Jane and the Wandering Eye

Jane Austen Mysteries #3

by Stephanie Barron

As Christmas of 1804 approaches, Jane Austen finds herself "insupportably bored with Bath, and the littleness of a town." It is with relief that she accepts a peculiar commission from her Gentleman Rogue, Lord Harold Trowbridge—to shadow his niece, Lady Desdemona, who has fled to Bath to avoid the attentions of the unsavoury Earl of Swithin.

But Jane's idle diversion turns deadly when a man is discovered stabbed to death in the Theatre Royal. Adding to the mystery is an unusual object found on the victim's body—a pendant that contains a portrait of an eye! As Jane's fascination with scandal leads her deeper into the investigation, it becomes clear that she will not uncover the truth without some dangerous playacting of her own....

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Regency, Historical, Cozy Mystery

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is certainly an interesting mystery. Unlike others who have read this book, I love when actual historical people are involved in the story...such as Cassandra, Eliza, Henry, Edward etc....but to have Jane Austen's great friend Mrs Lefroy murdered...and not as the major mystery....is not something I like at all. It shouldn't be done...it's nearly as bad as killing off a child created by the authoress...looking at you Joan Aiken! And this one was kinda hard to read whether Rev. George Austen appears...knowing that he only had about three weeks to live.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art, drama and mystery collide in Bath

I confess to being a silly, shallow creature when it comes to my partiality for fine art and the stage. Show me a beautiful Regency-era portrait by Thomas Lawrence or Richard Cosway, mention famous Drury Lane actors Sarah Siddons and her brothers Charles and John Kemble and my sensibilities rival Marianne Dashwood’s fondness for dead leaves. Mix in my favorite author Jane Austen embroiled in a murder mystery centered around artists and actors in Bath, and I am in sensory swoon.

Jane and the Wandering Eye is the third novel in the popular Being a Jane Austen Mystery series in which the famous authoress uses her astute skills of observation and logic as an amateur sleuth to solve crime. In 1804 Jane, her sister Cassandra and their parents are residing in Bath. Despite the jollity of the Christmas season, Jane is “insupportably bored with Bath” and its social diversions, many of which are outside her means. She is, however, happy to accept a commission from her particular friend and Rogue-about-Town Lord Harold Trowbridge to spy on his niece Lady Desdemona. The young ingénue has recently fled London and the unwanted attentions of the Earl of Swithins to seek refuge in Bath with her grandmother the Dowager Duchess of Wilborough. Jane, her brother Henry and his wife Eliza attend a masquerade party at the Duchesses Laura Place residence in honor of Bath’s Theatre Royal players. Also in attendance is Madame Lefroy, Jane’s neighbor and dearest friend. During the party they witness a drama unfold as tragic as any Shakespearean play. The theatre troupe’s stage manager Richard Portal is found stabbed to death with Lord Harold’s nephew Simon, Marquis of Kinsfell standing over him with a bloody knife in his hand and an open window behind him.

Mr. Elliot the local magistrate is summoned and witnesses questioned. Since everyone was in costume it is difficult to follow the events of the evening, but he soon learns that the key suspect, the Marquis in the Knight costume, was seen arguing with the victim, Mr. Portal in a white Harlequin costume, and challenged him to a duel. They were separated and Mr. Portal was asked to leave the party, later reappearing as a corpse in an anteroom with in knife threw his heart. Curiously, a miniature portrait of an eye is found on his body. Under protest, the Marquis is charged with murder and thrown in the local goal. What started out for Jane as a mild request to observe and report on Lord Harold’s niece has now turned into a scandalous murder by his nephew, drawing him to Bath, and into Jane’s confidence. Taken with his charm, intelligence and family drama, she cannot refuse him anything and they join forces to investigate the facts, unravel the crime, and discover the murderer.

Warning. If you blink too long in the first chapter you might miss significant clues. Stephanie Barron hardly lets us breath for fear we would miss something. The dense and fast paced events had me furiously writing notes to keep the facts and characters straight. It is unusual to have a murder transpire so quickly, but I enjoyed the build-up and the shock of the reveal. The mystery progresses from Jane Austen’s perspective as we read her lost journals edited by the author with added footnotes. The historical detail is entrancing to me. Not only do we follow events and people from Jane Austen’s life, but the social and cultural details were amazing in their depth and interest. At times I found the prose thick and heavy, craving a bit of brevity in the language, but overall Barron does an excellent job at early nineteenth-century Austen-speak. Her dialogue was even more engaging. The characterization of Jane’s parents Rev. and Mrs. Austen’s ironic divergence in personalities was entertaining, her brother Henry and gadabout wife Eliza’s joie de vivre delightful, and roguish Lord Harold was well, just dishy enough to curl any hard hearted spinsters toes. *swoon*

Having the advantage of previously reading all the novels in this series before, I can firmly attest that Jane and the Wandering Eye is my favorite in the series. I loved the historical detail on art and the lives of its creators, actors and their social machinations with aristocrats, and all the intimate dealing of Jane Austen and her family. Originally published in 1998, I can honestly say that with a decade of study and appreciation of the Regency-era behind me, this mystery was even fresher, more intriguing and enlightening the second time round. I recommend it highly.

Laurel Ann, Austenprose

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series. I'm a big fan of Jane Austen and enjoy the concept of her being an "amateur detective." I didn't have a clue as to who the killer was, but it all made sense in the end. The witticisms throughout the book remind me very much of Austen's writing. I definitely recommend these books to others who like Jane Austen and enjoy a good cozy mystery. :)

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first two books in this series *checks notes* five years ago. I kept starting this one and setting it aside because it's a December book, so I finally started it this past December. I liked the artistic focus in this book (miniature eye paintings) and the touch of genuine emotion when Jane's dear friend dies. This worked better on audio than I expected--Barron has lots of footnotes that are half fictional (the conceit is that these are Jane's recently discovered journals) and half real (historical facts). The footnotes were included in the audio, like parentheses, and they don't run on too long or detract from the story. I'm currently reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and can't imagine how that would work on audio, with its four-page-long footnotes, though they are inserted at natural breaks in speech and narrative. It was quite fun to meet the same historical figures in two different works of fiction!

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first book in this Jane Austin as detective series was somewhat interesting, especially in its evocation of Jane Austin's style. This third book in the series, however, was a chore to slog through. Barron, who managed to capture Austin's sense of wit in the first book, manages to completely avoid any wit at all in this one. I read it quickly to get to the end, but by the time I got there, I had lost interest in who the murderer was or what the motive for his actions was.

I don't think I need to read anymore of the books in this series. My time would be better served to re-read the Austin books themselves.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I am an avid Jane Austen fan, I have just had trouble getting into this series of books. This one has some charming moments, some lovely pictures of England in that era, and a good mystery to solve, but I just can't get excited about the series for some reason.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy these well written mysteries. Great twist at the end. I still have not figured out the murderer in any of the 4 books I have read so far.

[Ruhani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't get enough of this series. So good to be transported back to Jane Austen era and Jane Austen characters and Jane Austen language. This is set in Bath as well, which adds to my enjoyment as it always seemed like THE place to be in her books. I will definitely do my best to find the rest of the books in this series.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1804, Jane Austen is resigned to a lackluster Christmas season in Bath with her family, until she receives a commission from Lord Harold Trowbridge. The Gentleman Rogue and Jane’s friend and ally through two recent criminal investigations, Lord Harold requests Jane bring her considerable powers of observation to bear on the activities of his niece, Lady Desdemona. Having fled from the unwanted attentions of an ardent suitor, Desdemona takes up residence with her grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Wilborough. Jane’s first opportunity to observe Lord Harold’s family is at a masquerade party the Dowager holds in honor of the Theatre Royal. But the festive atmosphere is disrupted when a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare unfolds before the horrified audience. The theatre group’s manager is found stabbed to death, with Desdemona’s brother, the Marquis of Kinsfell, standing over the body. With murder most foul casting its dark shadow over the Trowbridge family, Lord Harold descends upon Bath to solicit Jane’s help in clearing his nephew’s name. Time is running out for the Marquis, and with a miniature portrait of a stormy grey eye as their only clue, Lord Harold and Jane must work furiously together to unravel truth from fiction before one of them becomes the murderer’s next target.

Jane and the Wandering Eye is the third of Stephanie Barron’s mysteries featuring the famous author as amateur sleuth, and while it seems clichéd to say it, each adventure seems better than its predecessor. Once again, one of the most fascinating aspects of this series is the way in which Barron grounds her plots in the known facts of Austen’s life. Jane’s aversion to Bath is well-documented, and she made good use of her time there and penchant for lampooning ridiculous excess as the city is prominently featured in both Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. Therefore it is not too much of a stretch to thrust Jane into the tangles of an investigation involving the highest echelons of Bath society and arts and entertainment that made the city a social hotspot in its heyday. Barron delves deeply into the theatrical and artistic world of Jane’s time, populating her mystery with fascinating real-life characters like renowned miniaturist Sir Richard Cosway and painter Thomas Lawrence, the latter’s romantic entanglements with two of actress Sarah Siddons’ daughters have unexpected ramifications on Jane’s investigation. Barron has a knack for imbuing her novels with rich historical detail, from the cultural mores of Regency society down to detailed descriptions of the clothing, all combining to make Wandering Eye Jane’s most satisfying foray into the realm of detection yet.

I’m particularly partial to Barron’s Gentleman Rogue. This brooding, enigmatic spy is the perfect foil to match wits with Jane’s legendary wit, and this third volume relies heavily on the development of their relationship which is a joy to savor and watch unfold on the page. Since of course Austen never married, Barron has set herself quite the challenge in placing men in Jane’s life that could pique her interest, worthy of her intelligence and quick mind. Lord Harold, with his considerable political and social clout rises to the occasion on all points, and to have an entire novel that so prominently features the delicious push-and-pull of his interactions with the incomparable Jane is a rare treat indeed. I also loved the renewed focus Barron places on Austen’s family life. One cannot help but see some humorous similarities between the Reverend and Mrs. Austen and the fictional Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, and their familial interest in the reputation and future of their unmarried daughters. Wandering Eye is smartly plotted and liberally littered with plausible red herrings, resulting in the strongest Austen mystery yet in the series. Capped with a voice that is undeniably Austen-esque in its tone and humor, Barron’s third Jane mystery is a thoroughly absorbing read for Austen aficionados and an informative glimpse into a glittering, forgotten world.

[Rachel Dolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few years back I got on a big Jane Austen Fan fiction craze - books with Jane Austen as a main character, books picking up with Darcy and Elizabeth after P&P leaves off...you get the idea. There is this weird overlap of Jane Austen fan fiction and mysteries. I just re-read 3 books from this series - Jane Austen as sleuth. They're pretty awesome, and the wandering eye is the best of the lot. lots of drama in Bath between Jane and her "friend" Lord Harold Trowbridge, "The Gentleman Rogue." If that doesn't make you want to read it, nothing else will

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are wonderful, historically accurate mysteries based on the life of Jane Austen. Each one has its own story and develops the characters of Jane, her family and Lord Trowbridge, a mysterious gentleman who slowly becomes a bigger and bigger figure in Jane's life. I'm going to keep reading them as I find them!

[Eric Tanafon · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing I really liked about The Wandering Eye is the setting in Jane's native (at this point, anyway) city of Bath. Having read countless English novels over the years, I'm very familiar with London settings as well as locations 'in the country' (often, for some reason, falling within the unpronounceable county of ___shire). But a novel set in Bath is much rarer in my experience--I can't remember another I've read, other than Austen's own Northanger Abbey.

Given this unity of place and the drawing-room setting of many scenes, it would be easy to turn this novel into a play. The mystery in this one moved along in a quick and compact fashion, without the sense of excessive meandering that I got from, for instance, Jane and the Man of the Cloth. Yet the author finds room to include some nice historical touches, such as the popularity of 'eye portraits' at the time--something I'd never come across before. There's a touch of the romance genre here, too, as there usually was in Austen's own work, but here the sinister-man-with-air-of-danger-who-turns-out-to-be-really-a-good-guy is reserved for someone other than Jane, which is a nice change.

I continue to appreciate that Jane, while obviously a strong and intelligent character, is presented as a woman of her time, rather than one of the contemporary feminist chrononauts often employed as protagonists these days.

There were a few points I think could have been better resolved. For instance, what about the sinister servant with two differently colored eyes? Given the importance of eyes in this plot, I was prepared to find that he was actually the illegitimate child of the gray-eyed beauty in the portrait and some brown-eyed villain who would triumphantly be revealed at the end. But no, it was just an odd detail unrelated to anything else. A realistic touch, maybe, but somehow unsatisfying.

However, on the whole I enjoyed this one the most of the Jane Austen mysteries I've read so far.

[Carole (in Canada) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well/ It were done quickly..." Macbeth

This is the third book in the Jane Austen Mystery series that has Jane in Bath. The book description gives you a good idea of what to expect. All I can say is, if you blink during the first chapter, you will miss some interesting clues...I must have blinked! I didn't catch them!

At one point in the book, Jane and her Gentleman Rogue, Lord Harold Trowbridge, are walking through the labyrinth in Sydney Gardens. That is how cleverly laid out this story is. There are many suspects, but finding the true murderer(s) led to many dead ends or twisted paths to the final reveal. I kept thinking there is more here than what meets 'the eye'.

We spend a bit of time with Jane's family in this mystery, as well as with new characters created. I must say, Ms. Barron certainly gave some of these individuals traits seen in Jane's stories. Mr. and Mrs. Austen had hints of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. A Miss Wren reminded me of Mary Bennet. One scene with the actor, Hugh Conyngham, and Jane reminded, me of Willoughby and Marianne! I loved picking up on these details that are interspersed throughout the story...along with trying to figure out the murderer(s)!

I thoroughly enjoyed the history imparted throughout, especially with the painters who have an active role in this tale. I am a huge fan of miniature portraits and portraits in general of the period, especially Sir Thomas Lawrence and Mr. Cosway. The famous actors/actresses of the time play a major part in this story too.

I did find the pace a bit slow despite the murder in the first chapter. Overall I enjoyed this story and would recommend this series to Jane Austen fans and murder/mystery fans, of which I am both!

[gardienne_du_feu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane Austen langweilt sich im beschaulichen Bath schier zu Tode, und so kommt ihr die Bitte eines alten Bekannten, Lord Trowbridge, gerade recht, unauffällig ein Auge auf die junge und etwas widerspenstige Lady Desdemona zu haben, die zum Leidwesen ihrer Verwandten seltsame Verehrer anzuziehen scheint. Ihren ersten Einsatz hat Jane auf einem Maskenball im herrschaftlichen Haus von Desdemonas Tante. Doch ihr eigentlicher Auftrag ist schnell in den Hintergrund getreten, als in einem Nebenraum ein Toter gefunden wird, offenbar mit einer Zierwaffe erstochen.

Der Tatverdacht fällt schnell auf Desdemonas Bruder, aber Jane ist nicht überzeugt von dessen Schuld und hat einige kleine Unstimmigkeiten erspäht. Und so macht sie sich mit tatkräftiger Unterstützung von Trowbridge und zum großen Entsetzen ihrer Mutter daran, den wahren Mörder des Theaterintendanten zu finden.

Jane Austen als Hobbydetektivin auftreten zu lassen ist eine witzige Idee, wenn auch sicherlich ein bisschen fragwürdig. Den schnörkeligen Schreibstil aus Austens Tagen mit ellenlangen gedrechselten Sätzen ahmt die Autorin so passabel nach, dass ich mich erst einmal ein, zwei Kapitel lang einlesen musste und mich anfangs zugegebenermaßen auch etwas gelangweilt habe bei all den empfindsamen Betrachtungen über Schicklichkeit und Leute.

Mit dem Leichenfund wird es dann durchaus spannend, allerdings konnte mich das Mordmotiv nicht wirklich überzeugen (vielleicht habe ich es aber auch bloß nicht verstanden). Tatsächlich gut gefallen hat mir an dem Buch, das leider auch im weiteren Verlauf einige Längen hat, das Personal. Fast alle handelnden Personen hat es wirklich gegeben, und ziemlich viele wurden von dem ebenfalls in einer Nebenrolle auftretenden Maler Thomas Lawrence eindrucksvoll porträtiert. Hübsch ist auch, dass in zahlreichen Fußnoten Namen, Gebräuche oder politische Zusammenhänge aus jener Zeit, die heutigen Lesern nicht mehr geläufig sind erklärt werden.

Und so habe ich zwar ein eher durchschnittliches (wenn auch nettes) Buch gelesen, aber dabei immerhin einiges über das frühe 19. Jahrhundert erfahren und einen mir bis dato unbekannten interessanten Maler kennengelernt.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1804 December. Jane is bored with Bath and is glad when friend Lord Harold Trowbridge asks her to shadow his niece Lady Desdemona. Resulting in an invitation to his mothers' party. But a body is soon discovered, and it is Lord Kinsfell, sister to Desdemona who is taken into custody. The magistrate having no choice as he was standing over the body with a knife in his hands. Jane and Lord Harold investigate determined to prove his inncoent.
An enjoyable and well-written mystery

[Marfita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow I didn't even care whodunnit. I still enjoyed reading it, though. I suppose that even in Regency times idiots tried to remove murder weapons and end up standing there holding it when someone walks in on them. The writing is engaging and I think I understood what happened.

[Misty Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one as much as the first one. Looking forward to the next one.

[Siri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read for anyone who loves Jane Austen. At times difficult to follow and I knew who the murderer was, but the lovely style of writing and the entertainment are undeniable.

[Peggyzbooksnmusic]

Note for when I read: This is at Libby Kindle only. Does not show in Libby when searching by author name: SEARCH BY TITLE.

[Dennis Fischman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rereading this book, I have to laugh at Stephanie Barron’s pretense of footnotes, where she engages in humblebragging about her own research. I think I would have to know and revel in the real personalities of the British theater whom she recruits for this book to enjoy it as much as the previous ones in the series. On the other hand, the Austen family are a pleasure to get to know.

[Bridgette Redman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Jane and the Wandering Eye, Stephanie Barron finally shows us the wry wit and intelligence Jane Austen possesses. For two books, all of Jane’s acquaintances praise her perspicacity, but rarely do we see it. Certainly, we never see it displayed the way we do in this novel. It is a delightful display.

The book contains the shortest editor’s forward of the three novels, evidence that Barron is growing in confidence in her characters and feeling less of a need to excuse her borrowing from history. She includes historical figures and actual events from Austen’s life, but the story and plot are entirely of Barron’s creation.

Jane and the Wandering Eye is the third book in Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen series. In it, she features the “newly discovered” journals of Jane Austen. The Austen we meet is a shrewd detective whose eye for detail and clarity of thinking make her a formidable opponent to those engaging in murder and intrigue. As the novels are told from the perspective of Jane’s journal (and the occasional letter), Barron must closely imitate Austen’s actual style, which she does extremely faithfully.

The book opens with Jane attending a rout-party on Dec. 12, 1804 (less than three months after the close of Jane and the Man of the Cloth.) It is a post-theatrical masquerade and she is attending with her brother Henry and his wife Eliza. Her attendance is actually a cover for her true purpose. She’s been commission to shadow the Lady Desdemona and advise her “gentleman rogue” of where the lady’s attentions lie. Her charge becomes more serious when one of the party-goers is found stabbed to death and the man arrested for the deed is Lady Desdemona’s brother.

The search for the murderer takes Jane and her “gentleman rogue” through the Bath theater community and the upper-crust society in which she is a familiar, but temporary, guest. In this novel, Jane beings to experience the disapproval of her relatives for what they view as the sullying of her reputation. We see Jane begin to fall in love with a person to whom her society will never allow her to be matched. Poor Jane exists in a society where she is already an old maid at 29 and she has neither fortune nor good looks to recommend her (much like the heroines in her novels). She does, however, possess a splendid wit and we are treated with her cleverness and ingenuity throughout the course of this novel.

The cover of this book deserves special mention. While I do not intend to fault Barron’s vivid descriptions, there is one object that definitely needed an illustration—the pendant with a portrait of an eye. Barron fully describes the artistic fan and the ways in which they were bestowed and worn. But it is the picture on the cover which is most captivating. The cover artist, Carol Inouye, has created an outstanding cover whose painting accurately captures the timbre of the book’s words. She repeats her thematic image in subtle ways that support and expand the novel perfectly. Inouye herself is the author of several out-of-print garden and sewing books and has illustrated fairy tales, cook books, and children’s books.

If this book has a fault, it is that there is something of the transitive feel about it. Barron is establishing a pattern that we can expect to be repeated. Yet, so skillful is Barron’s handling of her subject that it’s a pattern worth repeating.

Jane and the Wandering Eye takes the reader on a lively romp complete with riddles and a parlor-room denouement. Barron excels at suspense and surprise endings and there is nothing in this book to disappoint or betray.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane, her brother Henry and his wife Eliza are invited to a masquerade party in honor of a troop of actors come to Bath. Jane is tagging along with her more well-to-do relatives to keep an eye on the hostess's granddaughter, Lady Desdemona. Jane was asked specifically by The Gentleman Rogue to look after his niece, who is trying to avoid the man she has just jilted. Just as one of the well-known actors finishes declaiming a speech from Macbeth, the dead body of the theater manager is discovered! When Lady Desdemona's brother is found with the bloody knife in his hand, he is immediately suspect, though he swears he didn't do it. Gentleman Rogue, Lord Harold Towbridge to the rescue! he arrives in Bath hunting for clues and discovers that his nephew recovered a miniature portrait of an eye from the dead body. The portrait leads to more clues and an list of suspects that includes everyone from actors to artists to peers of the realm. Jane tags along to help figure out the clues to the mystery.

This being my second Jane Austen mystery, I found that I did not enjoy it as much as the first. There were far too many characters introduced too quickly to keep track of. Many of those characters become suspects in the murder mystery and I found myself trying to figure out who they were and what their motive would be. I did guess the villain right away but not the motive. The motive was unusual and not explained very well. There really wasn't any good reason for murder. I also did not like real life characters and events playing into the story. It lacked credibility. I do not have a problem with the sentence structure so far but those not familiar with 18th and 19th century writing may find it difficult. I still am bothered by the footnotes, which in this book are mostly unnecessary. Using a rating of 1-5, I would give it perhaps a 3 1/2 or 4.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying these mysteries featuring Jane Austen as a detective. The mysteries are light, but not boring or mundane. There is a lot of focus on the manners and customs of the times, which is nicely done.

I've mentioned in my review for the first book in the series that the historical footnotes are fun and educational. There is historical info on British society during the early 19th century as well as info on Jane Austen and her family. Something that I'm not sure about is how true are the facts about the Austens. On the one hand, it is fun and clever to write the whole book, including the forward and footnotes, as if the author really is merely editing Jane's writings. On the other hand, I'm interested to know if Jane really did live at X place and if she really thought Y about concerts and if she really had Z as a good friend. I suspect that Stephanie Barron has woven her story tightly with real events in Jane's life. Her research is probably very good, but I don't really know. And I'm afraid that if I check the research and find errors that it will ruin these fun mysteries for me. So I'm merely suspending my possible disbelief and enjoying the ride.

[MAP · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those series that I pick up when I can't decide what I want to read, but I want to read SOMETHING. The books are unremarkable, but consistent, hold my attention, and are basically entertaining.

This book was slightly harder for me to get into -- it took over 70 pages before I really started to connect and care about the mystery. But overall it was a fun little book.

[Oodles · Rating 4 out of 5]

3rd book in an interesting series in which Jane Austen herself is the protagonist, solving riddles of intrigue. Made even more amusing by the statement that the series is based on secret writings kept by Jane and supplemented with actual letters, etc. that she did indeed write.

[Sonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know if I will read any more of this series. It's hard to tell what's fiction and what's true about Austen's life. And what really bothered me is the author's lifting of some phrases and sentences directly from Jane Austen's novels.

[Lilit · Rating 1 out of 5]

have tried to finish this 5 times...it sucks!

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 3 in the series, and I'm getting a bit tired of the device (Jane Austen as an amateur sleuth).

[Diletta Nicastro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non mi è piaciuto. Credo che il problema più grande sia legato al fatto che secondo me Stephanie Barron non sa scrivere (è possibile attribuire tutto unicamente alla traduzione? Non credo). La scrittura è contorta, lenta, poco chiara. E fondamentalmente di una noia totale.
Punto primo. Ufficialmente questo dovrebbe essere un diario perduto di Jane Austen. Non vi è nulla, assolutamente nulla che possa far pensare che si tratti di un diario. Mai nessuno scriverebbe un diario in quel modo. Questo già da solo fa abbassare il voto.
Punto secondo. Il giallo è prevedibilissimo. Si può dire… vabbeh, anche i gialli della Heyer sono molto prevedibili. Vero. Però qui ti vuol far passare come colpi di scena cose ovvie.
Punto terzo. E’ di difficile lettura. Non finisce mai. Ogni pagina è una conquista. No. Così non va bene.
Riconosco un merito alla Barron. Quello di fare ricerche accurate sulla vita di Jane Austen e della sua epoca, e di cercare di far combaciare eventi storici realmente accaduti con le creazioni (un po’ oniriche) della sua penna. Gli editor avranno pensato ad un colpo di genio l’idea di fare apparire la morte di Madame LeFroy come la conseguenza dei gialli dalla Barron narrati. Ma tutto questo non rende interessante il libro, che è di una pesantezza unica, senza però dare nulla in cambio.
Stile pedante, idee ripetute e ripetute (come se il lettore fosse scemo) e nulla che catturi il cuore, se non l’idea che finalmente, dopo un migliaio di pagine (erano solo 281?) infine si sia giunti alla parola fine.
Interessante qualche richiamo a Bath (scopiazzato un po’ da L’abbazia di Northanger) e poco più.
Dopo averle dato 3 chanches, non credo che perderò tempo leggendo il quarto della serie.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoy Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen mysteries. It's like reading Austen's own books, with the language and descriptions and propriety and subtle sass, but with events of Austen's actual life incorporated, and woven with care into the narrative are possible sources of inspiration for characters and choice phrases.

I found this volume in my local used bookstore, and being that I'd only read installments that MENTION Lord Harold Trowbridge, not one that had him in an active role, I bought it. Jane (in the novels) mentions Lord Harold with such respect and admiration, I couldn't help but want to meet him.

The story revolves around Lord Harold's own family, and Barron uses Austen's actual residence in Bath as the basis for a murder most foul, at a Christmas masquerade. The victim is a manager for a popular theater, and at first, it seems like a case of jealous rivalry, the manager having shown particular attention to Lord Harold's niece, Desdemona. But as more evidence accumulates, and more intrigues revealed, all is not what it seems. Jane and Lord Harold make a fantastic detective pair, and I wish Barron hadn't limited his involvement in the series to a mere seven books.

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