Intrigue at Longbourn by Gill Mather Series: The Elizabeth Bennet Series #1
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Historical
Pages: 346
Format: ARC
Source: The Author
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Elizabeth Bennet enjoys a lively six months before Netherfield Park is let at last. She is appalled to learn that a pregnant teenage kitchen maid, Alice, was dismissed from Longbourn House eight or nine years earlier with no thought for her welfare or that of her unborn child.
Unable to involve her family on the occasion, she approaches the recently arrived, handsome, young rector of Longbourn parish, Mr Wilde, and he agrees to assist her in secret. Their apparently clandestine association is noticed and misinterpreted by some.
Meanwhile, to secure the family’s future, Mr Bennet embarks on a complicated, high-risk scheme which is ultimately in danger of spiralling out of control.
Holidays provide welcome diversions and the social scene is enhanced by a young scientist named Julius Fairweather.
Nevertheless, father’s and daughter’s separate manoeuvres inevitably clash, stoked up by a jealous mischief-maker, as the summer races inexorably towards Michaelmas of 1797 when a young man of large fortune named Bingley first enters the neighbourhood.
I received this book for free from The Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In the tone and pacing of Jane Austen, Gill Mather presents what she calls a prequel to Pride and Prejudice, with a mystery focus. I hesitate to call it a mystery, because it is perhaps more complex and nuanced, and while it has romantic elements it’s definitely not a romance. So I am not sure how to explain it other than Jane Austen Fan Fiction (JAFF) with mystery elements.
There are some mature themes, but they are fairly limited so generally this is a book that is appropriate for most readers.
I am not a big JAFF reader, as I think I have mentioned from time to time on the website. But I don’t want to ick someone else’s yum (and I know there are a lot of Regency Readers who adore JAFF). To help myself, I read this book as if they were completely different characters than P&P. Which was sometimes difficult, because I believe the characterizations and portions of the plot rely on the reader having read and remembered P&P. I share that to say that if you haven’t read P&P this book is probably not a great place to start.
This is book 1 of a series, the second being a sequel to P&P. They are categorized as historical mysteries and mystery romances, but I felt like it was a deviation from the traditional formulas and therefore harder to place. That’s not to say it was not an interesting and entertaining read. It is delivered at a slower pace, so not a slap bang action type novel, but its insights into Regency era living will be appealing to readers who enjoy a provincial day in the life.
In any case, I think Gill Mather understands the sensibilities of the era and delivers an interesting read.
I would recommend this for JAFF fans looking for something different, but with the tone and pacing of a Jane Austen novel.
