Death Comes to Pemberley - A visit with the Darcys

One of my favourite authors of all time, P.D. James, left her long-suffering detective Adam Dalgleish behind on some grisly murder case and escaped to the lush world of Jane Austen and the Darcy's of Pemberley. When we last saw Mr. Darcy (played to perfection by Colin Firth in the BBC Miniseries of Pride and Prejudice) he and Elizabeth Bennett were just getting married and preparing to live happily ever after. Now, six years and two adorable children later, they are about to throw an annual ball at their home when a murder occurs on the estate. Of course, if there is the overdramatic and selfish Lydia and her scoundrel of a husband, Wickham, who is accused of the murder, making things difficult for the Darcy's. Sigh, why can't they just live happily ever after?

Others have tried to explore what could have happened to this timeless romantic couple, but I think James is the one who really succeeds. She captures the characters and their necessary restraint perfectly. Her writing style is as simultaneously restrained and passionate as Austen's. The flow is seamless between the two. And, of course, P.D. James is the grand dame of the British murder mystery and the story itself is as well plotted as those starring Commander Dalgleish. I loved it!

Rosalyn Landor, who I previously heard as part of the group who read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, is amazingly well suited for the part. She has a broad variety of both male and female voices that match the era and the characters perfectly, instilling each with a great sense of depth that rises above merely narrating the text.

All in all Death Comes to Pemberly  is a lovely murder mystery for a cold winter's evening. I downloaded it from Library to Go and here (if the computer gods are willing) is a sample I pulled from Random House Audio:

                                                       
Listen Up!


Death Comes to Pemberley, (9 hrs 47 mins), Random House Audio, 2011