I’ve just finished reading 'Death Comes to Pemberley' by the author P.D James. I’m a huge Pride and Prejudice fan and have read many sequels and prequels to the great Austen novel. I was sceptical about this murder mystery version of the events after Austen’s story finishes but once I’d read a couple of sample chapters from iBooks I was hooked.
We catch up with Elizabeth and Darcy six years on, happily married with a couple of sons. On the eve of a grand ball Lizzie is holding at Pemberley her troublesome younger sister; Lydia appears claiming that her husband has been murdered on the grounds of Pemberley. Darcy goes out to look for Wickham’s body and instead finds him standing over the corpse of his friend Denny. A whodunit situation follows.
There are many twists and turns in the plot, the narrative full of adultery, illegitimate children and betrayal which were common themes in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. However, the only twist that doesn’t suit the traditional Austen style is the murder itself. The love story between Darcy and Elizabeth continues but is by no means the main theme, if you’re looking for more of the brooding Darcy this is not the sequel to be reading. If you enjoy a good mystery with many plot twists then I highly recommend this book. I really enjoy a good mystery novel and it was a bonus that the characters originated from one of my most loved tales.
No comments:
Post a Comment