‘Pemberley’ a gift for mystery and Austen fans

The whole notion of one author picking up where a predecessor left off feels at least a little inauthentic, if not a blatant and usually second-rate ripoff. But there have been exceptions over the years, cases where another author has created a new work that both honors the original and stands tall in its own right.

That’s the case with P.D. James’ “Death Comes to Pemberley,” which, as unlikely as it may seem, is both a sequel to Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and a compelling murder mystery. Now Juliette Towhidi and “Masterpiece Mystery” add yet another incarnation with a stunning two-part adaptation of “Pemberley” premiering Sunday, Oct. 26, on PBS.

James and Towhidi pick the story up six years after the period covered in Austen’s novel. Now married, Elizabeth (Anna Maxwell Martin) and Darcy (Matthew Rhys) have a young son and live in the sprawling Darcy mansion with hordes of servants who are busy preparing for the annual ball.

Elizabeth’s parents (Rebecca Front and James Fleet) will attend, as will Darcy’s sister, Georgiana (Eleanor Tomlinson), but Elizabeth’s flighty sister Lydia (Jenna Coleman) and her ne’er-do-well husband, Wickham (Matthew Goode), have been omitted from the guest list. Nonetheless, the two plan on crashing the party and are on their way to the estate with Wickham’s friend Captain Denny (Tom Canton) when a dispute arises, Denny bolts from the carriage into the woods and Wickham follows after him.

Two shots ring out in the forest. A few moments later, Wickham is found with the body of his friend.

So, who, pray tell, dunnit?

Since this is an adaptation of P.D. James, of course, you would expect the mystery to be brilliantly conceived, and it is.

Of even greater interest is how “Pemberley” celebrates the richness of Austen’s characters and so perfectly imagines how Elizabeth and Darcy, in particular, would have evolved in six years. As Elizabeth and Darcy find themselves at odds, we’re returned to the time of their first meeting, in a way.

The adaptation is superb as it explores the Austen-James characterization, but Towhidi is ably abetted by first-rate performances from the entire cast. Maxwell Martin remains at the top of her game, once again reaffirming her ability to create a complex character with an enviable attention to fine detail. Rhys has perhaps a greater challenge, since Darcy is so detached in the middle of the localized storm. But in the end, he not only acquits himself well but provides the audience with the emotional denouement we’ve craved.