Suspense and Sensibility
Carrie Bebris
Forge, Nov 2007, $12.95
ISBN: 9780765318442
In 1813, hoping to rusticate after solving the mystery of PRIDE AND PRESCIENCE; instead Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy sponsor her sister Kitty and his sister Georgiana for a season in London. Kitty and Harry Dashwood meet and an attraction between them is instant. However, Fitz takes his sponsorship role seriously so he makes inquiries into Harry. Everyone he speaks with insists Harry is of good moral character, wealthy enough to support a family and a superior catch.
However, just when Fitz is going to allow the sensible Harry to court Kitty, this future brother-in-law begins to behave boorishly starting with insulting a friend. Rumors suddenly surface of Harry owing large amounts of gambling debts and chasing skirts. Elizabeth and Fitz are stunned and appalled that dependable and reliable Harry whom they first met now has become crass and irresponsible. They investigate trying to understand the cause before Kitty is hurt or worse trapped in a terrible marriage; what they find starting with the puzzling Mirror of Narcissus shakes Fitz and Elizabeth to the core of their souls.
This is a reprint of the delightful married Darcy couple amateur sleuth investigations (see NORTH BY NORTHANGER for the third entry). The story line is fun to follow as the regency England of Jane Austen comes alive with the Darcy’s at the center of another whodunit. Although the Mirror seems out of place even if it is a key catalyst to the story, fans will enjoy the return of the stars of Pride and Prejudice (make that Pride and Prescience).
Harriet Klausner
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