Pride and Premeditation

The first installment in a trilogy reworking three of Jane Austen’s novels as murder mysteries, Price’s underwhelming debut takes place in Regency-era London, starring Pride and Prejudice’s Elizabeth Bennet as an aspiring barrister. Determined to convince her father to hire her at his modest law firm, Longbourn & Sons, Elizabeth, 17, vows to prove her worth by tackling a criminal case. Her opportunity quickly arrives when she learns that Charles Bingley, eligible bachelor and owner of Netherfield Shipping, has been arrested for murder. Using her wits to enter Newgate Prison, Elizabeth meets with Charles to offer her services. Rivalrous sparks fly when Elizabeth meets Charles’s longtime friend—and current legal representative—Fitzwilliam Darcy, a solicitor at the prestigious firm Pemberley and Associates. While the reimagining of Austen’s characters lacks the subtle wit of the originals, Mr. Collins stays in character as obtuse and obsequious, and George Wickham appears as a Bow Street Runner whose support for Elizabeth’s career goals may bear ulterior motives. Though the setup is promising, the plot loses its initial fizz once Elizabeth’s sleuthing begins, its early momentum slowing toward an over-the-top conclusion. Ages 14–up. [em]Agent: Taylor Martindale Kean, Full Circle Literary. (Apr.) [/em]