The Murder of Mr. Wickham

Description

From New York Times–bestselling author Claudia Gray—a summer house party turns into a thrilling whodunit when Mr. Wickham, one of literature’s most notorious rakes, finally gets what’s coming to him in this brilliantly imagined murder mystery featuring Jane Austen’s leading literary couples.

After many years of happy marriage, Emma Knightley and her husband are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—not all of whom are well known to the Knightleys but are certainly beloved by every Jane Austen fan: Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy, Marianne and Colonel Brandon, Anne and Captain Wentworth, and Fanny and Edmund Bertram.
 
Very much not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him newfound wealth—and a broadening array of enemies. With his unexpected arrival, tempers flare and secrets are revealed, making it clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet the Knightleys and their guests are all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst.
 
With everyone a suspect, it falls to the house party’s two youngest guests to solve the mystery of who finally delivered to Wickham his just deserts: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry Tilney, eager for adventure outside Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, Elizabeth and Darcy’s eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem relaxed. In a tantalizing fusion of Austen and Christie, the unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions—and uncover the guilty party before an innocent person is sentenced to hang.
ONE OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL‘S BEST MYSTERY BOOKS OF THE YEAR
ONE OF INDIGO’s 100 BEST BOOKS OF 2022

One of: 
Glam’s “15 Spooky Reads To Get Into The Halloween Spirit”
The Everygirl’s “18 Cozy Mystery Books To Curl Up With This Weekend”

“Had Jane Austen sat down to write a country house murder mystery, this is exactly the book she would have written. Devotees of Austen’s timeless novels will get the greatest possible pleasure from this wonderful book. Immense fun and beautifully observed. Delicious!”
—Alexander McCall Smith

“Jane Austen is spinning in her grave: she’s trying to climb out and shake Claudia Gray’s hand. The Murder of Mr. Wickham delivers in spades—and in diamonds, hearts, and clubs!”
—Alan Bradley, author of the Flavia de Luce series

“The Murder of Mr. Wickham illuminates Jane Austen’s best-loved (and lesser loved) characters, introduces a dynamic sleuthing duo, and delivers a most satisfying murder mystery in the grand tradition of Clue.”
—Jane Pek, author of The Verifiers

“The Murder of Mr. Wickham is a charming, sharp, and engrossing mystery that evokes the meta wonder of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with the evocative depth of the Jane Austen library—delivered in a voice and tone that is modern and mesmerizing. Gray has crafted a book that one won’t easily forget.”
—Alex Segura, author of Secret Identity

“What a splendid conceit! . . . Gray provides plenty of backstory and enough depth to her characters that even those who mix up their Pride and Prejudice with their Sense and Sensibility will delight in the Agatha Christie–style mystery. . . . There’s so much fun to be had in this reimagined Austen world—and the mystery is so strong—that one can only hope, dear reader, that more books will follow.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“A well-done pastiche that balances menace with wit, recrimination with reconciliation, sin with redemption and justice with mercy.” 
—The Wall Street Journal

“[An] enchanting mystery. . . . Gray perfectly captures the personalities of Austen’s beloved characters. This is a real treat for Austenites.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Satisfying. . . . Readers looking for a charming mystery will adore this book. Gray captures Austen’s tone perfectly, allowing fans to step back into the Regency author’s beloved world.” 
—Elyse Discher, BookPage

“An astonishingly convincing and tremendously entertaining pastiche. . . . Written elegantly, with a keen eye for Regency detail as well as a deep knowledge and affection for Ms. Austen’s oeuvre, this is an entirely plausible continuation of the Austen canon that stands as a worthwhile read in its own right.”
—Criminal Element

“Who would NOT want to read a book in which one a literature’s most notorious rakes meets his final demise? . . . A delightful Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen romp.”
—Austenprose

“The crossover event of the season.”
—BuzzFeed

“A summer house party turns into a thrilling whodunit when Jane Austen’s Mr. Wickham—one of literature’s most notorious villains—meets a sudden and suspicious end in this brilliantly imagined mystery featuring Austen’s leading literary characters. . . . In this tantalizing fusion of Austen and Christie, seventeen-year-old Juliet’s intelligence, drive, and plucky demeanor mirrors that of another indomitable, sleuthing protagonist: the iconic Nancy Drew.”
—CrimeReads

“[H]ere, we enjoy a wonderful combination of country house murder mystery, a discourse on the manners of society, and the possibility of romance as Jonathan and Juliet set to work as amateur sleuths. The author does a very good job of capturing the tone and period language of the Austen novels with the result that you find yourself speaking, afterward, with a more formal vocabulary and seeking to improve your moral rectitude. . . . [A] light yet insightful murder mystery.”
—Sante Fe New Mexican

“The beauty of [The Murder of Mr. Wickham] is that you get to know these characters after you left them in the original Austen books that you love so much. I loved this book. . . a well-written murder mystery.”
—Angela Misri, CBC
CLAUDIA GRAY is the pseudonym of the bestselling author of The Late Mrs. Willoughby, The Murder of Mr. Wickham, several Star Wars novels, including Lost Stars and Bloodline, as well as many novels for young adults, including the Firebird series and the Evernight series. She makes her home in New Orleans with her husband Paul and assorted small dogs.US

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