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Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mysteries #4
The Matters at Mansfield: Or, The Crawford Affair
After their recent adventures with hidden treasure and secrets from the past, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy are looking forward to enjoying a quiet spell at Pemberley with their new daughter, but their hoped-for peace is short-lived.
Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, is eager to arrange a lucrative and socially acceptable match for her daughter, Anne. Of course, Lady Catherine has not taken into account such frivolous matters as love or romance, let alone the wishes of her daughter. Needless to say, there is much turmoil when the young bride-to-be elopes.
In pursuit of the headstrong young couple, the Darcys speed to Mansfield Park - where the usually intricate game of marriage machinations becomes even more convoluted by lies and deception. The Darcys know that love and marriage can be a complex and dangerous business - one that can even lead to murder.
Anne's betrothal is further complicated by codes of honor, rival lovers, and mistaken identity. The Darcys must sort out the matters at hand in a manner that is quiet enough to avoid scandal - yet swift enought to avert disaster.
The Darcys take center stage as the Regency era's answer to The Thin Man's Nick and Nora, searching for truth between tea times, amidst the social swirl of Jane Austen's England.
Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, is eager to arrange a lucrative and socially acceptable match for her daughter, Anne. Of course, Lady Catherine has not taken into account such frivolous matters as love or romance, let alone the wishes of her daughter. Needless to say, there is much turmoil when the young bride-to-be elopes.
In pursuit of the headstrong young couple, the Darcys speed to Mansfield Park - where the usually intricate game of marriage machinations becomes even more convoluted by lies and deception. The Darcys know that love and marriage can be a complex and dangerous business - one that can even lead to murder.
Anne's betrothal is further complicated by codes of honor, rival lovers, and mistaken identity. The Darcys must sort out the matters at hand in a manner that is quiet enough to avoid scandal - yet swift enought to avert disaster.
The Darcys take center stage as the Regency era's answer to The Thin Man's Nick and Nora, searching for truth between tea times, amidst the social swirl of Jane Austen's England.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
16 people are currently reading
981 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Bebris
19 books236 followersCarrie began her career in publishing after previous roles as a newspaper reporter and college English teacher.
As an editor for fantasy publisher TSR, Inc., she developed supplements for the Dungeons & Dragons® roleplaying game before striking out on her own as a freelance writer and editor. She wrote two fantasy novels, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (2001) and Shadowborn (1998, with William W. Connors), before making her mystery debut in 2004 with Pride and Prescience.
In addition to fiction, Carrie pens remodeling articles for Better Homes and Gardens® Special Interest Publications and writes other nonfiction. She has also edited such books as Tea with Jane Austen (by Kim Wilson) and Walking with
William Shakespeare (by Anne-Marie Edwards). She is on the faculty of the
Antioch Writers' Workshop and speaks frequently about writing and publishing.
Carrie holds a master’s degree in English literature with an emphasis on 19th-century authors and studied Austen on the graduate level with one of today’s most respected Austen scholars. She is a life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and travels to England to enhance her understanding of Austen’s life and work.
Originally from Wisconsin, Carrie now lives in Ohio. When not writing, she likes to travel, watch costume dramas that send her husband fleeing the house, and indulge in her love of all things British. She is currently working on her next novel, based on Persuasion.
As an editor for fantasy publisher TSR, Inc., she developed supplements for the Dungeons & Dragons® roleplaying game before striking out on her own as a freelance writer and editor. She wrote two fantasy novels, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (2001) and Shadowborn (1998, with William W. Connors), before making her mystery debut in 2004 with Pride and Prescience.
In addition to fiction, Carrie pens remodeling articles for Better Homes and Gardens® Special Interest Publications and writes other nonfiction. She has also edited such books as Tea with Jane Austen (by Kim Wilson) and Walking with
William Shakespeare (by Anne-Marie Edwards). She is on the faculty of the
Antioch Writers' Workshop and speaks frequently about writing and publishing.
Carrie holds a master’s degree in English literature with an emphasis on 19th-century authors and studied Austen on the graduate level with one of today’s most respected Austen scholars. She is a life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and travels to England to enhance her understanding of Austen’s life and work.
Originally from Wisconsin, Carrie now lives in Ohio. When not writing, she likes to travel, watch costume dramas that send her husband fleeing the house, and indulge in her love of all things British. She is currently working on her next novel, based on Persuasion.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
May 1, 2018
Finally an ACTUAL murder, most foul! And the decedent will not be missed!
You know what this one really reminded me of? If Agatha Christie were writing Pride and Prejudice episodes, no really, it's set in a small village in northern England- not far from Gretna Green and there are suspects aplenty!
I won't give it away, but it did have me guessing almost till the end. ;]
You know what this one really reminded me of? If Agatha Christie were writing Pride and Prejudice episodes, no really, it's set in a small village in northern England- not far from Gretna Green and there are suspects aplenty!
I won't give it away, but it did have me guessing almost till the end. ;]
January 21, 2021
Now that Lily-Anne is born and is teething, the couple gets invited to a country house party along with the usual suspects. Lady Catherine is arranging a marriage with Neville Sennex, son of Lord Sennex and an arrogant, hot-tempered man. But it appears that Anne de Bourgh has had enough of her mother and decides to elope with the pleasant Mr Crawford (a nod to Mansfield Park here). In pursuit of the couple, everyone ends up at an inn near Mansfield Park and bodies start piling up. Could it be the unthinkable?
I am rather glad that Bebris finally decided to do away with the supernatural stuff completely. There is absolutely nothing of the sort in this 4th book of the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries series. Instead, it's a proper historical mystery. Bebris dropped the ball on some dialogues which stand out like a sore thumb in the otherwise authentic Austenesque period. But she got a lot of small details right, so these small mistakes are excusable.
I got a bit tired of Elizabeth being bullied by Lady Catherine and listening to it silently all the time "only because ..." some reason concocted by Bebris. It got annoying quite rapidly because Lady Catherine is also given to a lot of abuse at the drop of a hat. Bebris SAYS Elizabeth stands up to her but she really does not. Not once in this book! The quiet Anne herself does a better job of it. At times, I felt that the story just dragged but the humour in some scenes kept it from getting too dreary.
I liked the solution. It is definitely not one most authors would have chosen and I liked how Bebris chose to buck the trend. The characters were well-drawn and I especially enjoyed the scenes in which Meg appeared. I overall enjoyed the story and breezed through the book despite its shortcomings.
I am rather glad that Bebris finally decided to do away with the supernatural stuff completely. There is absolutely nothing of the sort in this 4th book of the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries series. Instead, it's a proper historical mystery. Bebris dropped the ball on some dialogues which stand out like a sore thumb in the otherwise authentic Austenesque period. But she got a lot of small details right, so these small mistakes are excusable.
I got a bit tired of Elizabeth being bullied by Lady Catherine and listening to it silently all the time "only because ..." some reason concocted by Bebris. It got annoying quite rapidly because Lady Catherine is also given to a lot of abuse at the drop of a hat. Bebris SAYS Elizabeth stands up to her but she really does not. Not once in this book! The quiet Anne herself does a better job of it. At times, I felt that the story just dragged but the humour in some scenes kept it from getting too dreary.
I liked the solution. It is definitely not one most authors would have chosen and I liked how Bebris chose to buck the trend. The characters were well-drawn and I especially enjoyed the scenes in which Meg appeared. I overall enjoyed the story and breezed through the book despite its shortcomings.
September 28, 2014
Review first published at Babblings of a Bookworm: http://babblingsofabookworm.blogspot....
Please note, that while the following review doesn't contain spoilers for The Matters at Mansfield there are slight spoilers for Mansfield Park. Read on at your peril!
Carrie Bebris has written a number of these mysteries, each with a link to one of Jane Austen’s novels and featuring Mr and Mrs Darcy as the investigators. I believe this is the fourth book in the Mr & Mrs Darcy Mysteries series, but it read fine as a stand alone. I was immediately drawn into the story by my affinity with a scene of exhaustion that most parents would be familiar with – dealing with a child going through a spell of teething.
“It is a truth less frequently acknowledged, that a good mother in possession of a single child, must be in want of sleep.”
Mr and Mrs Darcy are staying at a friend's country house, in company with their infant daughter, Lily-Anne (query – does anybody know when hyphenating names became usual? It seems too modern to me, but I could well be wrong) and her nursemaid. Also at the party are Lady Catherine and her daughter Miss Anne de Bourgh, and Colonel Fitzwilliam. After spending interminable time settling her daughter Elizabeth goes back to her bedroom, still in the early hours of the morning. She bumps into Anne de Bourgh, fully dressed, who proffers some hasty excuses for her presence out of her bed in the middle of the night, though she needn’t have bothered, due to poor Elizabeth’s sleep deprived state!
“The thought had not so much as entered Elizabeth’s mind, which was primarily occupied with calculating how many hours; sleep she might yet manage to capture if she nodded off immediately upon reaching her pillow.”
However, the next day Elizabeth thinks things over, and comes to the conclusion that Anne needs help to break away from Lady Catherine’s control. She raises this with Mr Darcy, who here is shown to have a view of his cousin that I always suspected when reading Pride and Prejudice:
“To Darcy, his cousin was merely a vassal in Lady Catherine’s tightly controlled court. In all the years of their growing up, he had never thought of her as an independent being, and seldom thought of her at all.”
Lady Catherine has plans for Anne, however. Now the upstart Mrs Darcy has blighted Lady Catherine’s matrimonial ambitions Lady Catherine must make other plans for her daughter, and this time she is holding out for a titled gentleman, doing her best to manipulate the doddering Lord Sennex into agreeing a match between his son and Anne. However, Anne has been considering whether to break out from her mother’s control, and Elizabeth inadvertently encourages Anne to embark on a very rash course of action involving a gentlemen who can be met in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, the charming Mr Henry Crawford.
Through a series of events including an accidental injury to Anne, many of the party end up stuck in an inn until Anne is enough recovered to be moved. Unfortunately for Mr Crawford, it’s in an area of the country where he is about as popular as smallpox – the inn is close to the environs of Mansfield Park! In relation to the events of Mansfield Park we are just about at the end, although for me the timeline didn’t quite work, as I think Fanny’s marriage wouldn’t have taken place until things were more settled with Maria – here Maria is staying with her Aunt Norris, who is trying to effect a reconciliation with Mr Rushworth.
It was refreshing to see Mr Crawford finally be held to account for some of his wrongdoing, he’s always got away with things in the past. He is fairly unapologetic for his behaviour, which I thought was exactly in accordance with his character, since he’s never tried to behave as he should in preference to behaving as he wants:
“I realize I have acted badly, but if my attempt to explain is going to elicit naught but hostility I must beg leave to postpone further discussion of the matter.”
It turns out that Mr Crawford has behaved much worse than at first was thought, and his sins are beginning to catch up with him. Soon there is a dead body to account for, which is followed by other deaths... but who is responsible?
I quite enjoy cosy mysteries, and I enjoyed this one, although since I am no Miss Marple I only worked out part of the plot in advance, and the rest of it I realised not long before all was revealed! I am not sure it is true to say in this case that Mr and Mrs Darcy investigated, instead Mrs Darcy was first exhausted with the demands of her child, and then by the demands of her tiresome aunt by marriage! However, the time that Mr and Mrs Darcy spent together was really delightful, I liked to see their close relationship and to see that Mrs Darcy had lost none of her teasing, saucy speeches! There were some lovely humorous parts, mostly in the dialogue between the Darcys or in their private thoughts, e.g.:
“Darcy shifted in his chair and stole what he hoped was a discreet glimpse at his pocketwatch. Midnight – a mere six minutes since his last covert glance. His suspicions were confirmed.
He would die at this card table.”
I am so glad I picked this book up, I really enjoyed it, and I’d like to read other books in the series. There are quite a few of them. In order, they are: Pride and Prescience: Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged, Suspense and Sensibility: Or, First Impressions Revisited, North By Northanger: Or The Shades of Pemberley, The Matters at Mansfield: Or, The Crawford Affair, The Intrigue at Highbury: Or, Emma's Match and The Deception at Lyme: Or, The Peril of Persuasion. According to Carrie Bebris’ website she is currently writing one related to Sanditon, The Suspicion at Sanditon (Or, The Disappearance of Lady Denham) which is planned for completion in 2014.
Please note, that while the following review doesn't contain spoilers for The Matters at Mansfield there are slight spoilers for Mansfield Park. Read on at your peril!
Carrie Bebris has written a number of these mysteries, each with a link to one of Jane Austen’s novels and featuring Mr and Mrs Darcy as the investigators. I believe this is the fourth book in the Mr & Mrs Darcy Mysteries series, but it read fine as a stand alone. I was immediately drawn into the story by my affinity with a scene of exhaustion that most parents would be familiar with – dealing with a child going through a spell of teething.
“It is a truth less frequently acknowledged, that a good mother in possession of a single child, must be in want of sleep.”
Mr and Mrs Darcy are staying at a friend's country house, in company with their infant daughter, Lily-Anne (query – does anybody know when hyphenating names became usual? It seems too modern to me, but I could well be wrong) and her nursemaid. Also at the party are Lady Catherine and her daughter Miss Anne de Bourgh, and Colonel Fitzwilliam. After spending interminable time settling her daughter Elizabeth goes back to her bedroom, still in the early hours of the morning. She bumps into Anne de Bourgh, fully dressed, who proffers some hasty excuses for her presence out of her bed in the middle of the night, though she needn’t have bothered, due to poor Elizabeth’s sleep deprived state!
“The thought had not so much as entered Elizabeth’s mind, which was primarily occupied with calculating how many hours; sleep she might yet manage to capture if she nodded off immediately upon reaching her pillow.”
However, the next day Elizabeth thinks things over, and comes to the conclusion that Anne needs help to break away from Lady Catherine’s control. She raises this with Mr Darcy, who here is shown to have a view of his cousin that I always suspected when reading Pride and Prejudice:
“To Darcy, his cousin was merely a vassal in Lady Catherine’s tightly controlled court. In all the years of their growing up, he had never thought of her as an independent being, and seldom thought of her at all.”
Lady Catherine has plans for Anne, however. Now the upstart Mrs Darcy has blighted Lady Catherine’s matrimonial ambitions Lady Catherine must make other plans for her daughter, and this time she is holding out for a titled gentleman, doing her best to manipulate the doddering Lord Sennex into agreeing a match between his son and Anne. However, Anne has been considering whether to break out from her mother’s control, and Elizabeth inadvertently encourages Anne to embark on a very rash course of action involving a gentlemen who can be met in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, the charming Mr Henry Crawford.
Through a series of events including an accidental injury to Anne, many of the party end up stuck in an inn until Anne is enough recovered to be moved. Unfortunately for Mr Crawford, it’s in an area of the country where he is about as popular as smallpox – the inn is close to the environs of Mansfield Park! In relation to the events of Mansfield Park we are just about at the end, although for me the timeline didn’t quite work, as I think Fanny’s marriage wouldn’t have taken place until things were more settled with Maria – here Maria is staying with her Aunt Norris, who is trying to effect a reconciliation with Mr Rushworth.
It was refreshing to see Mr Crawford finally be held to account for some of his wrongdoing, he’s always got away with things in the past. He is fairly unapologetic for his behaviour, which I thought was exactly in accordance with his character, since he’s never tried to behave as he should in preference to behaving as he wants:
“I realize I have acted badly, but if my attempt to explain is going to elicit naught but hostility I must beg leave to postpone further discussion of the matter.”
It turns out that Mr Crawford has behaved much worse than at first was thought, and his sins are beginning to catch up with him. Soon there is a dead body to account for, which is followed by other deaths... but who is responsible?
I quite enjoy cosy mysteries, and I enjoyed this one, although since I am no Miss Marple I only worked out part of the plot in advance, and the rest of it I realised not long before all was revealed! I am not sure it is true to say in this case that Mr and Mrs Darcy investigated, instead Mrs Darcy was first exhausted with the demands of her child, and then by the demands of her tiresome aunt by marriage! However, the time that Mr and Mrs Darcy spent together was really delightful, I liked to see their close relationship and to see that Mrs Darcy had lost none of her teasing, saucy speeches! There were some lovely humorous parts, mostly in the dialogue between the Darcys or in their private thoughts, e.g.:
“Darcy shifted in his chair and stole what he hoped was a discreet glimpse at his pocketwatch. Midnight – a mere six minutes since his last covert glance. His suspicions were confirmed.
He would die at this card table.”
I am so glad I picked this book up, I really enjoyed it, and I’d like to read other books in the series. There are quite a few of them. In order, they are: Pride and Prescience: Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged, Suspense and Sensibility: Or, First Impressions Revisited, North By Northanger: Or The Shades of Pemberley, The Matters at Mansfield: Or, The Crawford Affair, The Intrigue at Highbury: Or, Emma's Match and The Deception at Lyme: Or, The Peril of Persuasion. According to Carrie Bebris’ website she is currently writing one related to Sanditon, The Suspicion at Sanditon (Or, The Disappearance of Lady Denham) which is planned for completion in 2014.
April 8, 2009
I knew this was a bad idea, and I read it anyhow.
To the tune of "The Humans are Dead,"
This book was so bad,(I knew it was bad)
This book was so bad,(Don't read it - it's bad)
I gagged at the pages (I told you it was bad)
It dragged on for ages (It took forever and was bad)
A remake of Jane
Why did they do it?
It caused me great pain
I wish I could sue it
It was lame and pointless, I couldn't wait to finish so I could put this mother'uckin' tripe down!
This book was so bad,(Trust me, it's bad)
This book was so bad,(The whole idea was bad)
I gagged at the pages (Week-old-fish-level bad)
It dragged on for ages (Seriously a waste of time - and bad)
This book was bad!
Come on sucker, flip the pages!
Quiet like you're in the library, this book is bad bad bad bad bad bad bad baddddddddddddddddddead.......
To the tune of "The Humans are Dead,"
This book was so bad,(I knew it was bad)
This book was so bad,(Don't read it - it's bad)
I gagged at the pages (I told you it was bad)
It dragged on for ages (It took forever and was bad)
A remake of Jane
Why did they do it?
It caused me great pain
I wish I could sue it
It was lame and pointless, I couldn't wait to finish so I could put this mother'uckin' tripe down!
This book was so bad,(Trust me, it's bad)
This book was so bad,(The whole idea was bad)
I gagged at the pages (Week-old-fish-level bad)
It dragged on for ages (Seriously a waste of time - and bad)
This book was bad!
Come on sucker, flip the pages!
Quiet like you're in the library, this book is bad bad bad bad bad bad bad baddddddddddddddddddead.......
August 29, 2021
Another fun read in this series. This time, the Darcys meet several of the characters from Mansfield Park (which I finished right before reading this one), including most prominently Henry Crawford and secondarily Sir Thomas Bertram, Mrs. Norris (as odious as she is in the original), Maria Rushworth nee Bertram, Mr. Rushworth, Mrs. Rushworth (his mother), and Edmund Bertram. Henry Crawford ends up marrying Anne de Bourgh (that's right, Lady Catherine's daughter) much to her mother's displeasure and the displeasure of the Viscount who had negotiated her engagement to his son with Lady Catherine, and everyone ends up in Mansfield. With each book in this series, Lady Catherine becomes more and more unpleasant. And it turns out the Henry Crawford is as much a roué in this book as in the original. What starts as one murder turns into three, and once again Elizabeth and Darcy investigate and discover the truth.
Read
November 3, 2017Quick summary: The Matters at Mansfield, or The Crawford Affair is the fourth book in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery series by Carrie Bebris. The novel brings Elizabeth and Darcy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, along with their baby daughter, to Riveton Hall as a guest of Darcy’s cousin, the Earl of Southwell. While Lady Catherine is scheming behind her daughter’s back to arrange a seemingly advantageous marriage, Elizabeth inadvertently encourages Anne to make her own decisions. After Anne elopes with Henry Crawford, the Darcys, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Lady Catherine find themselves at an inn near Mansfield Park, and the Darcys soon find themselves sorting through a case of multiple identities, duals, betrayals, and of course, murder.
Why I wanted to read it: I loved the first book in the series, Pride and Prescience, and am intrigued by the Darcys as amateur sleuths.
What I liked: The Matters at Mansfield is the fourth in the series, but it stands on its own. I couldn’t bring myself to return this book to the library unread, so I took a chance and was pleasantly surprised by the lack of spoilers from the previous installments. I loved how Anne shocked her mother by running off to get married, and I loved seeing a more sinister side to Lady Catherine. I wasn’t sure how Bebris would bring together Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park, but it worked. I figured out who the villain was early on, but that didn’t bother me, especially since all the twists in the murder mystery kept me on my toes.
What I disliked: I only wish the characters from Mansfield Park, aside from Henry Crawford, had been featured more prominently.
Final thoughts: This is such a delightful series! The mysteries are complex enough to hold my attention, even if I do manage to pick out the villain fairly quickly, and they are well paced. I enjoy watching Elizabeth and Darcy mature as a couple and as detectives, and I love to see them interact with characters from Austen’s other novels. I definitely intend to read the whole series.
Review posted on Diary of an Eccentric
Why I wanted to read it: I loved the first book in the series, Pride and Prescience, and am intrigued by the Darcys as amateur sleuths.
What I liked: The Matters at Mansfield is the fourth in the series, but it stands on its own. I couldn’t bring myself to return this book to the library unread, so I took a chance and was pleasantly surprised by the lack of spoilers from the previous installments. I loved how Anne shocked her mother by running off to get married, and I loved seeing a more sinister side to Lady Catherine. I wasn’t sure how Bebris would bring together Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park, but it worked. I figured out who the villain was early on, but that didn’t bother me, especially since all the twists in the murder mystery kept me on my toes.
What I disliked: I only wish the characters from Mansfield Park, aside from Henry Crawford, had been featured more prominently.
Final thoughts: This is such a delightful series! The mysteries are complex enough to hold my attention, even if I do manage to pick out the villain fairly quickly, and they are well paced. I enjoy watching Elizabeth and Darcy mature as a couple and as detectives, and I love to see them interact with characters from Austen’s other novels. I definitely intend to read the whole series.
Review posted on Diary of an Eccentric
August 1, 2022
Le ire di Lady Catherine
Decisamente la migliore finora fra le quattro indagini di Mr. e Mrs. Darcy apparse in Italia. È un giallo vero, non ci sono circostanze misteriose spiegabili solo con fenomeni paranormali, come nei casi precedenti. I personaggi sono fedelissimi al modello di Jane Austen, di cui Bebris si conferma profonda conoscitrice (azzeccatissime le citazioni dai romanzi e dalle lettere all'inizio di ogni capitolo), anzi, ci sono delle schermaglie verbali fra i coniugi Darcy che sembrano quasi uscire dalla penna di Jane Austen! Molti colpi di scena, come in ogni giallo che si rispetti... sebbene i protagonisti del matrimonio finale siano già stati 'accoppiati' da altre scrittrici (Amanda Grange in 'Darcy's Diary' e Colleen McCullough in 'L'Indipendenza della signorina Bennet'... Beh, in realtà è una scelta azzeccata!).
Anche se non vi sono piaciuti i precedenti, o non vi interessano i gialli, ve ne consiglio la lettura: non vorrete mica perdervi le ire di Lady Catherine De Bourgh per la fuga d'amore di Anne!... (anche se accade all'inizio del romanzo, non vi svelo con chi!!!)
Decisamente la migliore finora fra le quattro indagini di Mr. e Mrs. Darcy apparse in Italia. È un giallo vero, non ci sono circostanze misteriose spiegabili solo con fenomeni paranormali, come nei casi precedenti. I personaggi sono fedelissimi al modello di Jane Austen, di cui Bebris si conferma profonda conoscitrice (azzeccatissime le citazioni dai romanzi e dalle lettere all'inizio di ogni capitolo), anzi, ci sono delle schermaglie verbali fra i coniugi Darcy che sembrano quasi uscire dalla penna di Jane Austen! Molti colpi di scena, come in ogni giallo che si rispetti... sebbene i protagonisti del matrimonio finale siano già stati 'accoppiati' da altre scrittrici (Amanda Grange in 'Darcy's Diary' e Colleen McCullough in 'L'Indipendenza della signorina Bennet'... Beh, in realtà è una scelta azzeccata!).
Anche se non vi sono piaciuti i precedenti, o non vi interessano i gialli, ve ne consiglio la lettura: non vorrete mica perdervi le ire di Lady Catherine De Bourgh per la fuga d'amore di Anne!... (anche se accade all'inizio del romanzo, non vi svelo con chi!!!)
May 9, 2011
Cute. I could copy and paste my review of the other Carrie Bebris book I read in this series, it's essentially the same. This series supposes Mr and Mrs Darcy after their marriage accidentally stumbling into mysteries in a Nich and Nora Charles type of way, and using characters from all the Austen books in one way or another, not just the ones from Pride and Prejudice. Usually the sort of thing my snobby, 19th-centruy-literature-obsessive mind would rebel against, but for some reason Ms Bebris makes these books gentle and natural. the story almost never seems forced and the language and attitudes feel genuine.
They're cute books. Not high-art and not particularly thought-provoking, but just the sort of senseless candy a mind likes to taste while dozing in a hammock in the late spring.
recommended, if you're in to this sort of thing.
They're cute books. Not high-art and not particularly thought-provoking, but just the sort of senseless candy a mind likes to taste while dozing in a hammock in the late spring.
recommended, if you're in to this sort of thing.
November 29, 2020
I know this was a reread, but I couldn't remember what happened! I really enjoy how the author gives us "the rest of the story" for some of Austen's minor characters. And I don't really feel transported out of Austen's world for the most part (well, book 2 was a bit out there). Elizabeth and Darcy are fun to follow. I just find this series an enjoyable continuation of Austen's characters.
October 16, 2022
Definitely 5 stars on this one. This has to be one of the best in this series. The ending alone was fantastic. While I thought I had figured it out the twist ended up taking me completely by surprise.
January 15, 2019
3.5 stars. This was a very entertaining read. It was very cool to see some of the Mansfield Park characters again.
June 28, 2010
Would you ever expect to meet Miss Anne De Bourgh suspiciously wandering at night? Not in Pride & Prejudice , but in this lovely mystery story by Carrie Bebris this is exactly what happens to Mrs Darcy. Her strange night meeting with Darcy’s former betrothed opens a sequence of surprising facts which will bring Mr and Mrs Darcy to an engaging investigation.
Carrie Bebris is very good at reproducing the witty language style and the atmospheres we Janeites are well acquainted with. Don’t you agree?
The Matters at Mansfield is the fourth of the Mr & Mrs Darcy’s Mystery series and is the latest translated into Italian as “ L’Enigma di Mansfield Park” - but not the latest publication by Bebris - which is, instead, The Intrigue at Highbury ( my review here) . I got this translation directly from TEA, Italian publisher of Bebris’s Mysteries.
As I wrote while reviewing The Intrigue at Highbury , it is a delight to be back among our favourite characters and see them act and speak as we remembered but it is even more delightful to see them interact and intermingle in a new and unexpected way.
Let’s go on with some questions? Would you ever think Anne de Bourgh may elope and secretly marry a fascinating rascal? Moreover, would you imagine four different men desiring to get her as their wife? Incredible? Not if you read The Matters at Mansfield.
Lady Catherine De Bourgh is eager to arrange a lucrative and socially advantageous match for her daughter, Anne. Of course, her ladyship has not taken into account such frivolous matters as love or romance, let alone the wishes of her daughter.
The male protagonist is Henry Crawford, one of Jane Austen’s fascinating rogues. Do you think him capable of redemption? This is what Carrie Bebris wondered while writing this story. Read what she herself said about her Mr Crawford:
“He is an enigmatic character, Mr. Henry Crawford—so utterly charming, yet so utterly callous. Readers have been debating for two centuries whether this favorite Austen rogue is capable of redemption.
I decided to find out.
If you have read Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, you have met Mr. Crawford, the charismatic cad who embarks on a series of calculated flirtations that leave more than one casualty in his wake. By the end of Austen’s novel, he is a man with numerous enemies: the disgraced Maria Rushworth, her humiliated husband, her scandalized father, her reprehensible Aunt Norris . . . to name a few.
And that was before he crossed Lady Catherine de Bourgh. It seems that while Lady Catherine was busy minding the Darcys’ business at Pemberley in North by Northanger, she should have kept a closer eye on her own affairs. Or at least, on her own daughter.
She now finds herself forced to solicit the Darcys’ assistance in resolving a certain matter requiring the utmost discretion. It is one of many matters that challenge Elizabeth and Darcy as they navigate a web of deception to determine which denizen of Mansfield Park harbors the strongest malice toward Henry Crawford”
If I must find a flaw in this story, I’ll honestly tell you I didn’t like Mr and Mrs Darcy as a married couple. They seem to have lost all the attraction and tension between them, as it very often happen to any ordinary long-settled couple. I’d have expected more active interaction , more passionate conversation … even stormy arguments between them. However, on the whole, the plot and the style are lively, the mystery intriguing , the characters engaging and the finale quite surprising . I’m sure you won’t regret to choose this novel as one of your next summer reads.
Have a look at my online version of this review at http://thesecretunderstandingofthehea...
Carrie Bebris is very good at reproducing the witty language style and the atmospheres we Janeites are well acquainted with. Don’t you agree?
The Matters at Mansfield is the fourth of the Mr & Mrs Darcy’s Mystery series and is the latest translated into Italian as “ L’Enigma di Mansfield Park” - but not the latest publication by Bebris - which is, instead, The Intrigue at Highbury ( my review here) . I got this translation directly from TEA, Italian publisher of Bebris’s Mysteries.
As I wrote while reviewing The Intrigue at Highbury , it is a delight to be back among our favourite characters and see them act and speak as we remembered but it is even more delightful to see them interact and intermingle in a new and unexpected way.
Let’s go on with some questions? Would you ever think Anne de Bourgh may elope and secretly marry a fascinating rascal? Moreover, would you imagine four different men desiring to get her as their wife? Incredible? Not if you read The Matters at Mansfield.
Lady Catherine De Bourgh is eager to arrange a lucrative and socially advantageous match for her daughter, Anne. Of course, her ladyship has not taken into account such frivolous matters as love or romance, let alone the wishes of her daughter.
The male protagonist is Henry Crawford, one of Jane Austen’s fascinating rogues. Do you think him capable of redemption? This is what Carrie Bebris wondered while writing this story. Read what she herself said about her Mr Crawford:
“He is an enigmatic character, Mr. Henry Crawford—so utterly charming, yet so utterly callous. Readers have been debating for two centuries whether this favorite Austen rogue is capable of redemption.
I decided to find out.
If you have read Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, you have met Mr. Crawford, the charismatic cad who embarks on a series of calculated flirtations that leave more than one casualty in his wake. By the end of Austen’s novel, he is a man with numerous enemies: the disgraced Maria Rushworth, her humiliated husband, her scandalized father, her reprehensible Aunt Norris . . . to name a few.
And that was before he crossed Lady Catherine de Bourgh. It seems that while Lady Catherine was busy minding the Darcys’ business at Pemberley in North by Northanger, she should have kept a closer eye on her own affairs. Or at least, on her own daughter.
She now finds herself forced to solicit the Darcys’ assistance in resolving a certain matter requiring the utmost discretion. It is one of many matters that challenge Elizabeth and Darcy as they navigate a web of deception to determine which denizen of Mansfield Park harbors the strongest malice toward Henry Crawford”
If I must find a flaw in this story, I’ll honestly tell you I didn’t like Mr and Mrs Darcy as a married couple. They seem to have lost all the attraction and tension between them, as it very often happen to any ordinary long-settled couple. I’d have expected more active interaction , more passionate conversation … even stormy arguments between them. However, on the whole, the plot and the style are lively, the mystery intriguing , the characters engaging and the finale quite surprising . I’m sure you won’t regret to choose this novel as one of your next summer reads.
Have a look at my online version of this review at http://thesecretunderstandingofthehea...
December 4, 2009
Poor Anne de Bourgh, at the age of twenty-eight she still remains single, friendless, and under her mother's management. For twenty-eight years she has been subjected to her mother's dictatorial and domineering personality and has been forced to play the part of an invalid. Furthermore, because her mother went around proclaiming to everyone that she was the next Mrs. Darcy, Anne feels all the humiliation of her cousin's recent marriage to Elizabeth Bennet. If that's not enough, the future doesn't look very promising for Anne either, as her mother is arranging her marriage to the ill-tempered and abusive Neville Sennex. What is Anne to do? After some kind words of encouragement from Elizabeth, Anne decides to take matters into her own hands. Little did Elizabeth know that her advice would result in Anne de Bourgh sneaking off to Greta Green in the middle of a ball and eloping with none other than Henry Crawford!
When Anne's flight and destination are realized, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Darcy travel in pursuit of the couple and are instructed to bring them to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who is most seriously displeased by this whole affair! But matters become more complicated when a carriage accident that injures Anne detains them in a village called Mansfield, the last village Mr. Crawford would ever want to set foot in again! As soon as word gets out that Mr. Crawford is in town with a Mrs. Crawford, he encounters unpleasant and hostile reunions with all whom he has wronged: an indignant Mr. Rushworth and his mother are first to come pay their respects, followed by a furious Maria Rushworth and Mrs. Norris, and an unforgiving Edmund Bertram. In addition, Lady Catherine comes barreling into Mansfield with Elizabeth Darcy to add to the merry group and have her turn at berating Henry Crawford...
Unfortunately, Lady Catherine's berating will have to wait as more mysterious happenings commence in Mansfield: the arrival of a mysterious woman, the discovery of a dead body, and the disappearance of Mr. Crawford! While it is true that many may want Mr. Crawford dead, would any of these wronged people commit murder? Or perhaps, Mr. Crawford wanted to avoid facing the consequences of his own actions? Or was there a duel of honor with the very dishonorable Mr. Crawford? The evidence is very equivocal and it appears it will take some shrewd deduction and surreptitious investigation by Mr. and Mrs. Darcy to solve this mystery.
I am very much enjoying this series by Carrie Bebris and I love her diligence and dexterity in incorporating characters from other novels seamlessly and satisfyingly. I loved how this novel took us back to Mansfield to visit with some of our old friends, and I enjoyed seeing Mr. and Mrs. Darcy encounter the likes of Mrs. Norris! However, I was a little disappointed that Fanny did not make an appearance in this novel.
While I was very pleased with the author's treatment of Anne de Bourgh in giving her a delightful spirit and story, I was a little dissatisfied with her portrayal of Henry Crawford. Is he a scoundrel? Is he reformed? Is he in love? It was as if he had many personalities or characters and I felt as if I never got to the true Henry Crawford. Aside from that, “Matters at Mansfield” was truly an enjoyable read and I highly recommend this series to fans of Jane Austen and the mystery genre.
Austenesque Reviews
When Anne's flight and destination are realized, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Darcy travel in pursuit of the couple and are instructed to bring them to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who is most seriously displeased by this whole affair! But matters become more complicated when a carriage accident that injures Anne detains them in a village called Mansfield, the last village Mr. Crawford would ever want to set foot in again! As soon as word gets out that Mr. Crawford is in town with a Mrs. Crawford, he encounters unpleasant and hostile reunions with all whom he has wronged: an indignant Mr. Rushworth and his mother are first to come pay their respects, followed by a furious Maria Rushworth and Mrs. Norris, and an unforgiving Edmund Bertram. In addition, Lady Catherine comes barreling into Mansfield with Elizabeth Darcy to add to the merry group and have her turn at berating Henry Crawford...
Unfortunately, Lady Catherine's berating will have to wait as more mysterious happenings commence in Mansfield: the arrival of a mysterious woman, the discovery of a dead body, and the disappearance of Mr. Crawford! While it is true that many may want Mr. Crawford dead, would any of these wronged people commit murder? Or perhaps, Mr. Crawford wanted to avoid facing the consequences of his own actions? Or was there a duel of honor with the very dishonorable Mr. Crawford? The evidence is very equivocal and it appears it will take some shrewd deduction and surreptitious investigation by Mr. and Mrs. Darcy to solve this mystery.
I am very much enjoying this series by Carrie Bebris and I love her diligence and dexterity in incorporating characters from other novels seamlessly and satisfyingly. I loved how this novel took us back to Mansfield to visit with some of our old friends, and I enjoyed seeing Mr. and Mrs. Darcy encounter the likes of Mrs. Norris! However, I was a little disappointed that Fanny did not make an appearance in this novel.
While I was very pleased with the author's treatment of Anne de Bourgh in giving her a delightful spirit and story, I was a little dissatisfied with her portrayal of Henry Crawford. Is he a scoundrel? Is he reformed? Is he in love? It was as if he had many personalities or characters and I felt as if I never got to the true Henry Crawford. Aside from that, “Matters at Mansfield” was truly an enjoyable read and I highly recommend this series to fans of Jane Austen and the mystery genre.
Austenesque Reviews
June 22, 2011
This is the fourth in Carrie Bebris’s Mr. and Mrs. Darcy series – a take off of the Austen classic after it ends, with a Nick and Nora flavor to it. This time, Darcy’s cousin Anne (of Lady Catherine) has shocked and astonished them all by eloping to Gretna Green with a man she has just met, the very night her mother has arranged a very advantageous marriage for her. Now, Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam are pursuing her and her mysterious fiance to Scotland while Elizabeth is stuck with Lady Catherine and her indignation. When the entire party is reunited, they’re in for a shock. Not only by who Anne has married but his past. Struggling through cases of mixed identities, adulterous affairs, duels, and dead men walking, will Anne finally find love? And will Lady Catherine let her?
I am an avid fan of Austen spin-offs (in case you haven’t perused my book review list) and Carrie Bebris’s works are some of my favorites. They don’t slip down the tawdry path or modernizing the romantic and physical aspects of Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship, but instead takes the world of Austen and transforms it into an engaging mystery series. She manages to build a good enough bridge into the other works of Austen and insert the Darcys and other P&P characters right in. And on top of this, she writes a durn good mystery. I’m not a huge mystery buff and I enjoy these not only for the familiar characters but for the mystery. There’s just the merest hint of the supernatural, and while there are usually enough clues throughout to allow you to figure out the culprit(s) long before the end, you enjoy the literary journey so much that you don’t really mind.
It’s been at least a year or two since I’ve read the last novel in this series, so I’m not super confident in comparing it to the others which precede it. However, I do know that I enjoyed this book immensely, especially as it utilized one of my favorite roguish characters from the Austenverse – Mr. Crawford. It also fills in the characters of both Anne and Colonel Fitzwilliam in a highly satisfactory manner and abuses Lady Catherine even more satisfactorily (who doesn’t want Lady Catherine to get her come-uppance?)
I am an avid fan of Austen spin-offs (in case you haven’t perused my book review list) and Carrie Bebris’s works are some of my favorites. They don’t slip down the tawdry path or modernizing the romantic and physical aspects of Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship, but instead takes the world of Austen and transforms it into an engaging mystery series. She manages to build a good enough bridge into the other works of Austen and insert the Darcys and other P&P characters right in. And on top of this, she writes a durn good mystery. I’m not a huge mystery buff and I enjoy these not only for the familiar characters but for the mystery. There’s just the merest hint of the supernatural, and while there are usually enough clues throughout to allow you to figure out the culprit(s) long before the end, you enjoy the literary journey so much that you don’t really mind.
It’s been at least a year or two since I’ve read the last novel in this series, so I’m not super confident in comparing it to the others which precede it. However, I do know that I enjoyed this book immensely, especially as it utilized one of my favorite roguish characters from the Austenverse – Mr. Crawford. It also fills in the characters of both Anne and Colonel Fitzwilliam in a highly satisfactory manner and abuses Lady Catherine even more satisfactorily (who doesn’t want Lady Catherine to get her come-uppance?)
February 6, 2023
THIS was what I've been waiting for this whole series. A roller coaster ride of twists and turns and our beloved Darcy and Elizabeth at the center of it. Anne de Burgh and Col. Fitzwilliam were a delight, and I haven't cancelled all plans because I just *had* to know what came next in a book in a long while! It wasn't perfect, but it's been my surprise favorite of the series.
I love the premise of Carrie Bebris' series- follow Darcy and Elizabeth through the milestones of their married life, and solve some mysteries along the way! Sadly, that premise has only been so-so in execution for the first couple of books. The supernatural themes of Pride and Prescience, and Suspense and Sensibility, made me feel like the author wasn't sure what series she wanted to write. It needed to be either "The Supernatural Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy", or a good old classic who-dunnit. Not "the supernatural *might* be real" (book 1), then "Oh the supernatural is very real" (book 2), then "there's some eerie things but they can be explained away" (book 3). I read the author's notes explaining where her approach to each of the stories came from, and I appreciate her inspiration (especially for Suspense and Sensibility), but even so, it's just discordant bordering on false advertising to say that this series is a Regency "Nick and Nora" (from Dashiell Hammett's "The Thin Man") and then make the first half of the series supernatural. I've read and enjoyed supernatural Sherlock Holmes pastiches (currently enjoying the HP Lovecraft crosssover series by James Lovegrove), but I went into those knowing that this was the genre I was signing on for.
North by Northanger was previously my favorite Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery, because I loved the way it incorporated Mr. Tilney into the story, and because I was okay with the suggestion of the supernatural, in keeping with Northanger Abbey being Jane Austen's answer to the Gothic fiction of her day. But The Matters at Mansfield absolutely eclipsed it! Nothing supernatural, just Henry Crawford creating mess after mess with his many lies, multiple dead bodies and missing evidence, and Anne de Burgh finally defying her mother's tyranny to be a delightful character in her own right.
I only have a few complaints, and here they are:
1. Lack of involvement from the characters of Mansfield Park. We barely see Edmund Bertram, and never Fanny Price. Mostly it's the location of Mansfield Park, Edmund's father Sir Thomas, and Mr. Crawford who give the story its tie-in with the Mansfield Park novel. There's also some scenes with the Rushworths, Edmund's disgraced sister Maria, and Mrs. Norris. I wish Edmund would have played a bigger role, and that we could have seen Fanny!
2. Meg's character fell flat for me when she's first introduced, and it only gets worse from there. The character Meg I think was designed to be a bit of a modern heroine mixed with some comedic relief, maybe? Doesn't matter, because she lost me with her treatment of Lady Catherine, and the sloppy portrayal of a lower class individual encountering the upper classes.
First off, Lady Catherine is an arrogant, egotistical, class-obsessed bully. Everyone knows that, and nobody approves of it, not even Austen's own characters. (We won't count Mr. Collins.) HOWEVER, one of the best scenes in Pride and Prejudice is Elizabeth standing up to Lady Catherine, because she doesn't have to act like an asshole to succeed. She states her truth, is polite and firm, never loses her temper even when stating that Lady Catherine has insulted her, and never resorts to insults and belittling. She simply says 'no' to Lady Catherine, and stands by it. Absolute powerhouse, because she's conducting herself with better manners and behavior than Lady Catherine despite being insulted for being gentry rather than aristocracy.
Meg, on the other hand, behaves just as badly as Lady Catherine does. If Lady Catherine is polite to her, she's polite back, but if Lady Catherine is angry, Meg responds by belittling Lady Catherine as being old and senile and near death. She starts talking about her to other characters like she's not there, and doesn't take her seriously. She stops treating Lady Catherine as a person, and instead acts like she's a rowdy animal or nonverbal toddler to calm. It's gaslighting, dehumanizing, and just as horrible to read as any of Lady Catherine's worst rants. And Meg outright states that she does it with any older person who's upset. So basically, while Lady Catherine abuses her rank to bully non-aristocrats into doing what she wants, Meg abuses her youth to shut down any older person who doesn't do what she wants. How the hell am I supposed to find that funny?! Or root for her?! Elizabeth is still the GOAT. Full stop.
It also bothers me because while Carrie Bebris seems to go out of her way to research the Regency period and reconstruct it as close to accurate as possible, Meg throws all that accuracy out the window. She's not only lower ranking than Lady Catherine, she's not from the gentry at all. Being the daughter of an Earl, Lady Catherine would be considered an aristocrat, or Upper class. (AKA the rank that includes royalty and is as high as you can go socially.) Meg seems to have come from either the Fifth or Sixth class (almost the opposite end of the social spectrum, as the Seventh is the lowest), and her disputed marriage to a merchant marine (no spoilers) would have elevated her only to the Third class, if I'm reading the social chart I looked up correctly. (Please forgive me if I'm wrong.) What I'm not wrong about, however, is that Meg is WAY too low on the social scale to act the way she does, spirited heroine or not. There's no way you can convince me that anyone would have tolerated her behavior towards Lady Catherine, no matter how abrasive Lady Catherine is to her peers. Meg's character is neither believable, nor enjoyable, and I have zero interest in her finding an HEA for herself.
3. I will never be okay with the fact that we don't find out the ultimate fate of Charleybane! The abused Thoroughbred mare who desperately needed a good home, is last seen when she gets loose and shows up at the inn. We never find out who ultimately takes her in after all is said and done, and I'm salty because of all the characters in this story, I was seriously invested in her getting a happily ever after.
I love the premise of Carrie Bebris' series- follow Darcy and Elizabeth through the milestones of their married life, and solve some mysteries along the way! Sadly, that premise has only been so-so in execution for the first couple of books. The supernatural themes of Pride and Prescience, and Suspense and Sensibility, made me feel like the author wasn't sure what series she wanted to write. It needed to be either "The Supernatural Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy", or a good old classic who-dunnit. Not "the supernatural *might* be real" (book 1), then "Oh the supernatural is very real" (book 2), then "there's some eerie things but they can be explained away" (book 3). I read the author's notes explaining where her approach to each of the stories came from, and I appreciate her inspiration (especially for Suspense and Sensibility), but even so, it's just discordant bordering on false advertising to say that this series is a Regency "Nick and Nora" (from Dashiell Hammett's "The Thin Man") and then make the first half of the series supernatural. I've read and enjoyed supernatural Sherlock Holmes pastiches (currently enjoying the HP Lovecraft crosssover series by James Lovegrove), but I went into those knowing that this was the genre I was signing on for.
North by Northanger was previously my favorite Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery, because I loved the way it incorporated Mr. Tilney into the story, and because I was okay with the suggestion of the supernatural, in keeping with Northanger Abbey being Jane Austen's answer to the Gothic fiction of her day. But The Matters at Mansfield absolutely eclipsed it! Nothing supernatural, just Henry Crawford creating mess after mess with his many lies, multiple dead bodies and missing evidence, and Anne de Burgh finally defying her mother's tyranny to be a delightful character in her own right.
I only have a few complaints, and here they are:
1. Lack of involvement from the characters of Mansfield Park. We barely see Edmund Bertram, and never Fanny Price. Mostly it's the location of Mansfield Park, Edmund's father Sir Thomas, and Mr. Crawford who give the story its tie-in with the Mansfield Park novel. There's also some scenes with the Rushworths, Edmund's disgraced sister Maria, and Mrs. Norris. I wish Edmund would have played a bigger role, and that we could have seen Fanny!
2. Meg's character fell flat for me when she's first introduced, and it only gets worse from there. The character Meg I think was designed to be a bit of a modern heroine mixed with some comedic relief, maybe? Doesn't matter, because she lost me with her treatment of Lady Catherine, and the sloppy portrayal of a lower class individual encountering the upper classes.
First off, Lady Catherine is an arrogant, egotistical, class-obsessed bully. Everyone knows that, and nobody approves of it, not even Austen's own characters. (We won't count Mr. Collins.) HOWEVER, one of the best scenes in Pride and Prejudice is Elizabeth standing up to Lady Catherine, because she doesn't have to act like an asshole to succeed. She states her truth, is polite and firm, never loses her temper even when stating that Lady Catherine has insulted her, and never resorts to insults and belittling. She simply says 'no' to Lady Catherine, and stands by it. Absolute powerhouse, because she's conducting herself with better manners and behavior than Lady Catherine despite being insulted for being gentry rather than aristocracy.
Meg, on the other hand, behaves just as badly as Lady Catherine does. If Lady Catherine is polite to her, she's polite back, but if Lady Catherine is angry, Meg responds by belittling Lady Catherine as being old and senile and near death. She starts talking about her to other characters like she's not there, and doesn't take her seriously. She stops treating Lady Catherine as a person, and instead acts like she's a rowdy animal or nonverbal toddler to calm. It's gaslighting, dehumanizing, and just as horrible to read as any of Lady Catherine's worst rants. And Meg outright states that she does it with any older person who's upset. So basically, while Lady Catherine abuses her rank to bully non-aristocrats into doing what she wants, Meg abuses her youth to shut down any older person who doesn't do what she wants. How the hell am I supposed to find that funny?! Or root for her?! Elizabeth is still the GOAT. Full stop.
It also bothers me because while Carrie Bebris seems to go out of her way to research the Regency period and reconstruct it as close to accurate as possible, Meg throws all that accuracy out the window. She's not only lower ranking than Lady Catherine, she's not from the gentry at all. Being the daughter of an Earl, Lady Catherine would be considered an aristocrat, or Upper class. (AKA the rank that includes royalty and is as high as you can go socially.) Meg seems to have come from either the Fifth or Sixth class (almost the opposite end of the social spectrum, as the Seventh is the lowest), and her disputed marriage to a merchant marine (no spoilers) would have elevated her only to the Third class, if I'm reading the social chart I looked up correctly. (Please forgive me if I'm wrong.) What I'm not wrong about, however, is that Meg is WAY too low on the social scale to act the way she does, spirited heroine or not. There's no way you can convince me that anyone would have tolerated her behavior towards Lady Catherine, no matter how abrasive Lady Catherine is to her peers. Meg's character is neither believable, nor enjoyable, and I have zero interest in her finding an HEA for herself.
3. I will never be okay with the fact that we don't find out the ultimate fate of Charleybane! The abused Thoroughbred mare who desperately needed a good home, is last seen when she gets loose and shows up at the inn. We never find out who ultimately takes her in after all is said and done, and I'm salty because of all the characters in this story, I was seriously invested in her getting a happily ever after.
October 15, 2015
This book was entertaining and kept my mind off of things for a while, so I have to give it some credit. Obviously it was nothing like an authentic book by Jane Austen. To me, it is silly to even expect such a thing. So I am judging it as a mystery based on Jane Austen, against other mysteries based on Jane Austen. On that score it does fairly well. There are anachronisms in speech as usual and one has to suspend disbelief somewhat more than in other imitation-Austen books because of the mystery. Some of the characters were done better than others. I found Henry Crawford more believable than Elizabeth, for instance. It's pretty easy to figure out part of the solution to the mystery but I confess to being surprised by the other part. I liked that the author gave Mr. Rushworth a happy ending as I have always felt sorry for him. I thought it interesting that the author chose not to let Fanny Price step into the picture at all, but I think that is probably for the best. Fanny is often misunderstood by readers as it is and she cannot be an easy character to depict in a setting full of criminal activity! It is almost impossible to imagine. Thank goodness the author did not attempt it.
March 25, 2015
This is the 4th book in the Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery series. Darcy and Elizabeth attend a ball and find out that Lady Catherine has plans to wed her daughter, Anne, to a rather odious man who has an estate and title that Lady Catherine covets. They are shocked to find that Anne has run off to Gretna Green to marry Henry Crawford, with Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam in pursuit. All becomes more complicated when a wife, a dead body, and dueling pistols appear at Mansfield Park. Elizabeth and Darcy must figure out what is going on and try to save Anne from a perilous situation. This was an interesting mix in of characters and situations, continuing to develop the series, but without the mystical elements that occurred in the first two books.
January 28, 2024
In Mr & Mrs. Darcy's fourth adventure they are sucked into Anne deBourgh's personal drama as she elopes to Gretna with a Mr Crawford who she met at Bath when Lady C left her in the previous story.
RN I can't amend my review of the previous book so here it is North by Northanger
I read this book back in 2012 and of course remember almost nothing of it.
In this third Mr & Mrs. Darcy series an invitation to Northanger Abbey under the guise of friendship leads to Mr. Darcy being charged with theft and Lady Catherine installing herself at Pemberley.
Much chaos will ensue until Mr. Darcy s exonerated
RN I can't amend my review of the previous book so here it is North by Northanger
I read this book back in 2012 and of course remember almost nothing of it.
In this third Mr & Mrs. Darcy series an invitation to Northanger Abbey under the guise of friendship leads to Mr. Darcy being charged with theft and Lady Catherine installing herself at Pemberley.
Much chaos will ensue until Mr. Darcy s exonerated
August 8, 2017
This book was a surprisingly fun, if rather melodramatic, read. I did not know I had been rooting for Lady Catherine's daughter to find happiness until I read this book.
December 25, 2017
I liked the way the author developed the character of Anne in this book.
April 22, 2022
Meno soprannaturale me lo ha fatto apprezzare più degli ultimi che ho letto; scorrevole, semplice, mi è simpatica Anne de Bourgh
October 11, 2019
As far as Austen follow-ons go, this one isn't too bad, if you can get past the "Darcy Detectives" angle and just eat it like the mental popcorn it is. Weaving Mansfield Park with the main characters from P & P is a novel idea, but at first I wasn't sure, as Mansfield Park is my favourite Austen novel.
Brebis (whose surname means "sheep", though that's neither here nor there, but it makes me grin) handles the period idiom reasonably well, though she did trip up on a few modernisms. A thing would not have "suited Elizabeth just fine" in Austen's day, it would have "suited her very well." In Austen's day "fine" meant expensive or of good quality, such as fine wine or a fine house, or sunny and warm in terms of weather. Toward the end she has Darcy ask the Viscount, "If you will allow us a couple questions more." Ouch!! Never would Darcy have used that phrase. He might have said something like "allow us to ask you only two more questions", but never "a couple questions more."
I could forgive Brebis the few linguistic stumbles if it weren't for the "surprise reveal" at the end. Oh dear. It was not only silly and unbelievable, it felt like lazy writing by an authoress who was tired of her book but just had to add one more plot twist. Most unfortunate that she chose that particular one.
Brebis (whose surname means "sheep", though that's neither here nor there, but it makes me grin) handles the period idiom reasonably well, though she did trip up on a few modernisms. A thing would not have "suited Elizabeth just fine" in Austen's day, it would have "suited her very well." In Austen's day "fine" meant expensive or of good quality, such as fine wine or a fine house, or sunny and warm in terms of weather. Toward the end she has Darcy ask the Viscount, "If you will allow us a couple questions more." Ouch!! Never would Darcy have used that phrase. He might have said something like "allow us to ask you only two more questions", but never "a couple questions more."
I could forgive Brebis the few linguistic stumbles if it weren't for the "surprise reveal" at the end. Oh dear. It was not only silly and unbelievable, it felt like lazy writing by an authoress who was tired of her book but just had to add one more plot twist. Most unfortunate that she chose that particular one.
January 22, 2025
This series has been a little hit or miss for me, so I’m happy to say I enjoyed this one. The mystery kept me reading, more for the motive and method, rather than the whodunnit. Darcy and Elizabeth were well written, and I loved their relationship and how they complement and support each other. I was pleased to have Anne de Bourgh show a little backbone; she has always been such a pitiable character. Lady Catherine was as ruthless as ever, although I question whether she would truly seek out a match for her only, beloved, and carefully protected daughter with a violent, dishonorable, manchild…titled or not.
If the Pride and Prejudice elements worked for me, the Mansfield Park ones were less successful. Bebris did not come close to mastering Mrs Norris, one of the most vicious and aggravating characters in Austen’s canon, and I feel like even her handling of Henry Crawford was shaky. He felt out of character to me no matter what he was doing. It was also disappointing to me that so little time was spent at Mansfield Park itself and that Fanny was briefly mentioned, but never seen.
If the Pride and Prejudice elements worked for me, the Mansfield Park ones were less successful. Bebris did not come close to mastering Mrs Norris, one of the most vicious and aggravating characters in Austen’s canon, and I feel like even her handling of Henry Crawford was shaky. He felt out of character to me no matter what he was doing. It was also disappointing to me that so little time was spent at Mansfield Park itself and that Fanny was briefly mentioned, but never seen.
July 8, 2020
I find this series delightful and this I especially enjoyed this installation. This novel focuses on Anne de Bourgh (Darcy's cousin and Lady Catherine's daughter) and Bebris did a marvelous job of showing her as a person, not just Lady Catherine's sickly daughter. As many of us suspected, much of her "fragile health" was due to Lady Catherine's smothering and refusal to let Anne do anything. When Lady Catherine decides she must see Anne wed, Anne finally decides to stand up to her mother (or at least run away from her). Unfortunately, no one could have foreseen the chain of events that would be set in motion. And of course, Elizabeth and Darcy are on hand to be roped into "fixing" the situation. And I love that the reader can see most of it was due to Lady C's interference and arrogance to begin with. I was able to feel much more pity for Anne than I did even in the original P&P. As usual, Bebris does a good job of "meshing" P&P with Mansfield and showing characters that were already known to Austen fans. I can't wait to read more of these!
August 25, 2021
In the first 50 or so pages I was very frustrated, as it seemed like the author was going to be yet another Henry Crawford apologist. Instead I was delighted that the author portrayed him exactly as Austen herself did- an exceedingly charming rake, convinced that he is saving women with his very interest in them when in most situations they'd be better off without him. He gets what's coming to him.
I also feel that a lot of authors really struggle with their portrayals of Anne de Bourgh, not knowing exactly what to do with her. Bebris took a confident stance on her personality and it worked. And it made it reasonably realistic that Colonel Fitzwilliam and Anne would make a good pair, so much so that by 1/3 of the way through the novel I was actively rooting for it.
Could have used more of Edmund and the non-appearing Fanny, because while Mansfield Park is my least favorite of Austen's novels, I do still love it, and there is a derth of them in fan works.
I also feel that a lot of authors really struggle with their portrayals of Anne de Bourgh, not knowing exactly what to do with her. Bebris took a confident stance on her personality and it worked. And it made it reasonably realistic that Colonel Fitzwilliam and Anne would make a good pair, so much so that by 1/3 of the way through the novel I was actively rooting for it.
Could have used more of Edmund and the non-appearing Fanny, because while Mansfield Park is my least favorite of Austen's novels, I do still love it, and there is a derth of them in fan works.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2016
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
August 21, 2020
I will never understand why fan fiction so often seems to sensationalize the classics. . . I did like the continuation of the original story of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, as I have always thought that it would be better if love stories didn't so often end once the couple is married, since it doesn't give us any idea of what life is to be like after vows have been spoken. But I thought that the story was greatly sensationalized, taking things that were already sensitive subjects in Jane Austen's original novels, and building upon them as a foundation to make the story even more scandalous. I can't help feeling very sorry for Anne, and wondering how Jane would feel about what has been done to her characters. Although, at least, it did end well enough, in spite of everything.
August 8, 2019
A murder again--or in this case, three murders! Unlike previous entries in this series, where I was able to guess the culprit more quickly, this one did throw me for a loop. I had to feel bad for Henry Crawford, though--the book makes him out to be a lying bigamist, among other things, yet I've always had a soft spot for Henry. (I think he and Fanny could have had a pretty successful relationship if he wasn't so weak-willed and easily bored.)
Elizabeth and Darcy are always haring off from Pemberley for weeks at time; I hope they have good staff, because they rarely seem to be both at home in these books!
Elizabeth and Darcy are always haring off from Pemberley for weeks at time; I hope they have good staff, because they rarely seem to be both at home in these books!
May 5, 2023
Still enjoying this series. It has been years since I read Mansfield Park, so I probably missed many of the allusions; I also found it rather confusing. The Darcys now have an infant daughter. Lady Catherine is trying to marry off her daughter Anne, if she can find someone lofty enough to meet her pedigree requirements. When Anne throws everything into turmoil by eloping, the Darcys go after her. There are so many twists and turns I can't even begin to explain the plot. A murder, of course, a duel of honor gone awry? Mistaken identities, several trips to Gretna Green in Scotland, and more. Darcy's cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, also gets involved and appears to be very interested in Anne.
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