In Want of a Suspect (A Lizzie & Darcy Mystery)

I have not read this author's previous books, so this is my first experience reading one of her books about Lizzie and Darcy. I found this to be a refreshing read, and Lizzie and Darcy worked great as detectives working for separate firms. You can quickly tell that we are still in a time when women have very few rights, as Lizzie's mom is constantly trying to get her daughters married and assuming if they are in the company of men that, courtship is on the horizon. I thoroughly enjoyed the cast of characters, though I found the mystery a bit predictable; it took most of the novel to confirm that I was on the right track. I felt for Darcy as he was trying to be loyal to his father and the business, as well as his loyalty to Lizzie, knowing she was desperate to prove herself in solving this case. If you want more of Lizzie and Darcy, I can say other books by this author would be as delightful as this one. There are references in this book to the previous ones, but I did not feel I was out of the loop by not reading those before, so you are safe starting with this book.

In Want of a Suspect is the first in a companion duology featuring more from Lizzie Bennett and Mr. Darcy who we first met in Tirzah Price’s revamped Jane Austen murder mystery, Pride and Premeditation. This book was a delight from start to finish with the perfect tone for Lizzie and Darcy’s characters. It was easy to pick up and impossible to put down so find a chunk of time to enjoy.
After reading Tirzah’s first trilogy set in her version of the Jane Austen universe, I was excited to see the relationship further develop. That meant I was slightly disappointed when the books went a different direction and had all new characters instead for the rest of the trilogy. They were good and I enjoyed them, but I love that Price went back to further explore this world and brought the Dashwood sisters along for part of the story making it perfect for fans.
Lizzie and Darcy struggle to find their footing in this book as societal expectations are getting harder to navigate working together while they are not engaged or married. Lizzie’s dogged persistence sees them through and Darcy’s support to let her be herself is refreshing.
The murder mystery portion of the story was twisty and intriguing. The characters had little to start with and still managed to uncover a dastardly plot with plenty of surprises. I love that this mystery wraps up smoothly while laying the groundwork for the second book without making the fans suffer needlessly on a cliffhanger.