Review: The Late Mrs. Willoughby

Claudia Gray’s The Murder of Mr. Wickham was one of my absolute favourite books of 2022 (review here). All of Jane Austen’s characters together at a house party and a murder has to be solved? Oh, I was in. All in! I wasn’t sure how the second book in Gray’s series would be like but I’m thrilled to report that I absolutely adored The Late Mrs. Willoughby.

Here’s the book’s description:

Catherine and Henry Tilney of Northanger Abbey are not entirely pleased to be sending their eligible young daughter Juliet out into the world again: the last house party she attended, at the home of the Knightleys, involved a murder—which Juliet helped solve. Particularly concerning is that she intends to visit her new friend Marianne Brandon, who's returned home to Devonshire shrouded in fresh scandal—made more potent by the news that her former suitor, the rakish Mr. Willoughby, intends to take up residence at his local estate with his new bride.
Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley are thrilled that their eldest son, Jonathan—who, like his father, has not always been the most socially adept—has been invited to stay with his former schoolmate, John Willoughby. Jonathan himself is decidedly less taken with the notion of having to spend extended time under the roof of his old bully, but that all changes when he finds himself reunited with his fellow amateur sleuth, the radiant Miss Tilney. And when shortly thereafter, Willoughby's new wife—whom he married for her fortune—dies horribly at the party meant to welcome her to town.
With rumors flying and Marianne—known to be both unstable and previously jilted by the dead woman's newly made widower—under increased suspicion, Jonathan and Juliet must team up once more to uncover the murderer. But as they collect clues and close in on suspects, eerie incidents suggest that the killer may strike again, and that the pair are in far graver danger than they or their families could imagine.

Normally I get kind of annoyed by amateur sleuths. There may be problems with police all over the place but they’re the ones who should, technically be investigating crimes. That’s probably why I don’t read a whole lot of cozy mysteries anymore - those “detectives” just get in the way of the professionals and I’m always worried about the consequences of their meddling. For some reason, though, that didn’t bother me with this book. Perhaps because it’s historical and today’s rigorous rules and laws don’t apply. I wasn’t as worried that Jonathan and Juliet were going to completely screw up the case. In fact, I had more faith in them than the local constabulary!

At times it seems like Gray was trying too hard to sound like Jane Austen and it came across as if someone had time travelled and was attempting to speak like the characters they’ve watched in movies. But it was a very minimal annoyance. I only mention it because I did notice it and think others would appreciate the heads up that the historical language may not be up to their standards.

Speaking of Austen, there weren’t as many of her characters in this novel, which was probably wise. There was no logical way for Gray to get them all together again so I was happy with how she managed to bring some characters together again. Austenites will appreciate hanging out with the whole crew from Sense and Sensibility but non-Austen readers shouldn’t be put off by reading about characters they’ve never met before.

Back to the mystery - I really wasn’t sure who the murderer was going to be and I’m pretty sure my jaw dropped when they were revealed. Gray had a number of red herrings that I totally fell for and I kind of appreciate that. I’m often more annoyed than proud of myself when I can see how a murder investigation is going to be solved. I like being led down winding paths of confusion so I’m shocked at the end when all is revealed!

I loved The Late Mrs. Willoughby and I already cannot wait for the next book in this series from Claudia Gray. Her mysteries are clever and I love being able to spend time with Jane Austen’s characters as Gray imagines them. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Jonathan and Juliet end up at Pemberley together next!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

Review: The Murder of Mr. Wickham

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I will read pretty much any Jane Austen related novel. (And, subsequently, will use a bastardized version of the opening line of Pride and Prejudice in my review.) I was delighted by the description of The Murder of Mr. Wickham and was really looking forward to Claudia Gray’s novel. A locked room murder mystery featuring characters from all of Austen’s novels in one book? Count me in! And, happily, I absolutely adored this book. It was too much fun!

Here's the book’s description:

The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.
Nearly everyone at the house party is a suspect, so it falls to the party’s two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, eager for adventure beyond Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys’ eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem almost relaxed. The unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions and uncover the guilty party—before an innocent person is sentenced to hang.

I will say that I think you need to have an understanding of all six of Austen’s major novels to fully enjoy Gray’s novel. I don’t think I would have loved it as much had I not recently reread (or read for the first time) Austen’s books. Of course, I do think you can read it even if, say, you’ve only ever read (or seen) Pride and Prejudice, but there’s an extra layer of enjoyment you can get if you know the full story behind each of the characters.

Related to knowing the characters – I really didn’t know who was going to the be culprit. As Juliet and Jonathan realize, the murderer had to have been one of the members of the house party which meant that one of Austen’s beloved characters had blood on their hands. It was a strange sensation! I had my suspicions of who may have done it, but Gray kept me guessing and I honestly could not have predicted the end. Which I consider a win for a mystery!

I appreciate that Gray used two of her own creations as main characters. Instead of centring the book on the perspective of one of Austen’s well-known characters, Gray chose to use the children of two characters to help propel the storyline. I had a lot of fun following along with Juliet and Jonathan as they pair tried to solve the murder to help their new friends and prevent the police from bungling the case or looking in the wrong direction.

I’ve focused a lot on the characters in this review because to say too much about the mystery itself could inadvertently spoil it for anyone who wishes to read this book. I don’t consider myself a mystery aficionado, but I do enjoy them, as I enjoyed this one. I couldn’t guess who the murderer would be, and I felt that Gray dropped clues in such a way that was smart and not heavy-handed. I’d be interested to know if avid mystery readers could have figured it out before Juliet and Jonathan!

I highly recommend The Murder of Mr. Wickham to anyone who enjoys Jane Austen and mystery novels. Claudia Gray did a wonderful job of respecting Austen’s characters while also putting her own spin on them. it made for a thoroughly enjoyable whodunit that kept me guessing until the very end. And, at the end, left me wanting more from all the characters. A mark of a great novel if you ask me!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*