Review: Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

Pride and Premeditation (Jane Austen Mysteries #1)
Tirzah Price
HarperTeen
Published April 6, 2021

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About Pride and Premeditation

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young woman who desires a law career must be in want of a case. So when sixteen-year-old Lizzie Bennet hears about a scandalous society murder, she sees an opportunity to prove herself as a solicitor by solving the case and ensuring justice is served.

Except the man accused of the crime already has a lawyer on his side: Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir to the prestigious Pemberley Associates law firm. Lizzie is determined to solve the murder before Darcy can so that she can show the world that a woman can be just as good as a man. (The fact that Darcy is an infuriating snob doesn’t help.) But there’s still a killer on the loose, and as the case gets more complicated, Lizzie and Darcy may have to start working together to avoid becoming the next victims themselves.

My Review

There are three books in the “Jane Austen Mysteries” series, but somehow, this is the last one of the three that I’ve read. I remember really enjoying the other two, so I’d been really excited about reading this one.

Pride and Prejudice is the Jane Austen novel that I’m most familiar with, as I’ve read it more than once. I thought that wouldn’t impact my ability to enjoy retellings, but this is the second P&P retelling that has been harder to read than I expected.

I still enjoyed the book. However, I’m realizing that certain elements of the story I expect to remain unchanged, which strikes me as kind of silly since I’m generally not a purist in the realm of reimagined literature. I don’t know. For some reason, I just really bristle at the idea that Elizabeth Benett lives anywhere other than Longbourn. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It’s my brain, and it doesn’t even really make sense to me.

I also really missed the connection between Jane and Mr. Bingley in this book. The romance elements take a back seat to the mystery of who has killed Mr. Hurst.

What I truly enjoyed was the way that Price repurposed the characters and their relationships in this story. Fans of the original will still find some familiar ideas and near-quotes appearing in this reimagined version of the tale. Some were used in clever and surprising ways, which I appreciated.

If you’re looking for a true Regency-era romance novel, Pride and Premeditation may not meet that goal, since the story centers around a woman seeking a role as a lawyer, something unavailable to women at the time.

If, however, you’re looking for Pride and Prejudice characters in an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery, grab a copy of this one. It’s a fun historical mystery that gives readers a chance to experience some classic characters in completely reimagined roles.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Charlotte’s mother is Caribbean. Fred, a boy who runs errands for Lizzie, is also BIPOC.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to marriage. Kissing between boy and girl. Reference to an attempted elopement.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Reference to a duel, which was illegal. Authorities pull the body of a girl from the Thames. A boy kidnaps a girl at gunpoint and threatens to shoot her. A boy threatens to shoot another boy. A woman threatens others with her own pistol.

Drug Content
One character has a history of drinking too much alcohol, but it happens off-scene.

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