The best installment by far in Claudia Gray’s Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney series, The Rushworth Family Plot is a cozy mystery with high emotional stakes.
Jonathan Darcy (son of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice) dreads his upcoming visit to London to stay with Edmund and Fanny Bertram (from Mansfield Park). Jonathan, who clearly reads as someone on the autism spectrum, finds the hustle and bustle of London unbearable—until he learns Miss Juliet Tilney, daughter of the main characters from Northanger Abbey, will be there for the Season.
In the previous three novels in this series, Jonathan found himself falling for Juliet as the pair solved murders among Jane Austen’s most famous characters. But Juliet’s association with these grisly crimes (even merely in solving them) has convinced Jonathan’s father that she is an improper match for his son, preventing any hope of courtship.
This time around, Jonathan and Juliet find themselves called to the scene of the murder of Mr. Rushworth, former brother-in-law to Edmund and Fanny. As readers of Mansfield Park will remember, Mr. Rushworth divorced his wife, Maria (Edmund’s sister), after discovering she was unfaithful, creating quite the scandal.
There are plenty of suspects to consider: from Maria herself, to her paramour, Henry Crawford, to any member of the family shamed by Mr. Rushworth’s decision to divorce his wife. There is also the matter of Ellen, a small child whom Maria has kept hidden from society and whose father remains unknown.
The Rushworth Family Plot is a gentle and cozy mystery written in Austen’s style. While the murder itself may feel removed for the reader, the emotional intensity of Jonathan and Juliet’s forbidden love will not. Growing over the course of the previous three books, their affection for each other has reached a breathless pitch that Austen herself would applaud. This book is alive with yearning. As a result, The Rushworth Family Plot is best read after first finishing the three preceding books in the series in order to fully appreciate the love between its two sleuths.
While the novel strikes the perfect balance between mystery and romance, some Austen fans may struggle with Gray’s interpretation of her characters. Fanny Bertram, for one, appears weak in character at times, and the famous Mr. Darcy is full of pride, perhaps not having learned as much from his romance with Elizabeth Bennett as readers may expect.
These controversial interpretations aside, The Rushworth Family Plot is an excellent addition to an already delightful series.