For everyone who loves Jane Austen…a marvelously entertaining new series that turns the incomparable author into an extraordinary sleuth!On a visit to the estate of her friend, the young and beautiful Isobel Payne, Countess of Scargrave, Jane bears witness to a tragedy. Isobel’s husband—a gentleman of mature years—is felled by a mysterious and agonizing ailment. The Earl’s death seems a cruel … seems a cruel blow of fate for the newly married Isobel. Yet the bereaved widow soon finds that it’s only the beginning of her misfortune…as she receives a sinister missive accusing her and the Earl’s nephew of adultery—and murder. Desperately afraid that the letter will expose her to the worst sort of scandal, Isobel begs Jane for help. And Jane finds herself embroiled in a perilous investigation that will soon have her following a trail of clues that leads all the way to Newgate Prison and the House of Lords—a trail that may well place Jane’s own person in the gravest jeopardy.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
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This is the first of the Jane Austen Mystery series and I was very much entertained and delighted with it. I do love a good historical mystery series and I do love Jane Austen, so for me it was a match made in book heaven. Why it has taken me so long to start this series is beyond me!
The basic premise of the book is well explained in the description, however, there is an interesting tidbit not explained. Namely, Jane has accepted and then refused the offer of marriage from Mr. Bigg-Wither of Manydown Park which sets the stage in her accepting the invitation to her dear friend’s ball at Scargrave Manor. I enjoyed being inside Miss Austen’s head as she tries to assist her friend, Isobel Payne, the Countess of Scargrave during and after the death of her husband, the Earl of Scargrave. I found the murder mystery intriguing, well researched, ominous at times and the characters well drawn. Through it all, is Miss Austen’s unwavering trust as she sallies forth to help and defend her friend.
The dialogue and writing to me was well written and at times had me laughing.
“Colonel Buchanan was, as his name suggests, a Scot. With his bandy legs and greying red hair, he reminded me for all the world of the old cock at Steventon, who ran crowing about the farmyard with such importance that Cook soon lost patience and put him in the soup kettle.”
Miss Austen’s ability to observe and form opinions of those around her is well executed in this mystery. I also enjoyed that one could pick out certain characters from her novels. Trying to figure out, along with Miss Austen, who the actual suspect/suspects were, was cleverly done. I had my suspicions but didn’t fully figure it out until near the end.
I will state that, though Miss Austen was of independent thought and actions, I don’t feel she would have gone against propriety by taking off in a hansom cab by herself or with a gentleman without at least a chaperone or maid. There are areas where propriety was given over for the story to move forward. That being said, I did thoroughly enjoy it and look forward to reading Book 2 in the series in the very near future!
it was a nice start to the series. Well written in the style of Jane Austen. Good premise!
Starts out slow, but gradually picks up the pace to where you want to really know who the “bad guy” is. Well written to where you can visualize the settings and characters well.
It’s Jane Austen, what else is there to say?
Fun. Great characters.
I enjoyed reading this novel for, not only the engaging characters, but also for the eloquent and picturesque descriptions of the settings. I very much enjoy the British stories for the history and the nostalgic narrations. This one did not disappoint. A nice, cozy mystery to read slowly so as to garner all the nuance. I am anxious to read more by this author. Thank you.
Good for Austen fans who want the story to continue.
A pleasant read with Jane in the action.
Smart, insightful Jane Austen solves a mystery, are we surprised? Nope! Loved it.
The author penned a character of Jane Austin that I found to be true enough to her character as a life-long devotee of her work, beginning at age ten, with a flashlight under my sheets as I read Pride and Prejudice. I have, since my university years, read her annually, moving from one work to another. I feel as if she is a friend … she’s certainly been stalwart through good times and bad!
The story was a little too predictable, as Jane’s were, read in the modern age, and circumstances too contrived (Oh my goodness, our dear family friend, Sir Barrister, right were we need him!) and the dear friend that Jane works so hard to rescue is dull as dishwater, but the plot holds, even if it is just as exciting as a dry rusk.
Love this series. Hate that they killed off her love interest who was actually an interesting character.
As usual, I will skip a synopsis. That is better done by the publisher and the writer. This is the first in Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen mysteries and she introduces us to the qualities she has given Miss Austen’s personality which will drive the plots in the rest of the books. While Jane is very aware of the code of the society she belongs to, and stays–mostly–just the right side of that expectation, she pushes the boundaries pretty far at times. This allows the modern reader to enjoy Austen’s adventures without loosing the sense of her time and place. We do not get quite to the point of rolling our eyes and saying “no, that could never happen.” It helps her credibility that Georgian and Regency women were allowed somewhat more freedom than the Victorians which followed. All that aside, these are fun books to read, the story moves along at a good pace, the characters are well developed and we see the strongly romantic side of Jane’s nature. She may be a spinster, but she likes men and is often more comfortable in their company than in that of other women. She displays the wit and irony, for which she was famous and the love she felt for her sister and some of her brothers. I recommend Jane and the Unpleasantness of Scargrave Manor as a good beginning to the series. If you know Jane Austen only through the TV series and movies made from her books I would recommend you read what she has written first, especially Persuasion or Emma.
Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen Series is one of my favorite historical mystery series. I’ve always enjoyed Austen’s works, and Barron does a fantastic job of re-creating Austen’s voice. I remember the first time I read one of her books, I had to keep checking the title page to reassure myself it was a novel and not a diary in Austen’s own words that I was reading.
These are the books that inspired the Haydn Series, and I was delighted to discover quite recently that they’ve also inspired another author and series who’s been a strong influence on my writing: Susan Wittig Albert and her Beatrix Potter series.
This book read like Jane Austen and was a good story with wonderful characters as well. I will be reading more in this series!