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Who Shot Mr Darcy?: A 'Pride and Prejudice' Variation
Mr Jonathan Phillips was certainly not in the best of moods. Yesterday had been an unusually hard day for him, and he could barely think how he was going to cope with all that it entailed.
He looked over the manuscript he held in his hand then said blandly, “‘A respectable gentleman travelling on business was shot yesterday outside the town of Meryton, near the ancient Roman ruins.’ Is that what you consider a relevant beginning for a newspaper article? My dear fellow, do you really think that such news will make you a correspondent for The Times?
You could not even dare to hope that someone from The St James's Chronicle might consider reading your uninspiring article. Also, although you do not know the circumstances of the incident, you dare to advance preposterous assumptions and present them as facts! Dear Hoskins, you are a talented young man, but, do forgive me, you seem to lack a sense of reality.
An inconsistent report about a chance incident near Meryton is not something of interest or of public concern. Since you cannot expect anyone to benefit from the news you are intending to send in to be approved for publishing, I would strongly advise you to drop it. You cannot write ‘a certain Fitzwilliam Darcy’, abandoning common manners and politeness. Despair not, but you have a long hard road to travel before becoming a journalist.”
As his adviser gave him a kind, encouraging smile, Mr Hoskins slowly looked up and reached out to receive his manuscript back.
Mr Phillips seemed to accept returning the paper to the young man but then, as though struck by a sudden thought, he withdrew his hand and shook his head.
“No, I would rather keep this experimental manuscript. I do advise you not to try to write a similar draft and send it to a newspaper.”
Mr Hoskins flinched in surprise that Mr Phillips had guessed his intention.
“A final piece of advice from me, young fellow, and I need you to remember this. Think how much hardship you would have to endure if a respectable gentleman were to sue you for spreading false allegations concerning his person. Do I make myself clear?”
Although it may be hard for you to believe at first that this is a warm and sweet Pride and Prejudice variation novel, well, it really is. As you may have observed from the above excerpt, ‘Who Shot Mr Darcy?’ will also have its share of mystery and detective work, but the romance between Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy will also be at the heart of the story, as expected.
He looked over the manuscript he held in his hand then said blandly, “‘A respectable gentleman travelling on business was shot yesterday outside the town of Meryton, near the ancient Roman ruins.’ Is that what you consider a relevant beginning for a newspaper article? My dear fellow, do you really think that such news will make you a correspondent for The Times?
You could not even dare to hope that someone from The St James's Chronicle might consider reading your uninspiring article. Also, although you do not know the circumstances of the incident, you dare to advance preposterous assumptions and present them as facts! Dear Hoskins, you are a talented young man, but, do forgive me, you seem to lack a sense of reality.
An inconsistent report about a chance incident near Meryton is not something of interest or of public concern. Since you cannot expect anyone to benefit from the news you are intending to send in to be approved for publishing, I would strongly advise you to drop it. You cannot write ‘a certain Fitzwilliam Darcy’, abandoning common manners and politeness. Despair not, but you have a long hard road to travel before becoming a journalist.”
As his adviser gave him a kind, encouraging smile, Mr Hoskins slowly looked up and reached out to receive his manuscript back.
Mr Phillips seemed to accept returning the paper to the young man but then, as though struck by a sudden thought, he withdrew his hand and shook his head.
“No, I would rather keep this experimental manuscript. I do advise you not to try to write a similar draft and send it to a newspaper.”
Mr Hoskins flinched in surprise that Mr Phillips had guessed his intention.
“A final piece of advice from me, young fellow, and I need you to remember this. Think how much hardship you would have to endure if a respectable gentleman were to sue you for spreading false allegations concerning his person. Do I make myself clear?”
Although it may be hard for you to believe at first that this is a warm and sweet Pride and Prejudice variation novel, well, it really is. As you may have observed from the above excerpt, ‘Who Shot Mr Darcy?’ will also have its share of mystery and detective work, but the romance between Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy will also be at the heart of the story, as expected.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 2, 2022
54 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 28, 2022
Excellent. Focused on Elizabeth and Darcy. Low angst, good action, good character development. Far better than the blurb. No gore, and no sex.
November 4, 2022
Nurse Lizzy to the rescue
3.5 stars rounded up. The premise of Lizzy being the only person to nurse Darcy was pretty flimsy. But if you buy the premise, the rest of the story made sense. Not much angst or action, given the premises. It’s in Kindle Unlimited so it’s easy to read and forgive it’s problems.
3.5 stars rounded up. The premise of Lizzy being the only person to nurse Darcy was pretty flimsy. But if you buy the premise, the rest of the story made sense. Not much angst or action, given the premises. It’s in Kindle Unlimited so it’s easy to read and forgive it’s problems.
November 7, 2022
Jolly good story
This book indeed has a HEA but what caught me by surprise is the ending. I won't give a spoiler alert, since it detract from the story.
This book indeed has a HEA but what caught me by surprise is the ending. I won't give a spoiler alert, since it detract from the story.
November 5, 2022
Great book
I am surprised by the answer of who shot Darcy. I have enjoyed reading this story because it is unique and very well written.
I am surprised by the answer of who shot Darcy. I have enjoyed reading this story because it is unique and very well written.
November 5, 2022
Wonderful story
While several of my favorite characters are missing ( Lady Catherine, Mr Collins, and the original gold digging Caroline Bingley) this story doesn't need them. Darcy acts out of character by challenging Wickham to a duel when he finds him in Meryton. Unfortunately Darcy gets shot before he can get Wickham and is dreadfully ill. For a few days its uncertain if Darcy will survive but he's being nursed by Elizabeth Bennet who won't give up on him.
A relationship begins with both Darcy and Elizabeth and Darcy and Mr Bennet and many hours are spent between them. Georgiana comes and developed a friendship with Elizabeth and eventually her sisters ( who remain in the periphery of the story).
I enjoyed reading this because its lacking in the miscommunication that fills so many other stories. There isn't any " tolerable " speeches or Wickhams lies about the living in Derbyshire.
The identity of the individual who shot Darcy was a huge surprise to me --- I usually figure these out before the individual writers reveal their villains! .
Its an enjoyable story and well written... Definitely worth the time to read it!
While several of my favorite characters are missing ( Lady Catherine, Mr Collins, and the original gold digging Caroline Bingley) this story doesn't need them. Darcy acts out of character by challenging Wickham to a duel when he finds him in Meryton. Unfortunately Darcy gets shot before he can get Wickham and is dreadfully ill. For a few days its uncertain if Darcy will survive but he's being nursed by Elizabeth Bennet who won't give up on him.
A relationship begins with both Darcy and Elizabeth and Darcy and Mr Bennet and many hours are spent between them. Georgiana comes and developed a friendship with Elizabeth and eventually her sisters ( who remain in the periphery of the story).
I enjoyed reading this because its lacking in the miscommunication that fills so many other stories. There isn't any " tolerable " speeches or Wickhams lies about the living in Derbyshire.
The identity of the individual who shot Darcy was a huge surprise to me --- I usually figure these out before the individual writers reveal their villains! .
Its an enjoyable story and well written... Definitely worth the time to read it!
November 24, 2022
Just so-so
My first time reading this author, and it's written well enough, but in the style of a beginner. The content is often confusing and contradictory. Also, to call this a variation on P&P is kind of a stretch. The names and locations are borrowed, but the characters are nothing like the original. I feel that if you're going to ride the coattails of Jane Austen's masterpiece, you should at least retain the integrity of most of the major characters.
In this version, Darcy is an impulsive hot head. After Georgiana's near scandal in Ramsgate, Darcy accompanies Bingley to Hertfordshire, and learns that Wickham is in Meryton as a member of the militia. He immediately rushes off to confront Wickham, and, out of the blue, challenges him to a duel. Wickham decides to cheat at the duel, but before he can, Darcy is shot, and no one knows who did it.
The story kind of rambles in a lot of places, and there's a lot of superfluous content. Many times a character will be described one way, only to be contradicted in the next paragraph. There was one scene where we're told that it's October, then in the next sentence we're told that it's a warm summer day. For some strange reason, Mr Bennett tells Mr Phillips about the duel, then he spends the rest of the book wishing that he hadn't. For some strange reason, Mr Phillips makes it his sole mission in life to investigate the mystery of who shot Darcy. It doesn't make sense.
Darcy is not at all Darcy-like. Most of the men are depicted as semi-drunkards. There seems to be a great deal of emphasis placed on their need to drink alcohol with every activity and at every meeting. Mr Bennett offers Elizabeth's services as a nurse to an injured Darcy, and she spends a great deal of time in his bedroom alone with him. Don't think that was proper in this era. When the mystery is finally solved, it's pretty anti-climatic. The whole plot and resolution was kind of ho-hum. I can't really recommend this book.
My first time reading this author, and it's written well enough, but in the style of a beginner. The content is often confusing and contradictory. Also, to call this a variation on P&P is kind of a stretch. The names and locations are borrowed, but the characters are nothing like the original. I feel that if you're going to ride the coattails of Jane Austen's masterpiece, you should at least retain the integrity of most of the major characters.
In this version, Darcy is an impulsive hot head. After Georgiana's near scandal in Ramsgate, Darcy accompanies Bingley to Hertfordshire, and learns that Wickham is in Meryton as a member of the militia. He immediately rushes off to confront Wickham, and, out of the blue, challenges him to a duel. Wickham decides to cheat at the duel, but before he can, Darcy is shot, and no one knows who did it.
The story kind of rambles in a lot of places, and there's a lot of superfluous content. Many times a character will be described one way, only to be contradicted in the next paragraph. There was one scene where we're told that it's October, then in the next sentence we're told that it's a warm summer day. For some strange reason, Mr Bennett tells Mr Phillips about the duel, then he spends the rest of the book wishing that he hadn't. For some strange reason, Mr Phillips makes it his sole mission in life to investigate the mystery of who shot Darcy. It doesn't make sense.
Darcy is not at all Darcy-like. Most of the men are depicted as semi-drunkards. There seems to be a great deal of emphasis placed on their need to drink alcohol with every activity and at every meeting. Mr Bennett offers Elizabeth's services as a nurse to an injured Darcy, and she spends a great deal of time in his bedroom alone with him. Don't think that was proper in this era. When the mystery is finally solved, it's pretty anti-climatic. The whole plot and resolution was kind of ho-hum. I can't really recommend this book.
December 31, 2022
I found this book a struggle to read put it down several times read other books too.
Preserved today and finished but have to say in the end I just did not care much who shot him.
I cannot say why but for me this story did not compel me .
Preserved today and finished but have to say in the end I just did not care much who shot him.
I cannot say why but for me this story did not compel me .
November 20, 2022
painful
20% novel, 80% filler. I kept thinking that “didn’t I already see this topic covered?” Trite characterization left me hungry for real dialogue.
20% novel, 80% filler. I kept thinking that “didn’t I already see this topic covered?” Trite characterization left me hungry for real dialogue.
December 1, 2022
Quick read and had what could have been a great story line with intrigue. But everything felt so disjointed and impersonal. Author loved to describe things like the taste of the taste of the alcohol they drank out the beauty of a view, the things that mattered least to the story. Sadly the story itself got very little of this same elegant treatment. Instead the author told you everything with bluntness, jumping between characters, and the timeline so much it became confusing. It is the first JAFF in a long long time that actually put me to sleep. By the 80% make I was just ready to be done with it all, didn’t really care what happened to anyone. Only finished it because I knew it would be a quick finish. Which it was, a quick unexciting finish. Which saddened me quite a bit as the author showed that they could be an excellent writer and it could have been a very intriguing story if they had put just a tiny bit more effort into it. Instead it felt like we got the cliff-notes version of the plot points with no foundation to help them move along together.
July 12, 2024
Writing was repetitive and timeline was inconsistent. Personalities are not true to cannon. Bingley buys Netherfield, so Darcy and he befriend Phillips and Bennet. Lizzy is the nurturer in the family. When Darcy sees Wickham at the Netherfield Ball (takes place of public assembly) he challenges him to a duel.
Darcy is shot before he turns around, in the shoulder. However it hit him in the front even though Wickham turned early and was about to cheat. It turns out Mr. Bennet was hiding and meant to hit Wickham but doesn't have good eyesight/aim.
Mr. Bennet ensures Darcy's care, by sending Lizzy as his nurse. While she cares for him they are able to get to know each other.
Darcy is shot before he turns around, in the shoulder. However it hit him in the front even though Wickham turned early and was about to cheat. It turns out Mr. Bennet was hiding and meant to hit Wickham but doesn't have good eyesight/aim.
Mr. Bennet ensures Darcy's care, by sending Lizzy as his nurse. While she cares for him they are able to get to know each other.
January 16, 2023
This was an on again off again read. I couldn't believe that Darcy or Bingley wouldn't want to find out who really shot Darcy. I understand Darcy thought it was Wickham but Bingley knew and the Dr should have mentioned something to Darcy when he was much recovered. Mr Phillips was the only one interested in what really happened. I guessed who shot him half way through the book which takes the mystery right out of the rest of the book.
November 18, 2022
‘uncanny valley’ of P&P
The characters were just enough off canon that it gave a creepy feeling. I’d guessed the ‘shooter’ pretty quickly (thanks to the broad hints). It just wasn’t for me.
The characters were just enough off canon that it gave a creepy feeling. I’d guessed the ‘shooter’ pretty quickly (thanks to the broad hints). It just wasn’t for me.
December 8, 2022
well done.
Would not have guessed the ending, a real surprise. Don’t miss a page, holds the readers interest to the end. Enjoy. Mr. Phillips role in this book, he is always in the back ground.
Would not have guessed the ending, a real surprise. Don’t miss a page, holds the readers interest to the end. Enjoy. Mr. Phillips role in this book, he is always in the back ground.
March 10, 2023
In this Pride and Prejudice variation Darcy is shot in a duel with Wickham, but not by him. As Elizabeth Bennet is the healer in the family she nurses him. But who did shoot him.
There is no angst, no Caroline Bingley, Lady de Bourgh , Colonel or Collins. So basically not very interesting.
There is no angst, no Caroline Bingley, Lady de Bourgh , Colonel or Collins. So basically not very interesting.
November 5, 2022
Loved it loved the great twist in theis page turning story well done
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2023
Loved this variation!
December 10, 2023
Fun
Fun and hard. Poor ole Darcy. Chicken Wickham. Elizabeth makes a good nurse, and her family is much better than canon. Ahhh, Mr Bennett, what were you thinking?
Fun and hard. Poor ole Darcy. Chicken Wickham. Elizabeth makes a good nurse, and her family is much better than canon. Ahhh, Mr Bennett, what were you thinking?
Read
April 9, 2024DNF
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews