George Wickham is the most notorious predator in Jane Austen’s oeuvre. Have you read Courtney Milan’s analysis of Pride and Prejudice, “Pride and Predators”? You should. For a non-violent person, I am sure am ok with the murder of a fictional character. When I saw the title, The Murder of Mr. Wickham, I did a little mental fist pump and said, “yes!!”
So, I was predisposed to enjoy this. Gray has chosen to make her two primary POV characters, Juliet Tilney and Jonathon Darcy. Juliet is the daughter of Henry and Catherine Tilney of Northanger Abbey. Jonathon is the eldest son of Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy of Pride and Prejudice. I am going to confess that I have not read Mansfield Park or Northanger Abbey, but I am inclined to read about the Tilneys after this.
The Knightleys have invited the Darcys, the the Wentworths, the Reverend Bertram and his wife, Fanny, the newly wedded Colonel and Mrs. Brandon, and Juliet Tilney for a month long house party. Mr. George Wickham arrives uninvited. A storm has trapped everyone in the house. In the few days he is alive in the house, we find that he is connected to everyone except Juliet Tilney, and disliked by all. When he is found murdered, there are plenty of suspects to go around.
Though Juliet and Jonathon have an unpromising start, they agree to work together to find out who murdered the mostly unlamented Mr. Wickham. Juliet had no reason to hate him, but she is very concerned that the magistrate, Mr. Frank Churchill seems inclined to place the blame on a servant or the local Romanichal (referred to in the book by the g slur and Traveler). She knows she didn’t commit the murder and she knows Jonathon’s alibi is airtight. Everyone else is suspect.
The point of the book is less finding out who done it and more the process of Juliet and Jonathon’s investigation. Each of the married couples is unhappy, directly and indirectly because of Mr. Wickham’s actions. The stress he has put on their relationships have revealed fragile points between them. The harm that Wickham caused in life, does not die with him. As they are all trapped together, each couple works through the conflict that Wickham has brought to their marriage. Jonathon, who is written as autistic, has some fond memories of his Uncle George, which allows the reader to flesh out this much hated character into a complicated human being.
I really enjoyed this. I enjoyed getting a taste of Elizabeth Darcy reflecting that her mother was right about something, and George Knightly still being suspicious of Frank Churchill many years later.
I should note that though Juliet and Jonathon are in fact young adults, I don’t think this was intended to be a YA book, nor does it read as one. That said, it wouldn’t be inappropriate for an older teen.
CW: Slurs for Romani people, murder, off page death of a child, several off page deaths, discussion of miscarriage, financial crimes, sexual assault off page.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Vintage Press via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.
