Death comes to Pemberley [eBook] : a novel

A rare meeting of literary genius: P. D. James, long among the most admired mystery writers of our time, draws the characters of Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride and Prejudice into a tale of murder and emotional mayhem. It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball. Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth’s disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery. Inspired by a lifelong passion for Austen, P. D. James masterfully re-creates the world of Pride and Prejudice, electrifying it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly crafted crime story, as only she can write it. Review 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER “A sparkling curio that will appeal to both Janeites and Jamesites.” — Daily Telegraph “Jane Austen herself would have applauded.” — The Spectator “A great joint achievement, and a joyous read.” — The Independent “ Death Comes to Pemberley is as good as anything P. D. James has written and that is very high praise indeed.” — Sunday Express “A delight. It reads happily and, as ever in P. D. James’s novels, the settings are beautifully and thoroughly imagined, the descriptions and exact. I can’t think that it could be better done.” — The Scotsman “Brimming with astute appreciation, inventiveness and narrative zest, Death Comes to Pemberley is an elegantly gauged homage to Austen and an exhilarating tribute to the inexhaustible vitality of James’s imagination.” — The Sunday Times “Of all the other pens to take up where Austen left off, P. D. James’s is head and shoulders above the rest.” — Evening Standard About the Author P. D. James is the author of twenty previous books, most of which have been filmed for television and broadcast in the United States and other countries. She spent thirty years in various departments of the British Civil Service, including the Police and Criminal Policy departments of Great Britain’s Home Office, and has served as a magistrate and as a governor of the BBC. The recipient of many honors and prizes, she was created Baroness James of Holland Park in 1991 and was inducted into the International Crime Writing Hall of Fame in 2008. She divides her time between London and Oxford. In A Marvellous, Thrilling Re-creation Of The World Of Pride And Prejudice, P.d. James Fuses Her Lifelong Passion For The Work Of Jane Austen With Her Own Great Talent For Writing Crime Fiction. The Year Is 1803, And Darcy And Elizabeth Have Been Married For Six Years. There Are Now Two Handsome, Healthy Sons In The Pemberley Nursery, Elizabeth's Beloved Sister Jane And Her Husband, Bingley, Live Within Seventeen Miles, The Ordered And Secure Life Of Pemberley Seems Unassailable, And Elizabeth's Happiness In Her Marriage Is Complete. But Their Peace Is Threatened And Old Sins And Misunderstandings Are Rekindled On The Eve Of The Annual Autumn Ball. The Darcys And Their Guests Are Preparing To Retire For The Night When A Chaise Appears, Rocking Down The Path From Pemberley's Wild Woodland, And As It Pulls Up, Lydia Wickham, An Uninvited Guest, Tumbles Out, Screaming That Her Husband Has Been Murdered. Death Comes To Pemberley Is A Powerful Work Of Fiction, As Rich In Its Compelling Story, In Its Evocation Of Place, And Its Gripping Psychological And Emotional Insight, As The Very Best Of P. D. James. She Brings Us Back Masterfully And With Delight To Much-loved Characters, Illuminating The Happy But Threatened Marriage Of The Darcys With The Excitement And Suspense Of A Brilliantly Crafted Mystery. It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy's magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth's sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy's sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball. But now, Pemberley is thrown into chaos after Elizabeth Bennett's disgraced sister Lydia arrives and announces that her husband Wickham has been murdered