The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh

In the past couple of years, I’ve been loving the Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mystery series by Claudia Gray. The third installment, The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, just came out, and it is as engrossing as the first two. This time, instead of solving a murder, Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney are trying to prevent one. Can they save Lady Catherine de Bourgh before the attempts on her life prove to be successful?

Special thanks to Claudia Gray, Vintage, Austenprose PR, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Review

Ever since Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney were introduced in The Murder of Mr. Wickham, I’ve loved these characters and the Austenesque world they live in. With characters from and inspired by Jane Austen’s beloved novels, these books put them into some unexpectedly dangerous situations. Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney have already solved two murders, but in The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, their latest mission is to actually prevent a killing.

The potential victim is, of course, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, of Pride and Prejudice fame. This formidable woman seems to have a very determined (if unskillful) foe, and she’s hoping her grandnephew Jonathan Darcy and his friend/sleuthing partner Juliet Tilney can catch the would-be murderer before it’s too late. When the two unlikely detectives (and their respective fathers) arrive at Rosings Park, there have already been three attempts on Lady Catherine’s life… but there will be more while the investigation progresses.

One thing I love about The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh is simply seeing such iconic characters brought to life in a whole new way. This has been true throughout the series so far, but as Pride and Prejudice is the book I’m most intimately familiar with, it’s particularly fun to see those characters here. Lady Catherine is as opinionated and intimidating as ever; Mr. Collins is as profusely flattering of his patroness as he always was. But some characters get filled out wonderfully, too, like Lady Anne and Charlotte Collins.

Jonathan and Juliet are as delightful as before, if not more so. The first two books established that Jonathan is neurodivergent, specifically autistic (not that there would be such a diagnosis in 1821). I loved seeing how that is expanded here. In the year since he last saw Juliet, he’s been working on masking his behavior in order to better fit in with society, things like holding eye contact for longer. But I appreciate that Juliet still respects and admires him for who he is, exactly as he is. It’s a positive representation of autism, even if Jonathan is still occasionally misunderstood by others.

The mystery itself in The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh is puzzling, making it diverting to not only follow Jonathan and Juliet on their investigation, but also to try to work out whodunnit while reading. There’s a circular process to unraveling the web of murder attempts, clues, and suspects, but it’s a lot of fun as more events pile up.

Final Thoughts

The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh is a delightful historical mystery highlighting well-known characters and bringing them to new life. It has wonderful representation of neurodivergence, a compelling mystery, and a hint of romance slowly blossoming between Jonathan and Juliet. This third installment in the Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mystery series might be my favorite yet, and I look forward to a fourth book!

Get the Book

You can buy The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh by Claudia Gray
Series	Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mystery (#3)
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Mystery; Historical Romance
Setting	England
Number of Pages	352
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	June 18, 2024
Publisher	Vintage

Official Summary

The third book in the Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mystery series, which finds the amateur sleuths facing their most daunting challenge yet: preventing the murder of the imperious Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

Someone is trying to kill Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Esteemed aunt of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, generous patroness of Mr. William Collins, a woman of rank who rules over the estate of Rosings Park with an unimpeachable sense of propriety—who would dare? Lady Catherine summons her grand-nephew, Mr. Jonathan Darcy, and his investigative companion, Miss Juliet Tilney, to find out.

After a year apart, Jonathan and Juliet are thrilled to be reunited, even if the circumstances—finding whoever has thus far sabotaged Lady Catherine’s carriage, shot at her, and nearly pushed her down the stairs—are less than ideal. Also less than ideal: their respective fathers, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Mr. Henry Tilney, have accompanied the young detectives to Rosings, and the two men do not interact with the same felicity enjoyed by their children.

With attempts against Lady Catherine escalating, and no one among the list of prime suspects seemingly capable of committing all of the attacks, the pressure on Jonathan and Juliet mounts—even as more gentle feelings between the two of them begin to bloom. The race is now on to provoke two confessions: one from the attempted murderer before it is too late—and one, perhaps, of love.