Q INTERVIEW | P.D. James on Death Comes to Pemberley

British mystery writer P.D. James beginsher newest novelwith an apology to Jane Austen, acknowledging that the iconic writer probably wouldnt approve of blood-spattered bodies.

Particularly not at her beloved Pemberley, the estate where the former Elizabeth Bennet and her husband Mr. Darcy are raising their two children about six years after their marriage at the end of Pride and Prejudice.

James, 91, has written Death Comes to Pemberley, a mystery that embroils Austens famedcharacters in a sordid murder investigation and brings the horror of the outside world into an idyllic married life.

In an interview withJian Ghomeshi, host of CBC'sQ cultural affairs show, James explains that she is far from the first to pen a sequel to Pride and Prejudice, a project shes been hoping to complete for many years.

She finished her last mystery novel featuring her popular protagonistAdam Dalgliesh just before turning 90 and said she thought shed better write her Austen sequel now, while still at her sharpest.

James spoke to Q from London about her love of Austen, how she hopes to improve the mystery genre and what frightens her the most.