Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

 

What’s your favorite retelling?

I love retellings, but I especially love Pride and Prejudice retellings.  Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price is a November JASNA Northwoods Book Club selection.  I went into this book thinking it was a retelling, but by the end, I realized this is more of a murder mystery that uses the characters names from Pride and Prejudice, and it also fits in some tidbits from the classic novel, but it is not a retelling.  Thinking of this book in this manner made me enjoy it more.

Lizzie Bennet wants to be a barrister, but in Regency England, women working in the law is not done.  Her father owns a successful firm, Longbourn and Sons, but with no sons, it looks like the odious Mr. Collins will be taking it over.  Mr. Bennet tells Lizzie to solve a case on her own to prove she can do the job.  When she learns of the murder of Mr. Hurst, she is determined to solve the case to prove herself to her father.  When she runs into Mr. Darcy who is also working on the case, how will Lizzie show her true mettle?  Will she be able to solve the crime before Mr. Darcy?

I will be honest here, I didn’t like the book at first, but it grew on me.  I was expecting a lighthearted young adult, Pride and Prejudice retelling.  This is more a “murder mystery makeover” as the back cover states.  What I didn’t like at first is that I had to check to see if it was set in the Regency era.  Lizzy was always walking around alone in London, which she would not have done in the Regency era.  I also didn’t really feel the chemistry between Darcy and Lizzy. The characters were not well developed.  I think if this book would have been set one hundred years later, I would have liked it better.  Then Lizzie being a lawyer and walking around town would have been okay.  Set in the Regency era, it just didn’t work for me.  I did like the mystery and the final conclusion.  I loved how Lizzy got her day at court and the credit for solving the crime.  I liked this as a murder mystery.

Book Source: Purchased from Amazon.com.