Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Faber and Faber (5 July 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571288006
• ISBN-13: 978-0571288007

The year is 1803, and Darcy and Elizabeth have been married for six years. There are now two handsome and healthy sons in the nursery, Elizabeth's beloved sister Jane and her husband Bingley live nearby and the orderly world of Pemberley seems unassailable. But all this is threatened when, on the eve of the annual autumn ball, the guests are preparing to retire for the night when a chaise appears, rocking down the path from Pemberley's wild woodland. As it pulls up, Lydia Wickham - Elizabeth's younger, unreliable sister - stumbles out screaming that her husband has been murdered. Inspired by a lifelong passion for the work of Jane Austen, PD James masterfully recreates the world of Pride and Prejudice, and combines it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly-crafted crime story. Death Comes to Pemberley is a distinguished work of fiction, from one of the best-loved, most- read writers of our time.

Cover:  Not a big fan of this cover.  Sure, it may be relevant but I just find it boring.  Could have had a much more interesting cover.

Can there be a successful murder-mystery sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice?
My opinion...No.

I really didn't enjoy this book.  P.D. James is a much loved crime writer, and I haven't read one of her books before, and, to be honest, this hasn't made me want to pick up another.
I found the writing very repetitive, reading the same account of events goodness knows how many times- even if by different characters, the phrasing was the same.  Plus tons of info-dumping.
The characters that I love so much in Pride and Prejudice were almost recognisable.  Characters didn't act or talk like themselves.  And what really bugged me, was that we're made to doubt Elizabeth's character as we know it.
I found the pacing incredibly slow.  It was hard to plod through this.  For a genre that is supposed to be filled with suspense and drama...there wasn't any.  It was just all so boring.
The mystery itself was predictable, dull and drawn to the point that it was just ridiculous.
1/5 stars.