North By Northanger, or The Shades of Pemberley: A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery (Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Carrie Bebris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2006 | Series: Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries

Named Best Historical Mystery of 2006 by Romantic Times BOOKreviews!

 

After the intrigues and excitements of their time in the city, the Darcys are more than prepared for a bit of peace and quiet at Pemberley.  This is time that they can spend together as Elizabeth settles into her pregnancy.  However, such serene solitude is not meant to be.  First a letter from Lady Anne Fitzwilliam Darcy, long deceased, is discovered. The contents are both mysterious and prescient for Mrs. Darcy.  Then a summons to Northanger Abbey involves the young couple in intrigues that threaten not just the Darcy legacy and good name, but Mr. Darcy's freedom as well.

…and to make matter even worse and more uncomfortable for the expectant mother, Darcy's overbearing aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, arrives on the scene to further bedevil Elizabeth.

Add to this rumors of treasure and past scandals, and it becomes obvious that peacefulness is not at home in Pemberley, but secrets and spirits of the past are, and their revelations can have a most a chilling effect on both the Darcys and their family to come.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Bebris provides another feast for Janeites in her third Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery (after 2005's Suspense and Sensibility). Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam, about a year into their marriage, stop off at Northanger Abbey on their way from Bath to Pemberley, at the invitation of Captain Tilney. There the couple find a poorly managed house and their good-natured host swathed in bandages. After a brief visit, they've scarcely resumed their journey when a Gloucestershire constable arrests them on the charge of stealing a diamond set belonging to the late Mrs. Tilney, the captain's mother. A note written by Darcy's mother 18 years earlier hinting at a lost family heirloom and Elizabeth's "condition" further complicate this well-told tale. Austen's fans will be happy to see the reappearance of not only the Bennet family but also Lady Catherine de Burgh. For film buffs, there's an echo of Hitchcock's thriller, though the crags of the Peak District must stand in for Mount Rushmore. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

The third novel in Bebris' charming Pride & Prejudice-based mystery series draws in characters from Northanger Abbey to join in the intrigue. Darcy and Elizabeth are expecting their first child, and Elizabeth is still trying to settle into her new role as mistress of Pemberley when she discovers a cryptic letter written by Darcy's mother just before her death during the birth of Darcy's younger sister. In it, she mentions a missing family heirloom, one Darcy has never heard of. Darcy is further surprised when he receives a letter from a Captain Frederick Tilney, who claims their mothers were friends and urges Darcy to visit him. Curious, Darcy and Elizabeth journey to Tilney's residence at Northanger Abbey and stay for a brief but puzzling visit. When they depart, they are shocked to be accosted by a local constable who discovers a stolen necklace in Darcy's walking cane, and suddenly Darcy and Elizabeth are faced with clearing their names and finding out who set them up. An absorbing mystery that stays true to Austen's tone and characters. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (March 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076531410X
• ISBN-13: 978-0765314109
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,435,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a real treat, March 29, 2006

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: North By Northanger, or The Shades of Pemberley: A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery (Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries) (Hardcover)

With "North by Northanger," Carrie Bebris seems to have made the decision not to give the latest Mr. & Mrs. Darcy installment the same darkly gothicky, otherworldly tones that she had imbued her previous two novels with ("Pride and Prescience" & "Suspense and Sensibility"), opting instead to make "North by Northanger" more of a "straight" mystery with only the slightest hint of a ghostly presence. And did this decision affect the book in any way? To the contrary, the novel was another excellent read, being both enjoyable and absorbing.

Elizabeth Darcy is happily anticipating the birth of her first child, and although she is finding it to be a bit of a strain trying to follow in her much admired mother-in-law's (Lady Anne Darcy) footsteps. So that when she finds a long lost letter from Lady Anne, the last thing Elizabeth expected was that the letter would herald a disastrous chain of events that would calumniate with Darcy being accused of theft. As Elizabeth and Darcy try to make sense of what has happened and to clear his name, Elizabeth also finds herself once again crossing swords with Darcy's difficult and arrogant aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, over a missing heirloom that Lady Anne held dear and which Lady Catherine is determined to claim for herself...

I thoroughly enjoyed "North by Northanger" and found it to be an easy, absorbing and quick read. One of the things I liked about it is that of all the Jane Austen pastiches out there, this is one series that truly captures what I think the Darcys' married life and relationship would be like. So, thank you Carrie Bebris for fulfilling my expectations. "North by Northanger" was also enjoyable for the manner in which the author featured characters from both "Pride and Prejudice" and "Northanger Abbey" that remained much as Jane Austen had portrayed them. So that while the mystery was a rather strainght forward one and the villains and their motive easy to figure out (and one rather wonders why the intelligent Darcy doesn't realise what's going on earlier), such was the delightful manner in which this plot was unfolding, that I found myself eagerly reading on until the very end. Well written (the author has a nice prose style) and evenly paced, "North by Northanger" was a treat to read from beginning to end, and is a book I'd recommend highly to all Jane Austen fans.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fine addition, April 7, 2006

By 

Amanda Rebbert "Mandy R. nebulite" (Concord, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: North By Northanger, or The Shades of Pemberley: A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery (Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Of the three P&P books by Bebris, I found this one to be the best. It had less of the supernatural about it than the previous two and the book profits from it. I read the book very quickly and look forward to the next book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jane Austen style mystery., June 2, 2006

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: North By Northanger, or The Shades of Pemberley: A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery (Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries) (Hardcover)

In North by Northanger the newly wedded Elizabeth Darcy finds a letter to her that was written twenty years previously from her mother-in-law's deathbed. In the letter Anne Darcy directs her future daughter-in-law to find a missing family heirloom. Through letters exchanged between Lady Anne and a dear friend, Mrs. Tilney, Elizabeth comes to truly know her husband's cherished mother and also discovers a bigger mystery that involves the missing family heirloom. With the birth of their first child fast approaching and having to deal with the ever difficult and imposing Lady Catherine, Darcy's aunt, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam seek out who has stolen the precious heirloom and who has caused Darcy to be accused of stealing diamonds from Northanger Abby. Will Elizabeth and Darcy discover the scoundrels responsible before their first child is born or will Darcy have to appear before the courts?

***** Carrie Bebris has created a wonderful mystery novel in the charming and delightful Jane Austen style. The story is written with such elegant prose that I believe Austen would very much approve. Elizabeth's quick wit in the face of such stuffiness of the upper class manners of the English ton makes this such a wonderful story. The intimacy that Elizabeth and Darcy exhibit toward each other is very refreshing and romantic. North by Northanger is a real treat for Jane Austen fans! *****

Reviewed by Barbara Stabler.