pride and Prejudice, electrifying it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly crafted crime story, as only she can write it.