Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

About a week ago I watched the most recent film production of "Pride and Prejudice" on pay-per-view. The pleasure of the Darcy's romance and my companion's gentle query regarding how long their bliss might have lasted after the blush of newness wore off spurred me to search Amazon for novels continuing their lives together. Based on ratings and comments, I decided upon "North by Northanger" as my first choice. And a fine choice it is.

"North by Northanger" is a loving tribute to Jane Austen's characters. Within its pages Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy come alive again as a devoted couple who are absorbed with first pregnancy. The sad memories of Mr. Darcy's mother's loss of three infants and the loss of her own life at the delivery of his sister, Georgiana, intensifies their determination to take all possible measures to provide Elizabeth and her baby every chance and safety. The twenty-year-old letters of Lady Anne (Darcy's mother) they discover and read are poignant and filled with marital and maternal sentiments that fill the heart. Lady Anne refers often to a petite ivory Madonna and Child that went missing, and Elizabeth determines to find it. As the story unfolds, she and Darcy journey to Northanger at the invitation of Captain Tilney whose mother was a friend of Lady Anne's and with whom she spoke of that ivory figurine and nine other set pieces. That visit embroils the Darcys in strange goings-on that lead to their arrests! To extricate themselves from the stern reach of the law, they must solve several puzzles.

Carrie Bebris does an admirable job weaving a leisurely, genteel tale of mystery and the consequences of friendship, love, and family. Her attention of details and to rendering the characters as closely as possible to Austen's vision of them is gratifying. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is especially vivid, and I can just see her as she speaks the indignant words Bebris puts to her lips. Setting the tone for each chapter with quotes from Austen's novels or letters is also an appreciated touch, as is the small, clever twist that greets us as the novel closes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this further time with Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. "North by Northanger" is a classy cozy mystery, and it is also a delightful way for "Pride and Prejudice" lovers to think of how the Darcys might have lived the early times of their marriage.

If you have enjoyed any of Carrie Bebris's previous Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mysteries, you can't miss NORTH BY NORTHANGER, the most charming of the series so far. I have loved them all, but this one kept me up nights, reading about (and sympathizing with) Elizabeth's growing body and strange pregnancy symptoms but also about the odd circumstances attending their first visit to Northanger Abbey and the gradual uncovering of a mystery involving pre-Dissolution figurines of exceptional value.

As usual, the characters are dimensional, interesting and consistent with their original Austen personalities -- but the fixes they find themselves in are pure Bebris creativity, as she has shown in her two previous entries, PRIDE & PRESCIENCE and SUSPENSE & SENSIBILITY. The characters in this one, borrowed from Austen's original NORTHANGER ABBEY, are interesting, dark, and gothic, which only makes the unraveling of the mystery even more exciting.

I have already used 5 stars in my previous reviews of the books in the Darcy series; I guess this one should rate 6! I can't wait to read the next one and to enjoy losing sleep over what the Darcys are up to now.

This third offering in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy series is a vast improvement over the previous two. A diverting mystery; a bit of a surprise towards the end; and none of the overt paranomality that spoiled the first two for me.

Ms. Bebris did an excellent job writing this one. While I enjoyed the first two Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mysteries, I simple could not put this one down. I read it the same day it arrived.

I found the two previous books in this series lightweight, but enjoyable. Although Jane Austen did not write gothics, she read and enjoyed them, so it's not too much of a stretch to assume she might one day have written a gothic. But one thing Jane Austen would never have written, is a gooey sentimental book like North by Northanger. I admit I've never had or particularly liked children: but neither did Jane Austen. This book, even the mystery plot, is entirely focused on Elizabeth Darcy's pregnancy. The reader spends it vicariously wrapped in Elizabeth's obsessed, self-indulgent, fluffy, pink cocoon, as for 309 pages, Elizabeth wants to eat ices. Darcy is happy to take her to a pastry cook's to eat them. The baby kicks. Darcy is thrilled to feel it. Elizabeth feels tired. Darcy is over protective. Elizabeth wants an early lunch. Darcy readily agrees. The baby kicks again. Darcy wants to know all about it. Elizabeth feels tired again. Darcy urges her to go to bed. And on, and on, and on, and on, only varied by, Elizabeth gets a nosebleed. Everyone rushes to help her. Darcy tells virtual strangers about the pregnancy. They urge him to make it his first priority in life. Elizabeth dislikes the doctor Darcy hired, but gets all kinds of wisewoman advice from the local midwife, complete with details on how Elizabeth has to breathe during labor. By the time I'd waded through all this, I felt as if I'd spent nine entire months in a constant state of nausea. The book is topped up with huge dose of religious sentimentality of a kind Jane Austen would not have approved. If you are not into the full-time housewife-and-mother mindset, give this book a miss.

I tend to base a lot of my purchases on reviews, so I thought I would start adding my own. :) I actually devoured the reveiws of all of Carrie's books, and because of what I read about the first 2, decided not to get them. I did decide to try this one, and I enjoyed it very much. As I read it, loving mysteries, I kept thinking 'she better tell us why this happened or that happened.' Well, she answered all my questions in a reasonable way. It's light-hearted reading about my 2 favorite characters, and so I have to say I was glad I purchased it.

There is not much that I want to say other than the book was great!!! I finished the book on the same day it arrived in the mail. This book gives a wonderful look at some characters that were only casually mentioned in P&P. It combines the characters of Northanger Abbey and P&P very well. If I say anymore I fear I will say too much. Try this book out for yourself. You will be glad you did.