A few years ago I stumbled onto Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen mystery series. The first one, Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, absolutely delighted me. I loved the way that it was set up: Jane’s long-lost journal, complete with annotations from the editor, explaining both Jane’s personal situation and elements of the culture of her time and place — early 19th century England. I got so hooked that I read the whole series, 8 books, up to Jane and the Barque of Frailty.
Oddly enough, I am not a Janeite — one of those fans who’ve read every book and watched every movie or TV miniseries, who can quote lines and remember which characters are from which book. So if you are a Janeite, I can’t really tell you how faithful the series is to history or to the canon. But, if you aren’t a Janeite, I can say that you shouldn’t let that stop you from trying one of these books.
Anyway, reading them all so close together was a mistake. I got kind of bored with the series and thought it had lost a little of its charm. After a time Barron stopped using the “lost journal” device, and though footnotes still appeared they weren’t attributed to anybody, and they lost their literary-insider appeal; and then an important character died. When the next book in the series appeared, Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron, that was just too much for me, so I took that as a sign to stop reading the series, and I skipped it.
When I noticed Jane and the Canterbury Tale (2011) in the new books section of my local library, I decided to give Jane another chance. In this book, Jane is visiting her brother’s family in Kent. They all attend a neighbor’s wedding, a festive occasion until the next morning, when a hunting party locates the dead body of the bride’s first husband (thought to be dead already) — making her a bigamist. Oops.
Jane’s brother, Edward, is the magistrate, and he counts on her to help him investigate. Though, pushing 40, she’s now the spinster aunt, she’s sharp witted and nosy enough to ask questions that are indelicate, if not down right rude. She examines dead bodies, questions young dandies, pries among the servants and refuses to allow manners to deter her.
And let’s not forget that this is all potential fodder for her next book… the one with Emma. But I forget what that one’s called. Heehee!
