I really enjoyed this book, which places Jane Austen at the centre of a murder mystery, having to figure out the perpetrator in order to save her Brother’s life. A fictional scenario but very real characters, set in the late 18th Century, in Hampshire, England.

I found the book very rich in detail for the time period that Jane was in, the things women could and could not do and the characters around her (both based on fictional and on real life people from history) and this was very entertaining. I would have liked more visuals of the house and village where Jane grew up but being in Hampshire perhaps I could picture the reality too much from the history books & wandering around Jane’s last home, and missed the finer detail. I found the storyline of Tom Lefroy and Jane very intriguing and almost wanted a spinoff focusing just on that!

Fans of cosy mysteries will love this but it will also appeal to Jane Austen fans too – and might even turn you into one, like it did for me. Reading about Jane’s history and working out which was fact and which was artistic license was interesting, and the host of characters from her past alongside her were fascinating. I can’t wait to see what Book 2 in this series brings, particularly as I feel that the ‘Jane’ described in History books really came alive in the final few chapters.

About the Book

‘You must look beyond the obvious, interrogate all possibilities, to reach the truth’

Though young in years, Jane Austen has long had the sharp wit and shrewd insight to observe what others do not.

So when the body of a milliner is shockingly discovered during a lavish ball at Sir John Harcourt’s estate, she sees how blind polite society can be to the truth.

With the death pronounced a murder and Jane’s brother Georgy swiftly accused of the deed, the injustice of it strikes close to home.

Jane writes stories filled with secrets exposed, motives questioned, and manners deceiving. Now, she must turn her powers of observation to detection, to unmask the true murderer.

About The Author

Jessica Bull grew up in South East London, where she still lives with her husband, two daughters, and far too many pets. She’s addicted to stories and studied English Literature at Bristol University, and Information Science at City University, London. She began work as a librarian (under the false impression she could sit and read all day), before becoming a communications consultant. Miss Austen Investigates is her debut novel.

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