Jane Austen turns detective in this spooky historical adventure by award-winning author Julia Golding!
It’s 1789 and a young Jane Austen turns detective as she seeks to solve the mysterious happenings at Southmoor Abbey. When a carriage accident forces a change of plans, 13-year-old Jane is sent to be a companion to Lady Cromwell for a week as the household prepares to celebrate the eldest son’s … the eldest son’s coming-of-age party. While there, Jane vows to solve the mystery of the ghostly monk in the Abbey grounds – for she does not believe in such stories!
But this is not the only strange occurrence for the adventurous young Jane to investigate. There are shivery night-time investigations, an Indian girl with secret talents, a library fire, two prize horses in danger, and friends to save from false accusations.
With notebook in hand and her faithful dog Grandison by her side, will Jane overcome the continuous obstacles and find out the truth?
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This was just absolute pure fun! A delightfully witty read that was impossible to put down. I was hooked from the first sentence and lost all track of time while I was reading it.
We got to know a young Jane Austen and follow along as she tried to solve some perplexing mysteries involving a ghost, thieves, and arsonists.
Jane was, of course, an infinitely likable character. Clever, curious, and sharp as a whip. She kept things lively, for sure. And you know I loved Grandison, Jane’s “lapdog”. I’m a sucker for dogs in books and Grandison was awesome. Deepti and Luke were great characters too. Full of so much depth, they all came to life.
This was a fantastic read that I highly recommend. And even though it’s a middle grade mystery, it can be enjoyed by all ages. I really hope there are more mysteries to come for Jane to solve.
Jane Austen is a spirited young girl, she’s sent to the Cromwell household to keep company to Lady Cromwell for a week until her son’s birthday party and ball. She is pretty bored from her obligation but soon she finds out a legend about a vengeful ghost that haunts the Abbey next the house so she decides to invastigate. Will Jane be able to stay out of troubles as was recommended from her mother? Or will she give in to her curiosity?
A little slow at the start, but then the pace accelerates, bringing out the pathos of the mystery and the consequent investigation, making the story so engaging it is hard to put it down.
I liked this young version of Jane Austen, who definitely already has her artistic and imaginative talent but here she shows especially her witty mind and her tremendous curiosity.
I’ve really enjoyed to follow her in this adventure and I hope to see her again in the future.
: ℎ by Julia Golding was one of those books that initially caught my eye and I thought ‘What?’ with a huge amount of curiosity because who doesn’t love a tale about your favourite author?
I had to pick it up and read and what a tale it was with the Austen siblings coming to life and Jane’s love of writing being shown in quirky letters to her favourite albeit only sister where letters are sent using words starting with a set letter etcetera. Julia Golding brings this entire fictional world to life with some incredible world building and wonderfully portrayed characters and you as the reader are most definitely along for the adventure with a teenage Austen prior to her coming out into proper society.
The Abbey Mystery has ghostly monks, wild and vivacious aristocrats who make Elizabeth Bingley seem calm and kind, and Jane’s beloved lapdog (if he were sitting on a giant) coming together for an adventure that would have shocked a vast majority of Austen’s famous and beloved characters. I loved every moment of the book, the secrets are well kept, the characters leap off the page and it was everything I could have hoped for.
Wow! This book is AMAZING! It is entertaining, fast-paced, witty, unique, engaging, and so much more! Whenever I picked up “Jane Austen Investigates: The Abbey Mystery”, I was whisked back in time to the Georgian Era in England, and went on quite the adventure with this story!
This is the first book in Julia Golding’s “Jane Austen Investigates” series, and I hope there will be so many more! Ms. Golding is such an incredible writer! Her writing style is visceral and vivid, and she truly draws the reader in from the first page to the last. Furthermore, I could envision each and every location in this book, from the abbey, to the ruins, to the horse stables, etc. Ms. Golding’s characters all spring to life right off of the page, and I feel like I got to know each and every one. Some I Ioved from the start, some grew on me, and some…UGH! Moreover, Ms. Golding brilliantly weaves the various pieces of the mystery of the book together, and gives the reader clues throughout. Each piece of the puzzle falls into place in the exact moment it needs to in order to drive the plot forward, and I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what was really going on. I found myself trying to solve the mystery along with the characters!
Jane and Cassandra Austen are taking a carriage ride home, when the carriage has an accident, and Cassandra’s arm is broken. Cassandra was soon supposed to leave for a week to be a companion to Lady Cromwell, but, Jane is sent in her place. Jane is such an intelligent, kind, spunky, and caring young girl, who loves reading! Not long after she arrives, things start to go wrong very quickly ( I don’t want to include too many spoilers here!), and Jane decides to take matters into her own hands. It is up to Jane to solve the mystery of what is really going on before an innocent man is condemned. Working with her friends (and two of my favorite characters in addition to Jane!) Deepti and Luke, they find and follow various clues to hopefully find out the truth in time. With secrets, lies, and twists and turns along the way, will these three be able to put the clues together to solve a mystery surrounding a fire, missing (and potentially destroyed) documents, and stolen horses? Are the crimes connected? Is there something more going on than meets the eye? Is the abbey haunted by a ghost as is rumored? You will just have to read to find out!
I adore so many of the characters in this book! From Jane and Cassandra, to Deepti and her father Arjun, to Luke, to Grandison (Jane’s dog, who is simply so precious, oh my goodness!), I hope we see these characters again in future books!
I loved reading the nods to Jane Austen’s novel “Northanger Abbey” throughout this book! While you do not have to have read that book in order to enjoy this one, I loved seeing these throughout!
If you enjoy anything related to Jane Austen, I highly recommend this book! It had me turning page after page to see what would happen next, and I hope there will be many more books in this amazing series!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Lion Hudson Ltd for the ARC if this book, it is AMAZING! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
— What an adorable middle grade read this was!
PROS
— Well written
— Geared towards middle graders, but works well for all ages.
— Fast paced (relatively quick read).
— Engaging and charming plot that kept me hooked throughout.
— Loved the setting and the Jane Austen tie in.
— Intriguing and likable characters.
— Satisfying ending (I assume there will be more books in this series).
CONS
— None that I can think of!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
The Jane Austen Investigates: The Abbey Mystery by Julia Golding is a YA historical novel. The action follows thirteen year old Jane in the late eighteenth century.
Our heroine is well drawn. She is a delightful mixture of curious, clumsy and clever. It is in her nature to seek out the answers to mysteries. It is this curiosity that has a tendency to land her into trouble.
We witness the power that the landed gentry wield. They put their faith in wealth and power over honesty and poverty. Young Jane sees beyond the wealth, or lack of it, to the heart within.
There are injustices that need to be righted. Jane Austen calls on her powers of amateur sleuthing.
I found The Abbey Mystery totally captivating. Julia Golding had created a perfect young Jane Austen. She actually reminded me very much of Elizabeth Bennett from Pride And Prejudice. As I read the novel I glimpsed names and events that would feature in Jane Austen’s novels.
Julia Golding has very cleverly constructed a novel very much in keeping with Jane Austen’s style of writing. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole novel and am looking forward to more in the series.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.