Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective by Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar

Title: Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective

Author: Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar

Genre: Crime/Mystery/Historical Fiction

Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Published: 2^nd April 2025

Format: Paperback

Pages: 368

Price: $34.99

Synopsis: A missing maid. A murder most foul. A highly imprudent adventure. Only her fine eyes can uncover the truth.
Two years after the events of Pride and Prejudice, Miss Caroline Bingley is staying at her brother’s country estate close to Pemberley, wondering if there’s more to life than cribbage and paying calls.

So when Georgiana Darcy’s maid, Jayani, vanishes and Georgiana disappears in search of her, Caroline races after them to London, only to discover a shocking, cold-blooded murder.

Soon Caroline is careering through the grimy underbelly of the city, demanding answers of malevolent footmen, reluctant magistrates, Indian dockhands, and mysterious East India Company men.

As Caroline exercises her superior powers of investigation, she finds out exactly what an accomplished, independent woman with a sharp mind and a large fortune can achieve – even when pitted against secrets, scandal, and a murderer with no mercy.

~*~

It’s been two years since the events of Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth and Darcy are happily married and living at Pemberley, and Charles Bingley’s sister Caroline is staying at his estate near Pemberley. Her dreary life of paying calls and cribbage changes when Georgiana Darcy’s maid, Jayani goes missing. Georgiana follows her, and Caroline rushes to follow. But in London they uncover a sinister murder. Who could have murdered Jayani’s brother and why? What was he involved in? Caroline’s investigations take several turns where she has to speak to people she never thought she would interact with in a diverse London.

In this fabulous novel, Caroline, who was a secondary character in Pride and Prejudice takes centre stage in this sequel or companion novel. It is delightfully modern and historic at the same time. It reflects the world these characters live in, where class, race and gender affect how people are treated and seen. It was the reality of these times, where rules, expectations and social structures dictated how everyone lived their lives. Throwing murder into the mix makes it a grand romp around London.

This is the early 1800s, so there’s none of the things people rely on today to solve crimes. And Caroline is the only one wo seems to care about digging deeper than the reluctant magistrate, willing to pin a murder on someone innocent. As Caroline and Georgiana look for Jayani and investigate what really happened when the men refuse to. They’re cleverly navigating a world that isn’t built for them, where they are questioned about things. It works so well though, because their class and gender status of the times means that there are people who will talk to them and ways into speaking with certain people casually. It’s as much a social commentary on the world Jane Austen wrote about as the original Pride and Prejudice. The social commentary and crime combine to create a novel full of wit and female empowerment.

Of course, the characters utilise this in ways that suit the time as well. They’re radical, but just enough to buck the trends and expectations of their gender, class and race. They have a voice, they know what they want, and they know how to get it within the confines of the society they live in. It fits in well with the cosy crime genre as well. Everything comes together very well, and it’s quite nice seeing a crime novel that has a slower pace. There’s something nice about this slower pace, because it allows the crime and clues to unfold properly. They’re given proper consideration, and there’s no rush in the same way there might be in modern crime. Of course, they want to get to the bottom of the mystery, and what I enjoyed was that when they found something out, it felt like they had earned it. They had worked for it, put in all the questions and effort that crime solving in the days before technology made it very easy had to use.

What is also cool about this novel is that it coincides with the 250^th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. It is a lot of fun, and explores what might have happened to the side characters after the happy ending of the original novel. Caroline makes a good private detective, and I can see her digging into cases involving the people around her and in Derbyshire. It’s a rollicking good novel, and one that captures a diverse early 19^th century London and the interactions of class, race and gender influences for modern audiences. I loved the way they all learned along the way, ensuring that everyone was able to exist in this world. It is a fun novel that has been cleverly written, and very well done.