DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY by P.D. James, 2011.

I'd never read a P.D. James novel, but the review of this intrigued me enough to give it a try, even though it's a departure from the type of writing she is famous for. I like Jane Austen's novels and will occasionally read one of the many knock-offs, updates, sequels out there, so I was game to try this one. Pride and Prejudice is probably my favorite Austen novel, so I was curious to see how she would do with those characters.
   It's October 1803, and the plot swirls around the death of Captain Denny, which occurs while traveling with Elizabeth Bennet Darcy's sister Lydia and Lydia's husband, the infamous Wickham, to Pemberley the night before the Lady Anne's ball. In the woodlands area of the estate, Denny leaves the carriage after an argument with Wickham, is followed by Wickham--shots ring out and Lydia hysterically drives on to Pemberley. A search party sets out from the house, including Darcy, finds Denny bloodied and dead in the woods, with Wickham standing over him, saying "It's my fault. I killed him." But why is Denny dead? Why would Wickham murder his only friend? Did he do it? And if not Wickham, then who? And why? The rest of the novel concerns the local police investigation, Wickham's imprisonment and trial, the final details and solving of the murder, and the aftermath. The epilogue shed light on what happened later to some of the players, which I found more interesting than the mystery preceding it.
   I found the book as a whole casually diverting, I enjoyed the updating of the well loved characters like Elizabeth, Darcy, Georgiana, and the Bingleys (plus several that James cunningly pulled in from Persuasion and Emma), and James got the Austen tone down right...but the story wasn't as compelling as I'd hoped it would be. When I picked it up, I thought I'd gulp it down quickly, but I discovered it wasn't hard to put down and walk away from. Perhaps I was expecting too much of it, knowing James's reputation, and maybe that isn't fair. The writing is fine and James does keep the story moving, but at times it seemed stretched out, and I found myself quite often unable to keep focussed on the story very well. I found myself less interested in the crime investigation than I was in the familiar characters' lives. And the ending was just rather ho-hum to me. All in all, it's okay for what it is, a light mystery using Jane Austen characters, but not anything to write home about.