Death Comes to Pemberley

I was thrilled to hear that P.D. James, at age 91, had come out with a new novel, and I was even more excited when I saw the title--"Death Comes to Pemberley". This novel is a mash-up of a couple of my favorite things, P.D. James and Jane Austen. It is the 200th anniversary of Austen's debut in print and so there have been a host of books written about her, about her characters, modernizations of her novels, etc. but The New York Times Book Review feels that P.D. James has done it with style. P. D. James..."is far too wise to overstep her authorial license. Her innovation has been to transplant the dramatis personae from Austen into her own suspenseful universe, preserving their likenesses and life force. James clearly understands that many readers feel as close an attachment to Austen’s characters as they do to their own relatives and friends. So she cannily begins by furnishing answers to the natural question: “Where are they now?” " The book begins 6 years into the marriage of Lizzy and Darcy and updates us on all of the relations involved. Of course, because it is P.D. James, there is a murder. I can't wait to sit by the fire with a cup of tea and catch up on everything happening at Pemberley.