The Murder of Mr. Wickham
Attention, Austen fans and fans of Austen fan fiction! May 3 is the release date for The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray, a new mystery in which, you guessed it, the shady villain in Pride and Prejudice unexpectedly meets his Maker. I know about this book because I read it in advance for The King’s English Bookshop, where I work two days a week with great pleasure (more on that in a future post).
Below is the extended blurb I wrote for inclusion in TKE’s quarterly publication, the Inkslinger, our own literary review—full of staff blurbs, reviews, and pieces lying somewhere between.
Readers familiar with Jane Austen’s six completed novels will begin this book having encountered all but two of its central characters. George and Emma Knightley are hosting a month-long house party at Donwell Abbey, to which they have invited Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy and their eldest son, Jonathan; Colonel Brandon and his wife, Marianne; Edmund and Fanny Bertram; Captain Wentworth and his wife, Anne; and Juliet Tilney, seventeen-year-old daughter of Henry and Catherine Tilney.
Rarely has a gathering been more ill-fated than this. The Knightleys know their guests, but the guests don’t know each other, and several have arrived in a state of distress—one consumed by a terrible secret. Three marriages are already strained, and the remaining two are soon to be. The weather is dreadful. And all hell breaks loose when George Wickham appears—demanding payment from two men who have fallen prey to his financial scheme, threatening two women with blackmail and assault, and generally flinging unpleasantness in every direction.
Even more drama ensues when, on her way to the privy in the middle of the night, Juliet Tilney discovers the despised interloper dead on the floor in the long gallery—having been whacked in the head by a curiously destructive blunt object. The local magistrate, Frank Churchill (laughter appropriate), is called to the scene and proceeds to investigate the crime in bumbling fashion while newly acquainted Jonathan Darcy and Juliet—the former with an ironclad alibi, the latter without a motive—together undertake the same challenge on the sly with significantly more competence. Spoiler: the murderer is one of the house party.
Fun read, and the author’s choice of a murder weapon gets my vote for the best ever conceived! From beginning to end, and with regard to everyone except Juliet and Jonathan (both delightful), Austen devotees will question whether or not the dramatis personae are behaving in character—an inevitability in a work of fan fiction, but also part of the fun. No doubt there would be consensus on Wickham’s eligibility as a murder victim, but he’s not the only Austen character so qualified. If Claudia Gray decides to provide us with another mystery in this vein, I, for one, suggest the demise of Mrs. Norris.
Can be purchased though The King’s English and other Indie book stores beginning May 3!
For maximum effect, I recommend reading this mystery in a comfortable chair on a stormy night in a dark room with light sufficient only for reading (two or three well-placed candles would be perfect) and near-scalding tea within reach. A sleepy cat or dog would not go amiss either.