Book Review | The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh

The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh by Claudia Gray

Series: A Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mystery #3
Published by Penguin on June 18, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Historical, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency, Fiction / Women
Pages: 400
Format: eBook

The delicious follow-up to The Murder of Mr. Wickham and The Late Mrs. Willoughby finds Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney facing their most daunting detecting challenge yet: preventing the murder of Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Someone is trying to kill Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Esteemed aunt of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, generous patroness of Mr. William Collins, a woman of rank who rules over Rosings Park with an unimpeachable and very firm sense of propriety—who would dare? Lady Catherine summons her grand-nephew, Mr. Jonathan Darcy, and his investigative companion, Miss Juliet Tilney, to find out.

After a year apart, Jonathan and Juliet are thrilled to be reunited, even if the circumstances—finding whoever has thus far sabotaged Lady Catherine's carriage, shot at her, and nearly pushed her down the stairs—are less than ideal. Also less than ideal: their respective fathers, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Mr. Henry Tilney, have accompanied the young detectives to Rosings, and the two men do not interact with the same felicity enjoyed by their children. Nor do either of them seem inclined to favour future connections between the young pair.

With attempts against Lady Catherine escalating, and none of prime suspects seemingly capable of committing all of the attacks, the pressure on Jonathan and Juliet mounts, even as more gentle feelings between the two of them begin to bloom. The race is on to provoke a confession from the would-be murderer before it is too late—and also, perhaps, one of love....

ISBN: 9780735247857

I absolutely loved this novel! Even though Juliet and Jonathan didn’t end up together at the end of this novel, I’m at least glad that there’s no longer any misunderstandings between Jonathan and Juliet. I was so upset at the end of the second novel where they both think the other doesn’t like them and doesn’t think of them as marriage material. It was especially heartbreaking when Jonathan was torturing himself with his “curtain” to prove he could be like other men.

Anyways, the mystery itself was interesting. Claudia Gray always does a great job in making a page turner of a mystery. Also, I like how it’s not just a by the book mystery, but there’s something more at work. In this case, there were so many class differences present in the novel: the perpetrator of the crimes, the Collins’s secret, and the improper courtship between Jonathan and Juliet (at least improper in terms of society and their fathers). The idea of class and who has and doesn’t have money was an interesting way to approach this novel, especially with Lady Catherine being Lady Catherine.

I wasn’t aware this wasn’t the last one, so I was slightly upset by the ending, as I said with Juliet and Jonathan not getting together. But I’m glad that their miscommunication has been dealt with. I’m now needing to go fight their fathers, which I totally can take them. I’m usually not a fan of the miscommunication trope because it’s misused, but in this case, the miscommunication works. Not only with the time period of young men and women only allowed to say so much to each other, but also Jonathan’s autism makes it understandable why he’s misunderstanding Juliet’s reactions or feelings.

I’m so excited for the next one and will need to pre-order it immediately!