Dear reader, do you worry when an author takes the characters of your beloved novels and puts them in new books, two hundred years later? Me too, so I was a little nervous when I requested the ARC of The Late Mrs. Willoughby by Claudia Gray
Well rest assured, there was no need to fret, this mystery, the second in Gray’s series is delightful! Gray has created a dynamic mystery solving duo in the model of some of my favorites like Deanna Rayborn, Laurie R. King, Anna Lee Huber and Andrea Penrose
Our detectives, the daughter of Northanger Abbey and the son of Pemberley, are both in Barton, visiting Marianne Dashwood and Willoughby respectively, when at what is a super awkward dinner thrown by Sir John Middleton, Mrs. Willoughby is poisoned 🤢
A few months prior, Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy, had successfully discovered who killed Mr. Wickham and now they decide they must find out who killed the former Sophia Grey if for no other reason than to clear the name of Marianne Brandon.
The mystery isn’t necessarily groundbreaking but it’s a fun romp, Gray presents the reader with a number of viable number of murderers. What I loved is the interaction between our detectives. If you read detective series, I suspect you do it for the same reason as me, you love visiting with these characters so the mystery is just an excuse to spend time with them (I mean my yearly visit to Three Pines is essential to my well being)
I didn’t read the first book in the series and I do wish I had, so if this one sounds interesting, I recommend reading that one first. I wasn’t totally lost but this book references that one a bit. I’m excited for the third installment in this series.
Thank you to Net Gallery for the ARC.
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