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.

DEATH AND THE VIRGIN QUEEN: ELIZABETH I AND THE DARK SCANDAL THAT ROCKED THE THRONE by Chris Skidmore, 2010.

Skidmore's nonfiction work provides a somewhat startling new look at the mystery surrounding the sensational death of Amy Robsart, wife of Lord Robert Dudley, Queen Elizabeth's well loved favorite, as well as a readable recounting of the matrimonial games of the Virgin Queen. One of the earliest and most troublesome issues after Elizabeth's accession to the throne was finding her an appropriate husband: candidates were sought far and wide and at home, too, and ranged from Edward Courtenay (a Plantagent claimant to the throne) to Prince Eric of Sweden and Archduke Charles of Austria. Elizabeth's deeply personal relationship with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, is discussed in great detail, and Skidmore carefully outlines how much Dudley cared for the queen and how high his ambition was in terms of wanting to be her husband. However, Dudley was already married: to Amy Robsart, a well connected Norfolk squire's daughter, whom he saw very seldom and mostly kept buried in the country.They had married young (they were each 17), and Skidmore posits that they were a love match. Well connected but with little wealth, the couple spent more time apart as Dudley's star began to rise with his appointment as Master of the Horse; Amy receded more into the background. With Dudley's huge involvement in Elizabeth's marriage business, rumors began circulating in 1559 that Amy was ill, that she had breast cancer. Skidmore notes that it was also quite openly stated in correspondence and in conversations that Amy was fearful of being poisoned and that the queen was aware of it. It was even discussed that once his wife was disposed of, Dudley and the queen would then marry.When Amy, who was staying at Cumnor Place for an extended period, was found dead at the bottom of a staircase with her neck broken on Sept. 8, 1560, foul play was immediately suspected, and Dudley and Elizabeth scrambled to save their reputations. And although it was all highly suspicious, Dudley was cleared and Amy's death declared an accident by the inquest, but Elizabeth's relationship with Dudley was forever changed by the event. Skidmore, having access to the recently discovered forensic report, provides an explanation of what it revealed: that Amy not only had a broken neck, but gashes (dyntes) in her head as well, which further fuels speculation. For those unfamiliar with the case, this book reads well and Skidmore does a fine job covering all the points and providing context; for those who know the story, it still will be of interest. While not solving the mystery of Amy Robsart's death, Skidmore's work gives a good account of the facts and opens new avenues of exploration concerning an event that certainly affected Elizabeth I's life profoundly and has intrigued historians and Tudor fans for over 450 years.

THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE by Alan Bradley, 2009.
Eleven year old Flavia de Luce stumbles over a dying man in the cucumber patch. As he expires, he whispers one word, "vale." An investigation shows the man was murdered, and Flavia, who listens and keyholes and picks locks with ease, had earlier heard the fellow in an angry confrontation with her father. Who is this person? What does "vale" mean? And how did he come to die at Buckshaw, the de Luce mansion in rural England? Was he poisoned by the piece of pie he ate? And what's the significance of the dead snipe bird found on their doorstep with a stamp stuck on his beak? Flavia, definitely a precocious girl who loves chemistry and has her own working lab, is intrigued by the mystery, and decides to do her own investigation instead of leaving it to the local police. With her bicycle, Agnes, Flavia is able to travel around the countryside and nearby villages, searching out clues with most people being none the wiser. Her snooping leads her into a past that involves a private boys school, valuable postage stamps, and a shocking suicide that is connected to her beloved father. When her father is arrested for this latest death, Flavia ramps up her investigation, little knowing that she has attracted the attention of someone else who has a great stake in how the case turns out and could be extremely dangerous... Excellent descriptions of rural 1950s England, enough wacky village characters to fill several books, dollops of humor (especially between Flavia and her older sisters, Ophelia and Daphne), clever dialogue, and an intriguing mystery make for a good relaxing read. If you don't mind a rather plucky and know-it-all sort of kid solving crimes, this is fine entertainment. The first in a series.

MURDER ON THE CLIFFS by Joanna Challis, 2009.
A pleasant little mystery set on the coast of Cornwall in 1921, a young woman is found dead on the beach by none other than the visiting Daphne du Maurier. She also discovers a lovely young girl near the body as well, young Lianne Hartley, whose handsome brother, David, was to marry the victim. The Hartleys are local gentry, and occupy an Elizabethan mansion high on the cliffs known as Padthaway (can anyone say Manderley?). Daphne, before she knows it, is deeply involved with the mystery of Victoria Bastion's death (murder, it turns out) and with the Hartley family with all their bizarre personalities and odd servants. Secrets and clues abound, and everyone is not what they seem in this tidy little mystery. While it is an interesting device to have Daphne du Maurier as a sort of detective, Challis' descriptions of the Cornwall area are nicely done, and Daphne's musings about ideas for writing novels are clever, I cannot say this was any more than adequately satisfying. It was a fine cozy mystery, no more, no less, and I'd recommend it as that. Will I read more in the series? Not sure about that.