The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Murder Mystery by Regina Jeffers

Aug 23, 2011 Miguelina Perez rated it 5 of 5 stars

In The Phantom of Pemberley, Regina Jeffers, author of several books including The Scandal of Lady Eleanor, continues the much endeared love story of the key characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.

The Phantom of Pemberley takes place a little over a year after Elizabeth and Darcy’s wedding and both are happily settled in their match. The novel begins with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy getting ready to head into town to pick up Elizabeth’s sister, Lydia....more In The Phantom of Pemberley, Regina Jeffers, author of several books including The Scandal of Lady Eleanor, continues the much endeared love story of the key characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.

The Phantom of Pemberley takes place a little over a year after Elizabeth and Darcy’s wedding and both are happily settled in their match. The novel begins with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy getting ready to head into town to pick up Elizabeth’s sister, Lydia. Although Mr. Darcy still harbors bad feelings toward his wife’s sister, Lydia Wickham, and her husband, George Wickham, he makes an effort to welcome his sister-in-law sans her husband to his home for a short visit. If you recall, Wickham had convinced Darcy’s 15-year-old-sister, Georgiana, to elope with him in order to get his hands on her inheritance.

As in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 4, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” Jeffers gives us a sense of forewarning when an impending winter storm arrives. After they set to town to pick up Lydia, the Darcys are forced to extend their home to a group of stranded guests due to an already fully occupied inn. While gracious in their roles of playing host and hostess to the group, the atmosphere in Pemberley takes a sudden change for the worse when a murder is committed. The realization that a murderer is walking among them has Mr. Darcy and his wife hurrying to find him or her before they strike again.

Jeffers cleverly brings back Lady Catherine de Bourgh, adding a constant thorn at Elizabeth’s side, much to Mr. Darcy’s chagrin. However, Lady Catherine de Bourgh has her own problems, which is why she showed up at the Darcys, hoping to involve Darcy in preventing a scandal involving her daughter, Lady Anne.

Jeffers commands the language of the period, gives us a fresh plot, and even weaves in pieces of Pride and Prejudice. Though I suspect Jeffers wanted to give readers who had not read P&P a little pre-history of the beginnings of Darcy and Elizabeth, I believe this was not crucial to the plot of her story. However, Jeffers does over emphasize Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s relationship, creating a constant overflow of sentimentalities between the two that can be distracting to the reader.

I still enjoyed reading the book, especially experiencing the creativity of many of these writers. I love to see that both Lydia and Lady Catherine were up to their usual obnoxious selves, Jeffers captured their true nature. For all you fans that pitied Lady Anne and would have liked to have seen more of her, this is the book to read. Lady Anne eventually comes into her own right as she stands up against her bullying mother and finds happiness.

Contrary to other reviews, I found the ending a pleasant surprise, especially learning the murderer was not whom I suspected. Anytime a book can surprise me is a great plus for me, besides shouldn’t reading be in the mind of the beholder—in other words we can’t always please everyone.

Check out Jeffers’ The Scandal of Lady Eleanor. Though filled with explicit sex, the story was not only enjoyable, but fresh, including her brilliance in introducing the men of “The Realm”, a secret society of the British government. These are gallant men who not only fight for their country, but for the women who capture their hearts.

Sincerely,

Miguelina Perez(less)

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May 04, 2013 Lauren Berkowitz rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was fantastic. As someone who has read multiple re-tellings/continuations of Pride and Prejudice, this was by far one of the most unique examples. Normally when an author writes a re-telling of P&P they focus on different character perspectives (usually Darcy) and there is always a minor conflict or two that comes up along the way. This novel, however, focuses on a major conflict-in fact, it is the central point of the story. And it's a mystery! The whole deal is very reminiscent of Aga...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Kiirsi Hellewell rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book wasn't too bad, though I wish every single one of the Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy-making-out scenes was deleted from this novel. So annoying! I don't need to read about what they do in their private time together. Less is more, in this case. Anyway, though it seemed to take at least 3/4 of the book before anything really happened...and the ending was extremely confusing, until I figured out what was going on...it was an okay "sequel" to Pride and Prejudice.

One thing that was really weird...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: pride-prejudice-homage-sequels

This was an interesting and very unique attempt at a Pride & Prejudice sequel. I mostly enjoyed it but there were some aspects that stretched not only a reader's credulity, but the boundaries of the original story and characters.

A year after their marriage, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy are happily enjoying their new life at Pemberley. When a freak snow-storm strands a odd and diverse group of stangers at Pemberley, including Elizabeth's troublesome sister, Lydia, Elizabeth does her best t...more This was an interesting and very unique attempt at a Pride & Prejudice sequel. I mostly enjoyed it but there were some aspects that stretched not only a reader's credulity, but the boundaries of the original story and characters.

A year after their marriage, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy are happily enjoying their new life at Pemberley. When a freak snow-storm strands a odd and diverse group of stangers at Pemberley, including Elizabeth's troublesome sister, Lydia, Elizabeth does her best to be the mistress the estate requires and offer hospitality to the unplanned guests.

But incidents of theft and vandalism begin to take place at Pemberley. The incidents are perplexing, and more disturbing soon escalate into violence and ultimately murder. Being stranded with no access to the outside world due to the storm, Darcy must investigate on his own, with only help from those other strangers in his home. Darcy is determined to protect his home and family, but the "phantom of Pemberley" seems to be determined to cause havoc and harm to the residents of the home, so danger is strong.

Without giving any spoilers, I will say that the ultimate resolution of the story was a very innovative concept, and I give the author points for creativity, but as I said earlier, it did strain the reader's belief a bit, and the storyline is certainly not something that could possibly have been conceived of by Jane Austen.

My other objection is that the resolution of the story was dragged out a bit more than I felt was strictly necessary, with cliff-hanger after cliff-hanger being thrown at the reader before finally giving the ending. The story could have been wrapped up more efficiently, and the continued obstacles felt a little forced to me.

That said, however, I did enjoy the story, and there were several plot points that I really liked, and have not seen in other P&P sequels I've read, in particular the expanded storylines and character development given to Anne de Bourgh and Georgiana Darcy. I also quite like the new characters introduced in this book and the way they interacted with the original characters.

Overall, not the best Pride & Prejudice sequel I've ever read, but definitely an interesting and enjoyable read if you are a P&P fan(less)

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Jun 26, 2011 JG (The Introverted Reader) marked it as could_not_finish · review of another edition

Shelves: unrated, fiction, nook

The author tries a little too hard to copy Austen's "voice" and it fell very flat for me.

"'Must we?' Elizabeth Darcy gave her husband an expectant look. 'I so enjoy being alone with you--away from the responsibilities of Pemberly.'"

Flat yet nauseatingly sappy. Not a good combination for me.

The phrases from Austen's original work that were inserted actually distracted me rather than adding to the book. It was quickly turning into a game of Spot the Original Phrasing.

"Darcy took in her countenan...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Marissa rated it 1 of 5 stars

Let me put this simply: The Phantom of Pemberley might very well be one of the worst books I've ever completed. I've never been the kind of person who could simply give up on a book. I figure that there are plenty of things in my life that I procrastinate on/don't follow through with that I can't add books to that list. Books are usually a nice, engaging form of distraction, at the very least, a minor form of obsession when they capture me at the right time with the right story or style. The Pha...more Let me put this simply: The Phantom of Pemberley might very well be one of the worst books I've ever completed. I've never been the kind of person who could simply give up on a book. I figure that there are plenty of things in my life that I procrastinate on/don't follow through with that I can't add books to that list. Books are usually a nice, engaging form of distraction, at the very least, a minor form of obsession when they capture me at the right time with the right story or style. The Phantom of Pemberley was severely lacking in all aspects.
Before we get into all of that though, I feel, for some reason, like I should explain the thinking behind me even picking up such a book. I was wandering around one of the two major book retailers remaining in business and, despite my already lengthy to-read list, I was insistent that I wanted something new. I should have just turned around and walked out, but really, who does what's best for them? No, instead I found myself slowly picking up the book solely on the mention of the word "Pemberley", clever marketing as such a title probably works on the vast number of Jane Austen fans in the world. The idea of the growing number of Jane Austen fans is really a separate discussion in and of itself, but I would venture to say that the number of "sequels" and "inspired by" novels with the aim of imitating or making money off of Ms. Austen's style are almost a sub-genre all by themselves. I've read a few that have been successful, by my standards, like "Mr. Darcy's Daughters" and, let's face it, when the Seasonal Affective Disorder starts to kick in in early January, sometimes you just want something comforting, and so I fell for the old "you like Jane Austen, you'll like this" idea. I was duped, or perhaps, I duped myself.
At the outset it seems like something that should be entirely appealing. The summary on the back claims to be written in "Regency style and including Austen's romantic entanglements and sardonic humor". It states that it's a "suspense-packed sequel to Pride and Prejudice". It basically reads like it should be what happens when Austen meets Agatha Christie. What's not to like about that?! On second thought, don't answer that question.
The inherent problem in all of these kinds of novels is that, well, they're not written by Jane Austen, and so, as much as someone might attempt to copy her style, they're not her with her nineteenth century sensibilities. What ends up being churned out by Ms. Jeffers, the author of The Phantom of Pemberley, is some horrifying cross between a romance novel and a sub-par mystery, with full snippets of Pride and Prejudice ideas and dialogue bandied about as if it were an original take. It's not. I feel like, in the reading elitist part of my soul, this is the kind of book that Jane Austen subtly mocked in Northanger Abbey. It's not gothic, perhaps, but it is overly romanced.
I find myself in a quandary. I consider Pride and Prejudice to be one of the greatest love stories of all time, mostly because it's not simply about love. It's about all of those things that go on in life that conspire against love happening. It's funny, it's embarrassing, it's real. None of that exists here. It's decidedly unrealistic, although it is embarrassing, to me, that I've read it.
I suppose my biggest gripe is that Elizabeth and Darcy have somehow been morphed into the uberest of uber-couples, not only in love, but living solely for one another. It's ridiculous, in a way. These are actual quotes from the book:

Of Darcy: "Without Elizabeth in his arms, he felt bereft of life-she had imprinted herself on his soul" (p.240)
Elizabeth speaking this time: "We have an undeniable connection- a oneness that spans the universe"

Are you kidding me?!?! The Elizabeth Bennett that has always existed in my mind would read lines like this and laugh. "Imprinted...on his soul"?! That's some Twilight crap. Not to mention the fact that on at least one occasion I marked the use of the word "totally" as in "I had totally forgotten" (p.177) Really? "Totally"?! As in "that dress looks totally awesome on you"?! When did the Darcys move to Sun Valley? (less)

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Sep 02, 2012 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, fiction, mystery, love-story, period-piece, romance

I picked up this book at a second hand store because I was in the mood for a Regency romance and Pride and Prejudice-themed turned seemed quite lovely. Regina Jeffers is also a popular name in the romance genre and I thought I'd give the book a try. It was neat seeing all of my favorite P&P characters in a continuation, but the writing style and plot just didn't click for me. Jeffers lifts a significant amount of her dialogue and descriptions from the original book and this feels a bit lazy,...more

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Jun 24, 2011 Diana rated it 1 of 5 stars

Since this was a freebie from B&N for the Nook, I guess I cannot complain too much....but I am going to provide my somewhat detailed opinion so someone else in my situation may choose something else form the freebie shelf.....

Let's start with, I enjoy Jane Austen, although I am not really a fanatic. I have even enjoyed some of the quirky Austen-themed novels of present-day girls transported to Austen England, etc. Therefore, when I found myself with nothing to read and spotted The Phantom of...more Since this was a freebie from B&N for the Nook, I guess I cannot complain too much....but I am going to provide my somewhat detailed opinion so someone else in my situation may choose something else form the freebie shelf.....

Let's start with, I enjoy Jane Austen, although I am not really a fanatic. I have even enjoyed some of the quirky Austen-themed novels of present-day girls transported to Austen England, etc. Therefore, when I found myself with nothing to read and spotted The Phantom of Pemberley on my shelf, I opened it up.

On the positive side, it is a mindless, fast read. That's all the positive I can say.

I understand from the author notes that Ms. Jeffers is a teacher and Austen enthusiast. Given that background, I would think she could have done a better job of maintaining some accuracy to the time and to the well-established characters. After about 100 pages, I was very bothered by something, which I had trouble placing. I soon realized it was the lifting of entire blocks of language from Austen - specifically Pride and Prejudice - and how out of place it sounded inserted into Ms. Jeffers' text. Her writing contained too much 21st century bias to make the story believable or even readable without argument from my subconscious. I soon understood it not to be just the prose that was "off," but the characters' behavior as well: significant and continual PDA (as in public display of affection)- I just don't think it would have happened in regency England - no matter how in love the married couple was - I certainly don't think that type of impropriety would have been exhibited by Elizabeth and Darcy.

Then, she seemed to have gotten all the characters wrong: Darcy as a love-besotted wimp, Elizabeth allowing the disgraced Lydia (of all her sisters) to visit, Lady Catherine as an impotent dowager clinging to the last of her resources. It just didn't sit well with me.

And there was the plot-line. Wickham issues aside, the idea that no one of consequence would know that there were secret passages inside the home is bordering on ridiculous, and the explanation even worse. Darcy and Wickham were off-siders as children, but one has extensive knowledge and experience with the passageways and the other is....oblivious? I believe that even the author recognized this deficiency, so she added that one servant who was aware, but then this one knowledgeable person doesn't say anything about it - not even after after 3 murders have been committed, hmmmm......

I see why the book is free - and I am slightly less stunned about the American educational crisis knowing that this author is a teacher.

Bottom line, there are a number of entertaining Austen-inspired works out there. For a real Austen enthusiast, I recommend taking the time to find those and giving this a pass.(less)

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May 25, 2011 Diana rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Warning: Contains a spoiler

So "Pride and Prejudice" is my favorite book of all time. As a result, I have looked down with scorn at the books by authors who have attempted to extend the Elizabeth and Darcy story for their own gains. Then B&N offered this book free for the Nook and I decided to give it a try if for no other reason than to inform myself of this genre of books and, hey, the price is right!

I can sum up the book in one word: AWFUL

Details of my opinion: First of all, you cannot rea...more Warning: Contains a spoiler

So "Pride and Prejudice" is my favorite book of all time. As a result, I have looked down with scorn at the books by authors who have attempted to extend the Elizabeth and Darcy story for their own gains. Then B&N offered this book free for the Nook and I decided to give it a try if for no other reason than to inform myself of this genre of books and, hey, the price is right!

I can sum up the book in one word: AWFUL

Details of my opinion: First of all, you cannot read 3 pages without there being an extended paragraph gushing about how much Elizabeth and Darcy love each other; were nothing before each other; feel they could walk on clouds; and other such sappily romantic things to the point that you want to throw up. Once I got beyond this, I was still stuck on how poorly the book was written. It just appeared amateurish, especially when comparing it to the original novel it stole the characters from. Next, I feel they changed the characteristics of some key characters from the original novel, which irked me. Also, the conflict in the original novel had to do with society norms, class standards, relationships, etc. This novel made the conflict murder, not just one murder but many. Hard to equate the two books.
Spoiler alert in the next statement, so stop reading this review if you actually think you may read this book:
Finally, the book completely "jumped the shark" (I know you like the Happy Days reference). Mr. Wickham was once again the bad guy, but in a completely different way. In P&P, Wickham was a ladies’ man, gambler and a schemer. his crimes were his debt and ruining the reputations of ladies. In this book, his crimes are murder, assault, and theft and the reason he has seemed to fall to such depths of depravity is that he suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. REALLY!??! The suave, debonair ladies man from the first novel has multiple personality disorder that makes him kill????? I can't support that. The author puts an appendix in the book noting that multiple personality disorder (or dissociative identity disorder as it is now called) has been recognized as a condition in some circles for over 200 years, but i think it is a huge stretch in this book.

So overall, I hated the book and I now feel I can look at this genre of novel with more educated scorn and contempt.
(less)

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Apr 12, 2011 Barbara rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me start off by stating that Pride And Prejudice is one of my all-time favorite novels. I love Jane Austen and Elizabeth Bennett is one of the best written female characters I have ever read. So, I have studiously avoided any novels related to Pride And Prejudice, be it a sequel or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Deluxe Edition (Quirk Classics). However, I came across The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Murder Mystery as a free Friday download from Barnes & Noble and decided...more Let me start off by stating that Pride And Prejudice is one of my all-time favorite novels. I love Jane Austen and Elizabeth Bennett is one of the best written female characters I have ever read. So, I have studiously avoided any novels related to Pride And Prejudice, be it a sequel or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Deluxe Edition (Quirk Classics). However, I came across The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Murder Mystery as a free Friday download from Barnes & Noble and decided to give it a shot.

Before you read any further, let me tell you that there will be spoilers in this review. I usually try to avoid spoilers, but find that when I don't like a book I have to include spoilers to fully describe what it is I don't like about it. I will, however, clearly mark where the spoilers are in case you want to avoid those remarks and continue on reading.

I've already stated that I did not like this book. However, my reasons for not liking this book actually surprised me. I felt no opposition to the way that the characters were treated. Darcy and Elizabeth are happily married, living at Pemberley with Georgianna. They are very passionate about each other, truly in love, and are truly partners. While awaiting a visit from Lydia, they are besieged by a snow storm and upon traveling to town to retrieve her, find that the local inn is overflowing with guests. As is due his station, Darcy agrees to invite some of the people at the inn to stay at Pemberley until the storm passes and the roads are clear. Here is where the mystery sets in. There are hints at underlying relationships between certain characters, including Lydia's husband George Wickham, who is not with her on her journey. All of them settle into an initially uneasy stay at Pemberley.

**SPOILERS WILL START HERE**
The mystery is what I really didn't like about the story. It felt too much like someone trying to write Jane Austen in the style of Agatha Christie, but coming up short on the Christie end. The coincidences revealed in the story are too much for my taste--both of Mrs. Wickham's traveling companions are connected to the family. Mr. Worth is both an acquaintance of Mr. Darcy and had previously prosecuted her husband for his debts. Both of these facts are unknown to Mrs. Wickham. Then, Mrs. Williams, who really isn't Mrs. Williams, is related to the man trying to blackmail Lady Catherine. It's too much for me. But, the real kicker is in the identity of the murderer. I fully suspected that Lydia Wickham was the intended target of the fall down the stairs, and it made sense that her husband would want to kill her while besmirching Darcy's good name. However, Wickham's multiple personality disorder was far too over the top for me. I can't believe that Lydia would tell her sister that she was being physically abused by her husband, but not tell her of his clearly mad behavior.
**END OF SPOILERS**

I was so disappointed when I got to the end of the story. I really thought that I would like it because the author has written a Darcy and Elizabeth that I enjoyed reading and didn't feel like it was belittling of the original work. However, the attempt at a Christie-type mystery was too much for me. I enjoy Agatha Christie as well, but this mystery didn't work like a Christie mystery. Instead of being left marveling in the skill of a well-written mystery, I was shaking my head in disappointment. (less)

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Jul 31, 2011 Hope rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is another of my library finds; it was on newly acquired fiction bookshelf. I had to get it because I love Pride and Prejudice, it is one of my favourite Jane Austen’s works and I also like to read sequels to Pride and Prejudice. So when I saw this book on the shelf I just new that I had to read it.

First I would like to start this review with the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth, it was pure cheese. I wanted to gag several times at it, because it was just too much. It was ridiculou...more This is another of my library finds; it was on newly acquired fiction bookshelf. I had to get it because I love Pride and Prejudice, it is one of my favourite Jane Austen’s works and I also like to read sequels to Pride and Prejudice. So when I saw this book on the shelf I just new that I had to read it.

First I would like to start this review with the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth, it was pure cheese. I wanted to gag several times at it, because it was just too much. It was ridiculous Elizabeth and Darcy could not have a normal conversation without saying to each other at least once every five minutes, something like this “I love you more than life itself” or calling each other “sweating” or telling each other that they could not live without each other. I am not exaggerating, this would happened in every scene between Darcy and Elizabeth. It was just too much for my taste.

The plot line, mystery behind the murder at Pemberley and mystery behind who the phantom of Penberley was was alright. There was enough mystery to keep me interested in the story, I wanted to know who the Phantom was at the end of the story. I do have to say I was surprised at the twist at the end of the story, it was nicely done. There are some new characters added story and some old characters make appearance too. Anne and Lady Catherine make appearance too and I have to say that Anne’s characters was made more interesting in this book. She was more independent and defied her mother openly.

If you are going into this book and expecting to read about accurate representation of Austen’s time period than this might not be book for you. But rather you have to look at it as a fun read and nothing else. There were some social situation that proper lady would never allow herself to be found in. For example, Elizabeth and Georgiana dressing up in a men’s clothing, I am pretty sure that that is a big NO even though it was just for doing a play with rest of the guests. But if you do not mind the lack of historical accuracy than this was a fun read.

Overall this was a fun read and I enjoyed it very much. If you like reading sequels to Pride and Prejudive than you might enjoy this one. It was well written and there was some character development. I give this book 3/5 STARS. (less)

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Mar 18, 2011 Angie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a Pride and Prejudice spin-off mystery. This book sounded so good and I looked at it several times before purchasing it. I love Austen, and I love mysteries, so what could go wrong? When I first started it, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be what I wanted it to be and I was right. The author made the relationship between Darcy and Lizzy just way too sappy to be believable throughout the entire book!(And that is hard for me because I like a little romance :)) That really detracted from...more

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Oct 22, 2010 Wanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, ebooks, mystery-thriller

May I begin by stating that I would have awarded this book 4 stars if it had not been for the author's overuse of telling us how much Elizabeth and Darcy have an undying love for one another? Well, for me, I don't typically partake of bodice rippers; so, with the author's overuse of the undying love element, the book had that feeling for me.

The author's interpretation of one of the original P&P characters (Wickham) and how he came to affect the characters contained within the Phantom of Pem...more

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Sep 12, 2011 michelle rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, 2011

Urg.

Sequels or companions to Pride and Prejudice are very hit and miss. I generally find those which work best are the ones that use the characters, but go off on a tangent of some sort, not trying to replicate the work of Austen.

I have read some good ones - Mr Darcy's Diary, for example - but most are pretty hideous.

I found myself irritated with this one from page one. I tried to push through to my standard 50 page minimum (for books I am at first ambivalent about) before throwing it aside,...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Jenifer Rosenberg rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, historical-fiction

I believe the subtitle of this books should be "The Awesome, Unflinching Adventures of Mary Sue Darcy" - because, as written by Jeffers, Elizabeth Darcy is super-human. The same woman who was rather choked up in Pride and prejudice to learn of her little sister's scandal was able to take mysterious murder in her own home with stride. The implication is that she and Darcy have such an amazingly, perfect, loving relationship that she need never cry again. In fact, the lingering on the relationship...more I believe the subtitle of this books should be "The Awesome, Unflinching Adventures of Mary Sue Darcy" - because, as written by Jeffers, Elizabeth Darcy is super-human. The same woman who was rather choked up in Pride and prejudice to learn of her little sister's scandal was able to take mysterious murder in her own home with stride. The implication is that she and Darcy have such an amazingly, perfect, loving relationship that she need never cry again. In fact, the lingering on the relationship is too, too detailed and involved. While the book claims to be in Regency style, it does lend itself to too much drawn-out information about the bedroom life of the Darcys.

Aside from the saccharine perfection and constant doting of our main characters, and the fact that everyone in the book - including unsavory characters - thinks that Elizabeth is the best person on Earth, the mystery aspect leaves much to be desired. I am an avid mystery reader as well as an Austen fan. I was excited to discover that the two had been combined. That said, some rules for good mystery writing were not followed here. I will not give away the plot for those who wish to read this despite all of the negative reviews, but the author cheats on the mystery. The reader is deliberately deceived, and not in a clever way. There might be one fleeting sentence in the book where you stop and think "Oh, is the author going there? Really? That would be a cop-out." Yes, she does go there. It is patently annoying. However, I believe she may have known that what she did was cheating, because there is an entire afterword that explains away/tries to excuse the cheat that was used. In addition to the cheat, Darcy is completely ignorant of the detailed workings of his household, which doesn't ring at all true.

I will say that some of the characters Jeffers introduces are interesting, albeit transparent. There is a point in the middle of the book where one forgets briefly how cloying the first third of the book had been, and actually has hope for the rest of the story. That point ends. The reader is left with a situation where flawless, superhuman Elizabeth does things she would not be physically and emotionally capable of, Darcy is so besotted with his wife and finding opportunities to bed her that he misses what is right under his nose, and a completely implausible and ridiculous "answer" to the mystery is presented. (less)

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Apr 22, 2011 Athena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Why, why, why, WHY do so many authors of this genre insist on pairing Geoogiana with Col. Fitzwilliam?!?! I understand that cousin marriage was done in Jane's day. Anne and Darcy were supposed to marry. Mr. Collins proposed to Lizzie. Fanny Price ended up with her cousin. However, we are no longer in that time period, and now cousin romance is seriously unappealing! Add to this the fact that he is Georgiana's co-guardian. This adds a creep factor. Oh yeah, and he's OLD. (Don't give me the that's...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Andrea Watson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book, although I'm not sure what diehard "Pride and Prejudice" fans would think. In general, I'm a fan of the historical novels, whether romance or mystery and this was a bit of both, although certainly much heavier on the mystery -- which suits my current mood just fine.
The book follows Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth after their marriage as they deal with a house full of unexpected guests and a murderer. Enlisting the help of a few of their guests, the couple attempts to track down the...more

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May 02, 2011 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: finished-2011, fiction, mystery

I'm always skeptical when I pick up a book that claims to continue Elizabeth and Darcy's story post-Pride & Prejudice. I have never made it more than ten pages into one, and I figured this book would be the same. More anachronistic attitudes and behaviors, speech, and actions on the part of the characters I love so dearly...but actually, this book stayed as true to the original as I think it could have. I liked the character development of those from the actual book - Lady Catherine, Anne, G...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Kristal rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not the worst Pride&Prejudice spinoff I have read, but not the best by any means. The author's attempt at recreating Jane Austin's writing style fell flat for me. I was rolling my eyes after the 10th "My Husband, My Wife, My Love" that the author kept throwing into the conversations.
I thought the mystery the author created was great. I did not see the end coming. However, to get to the end was a bit long and slow paced. There were times I would look down to see how far through the book I was...more

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Mar 26, 2011 JoyfulK rated it 3 of 5 stars

The interactions in this book between the Austen characters were very interesting. Unfortunately, the plot involving Wickham (to say more would spoil it) was incredible---not incredible as in great, but as in not believable. It wasn't psychologically believable, despite the afterword, nor was I able to suspend disbelief about the plot. And although one reviewer comments that Jeffers writes in "Regency style", she does not, in several important ways. She uses direct dialog, not indirect; and most...more

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Jul 21, 2012 S. J. rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans already reading Jane Austen pastiches and who love mysteries

Recommended to S. by: Bookshelf

Shelves: awesome-heroines, brilliant-averageness, jane-austen-pastiches-and-fan-ficti, mystery, award-winning

*3.5- 4 Stars*

*The Gush*
Pride and Prejudice...and a mystery. Two of my favorite things in the universe. While not perfect, I found this to be a quite delightful read. I've read a great deal of the published Jane Austen 'fan fiction' and this is among the better ones. Not only does the author avoid placing modern morals on 19th century people, but she does an adequate job of capturing the voice.

Characters:
No characters from the books appear wrong and the new characters are wonderfully described a...more *3.5- 4 Stars*

*The Gush*
Pride and Prejudice...and a mystery. Two of my favorite things in the universe. While not perfect, I found this to be a quite delightful read. I've read a great deal of the published Jane Austen 'fan fiction' and this is among the better ones. Not only does the author avoid placing modern morals on 19th century people, but she does an adequate job of capturing the voice.

Characters:
No characters from the books appear wrong and the new characters are wonderfully described and interact with our old friends with no hint of self-consciousness. Many of our characters change and develop, the best example being Anne de Bourgh who really shines. Lydia becomes nearly pitiable and George Wickham is quite interesting. Our favorites, Darcy and Lizzy, do an adequate job as Nick and Nora even though the author works hard to not only obscure their understanding of the circumstances but the reader's as well.

Plot:
Apart from the mystery, the story is engaging with people we already love or come to love. Life's trials and tribulations make the people in this story shine or dim. Dialogue plays a big part as people's affections wax and wane.
The mystery itself is...mixed. It has all the earmarks of a great mystery but...well see below.

Writing:
Some reviews have mentioned the writing. While at times somewhat stilted, I still found it quite readable and better than others I've read.

*The Rant*
Ok, here's the thing. I guessed this mystery early on - like in the 150 to 200 page range. And since this is the least likely thing to be connected with P&P possible, that's saying something. More importantly, it's not even a real mystery. A mystery, a true mystery, allows you clues and the characters is in front of the camera and a part of the story. An idea, a person mentioned but not shown, doesn't count.
So I will admit to being disappointed not only with the fact that the cover lies (murder 'mystery' indeed), but also by the fact that I figured it out anyway. I'm head back to Christie.

*Conclusion*
A decent P&P continuation with some suspense and a bit of mystery. If you alrady read P&P fan fiction, definitely worth it. If not, try another first. If you want a good mystery-read the P.D. James one Death Comes to Pemberley that just came out. It's at the top of my to read pile right now.(less)

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Apr 25, 2011 Diana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: chic-lit, drama-llama, fluffanutter, freefriday, mystery-thriller

I was impressed with how well Jeffers was able to stick to the characters of Austen's Pride and Prejudice while still creating her own work. She even drew upon inferences of the original to further round out the characters.

The suspense and plot of the "phantom" story was very well done and could have easily been a stand alone story. Austen's characters did add something to it, though, and I enjoyed it.

But I did not like how she felt she needed to repeat verbatim favorite lines from the original...more

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Oct 13, 2010 Dancer rated it 5 of 5 stars

It drives me crazy when someone criticizes an author for adding parts of the original story line to sequel. That is why I buy a Jane Austen variation. I want MORE Austen. And despite what some believe, MANY people in the world are not familiar with Austen's works. Therefore any writer using her story lines MUST explain the relationships between the characters while establishing a new beginning. Plus, possibly, the author's publishing company requires that the person add Austen's language.

This is...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Paul Jackson rated it 2 of 5 stars

While not the worst Pride and Prejudice followup this is pretty bad.

The "mystery" was exceedingly obvious from very early on, at least in its primary form. Puerile and obvious doesn't make for a good story.

The authors continually dropping in direct quotes from Pride and Prejudice was vaguely amusing at first but quickly got tiresome.

The characterization wasn't atrocious but neither was it spot on. The interplay between Darcy and Elizabeth felt a little forced. In fairness, getting this right is...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Marti rated it 3 of 5 stars

Free Friday ebook This was really a pleasant continuation of the Pride and Prejudice story--in fact, I believe that I shall tackle the original as it was included in the library of my nook. The premise is that after Darcy and Elizabeth travel to meet her sister Lydia, they, and some other travelers encounter a fierce winter storm, and the whole company is forced to shelter at the estate for some days. Several people are murdered, and there are mysterious goings on. A few romances start to develo...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the book overall. In the beginning the writing seemed very forced into a bad imitation of Austen's style. However, once the characters were all in place and the plot evolved the story improved. A little over half way through the book the "mystery was obvious" as well as who the phantom was. In fact the diversion on all who might be involved with the deaths wasn't a diversion at all, but obvious almost right away.

So as a suspense book it is not suspenseful. As a book of Austen's beautif...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

This is the first "sequel" book to Pride & Prejudice I have read. It is a stand-alone book and not a part of a series like many of the "sequel" books out and I chose The Phantom of Pemberley because of the mystery element worked into the story, I was not disappointed. I enjoyed this book much more than the other Jeffers book I read "The Scandal of Lady Eleanor" and she did a fairly decent job maintaining the feel and voices of the original Austin characters.

Of course Elizabeth and Darcy are...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, for-fun

While I normally don't expect much from the various Austen "sequels" that have appeared over the past few years (and frankly, most of the Austen fanfiction is better written online), I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. While the romance between Lizzy and Darcy was a bit idealized (shockingly little disagreement between two very passionate people), and the solution to the mystery more than a little far-fetched, the book was well-written, interesting, and kept me transfixed...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hmmm. Mixed review. I liked the suspense, the twists, the turns, and the innovative ending. I liked the new characters, and how they entwined with the old familiars. I liked getting to know Anne and Georgiana better.

I did not like reading about Elizabeth and Darcy's intimate moments. This just seemed...wrong. Kind of like finding out your parents have sex. You know it happens, but you don't want the details. It seems a betrayal of the time period, the original novel, and doesn't fit in or add a...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Tracy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Pride and Prejudice fans, Elizabeth and Darcy lovers, cozy mystery readers

Shelves: boy-man-masculine-tales, classic-characters, crime-tales, fiction, girl-woman-feminine-tales, love-tales, mystery-suspense, marriage-tales, sequels

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Definitely a good read. It was a mystery, well-written and in the Regency style (via the blurb on the back of the book), and had a good buildup of suspense and drama (plenty of drama!), as well as the key elements first introduced in Pride and Prejudice: the importance of family and finding a good match.

I actually enjoyed reading this much more than the original Pride and Prejudice. This book was sort of a "sequel" in which Elizabeth and Darcy have been married a year, are Mistress and Master o...more Definitely a good read. It was a mystery, well-written and in the Regency style (via the blurb on the back of the book), and had a good buildup of suspense and drama (plenty of drama!), as well as the key elements first introduced in Pride and Prejudice: the importance of family and finding a good match.

I actually enjoyed reading this much more than the original Pride and Prejudice. This book was sort of a "sequel" in which Elizabeth and Darcy have been married a year, are Mistress and Master of Pemberley and are very, very, very much in love. An unexpected winter storm strands a diverse group of people at Pemberley, a few of which the Darcys know, including Elizabeth's sister Lydia (sans husband), viscount Stafford (who apparently knew Darcy's cousin colonel Edward) and Nigel Worth, a lawyer who knows Darcy because of his dealings with paying of Mr. Wickham's gambling debts, and Darcy's cousin Anne de Bough and his estranged Aunt, Lady Catherine. There's also the viscount's mistress and a naval widow, and Anne's maid, Mrs. Jenkinson. Elizabeth and Darcy were only supposed to host Lydia and Darcy's cousin and aunt, but took pity on those he knew stranded at the station where they picked up Lydia.

Meanwhile, just before taking home so many guests, Elizabeth and Darcy (and Darcy's sister Georgiana) started noticing strange figures lurking around the Pemberley grounds and in the house, hearing strange sounds, noticing objects like candle holders and bedding and food disappearing. With all the guests, the strange events slowly began to escalate, from petty theft to acts of vandalism and mischief and then to murder.

It's sort of a detective story, but not really, but Darcy and Elizabeth are hardly amateur sleuths, but they do their best. They are still baffled by the occurrences, and have no idea how the "phantom(s)" are getting around the house and how he/she/it/they is/are not being noticed by anyone other than Darcy's staff.

In between the mystery parts matches are being made, and love is being declared (sometimes over and over and over and over again), honors and reputations are being tested, and the plot of Pride and Prejudice is being rehashed (again, sometimes over and over and over and over). Some of this dragged for me; I kept putting the book down and coming back to it, and I was happy to get to the end of the book. The idea of this particular plot (with all its twists and turns) was interesting enough, and at first, it was sort of page turner where I wanted to know what would happen next, but there were too many subplots and the above mentioned for it to keep the good momentum from the beginning. I don't regret buying it or reading it though, it was fun and interesting, and there were solid resolutions to all the subplots and for the characters left in "limbo" in at the end of Pride and Prejudice, like Anne, Georgiana, and even Lady Catherine. The only one who made out terribly was Lydia, but the resolution for her was probably for the best, given the situation.

At the end of the book, there's a few pages of some history regarding mental illness and split personalities in the Victorian area—how there were mental illnesses documented, but without the names that we have today to label them with. I kind of skimmed it, but it was nice to have a touch of history to make a plot point more relevant. (less)

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title link	preview: The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Murder Mystery
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7972174-the-phantom-of-pemberley?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328751864l/7972174.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7972174-the-phantom-of-pemberley?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Murder Mystery by Regina Jeffers[/url]

The Phantom of Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Murder Mystery (Pride and Prejudice Murder Mystery)

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