Fitzwilliam Darcy, Fugitive

By: Melanie Schertz, A Lady

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

When Fitzwilliam Darcy learns he has been framed for a murder, his only chance to clear his name and save himself from hanging is to disappear to somewhere he is unknown. Fortunately for him, Darcy learns of a position at the estate of Thomas Bennet. As the young gentleman attempts to find a way to be free of the charges, he must also hide his developing feelings he has for his employer's second daughter. Will he be able to prove his innocence and return to his life, and could he leave his heart behind if he was to regain his position in society?

A Reasonable Mrs Bennett

I enjoyed the twist of this story. Wickham was beyond wicked. Collin’s was over the top clueless. Surprisingly, Mrs. Bennett was reasonable. I wish there had been a real narrator. The virtual voice makes it hard to figure out who is who in the dialogue. It was great to be able to listen off and on during the day and still be able to finish listening that day.

All my favorite villains are here

Wickham has framed Darcy for the murder of a housemaid. His plan was to have Darcy hanged and then the stupid Wickham believed he would inherit the entire Darcy estate from his Godfather (who is Darcy's father). Darcy has to run for his life and hope that he can clear his name. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are good people in this book. Collins, Lady Katherine and Wickham are evil.

Virtual Voice performance is not so great. Voice is monotone, words mispronounced, no pause between speakers or sentences, and other aggravating stuff. Maybe the technology will improve in time. So far all the Virtual Voice books I have listened to are read in a female voice. Where re the male voices?

I have listened to several of Melanie Schertz's books. Some are pretty good and others are rushed - no real development of the story. This particular book had better development than others, but she still needs to slow down the pace and allow relationships to mature and not just go full bloom in a paragraph or two.