Book Review- The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield by Claudia Gray
Reviewed by Amanda Kai
In this fifth installment of Claudia Gray’s mystery series, Jonathan Darcy (eldest son of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam) has traveled to visit his Aunt Jane and Uncle Charles at Netherfield Park. Scarcely has he arrived when Mr. Hurst is found dead due to poison. The only logical course of action: summon his faithful partner in detective work, Miss Juliet Tilney, to help him solve the case!
Juliet has been sequestered at Northanger Abbey these past eight months after suffering the public shame of her portrait being misused in a cruel and lewd joke (the Regency equivalent of a deepfake). Already struggling under the belief that any hope of wedding Jonathan Darcy has ended thanks to his parents’ opposition, her anguish is further compounded by her grandfather General Tilney’s demand that she marry Mr. Follet—the very painter who used her picture for his scandalous work—in a desperate bid to reclaim Juliet’s dignity.
Amidst this heartache, Jonathan and Juliet work desperately to uncover Mr. Hurst’s killer. But who would have cause to murder a man that did little else but eat, sleep and drink? And was he even the intended target?
I have loved every one of the Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney mysteries, and was so eager to read this newest one, that I gobbled it up in a single day when my library hold came in. Each book contains a number of favorite characters from Jane Austen’s books as well as introducing new characters to support the story. The mysteries are well-thought out, and keep the reader guessing up until the end, and the budding romance between Juliet and Jonathan is a delicious slow burn that stretches across multiple books.
Each book is a continuation of the last, but can be enjoyed as a standalone story.
The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield ends on a significant cliffhanger, and I can hardly wait until the next book comes out to discover what will happen!
If you enjoy mystery books and the worlds of Jane Austen’s beloved characters, you will most certainly love this one.
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