Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

In a book club I used to belong to in Milwaukee, one member was a fan of P.D. James and picked one of her novels for her selection. I had never read James up to that point, but I soon discovered she is a fantastic and well known British mystery author. I’ll admit that I was surprised to learn that she had written her own follow up to Pride and Prejudice, Death Comes to Pemberley. I love all things Jane Austen, and was not surprised to learn that P.D. James is a fan of the superb Jane Austen herself.


In Death Comes to Pemberley, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have been married for six years and have two cute boys. Elizabeth’s beloved sister Jane and husband Charles Bingley live nearby. Darcy’s sister, Georgiana has two suitors for her hand in marriage and life is looking perfect right before their annual Lady Anne’s Ball. Perfect until the moment that a carriage speeds to the front of Pemberley and discharges a screaming Lydia Wickham. A murder has taken place in Pemberley wood and Mr. Darcy has to take charge to find the culprit.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought it was an intriguing mystery and loved revisiting some of my favorite literary characters. I thought that James was very faithful to the characters and I also enjoyed how some of Austen’s characters from other novels were brought into play. I relished how the mystery followed early nineteenth century investigation and trial procedures. CSI this was not, but they managed to get to the heart of the matter.

I have seen mixed reviews on this book with many fellow Austen fans not enjoying it. Did you enjoy this novel, why or why not? I want to know!

I will admit that although I enjoyed this book, it does not replace authors Stephanie Barron with her Jane Austen mysteries or Carrie Bebris with her Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery series as my favorite Austen mystery writers. I have sadly fallen behind on both of their series and need to catch up!

Book Source: The Kewaunee Public Library