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.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a brilliant idea, conceived and executed by a clever young woman, must be claimed by a man."

Being a Pride and Prejudice retelling is hard - you know you can never top the original and depending on what you change you can either ruin the story or create something new while staying true to the OG vibes. Luckily for me, this fits the second category.

1. the genre is different and it’s not a carbon copy, some plot lines differ to the OG which is exactly why the story works

2. the main characters are the same - they have the same morals, same pride, same feelings of loyalty and love towards their family and friends which is why, despite changing some things, this can be called a retelling

3. this is not a romance, it’s a mystery first with hints of romantic feelings. Not to mention, the whole book is rather light and can be funny, which is basically the ideal for me - having a murder mystery with a dash of humor.

"Miss, there's been a murder."

Lizzie:

4. if you forget that it’s a retelling and change all the names - the story still holds, it’s got good twists and great characterization. Darcy is of course, the tall dark and moody guy who hides his feelings well but cares deeply about his friends and family. Lizzie Bennet is this feisty brilliant girl who just wants men to stop taking credit for her work and everyone else to stop asking her when she'll marry.

5. the writing was simple but effective - I could clearly imagine the setting and the time period without having to read 45 pages of descriptions

6. it also includes discussions of the lack of power women have - both in choosing a profession and choosing a husband. This topic is handled nicely and was not made fun of despite the overall tone of the book which leans on the humorous side.

"Men can choose, women may only refuse."

The only thing I disliked was the fact that there is no sequel. The main mystery is resolved but there are still some loose ends and potential plot lines for sequels. When you open this book on GR you’ll see that it’s a part of the Jane Austen Murder Mystery series, but the other books are unrelated. Although, when you go to the author’s book list, there are 2 unnamed books that have this tag “Lizzie and Darcy #2 and #3” so maybe there is something cooking 👀