In Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet? John Sutherland unravels 34 literary puzzles in a sequel to his bestselling works Is Heathcliff a Murderer? and Can Jane Eyre Be Happy?. As well as exploring new conundrums Professor Sutherland revisits some previous puzzles with the help of readers who offertheir own ingenious solutions, and set fresh posers for investigation. Victorian drug habits, railway systems, sanitation and dentistry are only a few of the areas that shed light on the motives and circumstances of some of literature's most famous characters: Elizabeth Bennet, Betsey Trotwood, Count Dracula, Anna Karenina, Alice and many more come under the spotlightin John Sutherland's highly entertaining collection. 'Sutherland puts humanity and the human, logic and curiosity, back into criticism . . . His respect for the realism of texts inspires, inspirits and delights.' Valentine Cunningham

Jane Austen's Mrs. Bennet, mother of five difficult teenage daughters, is silent no more. Tired of having her ungrateful girls roll their their eyes at her and watching her husband return to his man cave, Mrs. Bennet finally tells her side of the story.

This inventive, action-packed novel tells of a tormented Darcy who, dispirited by his family's 200-year curse and his fate as a half-human/half-vampire, would rather live forever alone than inflict the horrors of a vampire life on a beautiful wife. Destiny has other plans.

'Wonderful...concise, witty, effortlessly learned.' Sunday Times How does Magwitch swim to shore with a great iron on his leg? Where does Fanny Hill keep her contraceptives? Whose side is Hawkeye on? And how does Clarissa Dalloway get home so quickly? In this new edition sequel to the enormously successful Is Heathcliff a Murderer?, John Sutherland plays literary detective and investigates 32 literary conundrums, ranging from Daniel Defoe to Virginia Woolf. As in its universally loved predecessor, the questions and answers are ingenious and convincing, and return the reader with new respect to the great novels that inspire them.

A Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice VariationReturning home from Kent, Elizabeth Bennet is still distressed over Mr. Darcy's insulting marriage proposal. However, her attention is diverted by the local militia commander who asks her to observe Wickham, now suspected of being a French spy. Pretending to be besotted with Wickham, Elizabeth accompanies the regiment when they relocate to Brighton. Darcy arrives at Longbourn with the intention of making amends to Elizabeth, only to discover that she is now at Brighton with Wickham. Desperate to save her from the scoundrel, Darcy follows her to the seaside, where he hopes to woo her away from the other man. Deception piles on top of deception as Elizabeth attempts to carry out her mission without betraying confidences-or breaking Darcy's heart. However, the French plot runs deeper than she knows; soon she and Darcy are plunged into the confusing and dangerous world of international espionage. Can Darcy and Elizabeth escape with their lives and their love intact?

The Literary Detective is an omnibus edition of John Sutherland's three best-selling collections of literary puzzles, Is Heathcliffe a Murderer?, Can Jane Eyre be Happy?, and Who Betrays Elizabeth Bennet? Investigating a variety of anomalies, enigmas, and conundrums such as 'Why does RobinsonCrusoe find only one footprint?' and 'Where does Fanny Hill keep her contraceptives?', Professor Sutherland explores the questions readers often ask and critics rarely discuss. His forensic skills focus on authors from Defoe and Fielding to Wells and Woolf, relishing in particular thenineteenth-century novelists, Austen, Collins, Dickens, and the Brontes.By addressing 'real world' questions John Sutherland has brought lit. crit. Down from the rarefied heights of academe and into the everyday discourse of ordinary readers, who bring their own expertise to bear on these novels. In his introduction he quotes from some of the many letters he hasreceived, which demonstrate that we can all be astute and entertaining critics. The 'Sherlock Holmes of Literature', as he has been called, John Sutherland reminds us of the sheer pleasure and excitement that good books inspire, and of their endless ability to surprise and delight us.

How well do you really know your favourite author? Ace literary detective turned quizmaster John Sutherland challenges the reader to find out. Starting with easy, factual questions that test how well you remember a novel and its characters, the quiz progresses to a level of greater difficulty, demanding close reading and interpretative deduction. What really motivates the characters, and what is going on beneath the surface of the story? From Bathsheba's valentine to Tess's favourite cows, the subjects range across six of Hardy's most popular novels. Designed to amuse and divert, the questions and answers take the reader on an imaginative journey into the world of Thomas Hardy, where hypothesis and speculation produce fascinating and unexpected insights. Whether you are an expert or enthusiast, So You Think You Know Thomas Hardy? guarantees you will know him much better after reading it.