The Intrigue at Highbury

The Intrigue at Highbury: Or, Emma's Match. Carrie Bebris. 2010. Tor. 317 pages.

Emma Woodhouse Knightley, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition--a happiness recently compounded by her marriage to a gentleman of noble character and steadfast heart--seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-two years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.
With two notable exceptions: the Reverend and Mrs. Philip Elton.

I loved this one. I just LOVED it. Every time I pick up a Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery novel, I think I've found it, the one that I love above the rest. And such is the case with The Intrigue at Highbury. In this fifth mystery, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy find themselves at Highbury, the victims of gypsies! While most of their belongings are safe, they've lost two very precious heirlooms: a christening gown (soon to be needed for Anne Fitzwilliam) and a ring.

They seek the local magistrate--who happens to be Mr. George Knightley. Problem is, Mr. Knightley has concerns of his own. He was hosting a dinner party, a special celebration in honor of the recent marriage between Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax. And in the middle of the party, Frank's uncle, his adopted father, dies. The cause of death is suspicious at best. The local apothecary, Mr. Perry, feels he was poisoned. But who is the murderer? Frank Churchill, no doubt, has the greatest motive, but is he capable of the crime?

This one is told through multiple narrators. I equally loved Emma Knightley and Elizabeth Darcy. Carrie Bebris completely redeemed my perception of Jane Austen's Emma. I loved how Austen's original characters are depicted in this one. I loved seeing the "feud" between Emma and Mrs. E continue! I loved Emma's growth--how tender she is with Miss Bates now. And, of course, I loved Bebris' depiction of Elizabeth and Darcy. It felt so natural, so right, for Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley to become friends so quickly. As I said, I loved this one. I just LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it.

See also: Pride and Prescience, North by Northanger, The Matters at Mansfield.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Posted in 2010 , adult fiction , adult mystery , library book , Tor

The Lost Gate (YA/Adult)

The Lost Gate. Orson Scott Card. 2011. January 2011. Tor. 384 pages.


Danny North grew up surrounded by fairies, ghosts, talking animals, living stones, walking trees, and gods who called up wind and brought down rain, made fire from air and drew iron out of the depths of the earth as easily as ordinary people might draw up water from a well.

I enjoyed The Lost Gate. It's a fantasy novel with mythological elements. Danny North is from one of powerful families--former gods, you might say--cut off for centuries from their home-world. But he's not the family's greatest hope--far from it. He's grown up being less-than. His aunts, his uncles, his cousins, his parents, everyone in his life has a gift, a calling. But Danny? Well, he runs fast and he's smart when it comes to book-learning, to languages especially. Not exactly magical, is it?

But Danny is about to learn just how special he is when the novel opens--and this knowledge puts him in great danger. He can't go home again--for the truth--if revealed--will lead to his death. So how does a young boy (12 or 13) survive in the real world? A world he's been kept separate from? How fast can Danny learn the necessary skills to survive? He won't be alone for long, but when there are people who want you dead, it's not easy to know who to trust.

Speaking of trust, there is a second story within The Lost Gate. Readers aren't quite sure (exactly) how these stories connect since they seem to be disconnected--separated by great time or distance.

The Lost Gate is a fantasy novel. Orson Scott Card crafts a new world (or two) within The Lost Gate. He's peopled the 'real' world with some fantastical beings--some more obvious than others. I enjoyed the world Card has created. I'm not sure I "love" this new world yet. But. I can say that The Lost Gate kept me reading. I found it compelling, enjoyable, satisfying. The time I spent with the book was happy. It felt right to be reading Card again.



© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Posted in 2011 , adult fiction , Adult Science Fiction , library book , Tor , YA Science Fiction

The Matters at Mansfield

The Matters at Mansfield: Or The Crawford Affair. A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery. Carrie Bebris. 2008. Tor. 288 pages. 

It is a truth less frequently acknowledged, that a good mother in possession of a single child, must be in want of sleep. 

Who has killed Henry Crawford, and why should Elizabeth and Darcy care?! In The Matters at Mansfield, readers see a different side of Anne de Bourgh, the 'weak' daughter of Lady Catherine. With a little encouragement from Elizabeth Darcy, Miss de Bourgh has decided to follow her heart and disobey the command of her mother. For better or worse. Literally. The book sees Anne running away with her lover! Who's her lover? Three guesses! The scoundrel from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, Henry Crawford. Has Carrie Bebris redeemed Mr. Crawford? Read for yourself and see all the excitement unfold...you can imagine, no doubt, what Lady Catherine will make of this affair...

I am just LOVING these mystery novels by Carrie Bebris. I love the writing, the style, the language, the witty dialogue, the just-right characterizations. I would definitely recommend these books! They are so well-written.

See also: Pride and Prescience and North by Northanger.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Posted in 2008 , adult fiction , adult mystery , library book , Tor

North by Northanger

North by Northanger: Or, The Shades of Pemberley. A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery. Carrie Bebris. 2006. Tor. 320 pages.

Less than a year into the marriage that made her mistress of one of England's finest houses, Elizabeth Darcy knew she still had much to learn about the place she now called home. Of one thing, however, she was certain. A ghost haunted Pemberley.
She was not a ghost in the traditional sense. She did not moan, or shriek, or rattle chains. She did cause rooms to grow cold, objects to fall, or fires to sputter. She did not manifest at midnight to pace on creaking floorboards, visiting in death the rooms she had occupied in life.
Yet the continued presence of Lady Anne Fitzwilliam Darcy was as real and pervasive as that of any spectre.

I definitely enjoyed Pride and Prescience, the first in Carrie Bebris' series of mysteries starring Elizabeth and Darcy. Sadly, my library does not have the second volume in this series, Suspense and Sensibility: Or, First Impressions Revisited, so I was unable to read it. (Though based on B&N's description, it unites characters from Sense & Sensibility with Pride and Prejudice. Specifically a Bennet sister with a Dashwood cousin.) But. I was delighted to pick the third one up!

Elizabeth is pregnant with their first child. And while she's not as nervous as her husband, she's not completely anxiety free. Distractions exist to keep her mind off of upcoming labor, however. She discovers a letter from Darcy's mother. It's addressed to her, to Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy. It was written the day of Lady Anne's death--the day Darcy's sister was born. She speaks of a charm, a statue, that she has hidden but could not find in her time of need. Something that she hoped would protect her and her unborn child. Elizabeth shares this with her husband, of course, and one mystery begins.

It is a mystery that will--for better or worse--lead them to Northanger Abbey and the questionable Tilney family.

This one is a mystery. It is intense in places--as Darcy is charged with a crime he did not commit. But it is also a charming read with plenty of wit and humor. In part, because Lady Catherine is (by necessity) on an extended visit to Pemberley (until Darcy's trial can be held). Can Elizabeth tolerate Lady Catherine during these difficult months? Can she tolerate her "advice"? Can she work with her husband to prove his innocence?

I enjoyed spending time with these characters. I'm still loving Bebris' interpretation of Darcy and Elizabeth. Still finding her characters, and her stories satisfying.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Posted in 2006 , adult fiction , adult mystery , Historical Fiction , library book , romance , Tor

Pride and Prescience

Pride and Prescience: Or A Truth Universally Acknowledged. A Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery. 2004. Tor. 288 pages.

On the day Miss Elizabeth Bennet wed Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, she did not mind dividing with her elder sister, Jane, the notice due a bride. Indeed, she had been delighted when Jane chose to marry Mr. Charles Bingley in a double ceremony. It seemed only right that two sisters and two men who were themselves particular friends should all embark on their new lives together, and she hoped the event presaged many happy hours spent in each other's company in the years ahead.
Elizabeth did mind, however, sharing the stage with Mr. Bingley's sister Caroline.

I wouldn't exactly say I loved this one. As in love, love, love. But I did enjoy this one. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Because whether it is a truth universally acknowledged or not, most Austen sequels have a difficult time in successfully capturing the characters and narrative style of Austen's original novels. (A good many exist purely as an excuse to write in great detail of intimacies between the couples.) Carrie Bebris's Elizabeth and Darcy were well done. Their conversations felt right. The chemistry between them felt right. (Not over done, not explicit. Yet you knew they were deeply in love.) It was just delightful to spend time with these two.

This novel begins with the wedding of Jane and Charles and Elizabeth and Darcy. Elizabeth is unhappy that Caroline decided to use this gathering as a chance to make a big announcement: she's getting married to a wealthy American, Mr. Parrish. They're getting married in a week. And, of course, Elizabeth and Darcy feel obligated to attend. Despite the fact that they hoped to be on their way to Pemberley by then. A trip that keeps getting postponed time and time again. For better or worse, these two have a difficult time escaping the company of Caroline and her new husband! And that is where the mystery begins...


At the first, it seems that Caroline (Bingley) Parrish is the target. But. The Darcys soon realize that the threat includes the whole Bingley family. Can Elizabeth and Darcy solve this mystery in time?

I enjoyed many things about this one. I enjoyed spending time with these characters. I liked how Bebris developed Austen's original characters--Caroline Bingley, Charles, Jane, Elizabeth, Darcy, etc. I liked her new characters too. Even the "bad guys" felt properly developed. I will definitely be interested in reading more Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery novels.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Posted in 2004 , adult fiction , adult mystery , library book , Tor

The Boy From Ilysies (YA)

The Boy From Ilysies. Pearl North. 2010. Tom Doherty Associates. 320 pages.

Po had offended the Princess of Ilysies. 

I didn't enjoy The Boy from Ilysies as much as I enjoyed the first novel, Libyrinth. Perhaps because this novel is told from a different perspective. I found Haly's "gift" of reading books to be charming. I loved reading all the bookish quotes. I particularly enjoyed how The Diary of A Young Girl was incorporated into the plot. It was just an interesting premise, an interesting world--a complex world peopled with many cultures.

The Boy From Ilysies occurs after "the redemption." Po, our narrator, isn't the only Ilysian who has chosen to remain in the new community of Libyrinth, but he is the only male. He struggles (to put it mildly) to find a place within the community. He has a way of easily offending others, and a way of being easily offended by others. Po is a sensitive guy who cries and cries and cries...but at the same time, a guy who can't resist a fight. There are many who just don't understand him. At all. How he can be weak and strong at the same time.

Part of this is culture clash. Readers are told about how Ilysian males are trained to be consorts. They're trained to serve women, to fulfill women's needs and desires. Women are to be respected, honored, admired, loved, served, etc. So Po sees many invitations--some intended, some not--in small things. (If a woman says she's tired and going to go take a bath, then that's an "invite" for company.) He's NOT in Ilysia anymore. And he's not learned enough about the world to really survive or function.

This novel is more about politics, gender roles, culture clashes, sexuality, etc., than the first novel. The community is still being threatened by various groups--including the Queen of Ilysia. Not all are happy about this so-called "Redemption." So there are still adventures to be had, and dangers to be faced.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Posted in 2010 , dystopia , library book , Tor , YA Fantasy , YA Fiction , YA Science Fiction

Libyrinth (MG/YA)

Libyrinth. Pearl North. 2009. Tor. 336 pages.

The wind howled and the flames roared, but the books, as they died, merely fell silent.

I enjoyed Pearl North's Libyrinth. Haly, one of our two heroines, is a young girl with a great gift--a secret gift. The books talk to her. Without opening a book, she can "read" the pages within--the words on the page being a voice in her mind. Haly is a Libyrarian--or on her way to becoming one at any rate. Clauda, our second heroine, is a servant who sees and hears much. Some might even call her a gossip. But she brings word to both Haly and Selene of the danger to come. The threat that the Eradicants--the book burners--pose.

Haly is about to get a chance to know the Eradicants well. For she is captured, but even as a prisoner she holds some power over her captors. But this is one you should read on your own. I'm afraid of saying too much.

I really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed the world the author created. The different cultures. Their strengths and weaknesses. I enjoyed the style--how Pearl North incorporates books within her work. Her use of quotes was fun!

After the burning, Haly fled to the maze of bookshelves beneath the Libyrinth, to the books that had not been burned. "Two houses, both alike in dignity"; "He was just a country boy"; "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." The multitude of familiar voices comforted her even as she grieved those she'd lost. (13)  

She does provide readers with a list of books she quoted throughout the novel. I liked the characterization too. I didn't quite love it--but I'd definitely still recommend it!

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Posted in 2009 , review copy , Tor , YA Fantasy , YA Fiction , YA Science Fiction