The Late Mrs Willoughby - Claudia Gray

Published by Vintage Books/Penguin Random House LLC: New York, 2023.
'A Mr Darcy and Miss Tilney Mystery' Book 2. Preceded by 'The Murder of Mr Wickham.'

As mentioned above, this book is a sequel to The Murder of Mr Wickham and is the third book I have read (counting its predecessor and the un-connected Death Comes to Pemberley) in the growing sub-genre of 'Jane Austen murder mysteries.' Jonathan Darcy (son of FitzWilliam and Elizabeth Darcy from Pride and Prejudice) and Juliet Tilney (daughter of Henry and Catherine Tilney from Northanger Abbey) reunite in the village of Barton and once again are faced with a murder to solve, this time of Sophia Willoughby (from Sense and Sensibility). 

Suspects include many of the characters from that novel, along with some of the school friends of Sophia's husband John Willoughby, a trio comprised of Jonathan Darcy himself, Mr Follett and Mr Bamber. With Willoughby being a very unlikeable figure, the investigation doesn't just focus on those who might have wanted his wife dead, but also expands to include those who would want Willoughby himself dead (a long list!), especially when Willoughby narrowly avoids a second murder attempt.

Once again, author Gray recreates a very accurate Austen 'feel' to her story which really enhances the plot. The light, sweet tone remains (despite the murder element) and Darcy and Tilney are likeable romantic leads. This time their sweet 'maybe-romance' is complicated by Mr Bamber, who both aids them in the investigation and may become a rival for Juliet's heart. As in the first book, Darcy exhibits what would now be diagnosed as autistic tendencies of some sort, and this lends to his endearing awkwardness, as well as complicating his own self-assessment of his feelings for Juliet.

This time around the murder mystery plot is perhaps not quite as strong as in The Murder of Mr Wickham; in that book I was guessing until the end; in this book I had guessed the murderer fairly early on, and unraveled some of the twists before Darcy and Tilney managed to. However, this is fairly slight in terms of criticism, and doesn't undermine the enjoyment of the story. 

Towards the end, Gray hints that there may indeed be more adventures involving Darcy and Tilney, and I will be checking them out if she writes them. I could even see this duo beginning to get involved in stories outside of Austen's canon - personally I wouldn't mind a slightly time-adjusted investigation into a Dickensian murder, for example.

Lots to enjoy for fans of Austen, whodunnits, and light romance.

Completed 17 December 2023.

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