KELLY GARDINER and SHARMINI KUMAR Miss Caroline Bingley Private Detective. Reviewed by Michael Jongen

Gardiner and Kumar give Caroline Bingley a larger and more exciting role than she ever had in Pride and Prejudice.

Caroline Bingley’s unpopularity in Pride and Prejudice stems largely from her behaviour and motivations, which clash with the values celebrated in the novel. She embodies vanity, insincerity, and elitism, contrasting sharply with Elizabeth Bennet’s intelligence, authenticity, and strong moral compass. Caroline’s relentless pursuit of Mr Darcy, driven more by ambition than genuine affection, highlights her calculating nature and works as a foil to Elizabeth. She is an interesting minor character and a captivating choice for Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar in this elegant and engaging Jane Austen pastiche in which Miss Bingley’s character is rehabilitated.

I most enjoy Jane Austen pastiches that expand on the lives of minor characters – think of Charlotte by Helen Moffett, which reimagines the life of Charlotte Lucas, wife of Mr Collins from Pride and Prejudice, or the delightful works of Joan Aiken, which expand on the lives of Jane Austen’s minor characters and explore new narratives within the Regency world.

Austen’s works have also been adapted into other genres, including mystery. Miss Caroline Bingley follows in the footsteps of Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James and the less successful The Murder of Mr Wickham by Claudia Gray. However, set several years after the events in Pride and Prejudice and described as a Regency-era charmer and a cosy crime mystery, this collaboration reimagining Miss Bingley as a detective has a much darker side to it.

The story begins when Georgiana Darcy’s maid disappears while Miss Bingley is a house guest at Pemberley. Georgiana runs away to pursue her, and Caroline, anxious to avoid scandal, sets off after them and gets involved in murder.

Caroline had been profoundly shocked several times in her life, but she had not expected to suffer it from this direction. Georgiana, although several years younger than her, had always been a devoted friend, obedient sister, and almost timid in social situations. Now this? A young woman, venturing alone to London, of all places?

When Caroline finds her, Georgiana’s maid Jayani has a knife in her hand and a dead man beside her. Jayani is accused of murder and Caroline has to delve into the London underworld to find answers. The East India Company and its significant role in Regency England is involved as Miss Bingham finds the rottenness lying beneath the surface of this period.

The story is rich with vibrant characterisations – not only of unsavoury footmen, enigmatic Company men, and Dickensian magistrates, but also of the ambitious merchant class as they skilfully ingratiate themselves into the exclusive Ton. The story unfolds against a vivid backdrop, with grand balls, the frozen Thames, and scenes set in the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, culminating in a gripping denouement amid the grit and ice of London’s docklands.

Caroline had never seen anything like it. People swarmed across the frozen river in long streams of hatted and coated traffic, dark against the ice, weaving in between ragged rows of tents and stalls, circling around jugglers and fire-eaters, gathering before preachers and fiddlers, laughing and shouting and singing. Some wore skates but the ice was too rough for easy gliding. Most stepped gingerly, clutching at each other, and every so often slipped and fell, giggling.

Gardiner and Kumar capture Austen’s wit, irony, and nuanced social commentary while weaving in a modern sensitivity, reflecting 21st-century perspectives. With a balance of humour and gravitas, they explore love and relationships, societal expectations, class dynamics, and personal transformation.

This reimagining of Caroline and Georgiana offers them a well-deserved moment in the spotlight. Both evolve in ways that reshape our perceptions of them as they learn the lessons of their flawed assumptions. Kelly Gardiner, known for her historical novels, and Sharmini Kumar, with her rich explorations of identity and culture in the theatre, bring fresh perspectives to Caroline’s determined quest for social elevation, incorporating her ambitions into a broader tapestry of societal and personal transformation.

She had done more in these few weeks than any woman of her acquaintance, perhaps even the famous Fanny Burney. Nobody but Gordon would ever know. Jane would probably be horrified, but Elizabeth, she felt sure, would approve. Perhaps Georgiana might tell the Darcys a little of their adventures, and her mastery of the arts of detection. She had never sought approval from that quarter, and the pleasure this notion created made her slightly uncomfortable.

This enjoyable and compelling Austen pastiche succeeds in blending Austen’s timeless appeal with a fresh and engaging style. The characterisations and meticulously crafted period details capture the essence of Austen’s wit and social insight, transporting readers into a bygone era, while the themes of ambition and societal integration resonate with contemporary sensibilities. A true homage to Austen’s legacy, it is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. This is a delightful read for both Austen fans and new admirers alike.

Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar Miss Caroline Bingley Private Detective HarperCollins Publishers 2025 PB 368pp $34.99

Michael Jongen is a librarian and you can find him as @larrydlibrarian on Instagram and Threads.

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Tags: cosy crime, historical crime fiction, historical fiction, Jane | Austen, Kelly | Gardiner, pastiche, Pride and Prejudice, Sharmini | Kumar