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Contact: Cassandra Ammerman
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The long-awaited sixth mystery in the Mr. and Mrs. Darcy series
From the winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence
THE DECEPTION
AT LYME
Or, The Peril of Persuasion
by Carrie Bebris
A Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery
“Janeites will delight in the author’s clever reintroduction of Austen’s characters, the charm of
Georgiana’s budding love life, and the accurate and appealing portrait of Regency ships and sailors.”
—Publishers Weekly on The Deception at Lyme
“Carrie Bebris pulls off quite a coup with this novel…producing a novel that is enormous fun.”
—Jane Austen’s Regency World on Pride and Prescience
“Of the many writers dabbling in the world of Austen’s novels, Bebris is one of the best,
and readers will be thoroughly hooked by her latest whodunit.”
—Booklist on The Intrigue at Highbury
“An utter delight…every aspect is pitch-perfect.”
—RT Book Review (4½ Stars, Top Pick!) on North by Northanger
Daphne du Maurier Award-winning author Carrie Bebris delivers a brand new Mr. and Mrs.
Darcy mystery, THE DECEPTION AT LYME (A Tor Hardcover, $22.99, October 2011)! This
is the sixth book in a charming series that began with 2004’s highly praised Pride and Prescience.
Based on Jane Austen’s final completed book, Persuasion, THE DECEPTION AT LYME
follows the Darcys as they head to the seaside village of Lyme to both rest and follow up on a few
family matters—namely, to receive the personal effects of Mr. Darcy’s cousin, a naval lieutenant
who died in action. The Darcys’ quiet visit turns tragic, however, when they discover the body of a
fellow visitor to Lyme, Mrs. Clay. On top of that, Mr. Darcy suspects that his cousin’s death might
have been the result of a conspiracy. He enlists the help of Captain Frederick Wentworth (the hero
of Austen’s Persuasion) to help him determine what may have happened in a battle that took place far
away from the little village.
This popular Jane Austen-inspired mystery series spotlights the witty and romantic Elizabeth
and Fitzwilliam Darcy in well-researched stories that mix beloved Pemberley personae with intrigue
and delicious re-imagining of the Regency era.
Praise for the Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery series:
“Mannered prose, Regency backdrops, moody country houses, and
delightful characterization place this new series high on the to-buy list.”
Library Journalstarred review of Pride and Prescience
“Jane Austen fans who regret the author wrote only six full-length novels
have reason to rejoice: Bebris’ second Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery is even better
than her strong debut…The author smoothly combines characters from Pride and Prejudice
andSense and Sensibility while remaining true to Austen’s originals.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review of Suspense and Sensibility
“An utter delight… Every aspect is pitch-perfect.”
—RT Book Review (4½ stars, TOP PICK!) on North by Northanger
“Bebris’s delightful mystery series starring the hero and heroine of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
continues with this thrilling installment… Bebris has a great feel for both the period
and Austen’s witty style, making the pages fly by in this absorbing, charming mystery.”
—Booklist on The Matters at Mansfield
“The Intrigue at Highbury is a fantastic addition to Carrie Bebris’s already outstanding ‘Mr. And Mrs.
Darcy Mystery Series,’ and in my humble opinion, it is her best novel yet.”
—Austenesque Reviews on The Intrigue at Highbury
THE DECEPTION AT LYME
by Carrie Bebris
A Tor Hardcover
978-0-7653-2797-0
$22.99 US / $PRICE CA /304 pages
Publication date: September 27, 2011
For more information, contact:
Cassandra Ammerman, Publicist
T: 646-307-5412
F: 212-982-2862
cassandra.ammerman@tor.com
www.tor-forge.com
About Carrie Bebris
Award-winning author Carrie Bebris is best known for her Mr.
& Mrs. Darcy Mystery series. Set in Regency England, the
novels entangle some of Jane Austen’s most beloved characters
in intrigue.
Carrie began her career in publishing after previous roles as a
journalist and college English teacher. As an editor for fantasy
publisher TSR, Inc., she developed supplements for the
Dungeons & Dragons® roleplaying game before striking out on
her own as a freelance writer and editor. She wrote two fantasy
novels, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (2001) and
Shadowborn (1998, with William W. Connors), before making
her mystery debut in 2004 with Pride and Prescience. The novel
made the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association
bestseller list and was named one of the five best mysteries of the year by Library Journal. Successive
Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mysteries have earned starred reviews from Publishers Weekly.North by Northanger
won the Daphne du Maurier Award, which honors excellence in romantic suspense, and a Reviewers
Choice Award from RT Book Reviews magazine for Best Historical Mystery of 2006. The sixth book
of the series, The Deception at Lyme (Or, The Peril of Persuasion), releases in October 2011.
In addition to her novels, Carrie is a contributor to the forthcoming short fiction collection Jane
Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart. She
pens articles for Jane Austen’s Regency World magazine, writes other nonfiction, and has edited such
books as Tea with Jane Austen (by Kim Wilson) and Walking with William Shakespeare (by Anne-Marie
Edwards). She speaks nationally and locally about Austen, writing, and publishing, and since 2008
has been a faculty member and guest lecturer for the Antioch Writers Workshop.
Carrie holds a master’s degree in English literature with an emphasis on 19th- century authors and
studied Austen on the graduate level with one of today’s most respected Austen scholars. She is a
life member and regional officer of the Jane Austen Society of North America, and travels to
England to enhance her understanding of Austen’s life and work. Reviewers praise her for capturing
not only the spirit of Austen’s writings, but also the historical details of the Regency era; in the name
of research, she has engaged in experiences that range from dancing at Regency balls to firing a
dueling pistol.
When not writing, Carrie enjoys traveling, watching costume dramas that send her husband fleeing
the house, and indulging in her love of all things British. Originally from Wisconsin, she now resides
in Ohio, where she is currently working on her next novel.
Visit Carrie online at www.carriebebris.com.
A Brief Q & A with Author Carrie Bebris:
Q: What is it about Jane Austen that is so appealing to you?
A: The quality of her writing. Since becoming a novelist, I can no longer read most novels the way I
could when I was 10—uncritically, for the sheer pleasure of it. Usually half my brain is engaged in
the story, while the other half cannot help but analyze the narrative structure, characterizations,
word choices, and so on. It’s very rare for me to be able to completely lose myself in a book—to
become so immersed in the story that all of the mechanical details fade into the background—and
when it does happen, it’s magic. It reminds me why I wanted to become a writer. I can name a few
authors, both classic and contemporary, who inspire me in that way, but Jane Austen does it every
time. I have been writing the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy series for 10 years now, have analyzed each of her
novels at a level of detail even her most devoted fans need never approach, and am more or less
constantly rereading Pride and Prejudice. Yet despite that intense familiarity, when I open any of her
novels (even her letters or juvenilia) to quickly check a fact or confirm a quote, I still get drawn in.
Her characters (so true to life), her wit (sometimes subtle, sometimes sharp), her phrasing, her
insight—before I know it, I’ve read a whole chapter and must force myself to get back to work.
Q: How do you do your research?
A: When brainstorming a novel, I can usually identify some subjects that I’ll need to research on at
least a basic level. (For example, I knew that The Deception at Lyme, because it’s set in a real place and
involves numerous naval characters from Austen’s Persuasion, would require familiarity with Lyme
and an understanding of life in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.) I start with secondary
sources (reference books and articles, trusted websites) to get a general foundation, then move on to
primary sources (firsthand accounts, books and articles written during the period, historical records,
maps, museum exhibits) for more details and insight. I also interview experts who help me apply
facts to the particular circumstances of my story, and visit locations in person to absorb setting
details that one just can’t experience through photos or webcams. In the process, I discover all sorts
of interesting facts that inspire plot ideas and lead me to deeper research, which continues the entire
time I’m writing the novel.
To capture the details of everyday life in the Regency era, I take advantage of as many opportunities
as possible to directly experience aspects of it. I have written with quill pens and cooked traditional
recipes with period equipment, played historic card games, attended a Regency-style dinner party in a
Bath townhouse, taken English Country Dancing lessons and attended balls in period gowns, fired a
flintlock dueling pistol, hoisted sails, descended to the holds of 18th-century warships, explored
smuggling caves. However, I draw the line at submitting to the medical practice of being bled with
leeches—some experiences are best left to the imagination!
Q: What is your favorite Jane Austen book?
A: Pride and Prejudice or Persuasion, depending on my mood and which one I happen to be reading at
the time. They are both complex novels with admirable heroes and heroines, yet these characters are
appealing in different ways and the books have very different tones and themes. Austen wrote the
first draft of P&P as a young woman; it is a novel that captures the excitement of new love and
celebrates the optimism of youth. Persuasion, written at the end of her life, demonstrates the power of
enduring love and rewards perseverance. Although Mr. Darcy and Captain Wentworth are both men
of honor and integrity, Darcy inherited his wealth and social position, while Wentworth is a selfmade man. Elizabeth Bennet and Anne Elliot are each the most intelligent and insightful of their
sisters, but we admire Elizabeth for her spunk, and Anne for her quiet strength. One of the
pleasures of writing The Deception at Lyme, which brings the Darcys into the world of Persuasion, was
the opportunity to bring these characters together and see how they would interact.
Q: Is it difficult to combine Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, the characters from Pride & Prejudice,
with the characters from Jane Austen’s other books?
A: Austen created such unique, memorable characters that they remain distinct even when mingled:
her heroines and heroes are heroic in different ways, and her villains each wreak their own brand of
havoc. Seeing those characters from a new point of view—the Darcys’—is part of what makes the
series interesting for both me as a writer and for my readers. The greatest challenge is how much
“stage time” to give various characters, particularly the other heroes and heroines. Austen fans want
to spend more time with them, and they must be well developed enough for readers unfamiliar with
Austen to get to know them, but they cannot take over the book—the Darcys must remain at the
center of the story. Another challenge is how to create a connection between the Darcys and the
other novels’ characters that is believable and strong enough that the Darcys would have a
compelling reason to investigate serious, sensitive matters without their involvement seeming
inappropriate. A final complication is that many of Austen’s characters share first names, not only
between books (5 of her 6 completed novels contain Henrys) but sometimes within the same book,
so when combining casts of different novels I have to take care not to confuse readers. While
writing an early scene in Suspense and Sensibility, I realized there were three men named John in the
room—and I hadn’t named any of them. (I solved the problem by killing one of them off!)
Q: Why do you think Jane Austen and other books that dabble in her world are so popular
with readers?
A: Austen’s novels resonate with modern readers because the world hasn’t changed very much in
200 years. And because it has.
People are people no matter when they lived. Human beings still experience joy and sorrow, hope
and despair, and the population includes as many champions, scoundrels, eccentrics, and fools as it
ever did. Austen was a master at capturing human nature, at creating true-to-life characters so
endearing and enduring that readers want to spend more time with them.
At the same time, we presently live in a society where privacy and restraint have fallen out of
fashion. Tweets and texts steadily feed us the details of our acquaintances’ lives, and reality television
shows bombard us with the particulars of strangers’. I think that for some people, the Information
Age has become the Too Much Information Age, and readers enjoy retreating to a time when
people demonstrated more reserve—when there was still a little mystery even between friends, and
one’s social networking profile was transmitted the old-fashioned way—formal introductions and
rampant rumors. 