Pride and Prescience by Carrie Bebris

A Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery

First, let me state that I am a huge Jane Austen fan, and have been since long before the current Hollywood-induced revival.  I consider her writings delightful and masterfully crafted.  It is a joy to savor every sentence.  But as much as I love her, I do not take offense at those writers who try to capture her world in sequels or alternative-point-of-view novels (such as Jane Fairfax by Joan Aiken – very good read).

That said, there are only a few reasons why you would want to read this book.  You are marooned on a desert island, and have nothing else.  You so desperately wish that Austen had written more, that you will accept anything that has remotely to do with her original works.  Once you start a book, you have a compulsion to finish it.  You are very bored.  

Bebris does not even come close to getting Austen’s style right.  Granted, this is a hard task, but I have read others who have done better.  After a few chapters, you can get over this, but I had a hard time getting over how obvious the plot was.  I had no problem figuring out the villain and his methods very early on in the novel.  Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by reading too much Agatha Christie.