Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Investigator

Gardiner (Goddess) and Kumar provide a delightful addition to the growing ranks of Jane Austen–inspired mysteries with this cozy series launch. The fiercely independent Caroline Bingley, from Pride and Prejudice, is now Jane Bennett’s sister-in-law. After Caroline’s friend, Georgiana Darcy, leaves for London without explanation, a baffled Caroline tracks her down, and learns that she’s searching for her missing maid, a young Indian woman she’d called Jade. Despite Georgiana’s ignorance of “Jade’s” actual name or biography, Caroline relishes the almost impossible challenge of locating her among London’s masses. The situation escalates when “Jade”—whose real name is Jayani—is found at the scene of a murder. Caroline believes her insistence that she’s innocent and resolves to find the killer, following a trail of clues indicating that the culprit is connected to the powerful East India Company. Refreshingly, Gardiner and Kumar don’t sand down Caroline’s less agreeable qualities, and instead use her flagrant classism and stubbornness to infuse the narrative with a welcome degree of friction. That character depth, plus a well-oiled whodunit plot, help this stand out in a crowded field. Austenites will look forward to the next installment. (July)