OFFICIAL BOOK DESCRIPTION OF JANE AND THE FINAL MYSTERY
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.
JANE AND THE FINAL MYSTERY BOOK REVIEW
Disclosure: I received a free copy from the publisher via Netgalley and Austenprose PR. This book review is my honest opinion.
After 15 delightful and intelligent books, the successful mystery series (the first published in 1996) with Jane Austen as an amateur sleuth – has reached its end. Jane and the Final Mystery takes place in 1817 – the year Austen passed away, so it’s only fitting this final novel says goodbye to this lovely series and Austen as well – with Barron giving her an appropriate, heartfelt tribute.
What sets the final book apart from the others is that it has Jane Austen deal more with her own mortality – with the knowledge that she will soon likely die. And yet, she continues to fully live with her kindness, intelligence, and wit on hand.
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Even as she suffers from illness and pain, Jane sets out to solve this latest mystery at Winchester College to help her friends and nephew discover the truth while saving an innocent boy’s life and reputation. It’s heartbreaking but poignant to read about Jane Austen’s suffering – but because she holds onto hope and faces her circumstances with courage – the novel never feels dark or depressing.
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Austen spent her final days in Winchester, so the nearby college is the perfect place to set the last crime. Barron, as usual, is gifted at giving Jane Austen a literary voice within a mystery setting – showcasing impeccable historical research mixed with solid prose.
The mystery itself is like a good episode of a British crime drama – it keeps you hooked on the story – and wanting to investigate yourself to the very end. And the intriguing characters (particularly Jane) help you maintain a vested interest.
There is no romance in this book (unlike the last one) – but the friendships, familial connections, and sympathetic mystery (with an excellent twist) bring an emotional and authentic resonance to the story.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Overall, I was sad to read the final pages. You can’t help but want a different ending for Jane Austen, and you wish this historical mystery series could continue – but it can’t.
Still, I’m glad I discovered this book series (Jane and the Year Without a Summer is a particular favorite), and I recommend checking out the books if you love historical fiction, mystery, and Austenesque novels.
Jane and the Final Mystery also works as a standalone novel if you’re looking for a good, cozy mystery to enjoy but don’t want to read an entire series. It’s a wonderfully researched historical fiction book with a compelling page-turning mystery to match.
All in all, Stephanie Barron ends the series in top form.
Content Note: A PG-like read.
ADAPTATION RECOMMENDATION
The Being a Jane Austen Mystery Series should be a TV series! With Jane Austen’s sleuthing, bits of romance, and intriguing mysteries, how could a TV adaptation not be a hit? It would be a dream to see these books come to life on the small screen.
MORE ABOUT JANE AND THE FINAL MYSTERY
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
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AUTHOR BIO
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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Yes, why this isn’t already a Netflix series is beyond me.
As I have said before, I want Stephanie Barron to write a dual-era series next, titled “The Gentleman Rogue.” A contemporary woman discovers a trunk of Lord Harold’s papers and…
It really should be a show! It has the perfect foundation. And I like your idea!