I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and whilst I liked Pride and Premeditation, I loved this one far more!
I really like the concept of Jane Austen books inspiring these Murder mysteries. The author cleverly combines well know characters and plots into new murder mysteries. She gives the story a fun and energetic tone with this fresh take.
There difference in this story to the original - the father owns a private investigator company, that his daughter Marianne works at and he dies in suspicious circumstances. Cue Elinor and Marianne investigative duo as their attempt to discover the truth whilst adjusting to their new circumstances after their brother kicks them out.
The story is a duel narrative with Elinor and Marianne. They balance each other out in a way that worked really well and I enjoyed the journey they had together, both as individuals and as a pair. They have pent up feelings to work through but ultimately their love for one another is so beautiful. Elinor is the sensible, caretaker who presents a calm facade despite her fear and worry. Marianne is the bold determined and stubborn sister who won’t back down or let something as insignificant as propriety stop her. Unfortunately she does have a bad habit of ignoring hints in favour of her desired result, though her growth is wonderful.
Their methods differ greatly and they struggle to find a balance together but the whole process was a joy to read. I loved every minute of their search, found myself looking for clues alongside them and analysing the people around them. There were a lot of pieces to put together and I loved the way the author gave us the conclusion. I hadn’t quite worked out the answers so enjoyed the big reveal and seeing it all fall into place.
Alongside our main two we have a full cast of entertaining characters. I loved everyone involved and Price brought all these characters to life beautifully and I couldn’t help but root for the Dashwoods and despise our villains. Margaret (the youngest sister) was a delight and had her time to shine adding a lot to the story.
Overall it was a very enjoyable retelling of a classic with a well crafted murder mystery twist. The writing was easy to read with well developed dialogue, compelling characterisation and a plot that had me invested from the get go.
A note: this is not a romance, whilst there are romantic subplots it’s not a central theme, the murder mystery is. Personally, I thought it was the perfect balance as the romance didn’t overwhelm the mystery but if you’re expecting a romance heavy story, this isn’t that.
