Jane Austen Mystery Series

Jane Austen Mystery series by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron 

Jane beloved sister Eliza dies and brother Henry is bereft, so Jane suggests a holiday at the seaside for the two of them. Henry chooses Brighton, the fashionable watering hole of the Great. Along the way, they stop to change horses when they discover a young lady bound and gagged inside a crested carriage. Miss Catherine Twining, a young miss of 15 years, claims to have been abducted by none other than the infamous poet Lord Byron! Byron intended to take Catherine to Gretna and when she tried to escape, he bound and gagged her. Jane is outraged and even more so upon returning to the young lady safely to her home only to be insulted by General Twining. General Twining spared no insults for his only surviving child as well, blaming her for dishonoring the family name. Poor Henry is nearly obliged to fight a duel with the General! Jane and Henry make a hasty exit and take up their lives among with fashionable residents of Brighton. Jane is surprised and delighted to discover that Pride and Prejudice is popular amongst the ton and even more surprised when Lord Harold Trowbridge's niece, Lady Desdemona Swithin, claims Jane as a friend. Jane likes the frank, intelligent countess and soon they are partnering to solve a mystery. A certain young lady known to Jane is found lifeless, stitched in a hammock in a bed recently vacated by Lord Byron! Byron is taken up for murder and though he is allowed to go free, some suspicion remains. The Countess wishes to know whether he is truly guilty or not for her dear friend Lady Oxford is Byron's latest paramour. Lady S wishes for Jane to solve the mystery. Jane finds doors opened that were never open to her before as she rubs elbows with the likes of the Prince Regent and his set. Complicating matters a bit is Lord Byron's cast off mistress, the notorious Lady Caroline Lamb, come to Brighton to stalk her love. Caro was the person last seen in company with the young lady before her death: could she have rid herself of a rival? Could it have been the young lady's closest relative or the pompous elderly clergyman who wished to marry her? Or perhaps her chaperone or the odious lecher General Hangar, a crony of the Regent's once seen attempting to ravish the now deceased young lady? Jane has a tough job on her hands but with help from the Countess and Henry, she will hopefully be able to put together the clues and solve the mystery. 

This is the most ridiculous of all the mysteries. Lord Byron, outrageous though he may have been, was never taken up for murder in 1813 and Miss Austen never hobnobbed with the Prince Regent and his set. Aside from the historical facts, the plot was slow- the murder doesn't happen until halfway through the book. Also, I guessed the murderer's identity right away. Even though I changed my mind a few times, I was right in the end. The author really excels at period detail and this book is even better than all the rest in regards to setting the scene. I like that Barron's Jane knows her limitations as a woman and a shabby genteel spinster. She requires help from others to take her where she can not go. Lesser writers would send their heroines into improbable situations. The descriptions go on a bit too long though without adding to the story and one scene is lifted from Georgette Heyer. This one gets an A+ for period details and a C for the plot. The cover is also dreadful. Is that supposed to be Jane or the murdered young lady or someone else entirely?

Jane and the Canterbury Tale 


It's the fall of 1813 and Jane is visiting her brother Edward and his family, now known as the Knights, at Godmersham in Kent. Jane delights in watching her too-serious niece Fanny dance and flirt all night at the wedding of one of their neighbors, Adelaide Thane Fiske. It's a second marriage for young Adelaide, her first husband was a wastrel who ran off to India and left his wife in debt. With his death, Adelaide was able to find true love with a dashing captain on Wellington's staff. The wedding is fun until the bride receives a mysterious gift from someone that seems to have some meaning for her When Jane's nephews and their friends discover the body of a pilgrim on the path cutting through Godmersham, they fear they mistakingly shot the man while shooting pheasants. Jane's keen eye and experience see more: the man was shot at close range. It was no accident! As Magistrate, Edward must begin an investigation. The body is revealed to be Cuzon Fiske, the first husband of Adelaide and when the smoking gun is found, young James Wildman, Adelaide's cousin, is charged. When evidence points to Adelaide as the killer, Jane begins to worry that the wrong person will be hanged for murder. The introduction of an old sailor complicates matters and the death of another person from the Castle leads to more questions than answers. Jane is running out of time and knows she has to get to the true culprit quickly. A little subterfuge on her part is required along with help from Fanny before the truth is revealed. This mystery is closest to the first book in story and in tone. Jane has mostly stopped wallowing in pity and she is well-placed to investigate. As a history of the time period, this book is quite good. However, as a mystery, I give it low marks. I figured out the murderer right away and even figured out the motive before Edward and Jane. I think that Jane would have figured it out much more quickly. Even so, I enjoyed this one much more than the last few and couldn't put it down until it was finished. 

Jane Austen Mystery Series

Jane Austen Mystery series by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Ghosts of Netley

This 7th installment finds Jane still living in Southhampton living with her mother, sister and friend while waiting for Mrs. Austen to decide whether to move to one of Edward's holdings in Kent or Hampshire. Jane's curiosity is awakened by the arrival of someone at Netley Abbey. Rumor has it that the Abbey is haunted by ghosts of the monks who used to live there. Jane doesn't quite believe it but it's fun to imagine just the same. She is surprised by a visit from The Gentleman Rogue himself. Lord Harold wants Jane to spy on the beautiful but dangerous widow Sophia Challoner who resides at the Abbey. Lord Harold believes that Mrs. Challoner, whom he had known intimately in Portugal, is a French spy. An unlucky accident brings Jane right into Mrs. Challoner's home and her confidence. The widow has nothing good to say about Lord Harold and Jane begins to question whose opinion is correct. The arrival of a stranger from Baltimore arouses Jane's suspicion but she becomes confused again when Maria Fitzherbert, a cast off royal mistress, joins the house party. While Jane socializes with Mrs. Challoner and friends, she dreams of living the life of a tonnish lady by Lord Harold's side. Another mysterious stranger arrives at the Abbey and Mrs. Challoner's maid accuses her employer of witchcraft. With the help of His Lordship's valet, Jane attempts a more in-depth investigation involving hysterical maids, secret tunnels and a stranger called Mon Singeur. Just as Jane thinks she has it all worked out, something goes horribly wrong and one dear to her becomes the victim. This is not the best mystery of the series. It's not too difficult to figure out who Mon Singeur is and what the connection between Mrs. Challoner's houseguests is. I also suspected the villain and I think that Lord Harold was stupid and should have figured it out. This story is darker and more sad than some of the others. Jane spends almost the whole book mooning over Lord Harold and I find it quite out of character for her. 

Jane and His Lordship's Legacy

Do not read this review unless you have read Jane and the Ghosts of Netley.

Jane and her family have finally removed to a cottage in Hampshire on the Knight estate owned by her brother Edward. Jane feels she should be rejoicing in the move back to the country but her heart is heavy. She mourns the loss of Lord Harold and wonders what he really thought of her. Upon arrival, a London solicitor shows up at Chawton Cottage for Jane. He brings with him a bequest from Lord Harold. Lord Harold has left Jane a Bengal chest full of his personal papers for her to use in writing a memoir of him. Half of London would give anything for that chest of papers and the other half is busy gossiping about Jane's relationship to Lord Harold, much to the dismay of Jane's Mama. It also seems that the locals are unhappy with the Austens arrival in the country. They feel that one of their own, a Mr. John-Knight Hinton is the true heir. While the locals gossip about the too high in the instep ladies arriving at Chawton Cottage and despair over the removal of the bailiff's widow who previously inhabited the cottage, Jane is busy trying to hide the chest of papers. While moving the chest to the cellar with help from a neighbor, Jane discovers a man's body. Calm and collected, Jane knows just what to do and she isn't about to miss the inquest and her chance to give testimony. The her beloved Lord Harold's papers are stolen and Jane wonders if the two events are connected. It seems the locals may have an interest in Lord Harold's papers as well for a young Mr. Thrace has come to Hampshire. The London gossips say the young man is an illegitimate son of a peer and about to be made the heir. There are two possible gentlemen who could be the Mr. Thrace's father and both were connected to Lord Harold. The daughter of Lord Harold's old friend the Earl of Holbrook has also come to Hampshire to contest Mr. Thrace's possible right to inherit her family home. Rounding out the cast of characters are Major Spence who is the Steward of the Holbrook estate, two young ladies and a bunch of villagers and workers in Chawton. Jane must use her wits to discover who stole Lord Harold's chest and also see that the murderer is found and brought to justice. Part of this mystery should have been fairly easy for Jane to figure out. Once the clues were laid out and the red herrings cleared away, I figured out the mystery of the heir. Then I figured out the WHO and some of the why. It took Jane much longer and I would think that someone as intelligent as she could have used the information she was given to put the clues together and solve the mystery. I did not like the author playing fast and loose with real historical events and people. She explains why she did it in the Afterward but I don't like it when she does that. I do like that Jane went around accompanied by her brothers, though she makes a stupid mistake at the end. I also don't like that she had lost her heart to Lord Harold. I think the author is taking too many liberties with Jane Austen's life. I shall have to see how the next book is before I decide if I am going to continue reading the series. 

Jane and the Barque of Frailty

Jane is staying in London with Henry and Eliza to oversee the publication of her first novel. Jane has a chance to experience life among the Great including the scandals and gossip that the ton feed on. The latest scandal involves a Russian princess and some love letters published in the newspaper assumed to be written to Lord Castlereagh, a prominent Tory MP. When Princess Tscholikova is found dead on Lord C's doorstep, it fuels the rumors of an intimate affair. Lord C swears he never knew the princess and was innocent of any wrongdoing. The coroner rules self-murder and the case is closed. However, Jane can not let the matter rest, for she and Eliza have been accused of murdering the princess, all thanks to a favor for one of Eliza's fellow French emigrees. Jane is determined to put her sleuthing skills to work to solve the murder. She sorely misses Lord Harold but his personal papers suggest that the late princess may have been a political pawn in a larger game between Lord C and his political opponents. Jane also wonders what role the beautiful high flyer Julia Radcliffe has to play, if any. There's no denying that all the men of London are at her feet. Could she be a French spy? There are plenty of twists and turns in this story to keep Jane and her readers guessing. Some mysteries remain unsolved even at the end. The mystery is quite intriguing though I found the political situation confusing. As for a story featuring Jane Austen, spinster, as a character, this one completely fails. It starts off well enough but heads into fantasy land and ending with something that no well-born lady, let alone Jane Austen would do, even to solve the mystery. Once again the author incorporates real life people and situations into her story which I dislike. This time she goes farther taking Jane into the glittering world of the ton and visiting with high flyers. The books always seem well-researched so it came as a surprise that the author would even consider having her Jane do something so improper. This is not the best book of the series but if you want to read it as a Regency-set mystery and ignore the fact that the sleuth is the REAL Jane Austen, it's quite a good book. It would be a better book with a made up heroine.

Jane Austen Mystery series

Jane Austen Mystery series by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor: Being the First Jane Austen Mystery

Miss Jane Austen, spinster, of Bath is visiting her dear friend Isobel, the new Countess of Scargrave during the holiday season. Jane looks forward to enjoying a holiday house party celebrating her friend's recent nuptials to the older Earl of Scargrave, only something is amiss. Isobel seems unhappy. She is being pestered to sell her land in the West Indies to Lord Harold Towbridge, a disreputable seeming character. Lord Scargrave's haughty heir, Lord Fitzroy Payne, looks at Isobel in a very un-relative like fashion. Isobel's young cousin Fanny flirts with the charming roguish Lieutenant Thomas Hearst much to the dismay of her Mama who wishes her to marry Fitzroy. Rounding out the party is the Lieutenant's gloomy elder brother George, a clergyman farmer. When dear Isobel's husband is murdered it seems that everyone is a suspect. Isobel and Fitzroy's relationship is suspect and when Isobel's Creole maid meets an unhappy end, the young nobles are sent to London to await the Assizes in jail. Jane is positive her friend is innocent and determined to prove it. She has only a few days to collect evidence and find the true murderer. Everyone has a motive but whodunnit?This story resembles the board game Clue. Was it Fanny in the stable yard with a rope? Was it George in the study with poison? Sleuth Jane to the rescue. I enjoyed this story a lot. Jane works within the boundaries of her world with the help of some men to solve the mystery. I had three chief suspects and figured out who the murderer was but not the motive. Everyone seemed to have an obvious motive and the actual motive came as a bit of a surprise out of nowhere. Jane learns a lot of things about people that make it into her stories. I dislike the use of dialogue and situations from her novels being put into her life story. This is the best written of the mysteries I have read so far and the most realistic for a woman of Jane Austen's time and situation.

Jane and the Man of the Cloth: Being the Second Jane Austen Mystery

This second mystery brings the Austens to Lyme for a holiday. Jane is looking forward to getting away from Bath and exploring the coast but their journey starts off badly when the carriage overturns her Jane's beloved sister Cassandra sustains an injury to the head. Jane and the post-boy head up the hill to the nearest house for help. They are met by the rudest man Jane has ever met, Mr. Geoffrey Sidmouth, who is less than happy to have the Austens as uninvited guests. Living with Mr. Sidmouth is a lovely French girl who is dressed as a peasant who the gossips believe is Sidmouth's mistress. Cassandra receives excellent care under the excellent surgeon's assistant Mr. William Dalgiesh who falls instantly in love with Cassandra. The Austens believe the rest of their stay will be enjoyable and maybe even a hint of romance will be in the air. Rev. Austen makes a friend of Mr. Crawford, a fossil expert and Jane makes the acquaintance of the local tabbies and one dashing wounded ex-Naval Lieutenant Fielding . When Jane is rudely awakened early one morning from some noisy men on the Cobb, she discovers a man hanging from a makeshift gallows. Liuet. Fielding believes the hanging to be the work of the so-called "Reverend" the chief smuggler in the area. Lieut. Fielding is on a mission to catch the Reverend and put him away for good. He insinuates that Sidmouth is the Reverend and certainly the man's uncivil and mysterious behavior gives him cause for suspicion. Yet, Jane seems something in Sidmouth that others do not. He too seems charmed by her unconventionality. When Fielding is discovered dead on the road, Sidmouth is arrested. Jane becomes involved in investigating the murder. She has a personal interest in the matter for she may be losing her heart to Sidmouth. Investigating the shore leads to clues which lead Jane down an unexpected path towards solving the murder. The story starts off slow and picks up about 1/3 of the way into the book. This mystery is very obvious to anyone who has read Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. I figured out the characters based on their Jane Austen counterpart and I guessed the villain. The villain rather exposed themselves early on in Jane's investigation and I think in real life she would have been smart enough to figure everything out more quickly.  I dislike the way Jane goes off on her own to investigate and there are some instances where she would have ruined her reputation in real life. The footnotes are a bit overdone but not too much. I learned a few new things about Lyme and Jane Austen's time. I would recommended skipping this mystery and going on to the third except for a key scene at the end which sort of explains why Jane is where she is in the third mystery.

Jane and the Wandering Eye : Being the Third Jane Austen Mystery

Jane, her brother Henry and his wife Eliza are invited to a masquerade party in honor of a troop of actors come to Bath. Jane is tagging along with her more well-to-do relatives to keep an eye on the hostess's granddaughter, Lady Desdemona. Jane was asked specifically by The Gentleman Rogue to look after his niece, who is trying to avoid the man she has just jilted. Just as one of the well-known actors finishes declaiming a speech from Macbeth, the dead body of the theater manager is discovered! When Lady Desdemona's brother is found with the bloody knife in his hand, he is immediately suspect, though he swears he didn't do it. Gentleman Rogue, Lord Harold Towbridge to the rescue! he arrives in Bath hunting for clues and discovers that his nephew recovered a miniature portrait of an eye from the dead body. The portrait leads to more clues and an list of suspects that includes everyone from actors to artists to peers of the realm. Jane tags along to help figure out the clues to the mystery. This being my second Jane Austen mystery, I found that I did not enjoy it as much as the first. There were far too many characters introduced too quickly to keep track of. Many of those characters become suspects in the murder mystery and I found myself trying to figure out who they were and what their motive would be. I did guess the villain right away but not the motive. The motive was unusual and not explained very well. There really wasn't any good reason for murder. I also did not like real life characters and events playing into the story. It lacked credibility. I do not have a problem with the sentence structure so far but those not familiar with 18th and 19th century writing may find it difficult. I still am bothered by the footnotes, which in this book are mostly unnecessary. Using a rating of 1-5, I would give it perhaps a 3 1/2 or 4.

Jane and the Genius of the Place : Being the Fourth Jane Austen Mystery

Jane is on the move again. This time she is at the Canterbury Races in Kent with her brother Edward and his family. Also at the races is the scandalous Mrs. Grey, a Frenchwoman who has captured the interest of many of the men in Kent but not many of the ladies. Scandalous Mrs. Grey is rumored to have had numerous affairs while her husband was occupied with business in London. Mrs. Grey gives rise to the rumors when she is seen hitting a gentleman with her riding crop. Later she is seen entering a neighbor's carriage and then following the horses as they race. Finally, she is discovered dead in the neighbor's carriage, strangled to death with her own hair ribbon and wearing only her shift. As Justice of the Peace, Neddie Austen is charged with finding the murderer and bringing them to justice. He immediately suspects the neighbor in whose carriage Mrs. Grey was found, but isn't positive. Neddie needs Jane's help to solve the mystery of the murdered woman. Among the other suspects are Mr. Grey who is said to have had little affection for his wife, Neddie's impecunious brother-in-law Edward, Edward's military friend, a timid governess, a dashing French count and a genius of a landscape architect. This mystery can probably be figured out in part by those who have read any number of novels, include Miss Austen's own. Some situations and conversations appear in her novels, a joke which I really wish the author would abandon. It makes the mystery way too obvious. I figured out the what but not the why or who. The why was a bit confusing and seemed to be summarized far too quickly and wrap up too neatly. As usual there's a bit too much history tossed in and some pointless conversations between characters that seem to go nowhere though actually lead to clues. I'm not a big fan of the footnotes and usually the reader can figure out the context just by reading the story. An author's note would better explain the history behind the story but as Barron is writing as an editor of Austen's journals, I see why she chooses to add footnotes. I like Jane the character a lot. She's intelligent and witty and she refuses to be pressured into being someone she's not. The mysteries are a lot of fun and I look forward to reading the rest.

Jane and the Stillroom Maid: Being the Fifth Jane Austen Mystery

Jane, Mrs. Austen and Cassandra are still making a tour of various relatives before settling down with Frank in Southhampton. This time they are visiting cousin Edward Cooper. The Cooper family becomes afflicted with whooping cough so Edward must take his relations off on a tour of Derbyshire. Jane heads off to explore the peaks while the gentlemen fish and Mrs. A and Cassandra rest at the inn. While exploring, Jane comes across her most gruesome murder yet. She discovers the body of a young gentleman with a bullet hole to his forehead and a badly mutilated body. Cousin Edward's friend Mr. Hemming lends his assistance in bringing the body back to town. The locals believe the crime is the work of the local branch of Freemasons based on rumors and superstition of devil worship and Satanic sacrifice. When the coroner/surgeon examines the body it is found to be that of a young female named Tess Arnold who worked as a stillroom maid at the home of Mr. Charles Danforth, a grieving widower with a club foot. The locals all fear Mr. Charles Danforth is cursed or worse since his entire family has recently deceased. They believe he is the murderer and want him hanged. Jane is disturbed by the grisly murder and determined to see justice done. Lord Harold, her gentleman rogue, shows up in Derbyshire to mourn the loss of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. His niece, Desdemona is also there and desires to see Jane again. Jane heads off to the luxe Chatsworth estate and finds herself socializing with the scandalous Cavendish set. At Chatsworth Jane discovers an unhappy situation and fears that the clues may lead to the murder of the maid. With the help of the maid's stillroom book, Jane manages to solve the murder but not before more death and unhappiness visit the area. This story is the best mystery yet. It introduces the murder and suspects right away. Just when the answer seems obvious, the story takes twists and turns. The motive and murderer were pretty obvious but the clues left me in doubt until all was revealed. I liked having an intimate glimpse of Chatsworth and the Duke's family whom I know a little about from the Keira Knightly movie The Duchess. I was happy to have Lord Harold return to help Jane solve the investigation but I did not like that she loses her heart to him and nearly succumbs to the desire to live the life of the ton. That does not fit with the Jane that is depicted in the previous books and very unlike the real Jane. I absolutely loved the stillroom recipes included at the end of each chapter. There was very little knowledge about medicine in those days and even the descriptions of the doctor's care are cringeworthy. An editor's afterward names the sources of stillroom medicine from Jane Austen's time and explains what happened to the Duke of Devonshire and family after the events of the novel.

SPOILER ALERT:





I believe that the doctor killed the family unknowingly with all that bleeding. That subject was never addressed in the editor's afterward.

Jane and the Prisoner of the Wool House : Being the Sixth Jane Austen Mystery

Jane, her mother, her sister and their friend Martha Lloyd have removed to Southampton to live with her brother Frank's bride Mary. Frank is on shore too, hoping for the Royal Navy to grant him a fast sonhip. Frank's wish is about to come true - he will soon be granted command of the Stella Maris. Unfortunately, the promotion for Frank comes at the sacrifice of his friend, Captain Seagrave, who is under arrest for murder of the French captain whose ship the Stella Maris had overcome.Captain Seagrave has been accused by his Lieutenant, Eustace Chessyre, who should have stood by him. Frank knows his friend and knows that Tom Seagrave would never have violated the Articles of War by killing a surrendering captain. As the people of Portsmouth turn against Captain Seagrave, only Frank remains loyal. Jane, being possessed of a  "fine naval fervour" also believes that Captain Seagrave is innocent. Jane, having the opportunity to employ herself as a nurse in the Wool House, where French prisoners of war are kept, decides to investigate the murder to find clues that will exonerate Captain Seagrave. Jane's investigation takes her from Captain Seagrave's home, to the Wool House, the docks and the slums of Portsmouth. Jane's search brings her in contact with a prisoner-of-war French surgeon who seems to have some answers, if only he will testify and only if she and Frank can keep him safe, for when Lieutenant Chessyre turns up dead, it becomes clear that someone wants the witnesses out of the way. This being my first Jane Austen mystery I did not know what to expect. The author writes in the style of Jane Austen, alluding to the fact that the novel is an edited version of a long lost manuscript written by Jane Austen. I really liked the way Barron copied Jane Austen's style of writing and I also loved that Barron obviously did a ton of research to write the novel. However, I think she included far too many historical details, some of which she felt the need to add a footnote to further clarify. Those who are familiar with Jane Austen's life and times probably will not need the footnotes. The story is very slow to start but once Jane began her investigation, the story captured my attention and I couldn't do anything until she had solved the mystery. There are many twists and turns in this book that I never suspected. Like Jane, I jumped to a lot of conclusions, having read too many "dreadful novels." The ending is really rushed and I felt like more explanation was needed. I highly doubt that Jane Austen herself would have been running all over Portsmouth (often by herself!) trying to solve a murder mystery but it's fun to think that she would have if she could. I would recommend this book to Janeites that don't take their favorite author too seriously and also fans of Georgette Heyer's mysteries and traditional Regency novels. On a scale of 1-5 I would give this a 4 or 4 1/4.