Guest review by Christina Boyd
In Jane Austen’s Persuasion, the famed seawall of Lyme is perilous to the heedless, naïve Miss Louisa Musgrove, whose fall is a critical turning point in the original novel. But in award winning author Carrie Bebris’ new Austen-inspired mystery, The Deception at Lyme (Or, The Peril of Persuasion), the Cobb is indeed lethal.
Following their last adventure with Mr. & Mrs. Knightley in The Intrigue at Highbury (2010), this sixth installment of the critically acclaimed Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mystery series finds Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy, their toddler Lily Anne, as well as Miss Georgiana Darcy on holiday in Lyme. While at the famed seaside village, Mr. Darcy is set to collect the sea chest of his cousin of the Royal Navy, Gerard Fitzwilliam, who was killed in action aboard the Magna Carta three years prior. However, after the Darcys encounter the pregnant Mrs. Clay, who has suffered a serious injury from a fall at the base of the Cobb, their holiday turns topsy-turvy and once again the Darcys find themselves in the middle of peril and mystery. After a horrific delivery, the Darcys must discover which of the dead mother’s amours is the father of this newborn son– a baby, they soon learn whose very being endangers the legacy of one, and the character of the other. Was Mrs. Clay’s fall simply an unfortunate accident, or was she murdered? And why?
Added to this machination, Mr. Darcy uncovers evidence among his cousin’s personal effects, indicating he might also have been murdered. Fortunately, Darcy is aided by none other than the champion of Austen’s Persuasion, Captain Frederick Wentworth, to discover the truth of this young lieutenant’s death. Several unforgettable characters from Persuasion, (Mrs. Smith, Sir Walter Elliot, Mr. Elliot, the Harvilles and Mrs. Frederick Wentworth nee Miss Anne Elliot), not only make appearances but Bebris has artfully carved out larger roles for some. True to form, the Darcys are ever attentive to detail in piecing together the facts and possible witnesses, “As the nurse handed Mrs. Smith her cane, Elizabeth realized herself she might have seen Mrs. Smith once before. There had been a woman on a bench on the Lower Cobb… Elizabeth’s party had been on the upper wall, looking down on from an angle, so the woman’s bonnet had prevented a clear view of her face, and even had it not, Elizabeth had no reason at the time to closely observe her. But the woman had possessed a cane.” p. 106.
Not only do we find the Darcys in company with Persuasion’s familiar faces but also Bebris artfully introduces a handsome young man (or two) to the plot, of which Miss Georgiana later finds she is not all together immune to their charms. “Darcy glanced from the sailor to Georgiana, and saw his sister through the strangers eyes – the eyes of a man. A man who was not her brother, not her protector, but a warm-blooded buck who could not help but respond to the sight of a beautiful woman. Worse—a man turned onshore after months at sea entirely deprived of women’s company.” p. 23 Oh, poor Darcy.
Carrie Bebris strikes all the right tones. Her believable dialogue and relationships in and amongst Austen’s most memorable characters delivers another succinct, clever conspiracy to this award-winning series. Her deft understanding of Regency mores and thorough research of the local history and oddities of Lyme Regis, as well as His Majesty’s Royal Navy make it all the more perfect. Carrie Bebris once again has a hit on her hands—which will keep you guessing whodunit until the very end. I for one think The Deception at Lyme her best work yet!
5 out of 5 Regency Stars
The Deception at Lyme (Or, The Peril of Persuasion), by Carrie Bebris
Tor Books (2011)
Hardcover (304) pages
ISBN: 978-0765327970
Christina Boyd lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her dear Mr. B, two youngish children and a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Bibi. She studied Fine Art at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Salisbury University in Maryland. Although life has taken her on a merry adventure through a myriad of careers including modeling, flight attending, marketing & sales, owning a paint-it-yourself ceramic studio… she has for the last nine years created and sold her own pottery line from her working studio. Albeit she read Jane Austen as a moody teenager, it wasn’t until Joe Wright’s 2005 movie of Pride & Prejudice that sparked her interest in all things Austen. A life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, Christina has read and owns well over 200 Austen inspired novels… and cannot comprehend the neglect of the collection in such days as these. Visiting Jane Austen’s England remains on her bucket list.
© 2007 – 2011 Christina Boyd, Austenprose
OK, you’ve convinced me! My must-read stack must stretch to the moon by now. Ms Boyd, you’ve made me home sick. Our family lived in Issaquah for 11 years and still declare it to be the very best place we have ever made our home.
Cannot wait to read this!
WOW!!! I loved this review!! How fun to have mixed in characters from other Austen works into this story with the Darcy’s! I’m really looking forward to tracking down a copy of this title for myself… and had no idea this is a series!! Definitely a must read on my list ;)
Thanks Jeffrey, Karen & Valerie. In a field of so many Austenesque books these days, this really is a must read. Carrie Bebris writes her characters so well — and so true to Jane Austen’s — seems perfectly natural that the Darcys might encounter other Austen characters and be caught up in the mayhem. I didn’t second guess her choices one bit — perfect read from beginning to end. You need not have read any of the others in the series to follow the novel but I assure you, once you have read one — you’ll read them all. UNTIL this one, “North by Northanger” was my favorite.
Thoughtful and entertaining review Christina. I adore the M&M Darcy series and the combination of the Darcys & the Wentworths together in Lyme is irresistible.