I have to admit I did have Anna Chancellor in my head as I read this, who played Caroline Bingley in the 1995 BBC production but this is not the Caroline Bingley that you know from P&P.
She is fiercely determined, confident, independent AND a fabulous detective!

After Georgiana Darcy runs off to London after her maid who has disappeared, Caroline heads off in pursuit before her brother finds out. After locating Georgiana, they set off to find Jade, the missing maid and it leads Caroline to murder. I must admit she takes it all in her stride. Taking the matter firmly in hand she is the one to get to the bottom of the problem.

It’s a great caper, written with a real love of Jane Austen. I wonder what she would have thought of it and Caroline as a detective?

There are just some fantastic Austen inspired novels about this year as it is her 250th anniversary 😳 and this is firmly placed as one of my favourites and I’ll be getting a forever copy when it comes out!

Set in the world of the Bingley’s and the Darcy’s that everyone knows from Pride and Prejudice, the book revolves around Caroline Bingley and Georgiana Darcy. When Georgiana’s maid Jayani goes missing and Georgiana races off to find her, Caroline Bingley takes it upon herself to find her young friend before anything bad happens to her. When she catches up with her and gets the full story of what has happened, she decides she must find Jayani no matter what.
When they finally find Jayani, she is with the body of her brother who has clearly been murdered. Caroline has to do quite a bit of talking to persuade the magistrate that Jayani could not possibly be responsible but despite his warning for her to leave things well alone she continues to dig.
Luckily for Caroline she has some loyal staff who will do anything she asks (and some things that she doesn’t) to assist in her quest to get to the truth whilst at the same time protecting her from danger. There are clear links to the East India Trading company but what they are is all a bit murky not helped by the mysterious man that is having Caroline followed and tries to warn her off her investigation. She also manages to upset the family of close friend Colonel Fitzwilliam which has her wondering just what they are trying to hide, especially when connections are found between them and Jayani’s brother. Like Caroline I thought I knew the how and the why but was a little off base when all was revealed.
Caroline Bingley is headstrong and clearly not used to anyone telling her no or worrying about what is considered fitting behaviour for a woman of her standing and I liked that about her. Georgiana however was a bit flighty and due to her sheltered upbringing clearly was not suited to following through on what she had set in motion, and it was something that was going to have far reaching repercussions for people they know. If you are an avid fan of Pride and Prejudice and are not keen on things being reimagined then this might not be the book for you, but if like me you like a good historical story that has the vibes of the writing of that time and brings to the fore previously bit players in the classic then I would recommend it as I think that Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar have done them justice.

A pastiche that features characters from Jane Austen's world and a well plotted mystery. Caroline Bingley is a sort of Regency Sherlock and not always likeable even if she grew on me
Entertaining, Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

In this new mystery series, Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar fashion Miss Caroline Bingley as a private detective A must-read for any Pride and Prejudice fans, this gives you all the feels.

This book is set two years after the events of Pride and Prejudice.

Caroline Bingley is staying in Derbyshire with her brother, Charles, and his wife, Jane. Charles and Jane bought a house near to the Darcys. During her stay, Caroline became firm friends with Miss Georgina Darcy, Mr Darcy’s younger sister.

When Miss Darcy’s Indian maid, Jade, goes missing, Georgina goes in pursuit of her. She writes a note to Caroline asking for her friend’s discretion, but Miss Bingley is having none of it. She decides to follow Georgina to London in the search of the elusive maid.

The two women find Jade, real name Jayani, crying over her dead brother’s body. It is evident that someone brutally killed him. But who?

It appears that it’s up to Miss Bingley to investigate.

I am in two minds about this book.

I love Pride and Prejudice and I consider myself a true fan. I usually read the spin off stories and movie adaptations, and I was very excited to pick up a copy of this.

I felt that there was something missing in Miss Bingley’s character. I loved that she worked on herself, studied, and decided that she didn’t need a man to be happy. Thanks to her family’s money, she established her own home in London, and she could come and go as she pleased. She was a shrewd woman, unafraid to put herself out there to solve a crime. However, the ‘original’ Miss Bingley was a bit snappy and quick with her tongue, and I guess that I missed that.

I can’t fault the plot or the setting, I guess it was just my personal preference.

This book wasn’t for me, but it might be for you!

Many thanks to Michael Joseph for approving my NetGalley request to read and review this title.

This is a murder mystery set two years after the end of Pride and Prejudice, where Caroline Bingley gets drawn into investigating a murder after Georgiana Darcy's maid goes missing. Soon the two women are in London investigating where they find a body and then come up against magistrates, distinctly unsavoury people and the East India Company to try and find out what happened. I thought the murder mystery in this was good - I particularly liked the way the East India Company and their activities were used in it - but I wasn't convinced about the Pride and Prejudice side of things. There's lots of P&P related spin-offs out there - I've read a load of them myself - but I'm not sure this delivered either of the things that people come to them for - which is Austen-like wit and writing or more of the characters you loved from the book. I think this would have been as good a mystery and maybe even a better book - if it wasn't hung off Austen's characters.

Caroline Bingley has to go to London to find her friend Georgiana who has gone to find her missing maid, Jade/Jayani.

The hunt takes them into the seedier parts of London, and meeting seedier people, that ladies of their station would never usually come across!

I'm not sure how I feel about Caroline, I found her very arrogant, with an 'I know best' attitude, also didn't like how she treated Gordon, at one stage wasn't bothered if she had upset Gordon by asking him to get the horses out he had just recently put away. Georgiana went from being all gung ho, to then begging Caroline not to carry on investigating.

I thought it a little predictable, a cosy crime which will while away an afternoon

This book follows on from the shenanigans in Pride of Prejudice, set a couple years later and mainly features Miss Caroline Bingley and Georgiana Darcy, two of the more minor characters in the Austen book.
It transpires that Georgiana has used Caroline as cover for her leaving her home in search of her missing maid Jade. She sends a letter to Caroline so she can vouch for her but Caroline fears for Georgiana, on her own in London, so she also ups and travels to her London home, tracks down Georgiana, and the two of them set off to find Jade together. Truth be told, Caroline is a bit bored these days. Anyway, the two of them travel through the less elegant areas, into some places that ladies really shouldn't be frequenting, let alone solo, all the time following the clues which they hope will lead them to Jade... Little do they imagine what they will find...
I did enjoy this book. I have always had a soft spot for P&P, I especially love the fan fiction and spoofs that have also sprung up - the play P&P (sort of) being a wonderful recent addition to that list, so I was always going into this with a total open mind. And it actually exceeded my expectations, going grittier than I thought it would too. I do love it when a woman of a certain time surpasses expectations!
I felt the authors did the characters justice too. Mostly in keeping with what I recall from the original book - and I do have to scrape off a few layers to get back to that original source material! And although it was kinda hard boiled with some of the topics contained herein, it wasn't too glorified or graphic. It was also quite historical in nature - especially re the East India Company, so I also learned a bit along the way. Always good!
If I have one niggle it was that the mystery was a little overshadowed and occasionally felt like it was taking a back seat. But this is often indicative of a book being a series opener, which I do hope it is. I'll be keeping an eye open for a sequel. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

From the start I felt that this could be a Marmite type of book. Georgiana Darcey runs off to London from Derbyshire to ty to find her maid, Jade/Jayani, who has gone missing. Caroline Bingley chases after her on a snowy winter's eve. She finds Georgiana and, together, they start investigating the mysterious disappearance. This takes them to dreadful areas of a grimy London, meeting dodgy characters, Indian traders and dockhands and murder, although ably assisted by Caroline's 'man' George. The language seemed fitting for the time and was very Jane Austen. I just found it very hard to see how these two characters changed so much from their start in Pride and Pred to now. Caroline now has little interest in social standing but has turned into a feisty, self governing heroine; Georgiana has suddenly found a spine. Plenty about social interactions at the time, many of which have been left firmly in the early 19th century. It is a Marmite book so a 3* overall. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I’m usually a bit sceptical about Austen spin offs and this one completely changed the character of Caroline Bingley and imposed current takes on issues such as colonialism. That said, it’s an easy read with some well drawn supporting characters. The quality of ARC I received wasn’t good which made for difficult reading and is the reason this review is late.

A really enjoyable murder mystery. It was a great idea to choose Caroline Bingley as the lead. The story allowed her character to be further explored and made her into a more likeable character than in Pride and Prejudice. I really hope it is the start of a series as it was a really excellent page-turner that moved at a great pace and held my attention throughout. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.

It is an evocative and clever historical murder mystery, reimagining some of Jane Austen's iconic characters from Pride and Prejudice and allowing them to fulfil their destinies. Caroline Bingley races to rescue her new friend Georgiana when the latter impulsively heads for London to discover the fate of her maid. The mystery is complex and has an undercurrent of menace. Caroline is clever and courageous. It explores the prejudice and the dark side of colonialism in India. It's an immersive, cosy mystery with astute socio-political insights. I also enjoyed the witty dialogue and sensory imagery that let the reader imagine the settings.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I simply loved the book. It's a cosy crime but does have moments of suspense and is definitely a page turner. I never thought anyone or anything could make me like Caroline Bingley (I'm a big Pride and Prejudice fan, it's one of the books that made me fall in love with reading when I was a child) but somehow this book did. She is a great detective and witty well as thorough as she leads Georgiana on a trail around London to solve the crimes. If you love Bridgerton or indeed Jane Austin, you'll love this book.

I am very fond of murder mysteries recently and this one even more so with it being based around the times of the pride and prejudice era - I have been wishing that we’d have a story on the other characters but this was definitely better than anything I could of expected. This was truly a great mystery with many twists and turns and I was completely intrigued throughout the entire book to continue on. This took me minimal sittings as I simply needed to know what had happened and if we were to solve the mystery. Miss Bingley is such a powerful female character especially for the time period and shows to be such an inspiration for women.

Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective by Kelly Gardiner & Sharmini Kumar is a light-hearted historical novel that entertained me from the start.
Fans of Jane Austen will immediately recognize Miss Caroline Bingley from Pride & Prejudice. She is Mr Bingley’s sister. On page one of Pride & Prejudice we read a very famous word sentence, which opens this book, though slightly altered. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single lady in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a husband.” Straight away the reader realizes that we are in for a real treat. As with the original novel, this book is also witty and also pokes fun at the conventions of the day.
The novel is set at the beginning of the nineteenth century, just two years after Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy married Jane and Elizabeth Bennett.
Miss Caroline Bingley is very reminiscent of Elizabeth Bennett. She is intelligent & knows her own mind. She is also brave and with a social conscience. As a female she has to work within the constraints of the day as she sets about her amateur super sleuthing.
The reader travels from snowy Derbyshire to snowy London. It is here that Miss Caroline Bingley begins her search for Georgiana Darcy’s maid who has gone missing. Her maid is Asian and the reader sees the evils and prejudices of the day as the characters are a part of the evils of slavery. This is highlighted as the reader is introduced to the East India Company.
There are those who believe that all men (and women) are created equal. And there are those who profit from the misery of others.
All the characters were well drawn, and remarkably portrayed in a style reminiscent to Jane Austen.
The story was entertaining, engaging and educating. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope that there will be more investigating from Miss Caroline Bingley.
I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

In this new mystery series, Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar fashion Miss Caroline Bingley as a private detective. Caroline Bingley must find Georgiana Darcy’s maid, Jayani, who has disappeared. As someone who always felt there was more to Miss Caroline Bingley than the rather haughty character from 'Pride and Prejudice,' I enjoyed seeing a reimagining of her character.

The mystery is a bit slight, but there's some nice humour, and I enjoyed Miss Bingley's interactions with her manservant, Gordon. The interplay between the two of them gives the novel some sparkle, and it's a good sign of what's to come if we see more novels from Gardiner and Kumar. I'd like to see more books in the 'Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective' series as they are a nice cosy treat for Austen and mystery lovers.

The book gave more life to the character, Miss Caroline Bingley, and she has proven herself to be a worthy sleuth in this fictional tale set two years after Pride and Prejudice.

There is a plethora of fiction using the characters Jane Austen created, and these books are rather hit and miss for me, so going into reading this, I was a little sceptical.

However, in this case, I have to say that the plot took Caroline Bingley out of her comfort zone and made her shine in her role as ameteur sleuth.

I admired her ability to go from drawing room repertoire to chasing down clues and would be murderers. The plot wasn’t predictable – it was fast-paced and kept you on your toes – letting us into Caroline’s thought process.

For fellow Austen fans, it still had all the trappings of the Regency world, and this was blended well with the cosy crime novel.

For example, the way that Caroline went about hunting clues felt natural to how a character would in this world. Of course, she had more freedom than Regency ladies were probably allowed, but that made for enjoyable reading.

There were all sides to Regency England presented in many different characters, including servants such as Jayani and her family – how they were ill-treated at the hands of the wealthy and the poverty they experienced, which is largely absent from Austen. This was a thoughtful and inciteful aspect to the novel that made you think about the often unspoken aspects of Regency life.

I am looking forward to a possible sequel to find out which direction the novel goes in. I think Caroline really grew as a character in this book, but Georgiana still has some growth to do as a character as I found her to be still very niave despite her prior experience with Wickham. Nevertheless, I thought this book held its own in the historical cosy crime genre.

When Caroline Bingley gets a letter from Georgiana Darcy stating that she has run away to London she knows that ,despite the bad weather, she has to follow and stop Georgiana from ruining her reputation.
On arriving in London and deducing where she would have gone to, she finds out that Georgiana is chasing her maid, Jade, who left in a hurry a few days before.
When they do find her it's not in good circumstances and Caroline decides to find out exactly what happened. This is difficult in the late 18th century as women are just supposed so sit and be pretty when they are not turning out children.
This is a very entertaining book and I loved reading it.

A wonderful murder mystery based on characters from Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice. The writers have formed a very convincing and intriguing story from the minor charactor of Caroline Bingley. I was impressed with the mysterious plot and the historical accuracy of the East India Trading Company and the differences in class and race in this time period. An enjoyable read.

This book picks up two years after the events of Pride and Prejudice. Caroline Bingley and Georgiana Darcy have become friends. When Georgiana comes to her for help, Caroline finds herself investigating a mystery connected to the East India Company.

This period mystery with a modern take on issues like colonisation and race was an easy read. I will say, however, that its connection to Pride and Prejudice was rather tenuous. The plot would have worked well with entirely new characters, particularly since Caroline Bingley has "reformed" since her attempts to snare Darcy.

A recommended read for fans of Regency mysteries.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.