Reviews

The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

madelynskies's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

caaleros's review

3.0

“The Murder of Mr. Wickham” is a hard book to review and I really wish I could give it a higher rating because there were aspects of it that I loved. The beginning of the book is amazing and it is immediately evident that Lady Gray really gets these characters. There are plenty of moments throughout the book where a character will do/say/think something and it will feel like what that Austen character would do in that moment. I really wished that everything could be nice and that we could all enjoy the nice house party where our beloved characters all interacted. Alas, that was not to be because of the villainous Mr. Wickham.

There are lots of twists and turns and connections that I loved, but ultimately I did not care who killed Wickham. I was not invested in the investigation and I wasn’t invested in the investigators: Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy. I really just wanted a happy moment with characters that I loved to appear on the page! But that wasn’t possible because of plot. And the longer tensions raised amongst the characters, the less like the characters they seemed, but it’s fair to say we’ve never seen Austen’s characters in this type of situation and so it’s natural that they wouldn’t seem themselves. That being said, it was interesting to see each couple work through the problems that arose. Speaking of couples... I wouldn't recommend this to die-hard Fanny/Edmund shippers as they're not shown in a good light.

I normally avoid sequels like this because I worry that it will ruin my view of the characters, but in this case I mostly liked Gray’s version of the characters and it was the mystery I found to be lacking. If you’re a Janeite I do think “The Murder of Mr. Wickham” is worth reading because there are definitely some gems in this book for fans of Miss Jane Austen.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

katgoetzzz's review

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

marareading's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

3.0

Jane Austen universe retelling + murder mystery. The fact that someone killed Mr. Wickham was strangely satisfying 😏

maddness22's review

I can't believe I'm DNF-ing a Claudia Gray, but I literally can't keep up with the large cast over the audiobook. I have no idea who anyone is (aside from the Pride & Prejudice characters) which makes the mystery less fun when I can't even keep track of the suspects.

shelbs888's review

funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I’m obsessed with anything Jane Austen inspired. This was no different. I loved seeing most of her main characters together and imagined in different stages of life at this house party. Darcy and Elizabeth there with their son. Marianne and Brandon there a couple months after their wedding. The Knightley’s were amazing host while dealing with Wickham’s murder. A little bite of mystery, some romance, it was just everything I ever wanted.

jowithtwoiis's review against another edition

Boring. DNF.

jwhittak05's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I had this book for awhile and started it then put it down for a long time. I’m so mad at myself for putting it down. This is why I always finish a book. This book was so great! Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie. This is a must read for any Austen fan and I would think she herself would love it. I love all of our favorite Austen characters come together in one book under one room for a murder of someone, lets be honest, wished was murdered in the first place. Wickham’s character has not changed over the years (if fact it’s almost worse). You find the fate of some of our favorite characters in the years after their stories have ended. Honestly I was trying to figure out the whole book who did it and really had no idea until it was revealed. Gray does an excellent job of dropping clues but making you debate with yourself the whole book on who actually did it. Juliet and Jonathan are perfect characters that balance each other out (she outgoing and he reserved and reclusive). There’s definitely a romance down the road for them and I hope Elizabeth channels her mother’s personality when that happens. There’s more books to the series so I can’t wait to read the others. 

 

yourfavavery's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This was a fun romp! Think "locked door murder mystery" mixed with Jane Austen fan fiction. Basically, all the characters you know and love are at a regency house party and one of them ends up dead. A murder investigation ensues. I liked it, even though I wish I had more knowledge of Austen novels to bring to the table.

catatonixs's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0