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A review by krisrid
The Suspicion at Sanditon by Carrie Bebris
3.0
Although I definitely enjoyed this latest installment in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mystery series, it wasn't my favourite of all of them.
Many of the things I dearly love about this series are included. I absolutely love the authentically "Austen-esque" voice and aspects that the author includes in her books. Lovers of Austen, her stories and her characters who feel proprietary interest in respectful representations of those have nothing to fear in reading Ms. Bebris' books. She honours all aspects of Austen in how she writes about the characters we all know and love.
I also enjoy the creative ways the characters from the original Austen books are combined, and placed into new mysterious situations. The author does a wonderful job of juxtaposing her own creative plot ideas with existing aspects from Austen's.
In this particular book there were two things that didn't work *quite* as well for me as have past books in the series: 1) the goings-on at points during the story felt a bit over the top, straying almost into farce territory. I will not create spoilers by giving details, but some of the things that took place in the course of the story just went a touch too far for me. 2) I didn't feel like the reader had as much actual interaction with Darcy and Elizabeth in this story as in past books, and as I especially love that aspect of this series that was a small disappointment for me. To be fair, given the large number of characters in this story, I understand why that was the case, but I yearned for more of the Darcys that I got in this installment.
But those are minor disappointments. I did enjoy this book, and look forward hopefully and enthusiastically to the prospect of future Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mysteries and will pick up any such books with alacrity when they become available. I heartily recommend this series to fans of Pride and Prejudice particularly, and of Jane Austen's writing style in general. Both are respectfully homaged by Carrie Bebris, along with the delivery of very entertaining mystery stories.
Many of the things I dearly love about this series are included. I absolutely love the authentically "Austen-esque" voice and aspects that the author includes in her books. Lovers of Austen, her stories and her characters who feel proprietary interest in respectful representations of those have nothing to fear in reading Ms. Bebris' books. She honours all aspects of Austen in how she writes about the characters we all know and love.
I also enjoy the creative ways the characters from the original Austen books are combined, and placed into new mysterious situations. The author does a wonderful job of juxtaposing her own creative plot ideas with existing aspects from Austen's.
In this particular book there were two things that didn't work *quite* as well for me as have past books in the series: 1) the goings-on at points during the story felt a bit over the top, straying almost into farce territory. I will not create spoilers by giving details, but some of the things that took place in the course of the story just went a touch too far for me. 2) I didn't feel like the reader had as much actual interaction with Darcy and Elizabeth in this story as in past books, and as I especially love that aspect of this series that was a small disappointment for me. To be fair, given the large number of characters in this story, I understand why that was the case, but I yearned for more of the Darcys that I got in this installment.
But those are minor disappointments. I did enjoy this book, and look forward hopefully and enthusiastically to the prospect of future Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mysteries and will pick up any such books with alacrity when they become available. I heartily recommend this series to fans of Pride and Prejudice particularly, and of Jane Austen's writing style in general. Both are respectfully homaged by Carrie Bebris, along with the delivery of very entertaining mystery stories.