by Tirzah Price
publisher’s synopsis
When a scandalous murder shocks London high society, seventeen-year-old aspiring lawyer Lizzie Bennet seizes the opportunity to prove herself, despite the interference of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir to the prestigious firm Pemberley Associates.
Convinced the authorities have imprisoned the wrong person, Lizzie vows to solve the murder on her own.
But as the case—and her feelings for Darcy—become more complicated, Lizzie discovers that her dream job could make her happy, but it might also get her killed.
Confession: I am not a Jane Austin fan.
I read Pride and Prejudice years ago for school, and I thought it was kind of like a Hallmark movie. I thought it was okay.
However, when I learned about Pride and Premeditation, I decided to read it. I love a good mystery and enjoy Regency-era settings. Plus, the idea of mashing up Pride and Prejudice with a murder mystery intrigued me.
Pride and Premeditation feels a little bit like an alternative universe where the characters from Pride and Prejudice got dropped into the middle of a murder mystery. Pride and Premeditation doesn’t retell Austin’s story; rather it takes her characters and puts them into a new story that has echoes of the original Pride and Prejudice.
Now, it has been several years since I read Pride and Prejudice, but Price’s version of the characters seemed pretty similar to Austin’s original characters. And the characters were well done. I really enjoyed Lizzie’s snark.
The mystery was really well done. Price did a great job of dropping clues throughout the story that you don’t catch until the end.
Overall, Pride and Premeditation was a really fun read. You don’t even have to be a Jane Austin fan to enjoy it. My only complaint about it would be the blasphemies throughout the story.
Cautions: 10 blasphemy; light/moderate romance; one kiss; brief, non-graphic moderate violence; non-graphic descriptions of murder
Hailey Huntington 