Customer Reviews

Suspense and Sensibility or, First Impressions Revisited: A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery (Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The second installment in the (in my opinion, anyway) entertaining Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mystery novels, featuring two beloved characters created by Jane Austen (Elizabeth Bennett & Fitzwilliam Darcy), "Suspense and Sensibility" proved to be a very absorbing and enjoyable read. The trick to enjoying this series (and this book in particular), is to leave all your notions of what a Mr. & Mrs. Darcy book should be like, as well as some of your expectations that you will be reading an Austen-like novel. Carrie Bebris uses many of the characters that Jane Austen created and made immortal, but that it all. The stories, the premise and how the characters sound and act, are wholly her own. And the result? In this instance, one rather delightful read.

After the unsettling events chronicled in "Pride and Prescience," Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy had happily left London in order to return to the peace and tranquility of Pemberley. But a letter from her mother reminds Elizabeth of her obligation to see her younger sister, Kitty, credibly established. And so, Elizabeth and Darcy, with Kitty and Georgina (Darcy's younger sister) make for London in order to partake in all the festivities that constitute the London Season. Georgina, an heiress, has no troubles attracting suitors; but for Kitty, young girl with no fortune or impressive connections, the situation is quite different. So that when young Harry Dashwood of Norland, shows every sign preferring Kitty above all else, everyone is quite pleased. A young man of good fortune and an impressive estate, Harry Dashwood is quite the catch. So what if his mother is an unpleasant shrew who isn't pleased at all with her son's involvement with Kitty! But then soon after their engagement, Harry's behaviour and character seems to change almost overnight; and it's beginning to look as if Harry intends to emulate the scandalous behaviour of his great-grand uncle, Sir Francis Dashwood, one of the founding members of the Hellfire Club. The changes in Harry trouble Darcy and Elizabeth greatly, but they're not sure what to do about it. Their primary object is to protect Kitty from an imprudent match; but can they also save Harry from himself?

Written with slight gothic overtones, "Suspense and Sensibility" was a rather like and sparkling read. Carrie Bebris incorporates characters from Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" into this installment, and the result was wholly pleasing. The story may take a while to unfold since almost half the book dwells on Harry's courtship of Kitty, before things go so very wrong. But the strength of this novel lies in how the authour fleshed out her characters, so that she makes us care for them. Kitty, in this book, has grown up a little, and has gained some dignity and maturity. And Harry, for the first half of the book is an engaging and likable character as well. And it was nice to "meet" Elinor Ferrars again; it was even enjoyable to see how Lucy Ferrars (once Lucy Steele) had fared, as well as Harry's unlikeable mother, Mrs. John Daswood. Best of all however, was reading of how Elizabeth and Darcy interact as a married couple, united in their concerns and each bolstering and supporting the other. A trifle sedate in pace, but written with a light touch, "Suspense and Sensibility" proved to be a very enjoyable and worthwhile read.

I was initially impressed with the author's style; her writing is a lot better than most of the Austen sequels and prequels and continuations. But depend upon it, I must extend my fullest disapprobation to Bebris for involving Jane Austen characters in a story, ripped straight from the pages of Oscar Wilde, that is full of mysticism and the supernatural. Austen is rational; Bebris is not.

Who wants to read about protective amulets, ghosts, and supernatural explanations that are virtually science fiction when looking for a mystery? While I see lovers of Jane Austen gravitating toward the mystery genre, I don't see fans of Elizabeth Bennet thinking it makes sense for her to be sporting protective amulets and venturing into the world of sci fi.

Miss Bebris has got talent and could turn this into a decidedly decent series if she found real plots and plausable explanations. Otherwise, market the book as science fiction.

I liked this book a lot. It was better than the first one in terms of the characterization. I enjoyed the growing relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy and I loved that she brought the characters from Sense and Sensibility together with the Darcys. I thought the whodunnit? was a bit predictable and not as satisfying a mystery as it could have been but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to Austen fans. I have pre-ordered her next book in the series and look forward to it!

The author's style of expression matches Austen's very well, and I am delighted in the playful bantering between Mr. & Mrs. Darcy. Although I don't usually go for the paranormal, I found it plausible in this plot. It was great having characters from Sense and Sensibility intermingling with the Darcys. I enjoyed this book even more than the first one, Pride and Prescience. I look forward to future books by Carrie Bebris!

Without a doubt this has to be one of the most poorly-plotted books I've ever read. It's a particular shame because the first installment of the series was so promising. Unfortunately, the plot needlessly meanders and attempts to steal a page right out of Oscar Wilde and Roald Dahl, who both work with entrapment motifs far better than this absurd excuse for a mystery. Why not choose a new venue for the supernatural!
The characters of Elizabeth and Darcy can be intriguing, and the inclusion of the Dashwoods is a promising point. However, the minor Dashwood characters seem to be included simply because they are Dashwoods - they don't further the plot or the subplot in any meaningful way, they don't offer insight into character that hasn't already been expressed -- rather, they clutter up the narrative landscape. They seem to appear only so that Austen fans can say - "Oh, how lovely. There's Marianne and Col. Brandon." What a waste.
Additionally, it's absurd to even categorize this as a mystery since the reader knows the truth in the very first chapter before any of the characters do. Therefore, the constipated narrative focuses not on suspense but the characters' mind-numbingly dull plod towards the truth- a realization which only happens at the end of the book! - far too late to salvage anything of the lame plot. Too, the author's unfortunate over-reliance on coincidence- "oh, I need to see blank" and poof, like magic he appears!" strains the bounds of credibility far more than the plot premise of the Darcys engaging in the supernatural.
The hackneyed ending of the subplot, which is never adequatley explored to be warranted, is straight from the annals of a bad Harlequin romance.
This book doesn't engender hair-raising suspense -- it engenders hair-tearing frustration. There too many other fine additions to the Austenite canon, including the first entry of this series, to waste your time and money on this sad romp through the Hellfire Regency.

An avid reader of both Jane Austen and historical fiction, I was looking forward to continuing the series started by Bebris in Pride and Prescience. However, as farfetched as the first book's plot was, Suspense and Sensibility is even more dubious and improbable.
The beginning of the book is plausible, but as the story progresses, Bebris seems to lose control of the way the plot is going and simply gives a quick fix to the protagonists' dilemma. The solution is seemingly out of the blue and therefore ends the book on a feeble note.
If you read Bebris' first Mr and Mrs Darcy book and want to continue the series as I did, borrow the book from the library first. That way, if you do decide that you like it, your money won't have been wasted on some frivolous romp.

I have (nearly) always found something to delight me in all the Pride and Prejudice sequels - but if you are entirely expecting a 'true' sequel to the book, you may be disappointed with this series. IF however, you can be content with a transportation of faithfully portrayed characters into an entirely different sort of plot, and do not mind a venture into the paranormal, then I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. To those of us who love Jane Austen's novels 'Darcy and Elizabeth' is almost one word, they are the best drawn couple in literature. But if you also have room in your hearts for a little adventure (Mulder and Scully almost come to mind), it is very entertaining to see our favorite couple turned sleuth. The plot hinges on the Gothic - it has a touch of Northanger Abbey in it. But the author gives it to us seriously, within the context of meaning it to be a 'Mr and Mrs Darcy Mystery,' and that saves it from campiness. I know, it may seem abominable to consider Darcy and Elizabeth outside a certain sphere or genre (what next, Darcy and Elizabeth Land on Mars?) but this book is strangely respectful of them, and I did not feel they became cariacatures of themselves. It is entertainment, not literature, and I enjoyed it more than some of the true sequels that have more pretensions.

Reading Carrie Bebris' Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries can be a most maddening experience because for every aspect you like about the book there seems to be one to give you pause. Fortunately, those who would be most grossly insulted by the author's audacity should recognize that fact from the book's very title, and therefore can avoid having their particular sensibilities offended. As for me, I still have grave misgivings about introducing the occult into the world of Jane Austen. The idea of Elizabeth and Darcy as the Nick and Nora Charles of Regency England strikes me as being a sound enough idea without dabbling in magic.

On the upside, the title of this second effort, "Suspense and Sensibility: or, First Impression Revisited," is more than a play on the title of an Austen novel, for many of the characters of "Sense and Sensibility" are part of the story. The tale is set in 1781, and Elizabeth Darcy and her husband, Fitzwilliam, having taken their sisters Kitty and Georgiana to town to see if suitable suitors can be found for either one of them. One handsome young man takes a shine to Kitty, but it turns out he has mistaken her for the sister of Mr. Darcy and not that of Mrs. Darcy (the difference being between thirty thousand pounds a a single thousand pounds). However, knowing her true identity does not matter to Mr. Henry Dashwood, who is happy to be the first gentleman to dance with Miss Catherine Bennet.

Mr. Dashwood is the son of John and Fanny Dashwood of Norland. Harry's father has died and having been largely spared the attentions of his mother, the young man seems interested in being given advice by Darcy. Harry proposes to Kitty, who accepts, and plans are made for the wedding, despite the objections of his mother and the insufferable attentions of his aunt Lucy. The Darcys meet Harry's aunt and uncle, Mr. & Mrs. Edward Farris, and everyone is looking forward to the wedding. The next thing we know, Harry is acting like another person entirely, scandalizing the "ton" and forcing Kitty and her family to rethink the engagement.

You can tell alread that one of the big attractions here is that Bebris arranged for Elizabeth Darcy and Elinor Farris to meet each other. I still have Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth from the 1995 BBC prodution of "Pride and Prejudice" playing Elizabeth and Darcy, with the cast of the 1995 film version of "Sense and Sensibility," which works out prefectly since Emma Thompson was at that time as old as Elinor is in this book (my exception is that I have cast Carey Mulligan from the 2005 film version of "Pride and Prejudice" to play Kitty because I like the story of how she campaigned for her first movie role because she loved the book). However, despite the friendship that springs up between the two Austen heroines, we do not find a significant payoff to the grand pairing. Edward Farris has almost as much to do, Marianne shows up with her children, and Mrs. Dahswood is given a nice scene as well.

More pivotal to the story are Lucy Farris and Fanny Dashwood, but that is in keeping with one of Bebris' standard tactics, which is to have fun at the expense of Austen's villainesses. Neither woman is brought down as low as was Catherine Bingley in the previous book, but Bebris does take off the gloves to lay a few telling hits on both. Another strength of the book is that we actually get more chapters this time around devoted to what Darcy is thinking, so that the book is not entirely from Elizabeth's perspective. Last time the honeymoon was on hold for the festivities, and I am happy to report that there is more room for Elizabeth and Darcy to express their love. With Kitty and Harry this novel is more of a romance, at least before the magical mystery tour begins in earnest.

Despite the various quibbles I again round up on the book, because overall I enjoyed it and also because the ending Bebris came up with mirrored something I did in one of my own novels. I find these books to be fun and diverting, and accept them in the spirit in which they were written. There are not up to the standard of Jane Austen but then they do not presume to be and I look forward to the upcoming third installment, "North by Northanger, or the Shades of Pemberely" (Does this mean Lady Catherine de Bourg will be getting her comeuppance courtesy of a ghost? One can only hope). Bonus points to Teresa Fasolino for the jacket art, which captures key details of the story without looking like that is the case. But go back after you are done reading the book and appreciate the effort.

She captures Jane Austen's characters fairly well (realizing, of course, that no one can match Miss Austen). But the supernatural, curses, etc. seem very much out of place and forced. Not at all Austen-like.

This is one of the most unique sequels to Jane Austen's novels that I have ever read. Ms. Bebris has a wonderful writing talent and the ability to justify the Jane Austen era without being to pretentious, which makes the book so easy to read. This book is so full of suspense that you just cannot put it down. I highly recommend this book for all of Jane Austen novel readers - it has a unique twist to it. Wonderful!