Jane and the Final Mystery is the fifteenth novel in Stephanie Barron's "Jane Austen Mystery" series, and as the title implies, it is also the last book in the series. The Final Mystery, in fact, ends with an accounting of Jane Austen's actual death on July 18, 1817.
By the time the story begins in March 1817, Jane Austen's health is in obvious decline. Nonetheless, Jane decides to travel with her nephew several hours by coach to Winchester in support of an old friend whose son has been accused of murdering a Winchester College rival. Jane never falters in her belief of the boy's innocence, and she is determined to prove him innocent by identifying the real killer. Despite the toll her efforts take upon her health, Jane (with a lot of legwork help from her nephew) sets out to do exactly that almost as soon as she arrives in Winchester.
The appeal of the Jane Austen mysteries is not particularly difficult to understand. The novels are well researched and Jane's voice as first person narrator is based on actual correspondence the revered author left behind. Jane Austen fans regretting that there are so few Jane Austen novels will naturally gravitate to this series because the mysteries are very Austen-like in tone. Even better, this is also a complicated, first class mystery story that offers multiple motives and suspects in the death of a young man who is perhaps the most despised student in all of Winchester College.
In my limited experience, there is a lot to like about the "Jane Austen Mysteries," especially by readers who prefer their crime fiction presented in the cozy style rather than in a more grittier version. I will note that it took me a while to get my "reading ear" attuned to the more archaic English spoken by Jane and her contemporaries, but once I jumped that hurdle the novel's pace - along with my own reading speed and enjoyment - almost immediately increased. So if you are a Jane Austen fan, or someone who generally enjoys a mix of historical fiction and mystery, this is a series you are almost certain to enjoy. You know who you are.
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| Stephanie Barron jacket photo |
I think I might have to try one of the books in this series. I've been reading Emma on my lunch break at work, so my ear is already tuned to that Jane Austen kind of language. :D
ReplyDeleteIf you're all tuned up, now's the time. :-)
DeleteI would like to try another book in this series, mainly because of my interest in Jane Austen. I did like a book from another series that I read, and like to continue that series too. But there are too many books to keep up with.
ReplyDeleteWay too many, Tracy. I've kind of drifted into the idea of reading as many Booker Prize nominees this year as I can, and I have a bunch of them on hold at the library. Now that they're all starting to show up at once, exactly as I feared, I'm feeling overwhelmed. A good reminder to me to be careful what I wish for.
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