Murder Most Pemberley (Eliza Darcy Mysteries) by Jessica Berg
Murder Most Pemberley (Eliza Darcy Mysteries)
by Jessica Berg
About Murder Most Pemberley
Murder Most Pemberley (Eliza Darcy Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing (March 8, 2021)
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 1948051656
ISBN-13: 978-1948051651
Digital Publisher: Red Adept Publishing, LLC (February 16, 2021)
ASIN: B08TKJ73L1
Eat a crumpet. Check. Say “bloody hell” in an English pub. Check. Solve three murders and fall in love? Definitely not on the list. But when England dishes up murder, even an American girl knows it’s time to channel her inner Agatha Christie.
American Eliza Darcy travels to Merry Old England to partake in a Darcy/Bennet family reunion for one reason: to solve the estrangement between her father and uncle. Not long after Eliza’s arrival and exploration of the vast estate of her ancestors, a dead body surfaces. Murder and mayhem replace afternoon teas and flirting with her British heartthrob. Eliza has every intention of keeping her snoot out of official Scotland Yard business, but when clues to the murder begin to merge with her investigation into her family’s rift, her inner wannabe sleuth self-activates.
With the help of her batty great-aunt and the sexy Heath Tilney, Eliza hurries to untangle the web of lies and secrets. As corpses start to pile up faster than the clues, Eliza fears the estate’s family graveyard will swallow another body: hers.
One does not need be a Jane Austen fan to appreciate this spin-off type novel of romance set aside for mystery. The book will appeal to fans of Agatha Christie and Downton Abbey and BBC mysteries. Overall it is a very interesting and fun read.
Eliza Jane Darcy is an American school teacher. Her father is from England, a direct descendant of the infamous Darcy clan of literary fame. After a major riff within his family, one no one will speak about, Andrew Darcy moves to America, marries, fathers Miss Eliza Jane, and never deals with his English family again.
After many years, the family pleads with him to return for a family reunion, but he swears he has other obligations. Eliza Jane, however, is determined to meet her English relatives. Taking only her cat as a travel companion, she has no clue what awaits her.
An abundance of relatives, including branches of the family that have not gotten along for generations, are present at this reunion. They, along with mysterious staff members, all seem to have secrets. AND motives, when a body is discovered early one morning.
I quite liked the DCI who arrives to investigate. He is a friend of Eliza's uncle and refreshingly NOT a future love interest for our heroine. He warns her not to get involved in the investigation, but adapts to tolerance as she uncovers some clues to assist in his investigation.
The samplings of ancestral Eliza Jane's journals at the beginning of each chapter add to the history and mystique of this book. English terms will make American readers smile as they scratch their heads.
The characters are interesting and exciting. The fascination with secret rooms and tunnels always appeals. The looming mystery about the family rift kept me intrigued and turning pages. Is there a killer among the house residents?. Will modern day Eliza live to find out the truth?
Between searching for the truth and a killer, can Miss Eliza also find romance?
A great escape read for any season.
About Jessica Berg
Jessica Berg, a child of the Dakotas and the prairie, grew up amongst hard-working men and women and learned at an early early age to “put some effort into it.” Following that wise adage, she has put effort into teaching high school English for over a decade, being a mother to four children (she finds herself surprised at this number, too), basking in the love of her husband of more than fifteen years and losing herself in the imaginary worlds she creates.
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Thank you so much for the kind review, and I'm pumped that you enjoyed my mystery:) It was my first time writing a cozy and, boy, was it a learning curve for me.
ReplyDeleteThank you again!
Jessica Berg