Undercover - An Austen Noir in Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Reading Challenge 2016

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Mar 04, 2016 Debbie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: jaff

What a page-turner! This lady dick, Eli Gardiner, is quite the gumshoe. She's investigating the disappearance of her good friend, Mary King, and finds herself up to her neck in a political conspiracy, Cubans and communists, a kidnapping, and two stiffs. She also finds herself in the bed of one Fitzwilliam Darcy, a really hot swell. The two connect the second they lay eyes on each other. Their attraction goes beyond keeping an eye on Slick Wick, her prime suspect. It turns out Darcy has an axe to What a page-turner! This lady dick, Eli Gardiner, is quite the gumshoe. She's investigating the disappearance of her good friend, Mary King, and finds herself up to her neck in a political conspiracy, Cubans and communists, a kidnapping, and two stiffs. She also finds herself in the bed of one Fitzwilliam Darcy, a really hot swell. The two connect the second they lay eyes on each other. Their attraction goes beyond keeping an eye on Slick Wick, her prime suspect. It turns out Darcy has an axe to grind with him, too. But this investigation hits too close to home; both have members of their families at risk.

I hesitate to call this a true Pride and Prejudice variation because many of the characters are so far removed from their usual roles, though they retain some characteristic personality traits. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's excuse for not knowing exactly what their daughters are up to is that they're both lushes, so they've got no clue that Elizabeth isn't working for Macy's and that Lydia isn't just a hat check girl at a nightclub. Mary is a nun. Jane is stunningly beautiful and already married to Bingley, but she and Elizabeth are far from being close even though they're sisters. Charlotte is one of Elizabeth's best friends. Darcy's little sister Georgiana is sheltered, naive and gullible. Some new characters figure into the case, too.

Even though the world Elizabeth and Darcy move in during this story is scary, the writing seems too elegant and "pretty" in many of the passages to be convincingly noir. I actually pulled out my well-read copy of The Big Sleep to see why I didn't feel the same level of darkness as I read this. Ms. Gardiner does have the gumshoe lingo down and even provides a handy glossary. (You'll find it at the back of the book). She has great descriptions of the seedy hell-holes Elizabeth and Darcy are nosing around in, and most of the action occurs at night on dark streets with dim street lights and fog. However, this IS in third person, while Chandler's book uses the voice of the private dick, Philip Marlowe, to tell his own story. It makes sense that he sounds hard-boiled, because he is. Elizabeth may be a femme fatale- and she sure proves it many times throughout the story- but at heart she's a cream puff, so the slightly softer edge fits. It would be criminal to bump my rating down because it's too nicely written, so I'm not!

The heat factor between Darcy and Elizabeth is steamy, and most JAFF lovers seem to consider that the most important element in a good Pride and Prejudice knock-off. "Smoldering" is the word most often used to describe him here, and once he and Elizabeth get together, it's a full-blown conflagration. ...more

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Jan 02, 2018 Sara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: jaff-modern

This book will transport you to those good old days of black and white crime drama. The time period oozes effortlessly off of the page. The dialog is perfect for the period and the characters are amazing. Truly, I do not read much of this period but I highly enjoyed being transported. The portrayal of Darcy and Eli were spot on. The suspense was killer (like Eli's gams!). If you enjoy a great story, then this is the book for you. Very few errors it was such a breeze to read and if you are a litt ...more

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Oct 11, 2017 J. W. Garrett marked it as to-read

Shelves: era-modern-2, 99-cents, jaff-pride-and-prejudice, trope-mystery, inspired-jane-austen, source-own

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