What do you think?
Rate this book
Jane Austen Mysteries #11
Jane and the Canterbury Tale
Three years after news of her scandalous husband’s death, Adelaide Fiske is at the altar again, her groom a soldier on the Marquis of Wellington’s staff. The prospects seem bright for one of the most notorious women in Kent—until Jane Austen discovers a corpse on the ancient Pilgrim’s Way that runs through her brother Edward’s estate. As First Magistrate for Canterbury, Edward is forced to investigate, with Jane as his reluctant assistant. But she rises to the challenge and leaves no stone unturned, discovering mysteries deeper than she could have anticipated. It seems that Adelaide’s previous husband has returned for the new couple’s nuptials—only this time, genuinely, profoundly dead. But when a second corpse appears beside the ancient Pilgrim’s Way, Jane has no choice but to confront a murderer, lest the next corpse be her own.
307 pages, Paperback
First published August 30, 2011
44 people are currently reading
1527 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Barron
39 books884 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Stephanie Barron was born Francine Stephanie Barron in Binghamton, NY in 1963, the last of six girls. Her father was a retired general in the Air Force, her mother a beautiful woman who loved to dance. The family spent their summers on Cape Cod, where two of the Barron girls now live with their families; Francine's passion for Nantucket and the New England shoreline dates from her earliest memories. She grew up in Washington, D.C., and attended Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, a two hundred year-old Catholic school for girls that shares a wall with Georgetown University. Her father died of a heart attack during her freshman year.
In 1981, she started college at Princeton – one of the most formative experiences of her life. There she fenced for the club varsity team and learned to write news stories for The Daily Princetonian – a hobby that led to two part-time jobs as a journalist for The Miami Herald and The San Jose Mercury News. Francine majored in European History, studying Napoleonic France, and won an Arthur W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship in the Humanities in her senior year. But the course she remembers most vividly from her time at Princeton is "The Literature of Fact," taught by John McPhee, the Pulitzer Prize winning author and staff writer for The New Yorker. John influenced Francine's writing more than even she knows and certainly more than she is able to say. If there were an altar erected to the man in Colorado, she'd place offerings there daily. He's her personal god of craft.
Francine spent three years at Stanford pursuing a doctorate in history; she failed to write her dissertation (on the Brazilian Bar Association under authoritarianism; can you blame her?) and left with a Masters. She applied to the CIA, spent a year temping in Northern Virginia while the FBI asked inconvenient questions of everyone she had ever known, passed a polygraph test on her twenty-sixth birthday, and was immediately thrown into the Career Trainee program: Boot Camp for the Agency's Best and Brightest. Four years as an intelligence analyst at the CIA were profoundly fulfilling, the highlights being Francine's work on the Counterterrorism Center's investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, and sleeping on a horsehair mattress in a Spectre-era casino in the middle of Bratislava. Another peak moment was her chance to debrief ex-President George Bush in Houston in 1993. But what she remembers most about the place are the extraordinary intelligence and dedication of most of the staff – many of them women – many of whom cannot be named.
She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Fifteen books have followed, along with sundry children, dogs, and houses. When she's not writing, she likes to ski, garden, needlepoint, and buy art. Her phone number is definitely unlisted.
Stephanie Barron was born Francine Stephanie Barron in Binghamton, NY in 1963, the last of six girls. Her father was a retired general in the Air Force, her mother a beautiful woman who loved to dance. The family spent their summers on Cape Cod, where two of the Barron girls now live with their families; Francine's passion for Nantucket and the New England shoreline dates from her earliest memories. She grew up in Washington, D.C., and attended Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, a two hundred year-old Catholic school for girls that shares a wall with Georgetown University. Her father died of a heart attack during her freshman year.
In 1981, she started college at Princeton – one of the most formative experiences of her life. There she fenced for the club varsity team and learned to write news stories for The Daily Princetonian – a hobby that led to two part-time jobs as a journalist for The Miami Herald and The San Jose Mercury News. Francine majored in European History, studying Napoleonic France, and won an Arthur W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship in the Humanities in her senior year. But the course she remembers most vividly from her time at Princeton is "The Literature of Fact," taught by John McPhee, the Pulitzer Prize winning author and staff writer for The New Yorker. John influenced Francine's writing more than even she knows and certainly more than she is able to say. If there were an altar erected to the man in Colorado, she'd place offerings there daily. He's her personal god of craft.
Francine spent three years at Stanford pursuing a doctorate in history; she failed to write her dissertation (on the Brazilian Bar Association under authoritarianism; can you blame her?) and left with a Masters. She applied to the CIA, spent a year temping in Northern Virginia while the FBI asked inconvenient questions of everyone she had ever known, passed a polygraph test on her twenty-sixth birthday, and was immediately thrown into the Career Trainee program: Boot Camp for the Agency's Best and Brightest. Four years as an intelligence analyst at the CIA were profoundly fulfilling, the highlights being Francine's work on the Counterterrorism Center's investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, and sleeping on a horsehair mattress in a Spectre-era casino in the middle of Bratislava. Another peak moment was her chance to debrief ex-President George Bush in Houston in 1993. But what she remembers most about the place are the extraordinary intelligence and dedication of most of the staff – many of them women – many of whom cannot be named.
She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Fifteen books have followed, along with sundry children, dogs, and houses. When she's not writing, she likes to ski, garden, needlepoint, and buy art. Her phone number is definitely unlisted.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
November 13, 2012
This series is one of my favorites. It is so delightful to solve mysteries with Jane!
July 9, 2011
(The subject of this review was an advance uncorrected proof copy. The book is to be published next month.)
I am addicted to this Stephanie Barron series featuring Jane Austen as an indomitable detective, and so when I had a chance to get an early copy of the book to read, I jumped at it! I was not disappointed. It is another very satisfying read, perfectly suited to a hot and lazy summer day.
We find Jane visiting her brother Edward and his family in the county of Kent. The tale opens with the wedding of one of Edward's neighbors, a widow named Adelaide Fiske, to a dashing Captain Macallister, lately in service with Wellington in the battle against Napoleon. All is happiness until, the newlyweds having departed on their wedding trip, a murdered body is discovered. It soon turns out that the murder victim is actually Adelaide's first husband. He had not been dead at all. At least not until quite recently.
Edward is the Magistrate and is charged with finding the killer. Very soon, of course, he is ably assisted by his "needle-witted" sister, Jane. Unfortunately, all the evidence that can be discovered seems to point to the new bride and old "widow" as the perpetrator of the crime. She is clapped in gaol.
But then, while she waits her trial, another body turns up. This one is a young maid, - Adelaide's personal maid, in fact - seventeen years old and, it soon is learned, she was pregnant. Soon thereafter, we get to know that the father of the child was Julian Thane, the dashing young man who is Adelaide's brother. He, too, is clapped in gaol on suspicion of her murder.
The mother of Julian and Adelaide is a noisome harridan of a woman who cares nothing for her daughter and would sacrifice everything for the welfare of her adored son. How far would she actually go to advance Julian's prospects?
As usual, Jane gets to ruminate upon the mores and morals of early nineteenth century England as she seeks the answer to the puzzle of the murders. Barron has caught the Austen style of writing almost letter-perfectly and this book, to use a very "Janeish" adjective is "excessively diverting."
I am addicted to this Stephanie Barron series featuring Jane Austen as an indomitable detective, and so when I had a chance to get an early copy of the book to read, I jumped at it! I was not disappointed. It is another very satisfying read, perfectly suited to a hot and lazy summer day.
We find Jane visiting her brother Edward and his family in the county of Kent. The tale opens with the wedding of one of Edward's neighbors, a widow named Adelaide Fiske, to a dashing Captain Macallister, lately in service with Wellington in the battle against Napoleon. All is happiness until, the newlyweds having departed on their wedding trip, a murdered body is discovered. It soon turns out that the murder victim is actually Adelaide's first husband. He had not been dead at all. At least not until quite recently.
Edward is the Magistrate and is charged with finding the killer. Very soon, of course, he is ably assisted by his "needle-witted" sister, Jane. Unfortunately, all the evidence that can be discovered seems to point to the new bride and old "widow" as the perpetrator of the crime. She is clapped in gaol.
But then, while she waits her trial, another body turns up. This one is a young maid, - Adelaide's personal maid, in fact - seventeen years old and, it soon is learned, she was pregnant. Soon thereafter, we get to know that the father of the child was Julian Thane, the dashing young man who is Adelaide's brother. He, too, is clapped in gaol on suspicion of her murder.
The mother of Julian and Adelaide is a noisome harridan of a woman who cares nothing for her daughter and would sacrifice everything for the welfare of her adored son. How far would she actually go to advance Julian's prospects?
As usual, Jane gets to ruminate upon the mores and morals of early nineteenth century England as she seeks the answer to the puzzle of the murders. Barron has caught the Austen style of writing almost letter-perfectly and this book, to use a very "Janeish" adjective is "excessively diverting."
July 28, 2014
"You are a formidable lady, are you not, Aunt Jane?" she asked wistfully. "When I was a child, I was used to think you were like a good faerie- always dropping out of the sky with your delightful stories, and dolls-clothes you embroidered so neatly; playing at cricket regardless of the stains the lawn left on your dress, and teaching the little ones to toss spillikins. It is only now I am grown older- and have been privileged to read your novels, and apprehend the subtlety of your observations-that I know how cold a reason you command."
"I shall chuse to take that as a compliment." Fanny Austen-Knight to Jane Austen in Jane and the Canterbury Tale
And this quote is an apt description of the Jane Austen as described by Stephanie Barron in the latest of her brilliant historical mystery series featuring the famous author as sharp-eyed and even sharper witted detective solving ticklish murders that baffle everyone else. The series is written in such a way that it is faithful to the timeline of Jane's life and the real people that moved through it. When fiction meets the authentic, it fits together seamlessly into a cohesive story that is believable. Well...perhaps her penchant for being a magnet for murder might be a bit excessive, but I find myself not minding that at all.
I have been a fan of this series since the beginning and I get so excited when each new installment makes its appearance. This particular segment returns to the home of Jane's brother Edward, Godmersham Park in Kent, as the setting for the story. It is part of a series and would best be read in the series order, but in a pinch it could be read out of order.
Jane is on a visit to her brother and her niece, Fanny. While she's there, they attend the wedding of some people associated with Edward's nearest neighbor. Things get interesting when the bride's ne'er do well dead husband is discovered to have returned from the dead only to be found murdered on The Pilgrim's Way that runs through Edward's property. Edward is the magistrate charged to investigate and he requests Jane's help in untangling this nasty murder that involves people he considers friends and close acquaintance.
The plot was a slow-paced twisty type that laid out the facts, the set of characters/suspects, teased out the character's personalities, and presented just a bit more of Jane's life at the time. It's always interesting how there are several inexplicable little mysteries going on that may or may not have any bearing on the main mystery just like there are so many suspects that its tough to settle on a solution prior to the reveal.
I was impressed with the depth to which the character's were drawn. Even the unlikeable ones or ones that seem almost background are more than 2-D. Many were so sympathetic that I was on pins and needles that one of my favorites would be the culprit.
The historical background is one of the big draws for me to this series. All the little details from the time period from the speech, to the activities, to the description of things like carriages or clothes, household life and social norms. There are nifty footnotes sprinkled through to explain further or show when an actual letter gets quoted.
All in all, this was another sparkling one from this series and I look forward to what comes next. Those who enjoy historical mysteries and particularly those who are Austenesque fans should give this series a try.
"I shall chuse to take that as a compliment." Fanny Austen-Knight to Jane Austen in Jane and the Canterbury Tale
And this quote is an apt description of the Jane Austen as described by Stephanie Barron in the latest of her brilliant historical mystery series featuring the famous author as sharp-eyed and even sharper witted detective solving ticklish murders that baffle everyone else. The series is written in such a way that it is faithful to the timeline of Jane's life and the real people that moved through it. When fiction meets the authentic, it fits together seamlessly into a cohesive story that is believable. Well...perhaps her penchant for being a magnet for murder might be a bit excessive, but I find myself not minding that at all.
I have been a fan of this series since the beginning and I get so excited when each new installment makes its appearance. This particular segment returns to the home of Jane's brother Edward, Godmersham Park in Kent, as the setting for the story. It is part of a series and would best be read in the series order, but in a pinch it could be read out of order.
Jane is on a visit to her brother and her niece, Fanny. While she's there, they attend the wedding of some people associated with Edward's nearest neighbor. Things get interesting when the bride's ne'er do well dead husband is discovered to have returned from the dead only to be found murdered on The Pilgrim's Way that runs through Edward's property. Edward is the magistrate charged to investigate and he requests Jane's help in untangling this nasty murder that involves people he considers friends and close acquaintance.
The plot was a slow-paced twisty type that laid out the facts, the set of characters/suspects, teased out the character's personalities, and presented just a bit more of Jane's life at the time. It's always interesting how there are several inexplicable little mysteries going on that may or may not have any bearing on the main mystery just like there are so many suspects that its tough to settle on a solution prior to the reveal.
I was impressed with the depth to which the character's were drawn. Even the unlikeable ones or ones that seem almost background are more than 2-D. Many were so sympathetic that I was on pins and needles that one of my favorites would be the culprit.
The historical background is one of the big draws for me to this series. All the little details from the time period from the speech, to the activities, to the description of things like carriages or clothes, household life and social norms. There are nifty footnotes sprinkled through to explain further or show when an actual letter gets quoted.
All in all, this was another sparkling one from this series and I look forward to what comes next. Those who enjoy historical mysteries and particularly those who are Austenesque fans should give this series a try.
September 8, 2011
There is a trail that winds through the edge of the grand country estate of Godmersham Park in Kent owned by Edward Austen-Knight, elder brother of the authoress Jane Austen. Pilgrims have traversed this foot-path for centuries on their way to the shrine of the martyr Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Chaucer based his famous narrative, The Canterbury Tales, on pilgrims who travel across this path. Author Stephanie Barron places her eleventh novel in the Being a Jane Austen Mystery series in this rich, historical environment and spins a fascinating murder mystery to rival any story offered by the Knight, the Nun or the Miller in Chaucer’s original.
In the fall of 1813, while visiting her wealthy, widowed brother Edward at his grand estate in Kent, Jane attends a wedding at the neighboring Chilham Castle. Joined that day in connubial bliss are the beautiful young widow, Adelaide Fiske, and the dashing Captain Andrew McCallister. Jane’s young niece Fanny Austen-Knight is also in attendance and being courted by a queue of eager Beaux. While locals John Plumptre, James Wildman and George Finch-Hatton watch her dance the waltz with visiting dandy Julian Thane, a footman delivers a curious gift to the bride, a silken reticule that she accepts with some trepidation. Inside are dried brown beans. Jane is quick to observe that the bride’s reaction must have some hidden meaning.
The following morning a man is found dead upon the pilgrim’s path on the Godmersham estate near the ancient parish church dedicated to St Lawrence the Martyr. At first it is thought that he was felled by a stray hunting shot by one of the young local men out for a mornings sport of pheasant, but Jane sees the signs of an entirely different transgression. Her brother Edward, First Magistrate for Canterbury, is called to the scene and concurs that this was no hunting accident. The corner arrives to offer his assessment and soon discoveres that the deceased is none other than Curzon Fiske, the thought to be dead first husband of the recently married Adelaide, who after abandoning his wife in a flight from his creditors, departed for India four years prior and died there. Inside the depths of his coat pocket was a stained note with St Lawrence Church written upon it and one dried brown bean – an ominous tamarind seed.
As the mystery swiftly unfolds we are privy to an interesting collection of characters who each have their own tale to tell: a grieving widower, a young girl experiencing romance and heartbreak, an odious clergyman, a Bond Street Beau, a loose maid, a callous and calculating mother, and our adventurous detective Jane Austen, ever observant, always witty, relaying all of their stories in her journal and cleverly solving the crime.
Each chapter is epigraphed by pertinent quotes from Chaucer’s tale and every word of this novel is a treasure. Barron is a Nonpareil in channeling my dear Jane. After eleven novels I never doubt her historical detail or unerring voice. This may be the last in the series, and I am sorely grieved at the loss. Jane and the Canterbury Tale is engaging, rich and dramatic. The ending is a shock, but not nearly as devastating as the possibility of the demise of this series.
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
In the fall of 1813, while visiting her wealthy, widowed brother Edward at his grand estate in Kent, Jane attends a wedding at the neighboring Chilham Castle. Joined that day in connubial bliss are the beautiful young widow, Adelaide Fiske, and the dashing Captain Andrew McCallister. Jane’s young niece Fanny Austen-Knight is also in attendance and being courted by a queue of eager Beaux. While locals John Plumptre, James Wildman and George Finch-Hatton watch her dance the waltz with visiting dandy Julian Thane, a footman delivers a curious gift to the bride, a silken reticule that she accepts with some trepidation. Inside are dried brown beans. Jane is quick to observe that the bride’s reaction must have some hidden meaning.
The following morning a man is found dead upon the pilgrim’s path on the Godmersham estate near the ancient parish church dedicated to St Lawrence the Martyr. At first it is thought that he was felled by a stray hunting shot by one of the young local men out for a mornings sport of pheasant, but Jane sees the signs of an entirely different transgression. Her brother Edward, First Magistrate for Canterbury, is called to the scene and concurs that this was no hunting accident. The corner arrives to offer his assessment and soon discoveres that the deceased is none other than Curzon Fiske, the thought to be dead first husband of the recently married Adelaide, who after abandoning his wife in a flight from his creditors, departed for India four years prior and died there. Inside the depths of his coat pocket was a stained note with St Lawrence Church written upon it and one dried brown bean – an ominous tamarind seed.
As the mystery swiftly unfolds we are privy to an interesting collection of characters who each have their own tale to tell: a grieving widower, a young girl experiencing romance and heartbreak, an odious clergyman, a Bond Street Beau, a loose maid, a callous and calculating mother, and our adventurous detective Jane Austen, ever observant, always witty, relaying all of their stories in her journal and cleverly solving the crime.
Each chapter is epigraphed by pertinent quotes from Chaucer’s tale and every word of this novel is a treasure. Barron is a Nonpareil in channeling my dear Jane. After eleven novels I never doubt her historical detail or unerring voice. This may be the last in the series, and I am sorely grieved at the loss. Jane and the Canterbury Tale is engaging, rich and dramatic. The ending is a shock, but not nearly as devastating as the possibility of the demise of this series.
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
March 4, 2024
Jane is visiting her brother Edward at his large estate. Their acquaintance Adelaide Fisk is getting married again, but her previous husband shows up on her wedding day... dead. He was thought to have died abroad years ago, but his murdered body is discovered adjacent to Edward's property. As the magistrate, Edward must investigate - with Jane to help, of course!
I really liked this story and the history behind it. There is quite a lot of real history woven into the story with Jane's family and her acquaintances, but of course the murder mystery and Jane's involvement in the investigation are entirely fictional.
I enjoyed seeing more of Jane's brothers and their sibling relationships. It's really interesting to imagine what their family might have been like, how they might have talked with one another, and how they would have interacted. I especially liked the scene with Jane and her niece Fanny.
The murder mystery itself is good. I was completely shocked at the ending! I never imagined what the ending could be, and it was a total surprise.
I love the formal writing style that mimics the Regency era language. The dialogue is fairly close to what a real conversation might have been like in that time period. It really immerses you in the history.
I really liked this story and the history behind it. There is quite a lot of real history woven into the story with Jane's family and her acquaintances, but of course the murder mystery and Jane's involvement in the investigation are entirely fictional.
I enjoyed seeing more of Jane's brothers and their sibling relationships. It's really interesting to imagine what their family might have been like, how they might have talked with one another, and how they would have interacted. I especially liked the scene with Jane and her niece Fanny.
The murder mystery itself is good. I was completely shocked at the ending! I never imagined what the ending could be, and it was a total surprise.
I love the formal writing style that mimics the Regency era language. The dialogue is fairly close to what a real conversation might have been like in that time period. It really immerses you in the history.
April 9, 2025
Well, I thought the killer was the character who made Aunt Norris look like a benevolent woman and I was right. It was a fun book with lots of twists and turns. Got me to read The Canterbury Tales!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2020
This was my introduction to the Jane Austen Mysteries, so pardon me if these thoughts appear out of place for the eleventh book in the series. My first reaction was to ask, does it matter that Jane Austen is the protagonist? At first I wasn't sure - does Jane Austen have a commanding, unmistakable presence like Theodore Roosevelt or Mark Twain? Not that I'm aware of. But on further reflection, she's subtle, observant, and tactful, precisely the traits that make for some top-notch sleuthing. The author also goes the extra step of apparently aligning events in the novel with events detailed in Austen's published correspondence.
Having recently read P.D. James' Death Comes to Pemberley, I'd say the present novel was more Jane Austen-y, and better captures the spirit of her aesthetic and sensibilities. As a peculiar side note, I kept wanting to picture her as a Miss Marple type even though Jane Austen is only 38 in the story ("...as befits a lady of my advanced years;" "... a lady so burdened in years"). Should another of the Jane Austen Mysteries makes its way into my hands someday I can only hope to find it as well written and well plotted as I found this one.
Having recently read P.D. James' Death Comes to Pemberley, I'd say the present novel was more Jane Austen-y, and better captures the spirit of her aesthetic and sensibilities. As a peculiar side note, I kept wanting to picture her as a Miss Marple type even though Jane Austen is only 38 in the story ("...as befits a lady of my advanced years;" "... a lady so burdened in years"). Should another of the Jane Austen Mysteries makes its way into my hands someday I can only hope to find it as well written and well plotted as I found this one.
February 12, 2017
Perhaps the mystery was not as well as contructed as it could have been - I guessed the culprit very early on - but it's always such a treat to read these books.
March 22, 2023
Undicesima indagine di Jane Austen vergata dalla penna di Barron... pardon, curata da Barron, ma scritta dalla stessa Jane Austen e ritrovata in una soffitta negli Stati Uniti... seee!
Siamo nell'ottobre del 1813 - quindi Jane Austen ha pubblicato da una decina di mesi Pride and Prejudice - e lei si trova, come testimoniano le lettere a Cassandra, in Kent, ospite del fratello Edward (ormai Knight). La mattina dopo aver partecipato ai festeggiamenti nuziali per il matrimonio di Adelaide Thane con il capitano MacCallister, viene ritrovato il cadavere di un uomo, che si scopre essere il primo marito di Adelaide, Curzon Fiske, un uomo ritenuto morto in India e non certo privo di difetti e di nemici.
Edward è il magistrato locale incaricato delle indagini, e lui naturalmente chiede aiuto all'arguta sorella Jane perché tenga gli occhi ben aperti e interroghi con discrezione le signore.
Un caso davvero interessante, che mi ha fatta riconciliare un'altra volta con Barron (la lettura della serie è stata piuttosto altalenante per me: ho alternato casi che mi sono piaciuti tantissimo a casi che mi hanno delusa, come il penultimo che ho letto Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron), mentre ormai stiamo arrivando agli sgoccioli della serie... e anche della vita di Jane, purtroppo, visto che mancano meno di quattro anni a quel fatidico 18 luglio 1817...
Siamo nell'ottobre del 1813 - quindi Jane Austen ha pubblicato da una decina di mesi Pride and Prejudice - e lei si trova, come testimoniano le lettere a Cassandra, in Kent, ospite del fratello Edward (ormai Knight). La mattina dopo aver partecipato ai festeggiamenti nuziali per il matrimonio di Adelaide Thane con il capitano MacCallister, viene ritrovato il cadavere di un uomo, che si scopre essere il primo marito di Adelaide, Curzon Fiske, un uomo ritenuto morto in India e non certo privo di difetti e di nemici.
Edward è il magistrato locale incaricato delle indagini, e lui naturalmente chiede aiuto all'arguta sorella Jane perché tenga gli occhi ben aperti e interroghi con discrezione le signore.
Un caso davvero interessante, che mi ha fatta riconciliare un'altra volta con Barron (la lettura della serie è stata piuttosto altalenante per me: ho alternato casi che mi sono piaciuti tantissimo a casi che mi hanno delusa, come il penultimo che ho letto Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron), mentre ormai stiamo arrivando agli sgoccioli della serie... e anche della vita di Jane, purtroppo, visto che mancano meno di quattro anni a quel fatidico 18 luglio 1817...
March 7, 2021
Another well written Jane Austen mystery -- I note the writing because there could be serious errors in speech and manners, and these are always done right. These are not fast-moving tales, since the detective work must be done within social norms and in the speech of the time.
In this installment, Jane is visiting her brother Edward, the community magistrate, and attends a wedding which is followed by the funeral of the bride's first husband! Edward must uncover the murderer, and Jane is happy to assist, using her ears and smart questions to the right people. Niece Fanny is also in on most of the conversations and is the focus of some male attention. Before the murderer is caught, three people end out in gaol.
In this installment, Jane is visiting her brother Edward, the community magistrate, and attends a wedding which is followed by the funeral of the bride's first husband! Edward must uncover the murderer, and Jane is happy to assist, using her ears and smart questions to the right people. Niece Fanny is also in on most of the conversations and is the focus of some male attention. Before the murderer is caught, three people end out in gaol.
November 2, 2014
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.
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.
December 30, 2014
My current Austen in August read, Being a Jane Austen Mystery !
Interestingly, published in August 2011, and always a welcome addition from author, Stephanie Barron..
THe morning after attending a neighbouring friend's home for a wedding ball, Jane is participant in a different type of party. Her nephews' shooting party discovery of a dead body. Jane's brother, being magistrate of the area, invites Jane's insights throughout the investigation to the chagrin of other less enlightened male characters. The story does much in revealing Jane's character strengths and relational wisdom as sister, aunt, and friend. All relevant characters are well described and our interest in them built as the story unfolds. All is not as it may seem at first glimpse, keeping the reader on their toes to ensure not being fooled by the next revelation!
Stephanie presents a wonderfully accurate to the era novel with excellent vocabulary and dialogue uncommon in today's JA reading market. Definitely above average in details and description, she keeps the pace moving without bogging this reader's interest down in non-essentials. Enough twists and "I wonder..." to keep the book close at hand for any possible spare reading moment!
Ready to read the first chapter!?
Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing your wealth of JA knowledge and your writing gift with avid Janeites!
posting to Cym Lowell's Book Review Linkup Wednesday" blog post...
Interestingly, published in August 2011, and always a welcome addition from author, Stephanie Barron..
THe morning after attending a neighbouring friend's home for a wedding ball, Jane is participant in a different type of party. Her nephews' shooting party discovery of a dead body. Jane's brother, being magistrate of the area, invites Jane's insights throughout the investigation to the chagrin of other less enlightened male characters. The story does much in revealing Jane's character strengths and relational wisdom as sister, aunt, and friend. All relevant characters are well described and our interest in them built as the story unfolds. All is not as it may seem at first glimpse, keeping the reader on their toes to ensure not being fooled by the next revelation!
Stephanie presents a wonderfully accurate to the era novel with excellent vocabulary and dialogue uncommon in today's JA reading market. Definitely above average in details and description, she keeps the pace moving without bogging this reader's interest down in non-essentials. Enough twists and "I wonder..." to keep the book close at hand for any possible spare reading moment!
Ready to read the first chapter!?
Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing your wealth of JA knowledge and your writing gift with avid Janeites!
posting to Cym Lowell's Book Review Linkup Wednesday" blog post...
November 16, 2012
Although I'm not particularly a fan of mysteries, I received a gift copy of The Canterbury Tale, by Stephanie Barron and accolades about this series, Being a Jane Austen Mystery, came in from all angles on me. The plot, characters, authenticity, writing style, and general sophistication are BRILLIANT! I would characterize her style is somewhere between Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer so Ms Barron is keeping some pretty impressive company. It is a mystery indeed as the author presents one suspect after another as our Miss Austen struggles for motives, clues, and secrets in an among the country gentry. A "pilgrim" is murdered late at night following a wedding celebration. It turns out the victim was the husband of that bride returning secretly after 3 years in exile near India. He was mistakenly presumed dead through some confusing correspondence. Friends, acquaintences and total strangers are ALL implicated. The search for the killer and the methods for ensuring justice with whatever means were at hand back in the early 1800's proved fascinating. This reader was thoroughly drawn into the vortex of the mystery by the intelligence, creativity and sophisticated literary wit of the author. The mystery? I simply had no clue "whodunnit" and will not spoil the conclusion. Read for yourselves and be thrilled. What pleasant surprise to find there are at least 10 others in the series to look forward to reading!
March 17, 2012
This is one of the few book series to which I'm addicted. I've read every one of the 12 "Jane Austen" mysteries, and I look forward eagerly to the next one each time I'm done reading. Stephanie Barron does a very nice job of emulating Jane's style without being cloying. And I appreciate the trouble she takes to make sure that the novels are historically accurate as to Austen's actual location and activities when the action of the novel is taking place. In this one she's near Canterbury, visiting with her brother Edward and his family.
There's usually nothing particularly special about Barron's stories--in this one, I figured out "whudunit" even before Jane did, which given how obtuse I am about such things, is a pretty damning indictment of Jane as a sleuth. As a friend of mine is wont to say: "If you like this kind of thing, then this is the kind of thing you'll like."
There's usually nothing particularly special about Barron's stories--in this one, I figured out "whudunit" even before Jane did, which given how obtuse I am about such things, is a pretty damning indictment of Jane as a sleuth. As a friend of mine is wont to say: "If you like this kind of thing, then this is the kind of thing you'll like."
November 3, 2024
Of course I enjoyed this book. I am a fan of how the author weaves a story of intrigue and brings us all into Jane Austen’s world. In this novel, she is staying with her brother Edward and his family and has the opportunity to mentor her niece Fanny. Yes, someone is murdered and Edward as Magistrate seeks to find the killer, and enlists Jane’s help. There are many interesting characters, some of them young men who would seek Fanny’s attention. Jane has a way of asking questions and understanding people so she finds answers even when others do not.
I always enjoy learning more about the fashion, family life and historical aspects of this time period.
I always enjoy learning more about the fashion, family life and historical aspects of this time period.
February 4, 2013
I really enjoy the Jane Austen mysteries-- they're one of the few "turn historical people into detectives" books that I like-- and this latest installment is... okay. It's not bad, the mystery is fun and I didn't guess the actual culprit until a few chapters from the end, it's just not great. It didn't hold my attention like some of the other books in the series did. Don't know why; maybe it's just not the kind of mystery that holds on to me like the others were? I don't know. I couldn't pinpoint any actual flaws that threw me off, so I'll just put it out there as a personal thing.
September 28, 2011
3.5 Takes a while to get into the this world of politeness, repressed drama disguised as civility but once one does the story lines are fascinating. Such a interesting time period and Barron does a great job portraying Jane Austen, her actions and observances.
November 1, 2011
I love this series, mainly because it marries Austen with murder mystery in such a pleasing manner. Jane Austen as the narrator/heroine is such a fun idea, and Stephanie Barron does a great job of making it believable and interesting.
April 9, 2012
This author catches the tone of Jane Austen as sleuth as she follows her life. This time she investigates a murder as she stays at her brother Edward's estate. Her niece Fanny is 20, and Jane is writing Emma as she helps Edward solve two local murders. Love this series.
November 8, 2016
Enjoyable. One query: I know "clew" is or was an alternative spelling for "clue", but I can't find any evidence for "stile" being used for "style".
November 3, 2020
This was an accidental re-read, but the timing was fortuitous, as during this novel Jane is writing Emma, which I read a couple of months ago.
I’ve not exercised my pen on this series before, simply attaching four stars to each, then continuing on my reading pilgrimages. It occurs to me now, with my more advanced literary experience, that my mild approbation has perhaps been too restrained for the worth of these folios. In each outing, the character of Miss Austen has been revealed, as well as the various endeavors of her family members and sundry acquaintances, and their foibles and virtues. The events in each book are set within the Regency period, and the politics and mores of the era are illuminated, so that even a reader two centuries removed might find herself comprehending the whole.
One would be remiss not to address the stile of the writing. Miss Barron has absorbed the voice of Miss Austen with verisimilitude and grace. One feels one has been allowed an audience with the gentlemen and ladies, as well as the rogues and scoundrels, surrounding Miss Austen. One small divergence from Miss Austen’s oeuvre is the much-welcomed addition of fine details of the costumes of the characters.
This particular work employs the edifying and pleasing technique of epigraphs from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales at every chapter.
In sum, one must admit to the depth of affection and sensibility one carries for these mysteries and the adroit pen of Miss Barron.
I’ve not exercised my pen on this series before, simply attaching four stars to each, then continuing on my reading pilgrimages. It occurs to me now, with my more advanced literary experience, that my mild approbation has perhaps been too restrained for the worth of these folios. In each outing, the character of Miss Austen has been revealed, as well as the various endeavors of her family members and sundry acquaintances, and their foibles and virtues. The events in each book are set within the Regency period, and the politics and mores of the era are illuminated, so that even a reader two centuries removed might find herself comprehending the whole.
One would be remiss not to address the stile of the writing. Miss Barron has absorbed the voice of Miss Austen with verisimilitude and grace. One feels one has been allowed an audience with the gentlemen and ladies, as well as the rogues and scoundrels, surrounding Miss Austen. One small divergence from Miss Austen’s oeuvre is the much-welcomed addition of fine details of the costumes of the characters.
This particular work employs the edifying and pleasing technique of epigraphs from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales at every chapter.
In sum, one must admit to the depth of affection and sensibility one carries for these mysteries and the adroit pen of Miss Barron.
March 7, 2018
I bought this Jane Austen mystery volume at the same time as #3 (Wandering Eye) at my local used bookstore. Once again, Stephanie Barron does not fail to impress with her prose, her character development, her story-crafting, her knowledge of Jane Austen's life, and her mimicry of Austen's literary voice.
I enjoyed this book for a few reasons:
1. It focused not just on Jane but on her niece, Fanny, who, since a brief mention of her in "Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron," has been a curiosity for me. I quite like Fanny, and hope to see her in other books.
2. The story centers in Kent, the seat of the fictitious Rosings and its mistress, Lady Catherine, and the location of Mr. Collins' humble parish. As my review readers know, I tend to appreciate when an author can describe a place or setting well enough for me to easily see it in my head, and consequently get sucked into the story.
3. So far this is the only book where I predicted the murderer and proved correct. This is also the only book where I could follow "who's related or connected to whom" exposition without getting confused. I feel the latter a direct influence on the former.
I truly have zero bad things to say of this book. Huzzah!
Support your local library and local used bookstore!
I enjoyed this book for a few reasons:
1. It focused not just on Jane but on her niece, Fanny, who, since a brief mention of her in "Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron," has been a curiosity for me. I quite like Fanny, and hope to see her in other books.
2. The story centers in Kent, the seat of the fictitious Rosings and its mistress, Lady Catherine, and the location of Mr. Collins' humble parish. As my review readers know, I tend to appreciate when an author can describe a place or setting well enough for me to easily see it in my head, and consequently get sucked into the story.
3. So far this is the only book where I predicted the murderer and proved correct. This is also the only book where I could follow "who's related or connected to whom" exposition without getting confused. I feel the latter a direct influence on the former.
I truly have zero bad things to say of this book. Huzzah!
Support your local library and local used bookstore!
August 12, 2018
2011 Review:
Stephanie Barron channels Jane Austen-as-sleuth very, very well. The wit sparkles, the characters divert, the setting glows, and the plot satisfies.
I loved the Chaucer quotes at each chapter head too.
I will be reading every Stephanie Barron book that comes along.
*******************
2018 Update:
The mystery is perfect. There are plenty of plausible suspects, and if the obviously innocent people are arrested at first, it feels inevitable and yet never quite hopeless, even when evidence piles up that makes things look worse and worse for the hapless prisoner. Near the end there are a couple of very tight plot twists, perfectly constructed and perfectly logical, but nevertheless red herrings. At least, partly so! I won’t spoil which parts are true and which misleading.
It’s interesting that for the time and place, Adelaide Fiske MacCallister seems to have been forgiven her rather wild past by nearly everybody in the close society of the big houses around Canterbury. Her age is deceptive in this story, as her wild past is written as if it were a distant past. It seems as if her husband Curzon Fiske has been gone a lot longer than only three years. He and Adelaide ran away when she was about 17, and she’s only 24 here. Formerly-wild Adelaide now turning respectable makes a fine foil for Jane Austen’s niece Fanny Knight.
Twenty-year-old Fanny has had to assume the duties of the lady of the house since her mother’s death five years before, and she is essentially a serious person. Now here we see her interest in romance, particularly with the “bad boy” of the bunch she knows. She keeps which young gentleman she likes the best to herself, being an accomplished diplomat. She seems to like Julian Thane, the one who is more a rake than the other young men, who include James Beckford Wildman who is to inherit Chilham Castle; serious John Plumptre, who asks Fanny to waltz too late; George “Jupiter” Finch-Hatton of Eastwell (which family we met in Genius of the Place) who lounges about to cover his nervousness but who is also sharp witted and insightful AND who uses all the lovely slang and cant phrases that Barron surely learned from Georgette Heyer; and also in the young men’s group are Fanny’s brothers Edward and George, who are off to their term at Oxford the day before the mystery is solved.
Here we also get a good rounded view of Jane’s brother Edward Knight, five years a widower and not reconciled to it; definitely not going to marry again. The scene in the night where Jane dons a wrapper over her nightdress and crouches on the stair to await his return home is heart wrenching as both Edward and the butler momentarily mistake her pale, wraithlike form rising from the bottom stair as the ghost of their late wife and mistress. Thinking of those who are gone gives Jane the occasion to bring back the time she sat writing in the little temple on the hill at Godmersham, as she watched Lord Harold climbing up the hill to find her. It is a tiny piece of this novel, but it provides the continuity of that story arc through this entire series.
Edward’s position as the local magistrate makes him the chief investigator of the murder of Adelaide’s first husband, and it is extremely logical for Edward to ask Jane to help him, since he knows her ability in regards to the murder explained in Genius of the Place, and he may have heard something of her exploits from family members other than Cassandra.
That Jane’s and Cassandra’s letters to one another entirely omit mention of any of the mysteries Jane has elucidated is explained logically here as it has been built up over the course of the series: Cassandra disapproves of Jane investigating things, especially as doing so has thrown her into the society of people Cassandra cannot approve (Lord Harold Trowbridge, mainly).
This mystery is written so closely to Jane Austen’s own style that it is another complete delight in this series.
Stephanie Barron channels Jane Austen-as-sleuth very, very well. The wit sparkles, the characters divert, the setting glows, and the plot satisfies.
I loved the Chaucer quotes at each chapter head too.
I will be reading every Stephanie Barron book that comes along.
*******************
2018 Update:
The mystery is perfect. There are plenty of plausible suspects, and if the obviously innocent people are arrested at first, it feels inevitable and yet never quite hopeless, even when evidence piles up that makes things look worse and worse for the hapless prisoner. Near the end there are a couple of very tight plot twists, perfectly constructed and perfectly logical, but nevertheless red herrings. At least, partly so! I won’t spoil which parts are true and which misleading.
It’s interesting that for the time and place, Adelaide Fiske MacCallister seems to have been forgiven her rather wild past by nearly everybody in the close society of the big houses around Canterbury. Her age is deceptive in this story, as her wild past is written as if it were a distant past. It seems as if her husband Curzon Fiske has been gone a lot longer than only three years. He and Adelaide ran away when she was about 17, and she’s only 24 here. Formerly-wild Adelaide now turning respectable makes a fine foil for Jane Austen’s niece Fanny Knight.
Twenty-year-old Fanny has had to assume the duties of the lady of the house since her mother’s death five years before, and she is essentially a serious person. Now here we see her interest in romance, particularly with the “bad boy” of the bunch she knows. She keeps which young gentleman she likes the best to herself, being an accomplished diplomat. She seems to like Julian Thane, the one who is more a rake than the other young men, who include James Beckford Wildman who is to inherit Chilham Castle; serious John Plumptre, who asks Fanny to waltz too late; George “Jupiter” Finch-Hatton of Eastwell (which family we met in Genius of the Place) who lounges about to cover his nervousness but who is also sharp witted and insightful AND who uses all the lovely slang and cant phrases that Barron surely learned from Georgette Heyer; and also in the young men’s group are Fanny’s brothers Edward and George, who are off to their term at Oxford the day before the mystery is solved.
Here we also get a good rounded view of Jane’s brother Edward Knight, five years a widower and not reconciled to it; definitely not going to marry again. The scene in the night where Jane dons a wrapper over her nightdress and crouches on the stair to await his return home is heart wrenching as both Edward and the butler momentarily mistake her pale, wraithlike form rising from the bottom stair as the ghost of their late wife and mistress. Thinking of those who are gone gives Jane the occasion to bring back the time she sat writing in the little temple on the hill at Godmersham, as she watched Lord Harold climbing up the hill to find her. It is a tiny piece of this novel, but it provides the continuity of that story arc through this entire series.
Edward’s position as the local magistrate makes him the chief investigator of the murder of Adelaide’s first husband, and it is extremely logical for Edward to ask Jane to help him, since he knows her ability in regards to the murder explained in Genius of the Place, and he may have heard something of her exploits from family members other than Cassandra.
That Jane’s and Cassandra’s letters to one another entirely omit mention of any of the mysteries Jane has elucidated is explained logically here as it has been built up over the course of the series: Cassandra disapproves of Jane investigating things, especially as doing so has thrown her into the society of people Cassandra cannot approve (Lord Harold Trowbridge, mainly).
This mystery is written so closely to Jane Austen’s own style that it is another complete delight in this series.
March 31, 2018
As always, an engaging and immersive reading experience from this series. This volume especially focuses on the relationship between Jane and her niece Fanny, and I liked seeing that kind of intergenerational female relationship. Fanny's potential dalliances with Jupiter Finch-Hatton and John Plumptre reminded me vaguely of the movie Miss Austen Regrets, which I think focused a little on the latter, with Tom Hiddleston. I think, it was a while ago. Anyway, and it seems to be a running theme in these later books, all the trapping are there, I enjoyed everything immensely except the actual mystery. This would have functioned better as a novel had it attempted to be a romance or comedy of manners. The deaths and the investigation were extremely present, we follow Jane as she follows Edward-as-Magistrate all over Kent tracking down clues, but there was really no impetus behind it. That said, the novel was still an enjoyable read!
February 2, 2019
This entire series is FAB! The ultimate reading for mystery readers who also adore Jane Austen and history. Barron entwines Jane in mysteries set in the exact location where Jane was at that time. Each mystery 'could' have occurred. The research into Jane's personal life, rules and habits of the time, real locations at that time, etc, make these books so realistic, and so enjoyable. Jane comes to life and showcases her superb mental faculties in these books.
Read them ALL--and in order!!!
I'm re-reading them again after a couple of years and it's just as enjoyable--almost more enjoyable than in the first reading. Pull up Google Maps while reading and zoom in on the real landscape, buildings, and cities. Much of where she lived and visited is still there--again one of the pleasures of the books, fitting into reality of Jane's life and time.
Read them ALL--and in order!!!
I'm re-reading them again after a couple of years and it's just as enjoyable--almost more enjoyable than in the first reading. Pull up Google Maps while reading and zoom in on the real landscape, buildings, and cities. Much of where she lived and visited is still there--again one of the pleasures of the books, fitting into reality of Jane's life and time.
April 15, 2024
One of my favorite in Barron's Jane Austen mystery series. Even when the books are slow, I love immersing myself in the period details, but this one presents the murder right away and Jane wastes no time in her investigation. The story moves quickly.
I don't know if that's a deliberate change by Barron, but it makes sense for Jane at this stage in her life. Her books are successful and that - combined with her acceptance of her age and station in life - seems to give her confidence. It also helps that the setting is the country around her brother's Godmersham estate where he's the magistrate and has been for a long time. It's not their first case together either, so he relies on her skills and wisdom and they both have enough authority to be able to cut through the usual walls that social politeness often throw in Jane's way.
And there are lots of twists and turns to keep things even more interesting. An excellent, solid mystery.
I don't know if that's a deliberate change by Barron, but it makes sense for Jane at this stage in her life. Her books are successful and that - combined with her acceptance of her age and station in life - seems to give her confidence. It also helps that the setting is the country around her brother's Godmersham estate where he's the magistrate and has been for a long time. It's not their first case together either, so he relies on her skills and wisdom and they both have enough authority to be able to cut through the usual walls that social politeness often throw in Jane's way.
And there are lots of twists and turns to keep things even more interesting. An excellent, solid mystery.
August 24, 2018
Yet another enjoyable tale of Jane Austen and murder. Staying with her wealthy widowed brother Edward, Magistrate of Canterbury, she happens upon the corpse of someone who was supposed to have died a couple of years earlier. While many would have wanted him dead, if only the man who just married the dead man's supposed widow, who would want to pin the murder on the amiable son of Edward's neighbor?
And how many people will Edward have to jail and release?
And how much longer will Jane survive? She has four more years before her historical death and her catching a cold in this book made me nervous.
And how many people will Edward have to jail and release?
And how much longer will Jane survive? She has four more years before her historical death and her catching a cold in this book made me nervous.
January 23, 2019
In 2011, there were already 12 in this Jane Austen Mystery series. Stephanie Barron started writing the series in 1995. I have had the books on my to read list since 2011 and just read this one and thoroughly enjoyed it. All of the books follow Jane Austen's voice and idiom and then to add The Canterbury Tales into this book was great fun for this old English Major. They all take place in 19th Century England and involve Jane visiting her siblings, and being a sleuth. Some know that she is an author, some do not. In this one, each chapter starts with a quote from one of The Canterbury Tales. Jane is helping her brother, who is a Magistrate in rural Kent, near Canterbury, solve two murders.
December 29, 2021
Hmm. I was not as thrilled with #10 in this series, but I think I was even less thrilled with this one. The plot nearly verges on "Jane as action hero," which is simply unbelievable and, frankly, unnecessary. I like Jane as the sharpest mind in the room! All that racing around outdoors! (I think this works in an earlier installment — is it The Genius of the Place?) Anyway, I am going to re-read Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas because I remember liking it better, especially with Jane matching wits with Raphael West. I've promised to return to it for Christmas. I am trying to space out these books, as I am well aware of the age at which Jane died and am bracing myself for that year.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews