Pride and Premeditation (Jane Austen Murder Mystery #1)

 Synopsis

When a scandalous murder shocks London society, sixteen-year-old law enthusiast Lizzie Bennet sees the perfect opportunity to prove herself as a formidable litigator-- despite the fact that women are only allowed in court as witnesses. Unfortunately for Lizzie, the man accused of the crime already has a fledgling lawyer: Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir training to take over the prestigious firm Pemberley & Associates.

Convinced the authorities have blamed the wrong person, Lizzie vows to steal Darcy's client and solve the murder so that she can earn a position of her own. But as the case- and her feelings for Darcy become more complicated, Lizzie discovers that her dream job could make her happy, but it also might get her killed.

Loved

• The Pride and Prejudice + Agatha Christie vibes. I feel like Pride and Prejudice has been made over sooo many times, but when I saw that it was a murder mystery and Lizzie and Darcy were rivals in a court case, I was in. I can see how this wouldn't work for some people- P&P purists might find it offensive because it doesn't completely stay true to the characters and definitely not the plot or the accuracy of that time period. However, I went into it expecting a good time, a fun mystery, and a cute romance- and that's what delivered! I found the reimagining to be fun and fresh, while still capturing the charm of P&P- we even get some direct quotes from the original story. This was well written in that the mystery is entertaining and fresh, but we still get the elements of P&P that we've grown up loving, such as Mr. Bennett's dry humor, Mrs. Bennett's ridiculous nerves, Mr. Wickham's salacious charm, and Mr. Collin's obnoxious self-righteousness.

• Mr. Darcy. Obviously it's Pride and Prejudice we're talking about, so Mr. Darcy must be addressed. This Darcy is still our mysterious, moody, and proud love interest, but there is a little more personality to him in this story. Since he and Lizzie are tracking down a murderer together, they have conversations and adventures that actually take place outside the drawing room- unlike our original story ;) This Darcy was a little more relatable, while still keeping the reserved introvert we all know and love.

• The murder mystery. I went into this for the P&P vibes and the romance- I didn't expect to enjoy the mystery so much, but it was very well written! The twists and turns were subtle, with an intriguing plot and a shocking villain. The depth of the mystery had many layers and was surprisingly complex, with multiple villains and different murderers. I only guessed a part of the mystery, and was quite surprised by the rest of it- which made it very fun to read and conjecture!

• Elizabeth Bennett. This Elizabeth Bennett wasn't quite true to the original character- she was more impetuous and less dignified than Jane Austen wrote her. However, for a murder mystery heroine she was perfect- clever, thoughtful, brave, and plucky. She was spunky and fought for her rights as a woman- which I think Jane Austen would have cheered on, even though it wasn't realistic for women at this time period to practice law. 

• The audiobook. This narrator is fabulous. Obviously she has the British accent, but she does very entertaining voices for each of the characters, and her inflections are perfect. I'm usually annoyed by female narrators trying to imitate men, but she made Mr. Darcy sound quite dreamy, and I died at her imitation of Mr. Collins. Definitely listen to this one!

Didn't Love

• I can see where people may have a problem with this, since many things weren't quite true to Pride and Prejudice, and some of it was not historically accurate (which the author owns at the end), but I thought it was a riot and I wouldn't change it!

Content

• Language: 
• A few uses of "damn."

• Sexual content: 
• One kiss hardly described.

• Violence
• A man found murdered in his bed- stabbed many times and cut across the throat.
• A woman is murdered by being thrown in a river with her hands tied. The body is described.
• A man is shot and killed.
• Mentions of duels.
• Threats of being stabbed, shot, etc.
• Kidnapping of a woman with many threats if she didn't comply.


• Other themes:
• Much talk about women's place in society. Lizzie fights to have the right to practice law and meets a lot of open resistance.

Overall Thoughts

This was a fun reimagining of Pride and Prejudice, with the murder mystery element giving a fresh take on the characters, romance, and social commentary of the classic novel. I loved seeing these characters with different adventures and roles- Mr. Bingley framed for murder, Lizzie sleuthing around London, and Mr. Darcy trying to keep up with her. This was well written with the entertaining mystery, while still staying true to the aspects of P&P that readers love. The romance was secondary to the mystery being solved and Lizzie's aspiration of a career, but it was satisfying and sweet, especially since Lizzie and Darcy have adventures together that would have never happened in a true Jane Austen novel. If you are a P&P fan and are okay with some variation plus an intriguing mystery, then definitely pick this one up- I promise you will be entertained!