The Matters at Mansfield: or, The Crawford Affair

Finally an ACTUAL murder, most foul! And the decedent will not be missed!
You know what this one really reminded me of? If Agatha Christie were writing Pride and Prejudice episodes, no really, it's set in a small village in northern England- not far from Gretna Green and there are suspects aplenty!

I won't give it away, but it did have me guessing almost till the end. ;]

This book was entertaining and kept my mind off of things for a while, so I have to give it some credit. Obviously it was nothing like an authentic book by Jane Austen. To me, it is silly to even expect such a thing. So I am judging it as a mystery based on Jane Austen, against other mysteries based on Jane Austen. On that score it does fairly well. There are anachronisms in speech as usual and one has to suspend disbelief somewhat more than in other imitation-Austen books because of the mystery. Some of the characters were done better than others. I found Henry Crawford more believable than Elizabeth, for instance. It's pretty easy to figure out part of the solution to the mystery but I confess to being surprised by the other part. I show more liked that the author gave Mr. Rushworth a happy ending as I have always felt sorry for him. I thought it interesting that the author chose not to let Fanny Price step into the picture at all, but I think that is probably for the best. Fanny is often misunderstood by readers as it is and she cannot be an easy character to depict in a setting full of criminal activity! It is almost impossible to imagine. Thank goodness the author did not attempt it. show less

After Ms. Bebris' last novel, North by Northanger, I wasn't quite sure what to think. The first two novels had been a bit of a thrill, but the third was somewhat limp and predictable. I ordered the fourth installment in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries at the beginning of this month and watched for it in the mail frantically. When, after two weeks, it still had not arrived I panicked and started contacting the company to find out what had happened. Happily, it eventually arrived on the 16th. I had it in my hands yesterday and read the entire thing today.

I'm happy to report that it was not only my anticipation, nor only my wealth of time at work today that let me finish the novel in one day. The story is actually quite good. Ms. Bebris has show more improved her methods and has certainly made the plot, as they say, thicken. Much in the way that Pamela Aidan did in her Mr. Darcy, Gentleman series, Ms. Bebris has breathed life into Anne de Bourgh, making her as real and a vivid character as if we knew her like we know Elizabeth. And she is not the only secondary or tertiary character getting a second chance at life. After all, she ends up marrying Henry Crawford!

Henry Crawford, cad and rake that he is, has always held a soft spot in my heart. I'm sure much of that spot takes root in the fact that, in the Rozema film, Crawford is portrayed by Alessandro Nivola, who is beautiful. But also, I found upon reading Mansfield Park for the second time that while he plays the second string with a technical skill akin to Willoughby, Wickham, Frank Churchill and Mr. Elliot, his motives make the music sound so much sweeter. Jane Austen sets it all up for us. We know, before anyone else, that his end will be bittersweet.
"He was in love, very much in love; and it was a love which,
operating on an active, sanguine spirit, of more warmth than
delicacy, made her affection appear of greater consequence,
because it was witheld, and determined him to have the glory,
as well as the felicity, of forcing her to love him."
(Mansfield Park, Vol. 3, Ch. 2)
Anyone who knows anything knows that Austen's heroines (pale and weak as some of them may be) shall not be forced into love, even by a man who loves as fervently as Henry Crawford.

All of that being said, Ms. Bebris has given us quite the puzzle to work out. She has highlighted his character to such a degree that even someone who despises him must come to like him a little. After all, he seeks to save Anne and succeeds in doing so, though it does not have the ending that he, nor anyone, expected. I enjoyed this novel so very much because it actually kept me guessing. When a man is murdered I was sure I knew who the culprit was, based on the previous books in the series, but I was wrong. Not only that, but I was waiting for the supernatural aspect to hit. In book one, it was some sort of bayou witchcraft, in book two it was a cult, in the third book it lent itself to religion. This novel had no magic, but I mean that in a good way.

I don't mean to say that it was not cohesive, nor that it lacked the proper vivacity. What I mean is that there's literally no magic. Yes, there's a mystery and for a moment I thought for sure there were going to be zombies, but it turned out to be a good old fashioned whodunnit mystery with people killing people. It was like being in the middle of MurderWatch Mystery Theatre, starring Lady Catherine de Bourgh, her soliciter, a mystery guest at the inn, Mr. & Mrs. Darcy, Mr. Crawford, Anne Crawford (neé de Bourgh), Colonel Fitzwilliam, Sir Thomas, and the feeble old Lord Sennex. This was a treat. Great, now this will be in my head.

In parting, because I know many people dislike Henry Crawford, I just want to quote some more Austen, because I feel that in doing so I am doing justice to his character, as Ms. Bebris has in this book.
"In this world, the penalty is less equal than could be wished; but
without presuming to look forward to a juster appointment
hereafter, we may fairly consider a man of sense like Henry
Crawford, to be providing for himself no small portion of vexation
and regret--vexation that must rise sometimes to self-reproach,
and regret to wretchedness--in having so requited hospitality,
so injured family peace, so forfeited his best, most estimable and
endeared acquaintance, and so lost the woman whom he had
rationally, as well as passionately loved."
(Mansfield Park, Vol. 3, Ch. 17)
Yes, that's one sentence.

Lauren Cartelli
www.theliterarygothamite.com show less

This was the first Mr and Mrs Darcy mystery by Bebris I read, which may account for my affection for it. I'm not claiming Bebris is Austen's peer in writing, but I think any book I enjoyed as much as this deserves high marks. I enjoyed the Darcys' company quite a bit here, and this is a good solid read, and a strong outing if you compare it not to Austen, but to the usual historical or "cozy" mystery you'd find in stores.

I admit another reason I loved it so much is I have a soft spot for poor Anne de Bourgh in Pride and Prejudice. Having Lady Catherine de Bourgh for a mother is a trial indeed, so I quite enjoyed a book that allowed her to get out from under her overbearing mother. Strictly as a mystery this had enough action and twist show more and turns to have satisfied me even if you changed the names of the characters and cut all the ties to Jane Austen's characters. And the previous books had an element of the supernatural that I never felt really fit Austen--even if they often were rather cleverly interwoven into the mysteries. So I liked the absence of that element to the plot here. Reading these is like spending time with old friends. show less

In the fourth Mr and Mrs Darcy mystery, new parents Darcy and Elizabeth, caught up in an unlikely elopement, are once again forced to leave the comfort and tranquility of Pemberley. The familiar setting for this outing is Mansfield, and the dramatis personae include Henry Crawford, with his unrepentant charm and roving eye for the ladies, Maria Rushworth and Edmund Betram, plus a recurring guest role for the incorrigible Lady Catherine. With shy and suffocated Anne de Bourgh and cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam added to the roll call, this is truly a family affair.

Perhaps because I haven't read Mansfield Park recently, or simply because The Matters at Mansfield is more of a traditional whodunit, I found this sequel somewhat lacking. An easy, show more entertaining and educational read, but missing the originality of the first three mysteries. I know that many readers objected to the magical element in Pride and Prescience, or the supernatural twist to Suspence and Sensibility, but I really enjoyed the blend of magic and mystery. Of course, it could just be that reading too many books in quick succession has once again spoiled the surprise, like a magician revealing his secrets! I also thought there were too many Regency 'infodumps' in this story, from the rules of quadrille to the code duello. Historically interesting, but dramatically cumbersome.

I did enjoy the mystery, full of corpses, clues and dubious identities, and relished the development of Anne de Bourgh's character, but the whole package was rather too formulaic for my liking. Darcy and Elizabeth make a great detective duo, with one hunting for clues and the other confronting suspects, and the introduction of characters from Austen's other novels into what is basically a continuation of Pride and Prejudice is a simple yet effective premise, so I shall definitely be reading The Intrigue at Highbury - and any future mysteries by Carrie Bebris - just not straight away. The best things come to those who wait, after all. show less

Themes: love, murder, marriage, family duty, social rules
Setting: Mansfield, England and Scotland (that's a hint)

Elizabeth and Darcy are staying with a friend for a big house party. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is also there, obnoxious as ever, and her invalid daughter Anne is there too. Elizabeth takes pity on the girl and conspires to let her have a little fun. But the next morning, Anne is gone, and has left a note saying that she has eloped with her suitor, Mr. Henry Crawford. Yep, the guy from Mansfield Park fame. He's in this book too, and he's run off with another woman.

Most of the cast from Mansfield Park is in this book, as well as the ones from Pride and Prejudice. This is the 4th in the series, and my favorite so far, I think. show more The first one is called Pride and Prescience, and the first three all have a strong theme of the supernatural about them. That is entirely missing in this book, and it's much better because of it. I never felt that it really fit, but I still managed to enjoy the books. With this one, there was no mystical element to distract from the fun of seeing the characters interact in some rather surprising ways. And yet it was very satisfying.

If you like Jane Austen and enjoy cozy mysteries, I would recommend this series. Normally I would say start at the beginning, but if you want to skip the supernatural part, you could probably start here and be able to catch up without any trouble. I'm rounding up to 4 stars. show less

Fun enough, although I flatly refuse to believe Lizzy would start throwing around terms like "crim con" no matter how many papers the Darcy household took in. The plot took an overly wonky and melodramatic turn at about the 3/4 mark, but for the author to pull off this fusion of characters from P&P and Northanger Abbey without enraging me is really quite a feat.