This tale lives up to its title as it is a wonderfully enjoyable novel fancifully bedecked in Victorian sensibility and rife with suspense. Based on characters created by the renowned Jane Austen, Carrie Bebris has put together a beribboned delight guaranteed to satisfy her readers.

Set after the marriage of Elizabeth to Mr. Darcy, this captivating mystery contains strong hints of fantasy. Elizabeth finds herself sponsoring her younger sister, Kitty, for a season in London. Kitty dreams of marrying a duke or viscount and hopes the connections of her brother-in-law will make this possible. Kitty falls madly in love with Harry Dashwood, a seemingly charming young gentleman with an excellent fortune. Harry’s erratic and destructive behavior destroy Kitty’s hopes, and her sister Elizabeth begins to worry.

Why is the previously well-mannered Harry changing? How has this appealing young man turned so quickly into a Bacchean monster bent on dissolution? Elizabeth’s worries cause her to call on her old friend Professor Randolph, a believer in the paranormal. As she begins her investigation, she and her beloved Mr. Darcy realize that Harry Dashwood is in danger of more than ruining his reputation - he is in danger of losing his life.

Full of twists and turns, this tale of mystery winds through the lives of Victorian England. Those unfamiliar with this time period need not despair, as the author gently guides us into drawing rooms and dancing patterns. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy come alive again in these pages. Bebris’s talent does not stop with recreating Austen’s world but continues on into her skill at generating the suspense required of a first-rate gothic romp.

I absolutely loved this story from the first to the last. It will find a place on my shelf of old friends to read over and over again. With a skillfully written book crafted by a young master of her chosen art form, Carrie Bebris has a strong future and must continue writing. For I should not bear it if this were the last of Lizzie and Mr. Darcy!