Tag Archives: Stephanie Barron

Book Review: Jane And The Final Mystery

31 Oct

Title: Jane and the Final Mystery
Series: Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 15)
Author: Stephanie Barron
Genre: Historical Mystery, Austenesque Fiction
Publisher: Soho Crime (October 24, 2023)
Length: (312) pages
Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook 
ISBN: 978-1641295055
Tour Dates: October 16 – 31, 2023

The final volume of the critically acclaimed mystery series featuring Jane Austen as amateur sleuth March 1817.

As winter turns to spring, Jane Austen’s health is in slow decline, and threatens to cease progress on her latest manuscript. But when her nephew Edward brings chilling news of a death at his former school, Winchester College, not even her debilitating ailment can keep Jane from seeking out the truth. Arthur Prendergast, a
senior pupil at the prestigious all-boys’ boarding school, has been found dead in a culvert near the schoolgrounds—and in the pocket of his drenched waistcoat is an incriminating note penned by the young William Heathcote, the son of Jane’s dear friend Elizabeth. Winchester College is a world unto itself, with its own language and rites of
passage, cruel hazing and dangerous pranks. Can Jane clear William’s name before her illness gets the better of her?

Over the course of fourteen previous novels in the critically acclaimed Being a Jane Austen Mystery series, Stephanie Barron has won the hearts of thousands of fans—crime fiction aficionados and Janeites alike—with her tricky plotting and breathtaking evocation of Austen’s voice. Now, she brings Jane’s final season—and final murder investigation—to brilliant, poignant life in this unforgettable conclusion.

PRAISE FOR JANE AND THE FINAL MYSTERY
“Poignant . . . Elicits deep emotion out of Jane’s struggles against her own mortality. This is a fitting send-off for a beautifully realized series.”— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Barron developed Jane’s narrative voice by reading Austen’s collected and published letters, and it is neither spoiler nor surprise to say that series readers will be sorry to say goodbye to Jane Austen, amateur sleuth.”— Booklist

“[Barron] has brilliantly combined authentic historical and biographical details with skillful plotting and a credible evocation of Austen’s wry, distinctive voice. She brings the English author’s final investigation to a poignant, unforgettable close. Fans of this historical series will not be disappointed.”— First Clue

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | PUBLISHER | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS

Stephanie Barron is a graduate of Princeton and Stanford, where she received her Masters in History as an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow in the Humanities. Her novel, THAT CHURCHILL WOMAN (Ballantine, January 22, 2019) traces the turbulent career of Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill’s captivating American mother. Barron is perhaps best known for the critically acclaimed Jane Austen Mystery Series, in which the intrepid and witty author of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE details her secret detective career in Regency England. A former intelligence analyst for the CIA, Stephanie—who also writes under the name Francine Mathews—drew on her experience in the field of espionage for such novels as JACK 1939, which The New Yorker described as “the most deliciously high-concept thriller imaginable.” She lives and works in Denver, CO.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | BOOKBUB |

GOODREADS

My Impressions:

I am so sad that the wonderful Being A Jane mystery series has come to an end. I was captivated by Jane Austen as an amateur sleuth from the very beginning. Stephanie Barron has always delivered a faithfully-drawn Jane as she navigates the more mysterious side of Regency England society. Accurate depictions of the time and place, as well as Jane and the Austen family and friends, bring authenticity to a thoroughly enjoyable mystery series. In Jane And The Final Mystery, the reader and Jane know that her time is short. Though modern readers would consider her young, Jane is a spinster who depends on the meager revenue from her writing as well as a small stipend supplemented by her brothers and has few prospects for bettering her life. It would be easy to feel sorry for the historical Jane, but through Barron’s depiction we see a woman content with how her life has run. Jane And The Final Mystery finds Jane struggling with illness but still keen to discover just whodunit in the cathedral town of Winchester. I loved the historical details Barron uses — food, fashion, education, medicine, judicial practices — to bring early 19th century England to life. Characters, both historical and fictional, play a part in the story, making this book very believable. While there is no historical proof that Jane was a successful sleuth, this book (along with the entire series) makes my Jane-loving heart believe. 😉 The pace of the mystery kept me turning the pages as I strove with our heroine to solve the case. Barron kept us both on our toes!

For those who have been faithful followers of this series, you will love the poignant ending. And if you are new to these mysteries, you are in for a treat — 15 books to savor! I recommend you start at the beginning of this wonderful mystery series.

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Top 10 Tuesday — Fall TBR

19 Sep

Just a couple more days and it’s FALL! Here in the sunny South, the temps are edging down, but the real Fall weather won’t show up for at least a month (sometimes more). But that doesn’t keep me from piling up a bunch of books to read for the season. I have had a ton of “required” reading the past few months, but I am happy that a lot of pleasure reads are in my future. I have more than 10, but I will keep the list to the next 10 books I will be enjoying in the coming weeks. I read across genres, so there should be something for everyone.

For more bloggers’ Fall TBR lists, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Books on My Fall TBR

The All-American by Susie Finkbeiner (historical)

Broker of Lies by Steven James (thriller)

He Should Have Told The Bees by Amanda Cox (dual timeline/general)

Into The Fire by Irene Hannon (romantic suspense)

Jane And The Final Mystery by Stephanie Barron (historical/cozy mystery)

A River Between Us by Jocelyn Green (historical)

A Shadow in Moscow by Katherine Reay (historical)

Shadows at Dusk by Elizabeth Goddard (romantic suspense)

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt (historical)

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner (dual timelines)

Top 10 Tuesday — Fancy Fonts!

27 Sep

Today’s TTT is all about typography — book covers where the title takes center stage. I went with fancy fonts as my focus. I have a mix of those I have read and some on my TBR list. There are a lot of great books on the list; hope you find one to love!

For more, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top 10 Fancy Fonts!

As Dawn Breaks by Kate Breslin

Dangerous Beauty by Melissa Koslin

Every Word Unsaid by Kimberly Duffy

Healing Skye by Janet W. Ferguson

In Search of A Prince by Toni Shiloh

Jane And The Year Without A Summer by Stephanie Baron

The Premonition at Withers Farm by Jaime Jo Wright

The Sings My Soul by Amy K. Sorrells

To Love A Viking by Heather Day Gilbert and Jen Cudmore

Where The Blue Sky Begins by Katie Powner

Top 10 Tuesday — Time-ly Titles

7 Jun

Today’s TTT challenge is to list books with time in their titles. My first search yielded few books, so I included anything that spoke of time passing. I have lots of different genres — you should be able to find your favorite.

For more time-ly books, check out That Artsy Reader Girl

Top Time-ly Titles

As Dawn Breaks by Kate Breslin

Facing The Dawn by Cynthia Ruchti

Jane And The Year with No Summer by Stephanie Barron

The June Boys by Courtney C. Stevens

The Last Year of The War by Susan Meissner

Night Fall by Nancy Mehl

Present Danger by Elizabeth Goddard

A Season on The Wind by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Seconds to Live by Susan Sleeman

When The Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer

Top 10 Tuesday — Mysteries I Still Haven’t Read

17 May

It is not a mystery why I have not read the books on my list yet. I cannot resist a shiny new book, even if I have a stack of others ahead of it. I refuse to believe that I have more books than time, though, so I continue to buy more and more. One day cannot get here fast enough. 😉 The books that I have chosen to confess are all mysteries — my very favorite genre. They at least have a fighting chance of being read. My list contains classic mysteries, cozy mysteries, historical mysteries — I read them all. And in the spirit of honesty, this list is just the tip of the iceberg. Let me know if you have read any. I need some motivation!

For more confessions, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Mysteries I Haven’t Read Yet

( though they reside on my shelves)

The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

The Cairo Brief by Fiona Veitch Smith

The Cat’s Pajamas by Gilbert Morris

The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte

Enemy Action by Mike Hollow

Jane And The Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron

The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler

Sidney Chambers And The Shadow of Death by James Runcie

The Sweetness at The Bottom of The Pie by Alan Bradley

The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett

Book Review: Jane And The Year Without A Summer

17 Feb

May 1816: Jane Austen is feeling unwell, with an uneasy stomach, constant fatigue, rashes, fevers and aches. She attributes her poor condition to the stress of family burdens, which even the drafting of her latest manuscript—about a baronet’s daughter nursing a broken heart for a daring naval captain—cannot alleviate. Her apothecary recommends a trial of the curative waters at Cheltenham Spa, in Gloucestershire. Jane decides to use some of the profits earned from her last novel, Emma, and treat herself to a period of rest and reflection at the spa, in the company of her sister, Cassandra.
 
Cheltenham Spa hardly turns out to be the relaxing sojourn Jane and Cassandra envisaged, however. It is immediately obvious that other boarders at the guest house where the Misses Austen are staying have come to Cheltenham with stresses of their own—some of them deadly. But perhaps with Jane’s interference a terrible crime might be prevented. Set during the Year without a Summer, when the eruption of Mount Tambora in the South Pacific caused a volcanic winter that shrouded the entire planet for sixteen months, this fourteenth installment in Stephanie Barron’s critically acclaimed series brings a forgotten moment of Regency history to life.

Advance Praise

“Outstanding…Barron fans will hope Jane, who died in 1817, will be back for one more mystery.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“No one conjures Austen’s voice like Stephanie Barron, and Jane and the Year Without a Summer is utterly pitch-perfect.”— Deanna Raybourn, bestselling author of the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries

“…a page-turning story, imbued with fascinating historical detail, a cast of beautifully realized characters, a pitch-perfect Jane Austen, and an intriguing mystery. Highly recommended.”— Syrie James, bestselling author of The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen 

Jane and the Year Without a Summer is absolute perfection. Stephanie Barron expertly weaves fact and fiction, crafting a story that is authentically Austen in its elegance, charm, and wit. The characters and setting will enchant you, and the mystery will keep you guessing to the last page. This Regency-set gem is truly a diamond of the first water.”— Mimi Matthews, USA Today bestselling author of The Siren of Sussex

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS

Francine Mathews was born in Binghamton, New York, the last of six girls. She attended Princeton and Stanford Universities, where she studied history, before going on to work as an intelligence analyst at the CIA. She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Since then, she has written twenty-five books, including five novels in the Merry Folger series (Death in the Off-Season, Death in Rough Water, Death in a Mood Indigo, Death in a Cold Hard Light, and Death on Nantucket) as well as the nationally bestselling Being a Jane Austen mystery series, which she writes under the penname, Stephanie Barron. She lives and works in Denver, Colorado.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | BOOKBUB |

GOODREADS

My Impressions:

It has been a while since I have read one of Stephanie Barron’s Regency mysteries featuring the intrepid Jane Austen as primary sleuth. What have I been waiting for? After reading Jane And The Year Without A Summer I have now successfully added many more books to my towering TBR pile. This mystery is excellent. The book finds Jane in her final years of life. Not a spoiler — anyone can read her biography. Feeling unwell, she and her sister Cassandra journey to the spa town of Cheltenham to take the waters. Upon taking rooms at a boarding house, Jane is privy to all kinds of inside knowledge about her fellow lodgers. With her keen observations, along with the help of a former acquaintance, Jane finds out whodunit. Barron really does capture Austen. The book is told in Jane’s first person voice and contains many of the phrases and references that Austen-philes will recognize. The culture of the watering hole of the day, with its visits to the theater, pump rooms, and assembly room is spot on. I felt like I was on the streets and in the sitting rooms of early 1880s England. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. It was a real treat to read a book that combines excellent storytelling with a credible portrayal of a beloved author. The book is a bit poignant for fans of Barron and Austen — it is evident that Jane’s adventures in crime-solving may soon come to an end. But with all the books I have yet to read, I know that I have many more pleasurable hours ahead of me.

Barron does Jane Austen justice — any one who loves Austen and the many variations of her works will enjoy Jane And The Year Without A Summer. I loved it and heartily recommend it!

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to the publisher for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Top 10 Tuesday — Most Recent Additions

11 Jan

2022 is in full swing and I have some new books that have hit my shelves! The following books are the newest to take up residence. Many are review books — NetGalley copies and ARCs, so you’ll see my impressions in the coming weeks. I have also included 2 cookbook/entertaining books that I received for Christmas and am having so much fun with! Yes, I do have interests outside of reading fiction. 😉 Hope you find one that piques your interest.

For more bloggers’ recent acquisitions, check out That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Newly Acquired Books

A Heart Adrift by Laura Frantz

Jane And The Year Without Summer by Stephanie Barron

The Lady of Galway Manor by Jennifer Deibel

Life Flight by Lynette Eason

Malicious Intent by Lynn H. Blackburn

Medical Mystery by Richard Fabry

Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen

The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews

Sunrise by Susan May Warren

Baker Bettie’s Better Baking Book by Kristen Hoffman

Spectacular Spreads by Maegan Brown

Top 10 Tuesday — Super Long Titles

13 Oct

So how long is long for a book title? 5 words? 7? More? I headed to my TBR shelves to find those books that grabbed me with their intriguingly or amusingly long titles for this week’s Top 10 Tuesday. Have you read any of these? I’d love to know your thoughts.

For more super long book titles, go to That Artsy Reader Girl.

Super Long Book Titles

Five

The Sound of Falling Leaves by Lisa Carter

Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese

Six

Dearest Dorothy, If Not Now, When? by Charlene Baumbich

To Say Nothing of The Dog by Connie Willis

Seven

Miss Hazel And The Rosa Parks League by Jonathan Odell

Jane And The Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron

Eight

Belinda Blake And The Birds of A Feather by Heather Day Gilbert

The Sweetness At The Bottom of The Pie by Alan Bradley

First Line Friday — The Christmas Edition!

22 Dec

Only 3 days to Christmas! Yay! I hope you have all your shopping/baking/etc. done so that you can relax with family and friends and maybe a good book! Still have a frenzied to-do list? Consider downloading an audiobook to accompany you on your errands and chores. It just might bring the stress level down.

The folks at Hoarding Books are featuring Christmas on this First Line Friday. I have chosen a book that combines a lot of what I love — Christmas, Jane Austen, and mystery. I am looking forward to cracking open Jane And The Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron and getting lost in a Regency mystery. To find out what Christmas books other bloggers are sharing, click HERE.

Jane Austen turns sleuth in this delightful murder mystery set over the twelve days of a Regency-Era Christmas party.

Christmas Eve, 1814: Jane Austen has been invited to spend the holiday with family and friends at The Vyne, the gorgeous ancestral home of the wealthy and politically prominent Chute family. As the year fades and friends begin to gather beneath the mistletoe for the twelve days of Christmas festivities, Jane and her circle are in a celebratory mood: Mansfield Park is selling nicely; Napoleon has been banished to Elba; British forces have seized Washington, DC; and on Christmas Eve, John Quincy Adams signs the Treaty of Ghent, which will end a war nobody in England really wanted.
 
Jane, however, discovers holiday cheer is fleeting. One of the Yuletide revelers dies in a tragic accident, which Jane immediately views with suspicion. If the accident was in fact murder, the killer is one of Jane’s fellow snow-bound guests. With clues scattered amidst cleverly crafted charades, dark secrets coming to light during parlor games, and old friendships returning to haunt the Christmas parties, whom can Jane trust to help her discover the truth and stop the killer from striking again?

 

What is the first line of your Christmas read?