Pride, Prejudice, and Peril: An Austen Expert Mystery (A Jane Austen Tea Society Mystery, Band 1) - Softcover

Oliver, Katie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0593337611 ISBN 13: 9780593337615

Verlag: Berkley, 2021

Inhaltsangabe

"Like a modern-day Agatha Christie bestowed with a hefty dollop of Jane Austen."—Laura Childs, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Jane Austen meets reality TV and murder in this quirky cozy mystery—the first in a new series!

Phaedra Brighton is perfectly content with her life of lecturing college students, gossiping with her best friends, and dreaming of Mr. Darcy. As a young, respected (if somewhat peculiar) English professor, her expertise lies in all things Jane Austen—but she knows that the closest she'll ever get to being a real-life Elizabeth Bennet is in her dreams.

When Who Wants to Marry Mr. Darcy, a new reality TV show, starts filming at her best friend Charlene's estate, Phaedra is intrigued. And when the producer asks her to lend her Austenian knowledge as a consultant on the show, she's over the moon. But on the first day of filming, when Charlene's new husband is found electrocuted and Charlene herself is accused of the crime, Phaedra comes crashing back to reality.

With murder on the syllabus and her best friend in dire straits, there's no Mr. Darcy around to help Phaedra—she'll have to get to the bottom of this mystery herself.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Katie Oliver is known internationally as a writer of Jane Austen rom-coms with a hint of mystery. In the U.S. and the U.K., she's the bestselling author of the Dating Mr. Darcy and Marrying Mr. Darcy series (HQ Digital).

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One

 

Spend the night with Mr. Darcy again, Phaedra?"

 

Professor Phaedra Brighton ignored the comment as she entered the faculty lounge. Not only because she was in imminent danger of dropping the briefcase and umbrella thrust under her arm, but because she no longer found Darcy jokes particularly funny.

 

"I know I'm late," she acknowledged, dumping her briefcase on the conference table. "And yes, before you ask, I stayed up to finish rereading Pride and Prejudice."

 

"There are other books out there, you know." Lucy Liang, professor of modern and postmodernist literature, barely looked up from texting. Black hair framed her face in a short, angular style that, on anyone else, would've looked severe, but suited her sharp edges perfectly. "Admit it. You're obsessed with Mr. Darcy."

 

Phaedra touched her hair, pinned up in a dark blond topknot. She'd spent ten minutes in front of the bathroom mirror with a curling iron to create a cluster of ringlets on each side of her face, with debatable success. "What can I say? I like socially awkward older men."

 

"The ringlets look great, by the way. Very Carey Mulligan in Northanger Abbey."

 

"Thanks." Phaedra glanced down at her Empire waist gown. She'd made it years ago for a summer job as a docent at Monticello, former president Thomas Jefferson's home in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dressing in historically appropriate clothing was important to her.

 

Even now, her students at Somerset University enjoyed seeing her deliver lectures in full Regency attire.

 

She gave her umbrella a brisk shake and set it aside. "At least I won't miss the Thursday morning staff meeting."

 

"You say that like it's a good thing." Lucy glanced at the clock. "Ten minutes more, and you'd have avoided Dean Carmichael's justification for slashing the Humanities budget yet again. Not to mention finding out how much, or more to the point, how little he's giving the English department for the Jane Austen lit fest."

 

Removing her soggy sneakers, Phaedra retrieved a pair of ballet flats from her briefcase, slipped them on, and withdrew a reticule, lecture notes, and a Moleskine planner. "I can still leave. You can pretend you never saw me."

 

"No deal. If I have to suffer, you have to suffer." Lucy laid her cell phone aside as Phaedra sat next to her. "When are you joining the rest of us and going electronic? I mean, I get the reticule-a Regency lady can't be without her tiny drawstring purse-but no one uses notepads or planners anymore."

 

"I do. And the reticule not only lends authenticity to my outfit, it's practical. I keep my cell phone in there."

 

"Sorry I'm late." Marisol Dubois, resident advisor, graduate student, and Phaedra's high-energy, part-time assistant, sailed into the lounge with a stack of essays clutched against her chest and put them on the table in front of Phaedra. "I would've been on time, but the copier jammed again."

 

"I just got here myself. And thanks for making my point," Phaedra said.

 

"Point?"

 

"Copiers jam, electronic files disappear, and when the server's down, which it invariably is, we can't access anything. Paper may be old-school, but it's dependable."

 

"Paper burns," Lucy pointed out. "Or gets lost. Ink fades."

 

"Like old love letters." Marisol ran a hand absently through her glossy, shoulder-length brown hair. "The ink may fade, but the sentiment remains forever."

 

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Spare me. Romance is a myth."

 

"Speaking of romance," Marisol said, "I swear I just saw Nick Ross in the express line at the IGA."

 

"Nick Ross." Lucy raised one dark brow skeptically. "As in, the famous Welsh actor?"

 

"Yep." Marisol sat down across from Phaedra. "He bought a candy bar and a bottle of kombucha." She frowned. "Kind of a weird combination, now that I think about it."

 

Phaedra barely looked up from her notes. "The kombucha was for himself. The candy bar was for someone else."

 

"And you know this how?" Lucy asked.

 

"The tabloids say he's fanatical about eating healthy. No sugar, no unrefined carbs. And they're filming Who Wants to Marry Mr. Darcy? nearby, which means he's on a strict diet. The candy bar was obviously for a cast member."

 

"Obviously." Marisol and Lucy exchanged glances. They were used to Phaedra's idiosyncrasies.

 

"Thank you, Sherlock Brighton, for your incisive deductive reasoning." Lucy frowned. "Isn't that Mr. Darcy thing you just mentioned a new reality show? I thought it was called something else."

 

"Filming nearby, as in where?" Marisol asked.

 

Phaedra glanced up. "Marling. You know, the historic mansion that sits on a rise halfway between Laurel Springs and Crozet. And you're right, Lu. The pilot was called Who Wants to Marry a Fortune?"

 

"I remember. But the network pulled the plug."

 

"I'm not surprised." Marisol fished out a hair elastic from her handbag and pulled her hair into a low ponytail. "Harold Fortune died a billionaire, but he left his wife and five daughters broke and gave every penny to his nephew instead. No one wants to marry a Fortune now."

 

"They still have money," Phaedra pointed out. "The papers say he left them enough to live on comfortably."

 

"Comfortably. As in, no more chauffeured Bentleys or cruises to Iceland or custom-made designer clothes." Marisol glanced at her Chanel twinset and jeans. "I prefer vintage. It's timeless. And far more budget friendly."

 

"Longbourn Pharmaceutical is worth millions," Lucy said. "It's one of the top five pharmaceuticals in the country."

 

"He must've been furious to cut them out." Marisol frowned. "I mean . . . who does that? It's cost the Fortune girls big bucks. Not to mention their TV show."

 

"Actually," Phaedra said, "the show's still happening."

 

Lucy leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "Okay, clarification, please. You just said-"

 

"I said the network canceled the pilot. But they're producing a new version-"

 

"Who Wants to Marry Mr. Darcy?" Lucy finished.

 

"Who doesn't?" Marisol said. "After all, he's the perfect man. Brooding, handsome, fabulously rich . . . not to mention he's a real gentleman, too."

 

"And fictional," Lucy reminded her. "He doesn't exist. Besides, the 'perfect man' is an oxymoron. There is no such animal. I should know; I've dated enough losers to confirm it." Her glance returned to Phaedra. "How will this program work, exactly?"

 

"Eight bachelorettes will compete for the bachelor, Mr. Darcy, in hopes of receiving a marriage proposal by the end of the season. He'll be handsome, wealthy-"

 

"And in need of a wife?" Marisol clapped her hands together in excitement. "It's like The Bachelor meets Pride and Prejudice. Will there be lots of betrayals and backstabbing and off-camera sobbing?"

 

"I'm sure there'll be plenty of drama," Phaedra assured her, and glanced at the door before lowering her voice. She'd saved the best for last. "I'm consulting on the show. I start today."

 

"Congratulations!" Marisol jumped up from her seat and threw her arms around Phaedra. Lucy remained seated.

 

"That's amazing," she said. "Truly. But what about your academic schedule?"

 

"I'll work around my classes. I'm headed for the set after the meeting. And please," Phaedra added,...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Berkley
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2021
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0593337611
• ISBN 13: 9780593337615
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 320
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: preigu; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; 49078; Deutschland