I enjoyed the meticulous "world-building" in this book set a few years after Pride and Prejudice. It was almost like a police procedural set in 1806! I learned a lot about how investigations and trials worked in that time period in England. That was the best thing about this book. Otherwise, it didn't really work for me.

If you're looking for an actual sequel to P and P, this isn't it. While there are characters named Darcy and Elizabeth, et al, they aren't really very much like Austen's characters. Elizabeth is hardly there at all, and mostly just adoringly affirms her husband (which is not what Austen's character would do, I'm sure), and Darcy sits and watches a lot. Neither of them are instrumental in the solving of the mystery. I was a bit taken aback at how one of my fave secondary characters (Colonel Fitzwilliam) is portrayed-- stuffy and pompous. So if you're wondering how E and D fared after marriage, this probably isn't the sequel you want.

I did find the development amusing because once again, it takes a village-- heck, a whole county-- to support the Wickhams. Practically everyone in the book has to help Lt. Wickham and Lydia move on with their lives! That was very true to the original P and P! They're still about the biggest no-counts in the kingdom!