Jane and the Final Mystery by Stephanie Barron Blog Tour - Book Review

Publication Date: October 24, 2023
Publisher: Soho Crime
Series: Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 15)
Length: (312) pages
Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook
ISBN: 978-1641295055
Genre: Historical Mystery, Austenesque Fiction

Synopsis

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.

My Thoughts

Despite her failing health, Jane Austen accompanies her favourite nephew, Edward, to Winchester College when William Heathcote is accused of murdering a fellow student. William is fifteen years old and the son of Jane's dear friend Elizabeth. Edward, a former student of the college, guides his aunt through the closeted world of the college, explaining its many traditions, rules and rivalries between the boys and also their masters. While boyish pranks are commonplace, Jane is concerned that William has become the target of more serious and horrific pranks, culminating in his arrest for murder. Determined to find out why, Jane delves into the backgrounds of the victim and other students. Not only does she uncover a secret that William has been keeping, but links to inheritances and lineages, greed and ambition.

I enjoyed Jane Austen's final mystery. Regrettably, I have only read one other from this series: Jane and the Year Without a Summer (my review), which like Jane and the Final Mystery is a satisfying standalone.

The relationship between Jane and her nephew is portrayed as one of mutual respect and love, and highlights the close bond that existed between the two in real life. They make a very good detective duo, combining Jane's powers of observation and deduction with Edward's knowledge of the inner workings of the college and friendships with various students.

I like Stephanie Barron's writing style, which has been likened to that of Jane Austen. As it is a while since I've read an Austen novel, I cannot confirm this, but Barron does capture the manners and mores of the Regency era very well, giving this novel an authentic Regency feel. Her description of Winchester Cathedral and its surrounds, character development and an enticing mystery to be solved, also make this a compelling read.

While a series coming to an end is always a bitter sweet moment for the author and readers alike, those who have come to this series late will be glad that there are still more of these mysteries to be enjoyed.

Where to Purchase

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Meet the Author

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.

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