Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective (or Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Investigator in North America)
Reviews for the new book, co-written with Sharmini Kumar, are rolling in on social media and in mainstream media. Here are a few:
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.
The nuances of the plot still allow for surprises, combining artful twists and a healthy dose of action with considerable character development, while moments of comedy and revelation spring from the contrast between upstairs and downstairs sensibilities. Readers of Abir Mukherjee, Alison Goodman and, of course, Jane Austen, will be right at home with Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective.
Annie Waters, Books and Publishing (Australia/NZ)
This book is lifted above the ordinary cosy crime novel with its exploration of these issues [slavery, racism, and the injustices of the Imperial project] … there may be a series of Caroline Bingley crime novels, and, by the evidence of this one, they will be well worth the read.
Brigid Feehan, The Listener (NZ)
Here’s what people are saying about #misscarolinebingleyprivatedetective on Instagram, and on Goodreads.
Kelly Gardiner 