Intrigue at Highbury, The (Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries) [Paperback]

After a month of perfect marital bliss, Emma Knightley is itching once again to try her hand match-making. Her latest victim, Miss Bates, is also being targeted by the pretentious and imperious Mrs. Elton, who has some match-making designs of her own. Emma, more mature and circumspect than she previously was, strives to save Miss Bates from the less than desirable and perhaps doltish prospects Mrs. Elton has in mind by introducing Miss Bates to some eligible bachelors during a dinner party she is hosting in honor of Frank and Jane Churchill's recent nuptials. (Frank and Jane are marrying in London, but plan to travel to Highbury before removing to the Churchill estate, Enscombe, located in Yorkshire.)

The dinner party commences splendidly and everyone seems to be having a delightful time except for Frank Churchill's uncle, Edgar Churchill, who has unfortunately imbibed too much wine and is now creating a bit of a ruckus. However, what appears to be a mild case of intoxication ends up being something much more serious and results in the man's death.

On their way to Sussex to visit the newly married Colonel and Anne Fitzwilliam, Darcy and Elizabeth are robbed by some conspiring and sinister highwaymen in the vicinity of Highbury. The Darcys venture to seek assistance from the parish magistrate of Highbury, Mr. Knightley, in hopes that he may be able to apprehend the thieves and recover the precious heirlooms that were stolen from their carriage.

The night of disastrous dinner party is the same night the Darcys appear on Mr. Knightley's doorstep. Poor Mr. Knightley now has two mysteries to solve: a robbery and a murder, as Mr. Perry strongly suspects that Edgar Churchill died from the effects of poison. After learning that the Darcys have had some experience with suspicious deaths, what else can Mr. Knightley do but invite them to stay at Donwell and assist with the investigations...

Gypsies, secret engagements, riddles, inheritances-don't you think Jane Austen's "Emma" is wonderfully primed for intrigue? Carrie Bebris cleverly pens a novel that perfectly captures the charm and humor of "Emma" and infuses it with a riveting and challenging mystery. I immensely enjoyed the camaraderie and easy rapport between the Knightleys and the Darcys and I cannot think of more suitable companion for Emma Knightley than Elizabeth Darcy. The two mysteries were well developed and not at all cliché or predictable. There were many suspects in this investigation and I greatly enjoyed weighing my suspicions and judging their motives for myself.

"The Intrigue at Highbury" is a fantastic addition to Carrie Bebris's already outstanding "Mr. And Mrs. Darcy Mystery Series," and in my humble opinion, it is her best novel yet! One aspect that I loved about this novel is how prominent the characters from "Emma" were. In Ms. Bebris's other novels where she integrates characters from multiple Austen novels, usually only a few characters are present and they often have very minor parts. However, in "The Intrigue at Highbury" we are deeply immersed with many of the delightful and lovable citizens of Highbury and many of them play a very active part in the mysteries.

True to the style of Jane Austen there are a copious amount of laugh out loud moments in this novel such as: long garrulous rambles by Miss Bates, the health concerns and anxieties of Mr. Woodhouse, and narratives that are blended with a very wicked wit. I was very pleased with how clever and Austenesque the writing was in this novel.

To put it simply: I loved "The Intrigue of Highbury!" I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy Austenesque novels and I greatly look forward to rereading this novel many times in the future. I can hardly wait for Carrie Bebris's next installment where Mr. and Mrs. Darcy will encounter the characters from "Persuasion!"

Austenesque Reviews

Carrie Bebris has crafted a marvelous addition to the Mr and Mrs Darcy mysteries in "The Intrigue At Highbury". She skillfully injects elements of "Emma" into the environs and society where Austens' genre works best.

This time, Emma (woodhouse) plays matchmaker and hostess to her dear friends Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax nuptuals. A death interrupts their celebration, and while the Darcy's are traveling, a robbery forces their stay at the unfortunate site of the death. Darcy,an impartial investigator, is asked to lend his talents to solving the circumstance and at the same time, retrieve his family heirlooms removed by the robbers.

This is not high drama, or even high octane crime drama, but rather a well written, well researched, period book that screams "Sit by the fire, and read me." It is truly an oustanding addition to the Austen legacy.

While Mr. Darcy and his wife Elizbath are driving in their coach, they see on the side of the road a young woman who starts screaming. They stop to offer help. While on the carriage a light blows out and a raven screams scaring the servants. The young woman who says she is Miss Jones vanishes. The Darcys return to their coach to find their two servants unconscious and Mr. Darcy's christening gown and his mother's ring gone. They were going to give them to his cousin, but instead report the theft to the magistrate Mr. Knightly.

The magistrate and his wife Emma are having problems too. They are sponsoring a wedding dinner for Mr. Frank Churchill and his new bride Jane when his adopted father Edger dies. After Knightly meets the Darcys and learns he has solved several mysteries (see The Matter At Mansfield, Pride And Prescience, NORTH By Northanger, and Suspense And Sensibility) , he confesses he never liked Frank. As a magistrate he can not be objective so he asks Mr. Darcy to help him investigate the suspicious death which the Darcy's agree to do. They learn Edgar died from belladonna poisoning. As the Darcy's looks into the homicide, they also believe they can recover what was taken from them because they think the thief is still in the area. As more poisonings occur, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy focus on stopping a killer before others die.

The latest Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery is superb giving readers a look at what Jane Austen's England looked like. The audience will be shocked to realize that even intelligent people like the Darcys and the Knightleys are prejudicial against gypsies; all four believe that if a gypsy is in the neighborhood when a crime occurs the culprit is known even without any witness to the felony. The whodunit and why are very complex; with many suspects having motives as the reader and the lead quartet struggle to decide who is the murderer.

Harriet Klausner