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Jane Austen Mysteries #10
Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron
The restorative power of the ocean brings Jane Austen and her beloved brother Henry, to Brighton after Henry’s wife is lost to a long illness. But the crowded, glittering resort is far from peaceful, especially when the lifeless body of a beautiful young society miss is discovered in the bedchamber of none other than George Gordon—otherwise known as Lord Byron. As a poet and a seducer of women, Byron has carved out a shocking reputation for himself—but no one would ever accuse him of being capable of murder. Now it falls to Jane to pursue this puzzling investigation and discover just how “mad, bad, and dangerous to know” Byron truly is. And she must do so without falling victim to the charming versifier’s legendary charisma, lest she, too, become a cautionary example for the ages.
339 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2010
99 people are currently reading
1682 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Barron
37 books884 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews
November 5, 2019
this was not intended to be a DBR, but know that it is hot, and i am drinking these incredibly girly "green apple bite" smirnoff ices. many of them. ice cold and delicious.so my plan is to lucidly elucidate why me and this book didn't get along, but it might take me a while to collect my thoughts as i sit here and pound these things, so who knows what will happen by the end of it all. we may indeed get a little D.
i honestly don't know who this series is for.
austen fans seem to love them. not austen fans like elizabeth, who refused to read this with me, but the reviews on here are sky-high. and i have snooped around a little and the people seem to be pleased with the authenticity of "austen's" voice, and the thrill of feeling like you are getting to read an all new book by jane austen.
me, i am not a fan of jane austen, so i neither love the voice of the story, nor am i in a position to gauge its authenticity. i don't hate jane austen, i am even worse - i am someone who is indifferent. that's worse, right?? because she should be able to inspire passion, one way or another.but frankly, i just don't give a damn. the style seems austenlike, in that it was kind of boring, and there is a lot about ratafia and nuncheons and she spells sofa with a "ph".
here is the first sentence:
Mr. Wordsworth or Sir Walter Scott should never struggle, as i do, to describe Spring in Chawton: the delight of slipping on one's bonnet, in the fresh, new hour before breakfast, and securing about one's shoulders the faded pelisse of jaconet that has served one so nobly for countless Aprils past; of walking alone into the morning, as birsdsongs and tugging breezes swell about one's head; of the catch in one's throat at the glimpse of the fox, hurrying home to her kits waiting curled and warm in the den beneath the park's great oaks.
OH MY GOD WHEN WILL SOMEONE GET MURDERED ALREADY?
i read this because i am a fan of byron, and i was in preparation to read the all "new" reissue of what they say is the best biography of him ever. thank you, melville house, thank you charles. in the past, i have read about byron as a (literal) vampire, byron as villain, byron as victim, byron as ghost-maker. it was time to read about byron as murder suspect.
but stephanie barron doesn't really care about byron. byron is a prop to her. in the author's Q&A at the back, she says "some of the books are so faithful to jane's letters that i've used the actual calendar of her week as the structure of the novel - and included everyone she mentions as a character."
well, that's great, right?? did she show the same care with the real-life person of byron?? not so much. he never met jane austen. he never hogtied and kidnapped a fifteen year old girl with the goal of a forced marriage. he was never a murder suspect. does that matter?? i guess not, as long as the dresses are described in all their details.
sigh.
i am pleased about one thing here - she did not take the route that gives caroline lamb the role of "girl driven mad by byron." dear caro was a trainwreck well before she and byron met - therein lay the attraction. but implying that byron was"not mentally healthy" is reductive. he was by no means a paragon of gentlemanly behavior, but who would be, in his position? having flipped through the last living slut while shelving last week and i learned that many men who are in "rock star" positions behave in a less than admirable way, particularly towards the women waiting outside their houses for them. byron really was the first rock star - his kind of fame and its range was unprecedented. women unknown to him dressed themselves like him, mailed him letters and jewelry and... hair clippings.
this is no place for jane austen. to the fainting chair!!
(holy shit - one of these bottles in the six-pack was "raspberry burst" and not apple. i thought my mouth was going crazy until i read the label. phew.)
i did appreciate the attempt though. i kind of wish that instead of murder suspect, byron and jane teamed up and solved crimes together. that would be even more absurd, but in a jolly good time way.
incidentally, it is perfectly fine to read this one, the tenth on the series, without having read any earlier works. there are plenty of footnotes which address earlier cases that jane austen has solved, as well as points of interest to the real jane austen and history in general.
but not byron. who cares about that lunatic??
come to my blog!
i honestly don't know who this series is for.
austen fans seem to love them. not austen fans like elizabeth, who refused to read this with me, but the reviews on here are sky-high. and i have snooped around a little and the people seem to be pleased with the authenticity of "austen's" voice, and the thrill of feeling like you are getting to read an all new book by jane austen.
me, i am not a fan of jane austen, so i neither love the voice of the story, nor am i in a position to gauge its authenticity. i don't hate jane austen, i am even worse - i am someone who is indifferent. that's worse, right?? because she should be able to inspire passion, one way or another.but frankly, i just don't give a damn. the style seems austenlike, in that it was kind of boring, and there is a lot about ratafia and nuncheons and she spells sofa with a "ph".
here is the first sentence:
Mr. Wordsworth or Sir Walter Scott should never struggle, as i do, to describe Spring in Chawton: the delight of slipping on one's bonnet, in the fresh, new hour before breakfast, and securing about one's shoulders the faded pelisse of jaconet that has served one so nobly for countless Aprils past; of walking alone into the morning, as birsdsongs and tugging breezes swell about one's head; of the catch in one's throat at the glimpse of the fox, hurrying home to her kits waiting curled and warm in the den beneath the park's great oaks.
OH MY GOD WHEN WILL SOMEONE GET MURDERED ALREADY?
i read this because i am a fan of byron, and i was in preparation to read the all "new" reissue of what they say is the best biography of him ever. thank you, melville house, thank you charles. in the past, i have read about byron as a (literal) vampire, byron as villain, byron as victim, byron as ghost-maker. it was time to read about byron as murder suspect.
but stephanie barron doesn't really care about byron. byron is a prop to her. in the author's Q&A at the back, she says "some of the books are so faithful to jane's letters that i've used the actual calendar of her week as the structure of the novel - and included everyone she mentions as a character."
well, that's great, right?? did she show the same care with the real-life person of byron?? not so much. he never met jane austen. he never hogtied and kidnapped a fifteen year old girl with the goal of a forced marriage. he was never a murder suspect. does that matter?? i guess not, as long as the dresses are described in all their details.
sigh.
i am pleased about one thing here - she did not take the route that gives caroline lamb the role of "girl driven mad by byron." dear caro was a trainwreck well before she and byron met - therein lay the attraction. but implying that byron was"not mentally healthy" is reductive. he was by no means a paragon of gentlemanly behavior, but who would be, in his position? having flipped through the last living slut while shelving last week and i learned that many men who are in "rock star" positions behave in a less than admirable way, particularly towards the women waiting outside their houses for them. byron really was the first rock star - his kind of fame and its range was unprecedented. women unknown to him dressed themselves like him, mailed him letters and jewelry and... hair clippings.
this is no place for jane austen. to the fainting chair!!
(holy shit - one of these bottles in the six-pack was "raspberry burst" and not apple. i thought my mouth was going crazy until i read the label. phew.)
i did appreciate the attempt though. i kind of wish that instead of murder suspect, byron and jane teamed up and solved crimes together. that would be even more absurd, but in a jolly good time way.
incidentally, it is perfectly fine to read this one, the tenth on the series, without having read any earlier works. there are plenty of footnotes which address earlier cases that jane austen has solved, as well as points of interest to the real jane austen and history in general.
but not byron. who cares about that lunatic??
come to my blog!
February 13, 2024
Since this was a donation to my Little Free Library Shed, I came into this series late. This is the 10th in the series.
Although…
It is my understanding, that it still can be read as a stand-alone.
In this one, it is apparent that Jane Austen is feeling her age.
And…
As a 40-year-old woman, she is considered too old for a husband, so playing amateur sleuth seems to suit her. Traveling with her recently widowed brother to Brighton for a funeral, she is asked to investigate a murder of a young woman.
Will her maturity be an asset as she moves among the rich and corrupt?
Can we count on her astute observations to be wise and revealing in time?
The author does a decent job of capturing the social etiquette and atmosphere of early 19th century England…
As well as…
Showcase the mystery in a fairly believable way.
Thus…
If you love Austen and mysteries, you will most likely love this series.
For me…
It is one and done.
3.5 stars rounded up.
Although…
It is my understanding, that it still can be read as a stand-alone.
In this one, it is apparent that Jane Austen is feeling her age.
And…
As a 40-year-old woman, she is considered too old for a husband, so playing amateur sleuth seems to suit her. Traveling with her recently widowed brother to Brighton for a funeral, she is asked to investigate a murder of a young woman.
Will her maturity be an asset as she moves among the rich and corrupt?
Can we count on her astute observations to be wise and revealing in time?
The author does a decent job of capturing the social etiquette and atmosphere of early 19th century England…
As well as…
Showcase the mystery in a fairly believable way.
Thus…
If you love Austen and mysteries, you will most likely love this series.
For me…
It is one and done.
3.5 stars rounded up.
June 19, 2025
On my second reading of this tenth book in Stephanie Barron’s delightful series, I am upping my rating to five stars. Not sure why this wasn’t one of my favorites the first time around.
For those unfamiliar with the series, the books are first-person narratives told in Jane Austen’s voice, recounting a series of adventures never before disclosed to the public as the quiet spinster encounters murders, spies, and other dark mysteries, all of which supposedly take place during the gaps in her surviving correspondence. The earliest books in the series were a bit too modern-romance for me, but over the years I have developed a deep respect for Stephanie Barron’s skill and taste. It seems to me that she has had the wisdom to base her writing not on Jane Austen’s style in the novels but on the looser, more intimate and casual language used in her letters. I definitely “hear” Jane Austen the person in the words and attitudes of these novels.
The books in the series could theoretically be read as stand-alones, but one’s understanding of the character and the storylines would definitely be enhanced by reading the entire series in order, even if the earliest books require a bit of patience.
This book opens on personal tragedy, one of many endured by Jane Austen and her family over the years. Her favorite brother Henry summons her to London to be present as his beloved wife, the wild and irrepressible Eliza, loses her life to breast cancer. Henry is bereft and Jane, who loved her sister-in-law dearly, sad and exhausted, and between them they agree to spend a few weeks recuperating at the seaside. Jane is all for the quiet pleasures of Lyme out of season, but Henry opts for Brighton.
On the way there, they find themselves in the midst of an abduction and rescue a young girl from her abuser, who turns out to be none other than the notorious George Gordon, Lord Byron, the popular poet! They snatch the girl from the teeth of His Wickedness, much to his rage, and restore her to her equally irate and ungrateful father, who lives in Brighton.
This chance encounter sets the story rolling, as the father and daughter and the troubled lord, along with the Prince Regent and his associates at his summer home, the Marine Pavilion, all come to figure into the mystery that ensues. The tale is heavily populated with some of the most notoriously ill-conducted members of the aristocracy, all brought to outrageous life, and Henry and Jane have their hands full coping with the multiple scandals.
I have read biographies of many of the people involved, and their portrayals here seem quite true to life to me even though the specific events are products of the author’s imagination. Even the level-headed Jane has her head turned a bit by the dark allure of Lord Byron, especially after he troubles himself to flatter her. The portrayal of the period’s manners also impresses me with its accuracy. I found only one small error, and it was of the most trivial: most of England at this time drank green tea, and Jane would not probably not have been served China Black at an inn.
For all its drama and crazy twists, I found this lively tale of murder and wickedness quite believable, and enjoyed the ride immensely.
For those unfamiliar with the series, the books are first-person narratives told in Jane Austen’s voice, recounting a series of adventures never before disclosed to the public as the quiet spinster encounters murders, spies, and other dark mysteries, all of which supposedly take place during the gaps in her surviving correspondence. The earliest books in the series were a bit too modern-romance for me, but over the years I have developed a deep respect for Stephanie Barron’s skill and taste. It seems to me that she has had the wisdom to base her writing not on Jane Austen’s style in the novels but on the looser, more intimate and casual language used in her letters. I definitely “hear” Jane Austen the person in the words and attitudes of these novels.
The books in the series could theoretically be read as stand-alones, but one’s understanding of the character and the storylines would definitely be enhanced by reading the entire series in order, even if the earliest books require a bit of patience.
This book opens on personal tragedy, one of many endured by Jane Austen and her family over the years. Her favorite brother Henry summons her to London to be present as his beloved wife, the wild and irrepressible Eliza, loses her life to breast cancer. Henry is bereft and Jane, who loved her sister-in-law dearly, sad and exhausted, and between them they agree to spend a few weeks recuperating at the seaside. Jane is all for the quiet pleasures of Lyme out of season, but Henry opts for Brighton.
On the way there, they find themselves in the midst of an abduction and rescue a young girl from her abuser, who turns out to be none other than the notorious George Gordon, Lord Byron, the popular poet! They snatch the girl from the teeth of His Wickedness, much to his rage, and restore her to her equally irate and ungrateful father, who lives in Brighton.
This chance encounter sets the story rolling, as the father and daughter and the troubled lord, along with the Prince Regent and his associates at his summer home, the Marine Pavilion, all come to figure into the mystery that ensues. The tale is heavily populated with some of the most notoriously ill-conducted members of the aristocracy, all brought to outrageous life, and Henry and Jane have their hands full coping with the multiple scandals.
I have read biographies of many of the people involved, and their portrayals here seem quite true to life to me even though the specific events are products of the author’s imagination. Even the level-headed Jane has her head turned a bit by the dark allure of Lord Byron, especially after he troubles himself to flatter her. The portrayal of the period’s manners also impresses me with its accuracy. I found only one small error, and it was of the most trivial: most of England at this time drank green tea, and Jane would not probably not have been served China Black at an inn.
For all its drama and crazy twists, I found this lively tale of murder and wickedness quite believable, and enjoyed the ride immensely.
January 2, 2019
Stephanie Barron’s cozy mystery series features real-life author Jane Austen as a fiery champion of justice, and Barron makes the stories totally believable. In this, the 10th in this series, Jane repairs to Brighton with her grieving brother Henry after the lingering death of Henry’s wife, the gay Eliza. At that time, Brighton was the fashionable watering hole favored by the corpulent, immoral Prince of Wales, eventually to become King George IV, and patronized by everyone who was anyone. And that includes the handsome, mesmerizing George Gordon, Lord Byron, and a bevy of his female admirers.
While there, a 15-year-old girl with whom Jane was barely acquainted is murdered, and friends of Jane prevail upon her to look into the matter. As always, Barron includes lots of historical tidbits without slowing down the action. Newcomers will have no problem following the novel, and longtime fans will find their loyalty rewarded.
While there, a 15-year-old girl with whom Jane was barely acquainted is murdered, and friends of Jane prevail upon her to look into the matter. As always, Barron includes lots of historical tidbits without slowing down the action. Newcomers will have no problem following the novel, and longtime fans will find their loyalty rewarded.
February 22, 2014
One thinks of Jane Austen as a retiring spinster who writes secretly, prefers her privacy and enjoys quiet walks in the Hampshire countryside. Instead, she has applied her intuitive skills of astute observation and deductive reasoning to solve crime in Stephanie Barron’s Austen inspired mystery series. It is an ingenious paradox that would make even Gilbert and Sullivan green with envy. The perfect pairing of the unlikely with the obvious that happens occasionally in great fiction by authors clever enough to pick up on the connection and run with it.
Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron marks Stephanie Barron’s tenth novel in the best-selling Jane Austen Mystery series. For fourteen years, and to much acclaim, she has channeled our Jane beyond her quiet family circle into sleuthing adventures with lords, ladies and murderers. Cleverly crafted, this historical detective series incorporates actual events from Jane Austen’s life with historical facts from her time all woven together into mysteries that of course, only our brilliant Jane can solve.
It is the spring of 1813. Jane is home at Chawton Cottage “pondering the thorny question of Henry Crawford” in her new novel Mansfield Park and glowing in the recent favorable reception of Pride and Prejudice. Bad news calls her to London where her brother Henry’s wife Eliza, the Comtesse de Feuillde, is gravely ill. With her passing, Jane and Henry decide to seek the solace and restorative powers of the seaside selecting Brighton, “the most breathtaking and outrageous resort of the present age” for a holiday excursion.
At a coaching Inn along the way they rescue Catherine Twining, a young society Miss found bound and gagged in the coach of George Gordon, the 6th Baron of Byron, aka Lord Byron, the notorious mad, bad and dangerous to know poet. Miffed by their thwart of her abduction, Byron regretfully surrenders his prize to Jane and Henry who return her to her father General Twining in Brighton. He is furious and quick to fault his fifteen year-old daughter. Jane and Henry are appalled at his temper and concerned for her welfare.
Settled into a suite of rooms at the luxurious Castle Inn, Jane and Henry enjoy walks on the Promenade, fine dining on lobster patties and champagne at Donaldson’s and a trip to the local circulating library where Jane is curious to see how often the “Fashionables of Brighton” solicit the privilege of reading Pride and Prejudice! Even though Jane loathes the dissipated Prince Regent, she and Henry attend a party at his opulent home the Marine Pavilion. In the crush of the soirée, Jane again rescues Miss Twining from another seducer.
Later at an Assembly dance attended by much of Brighton’s bon ton, Lord Byron reappears stalked by his spurned amour, “the mad as Bedlam” Lady Caroline Lamb. Even though the room is filled with beautiful ladies he only has eyes for Miss Twining and aggressively pursues her. The next morning, Jane and Henry are shocked to learn that the lifeless body of a young lady found in Byron’s bed was their naïve new friend Miss Catherine Twining! The facts against Byron are very incriminating. Curiously, the intemperate poet is nowhere to be found and all of Brighton ready to condemn him.
And so the game is afoot and the investigation begins…
It is great to have Jane Austen, Detective back on the case and in peak form. Fans of the series will be captivated by her skill at unraveling the crime, and the unindoctrinated totally charmed. The mystery was detailed and quite intriguing, swimming in red herrings and gossipy supposition. Pairing the nefarious Lord Byron with our impertinent parson’s daughter was just so delightfully “sick and wicked.” Their scenes together were the most memorable and I was pleased to see our outspoken Jane give as good as she got, and then some. Readers who enjoy a good parody and want to take this couple one step further should investigate their vampire version in Jane Bites Back.
Barron continues to prove that she is an Incomparable, the most accomplished writer in the genre today rivaling Georgette Heyer in Regency history and Austen in her own backyard. Happily readers will not have to wait another four years for the next novel in the series. Bantam is publishing Jane and the Canterbury Tale next year with a firm commitment of more to follow. Huzzah!
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron marks Stephanie Barron’s tenth novel in the best-selling Jane Austen Mystery series. For fourteen years, and to much acclaim, she has channeled our Jane beyond her quiet family circle into sleuthing adventures with lords, ladies and murderers. Cleverly crafted, this historical detective series incorporates actual events from Jane Austen’s life with historical facts from her time all woven together into mysteries that of course, only our brilliant Jane can solve.
It is the spring of 1813. Jane is home at Chawton Cottage “pondering the thorny question of Henry Crawford” in her new novel Mansfield Park and glowing in the recent favorable reception of Pride and Prejudice. Bad news calls her to London where her brother Henry’s wife Eliza, the Comtesse de Feuillde, is gravely ill. With her passing, Jane and Henry decide to seek the solace and restorative powers of the seaside selecting Brighton, “the most breathtaking and outrageous resort of the present age” for a holiday excursion.
At a coaching Inn along the way they rescue Catherine Twining, a young society Miss found bound and gagged in the coach of George Gordon, the 6th Baron of Byron, aka Lord Byron, the notorious mad, bad and dangerous to know poet. Miffed by their thwart of her abduction, Byron regretfully surrenders his prize to Jane and Henry who return her to her father General Twining in Brighton. He is furious and quick to fault his fifteen year-old daughter. Jane and Henry are appalled at his temper and concerned for her welfare.
Settled into a suite of rooms at the luxurious Castle Inn, Jane and Henry enjoy walks on the Promenade, fine dining on lobster patties and champagne at Donaldson’s and a trip to the local circulating library where Jane is curious to see how often the “Fashionables of Brighton” solicit the privilege of reading Pride and Prejudice! Even though Jane loathes the dissipated Prince Regent, she and Henry attend a party at his opulent home the Marine Pavilion. In the crush of the soirée, Jane again rescues Miss Twining from another seducer.
Later at an Assembly dance attended by much of Brighton’s bon ton, Lord Byron reappears stalked by his spurned amour, “the mad as Bedlam” Lady Caroline Lamb. Even though the room is filled with beautiful ladies he only has eyes for Miss Twining and aggressively pursues her. The next morning, Jane and Henry are shocked to learn that the lifeless body of a young lady found in Byron’s bed was their naïve new friend Miss Catherine Twining! The facts against Byron are very incriminating. Curiously, the intemperate poet is nowhere to be found and all of Brighton ready to condemn him.
'Henry grasped my arm and turned me firmly back along the way we had come. "Jane," he said bracingly, "we require a revival of your formidable spirit – one I have not seen in nearly two years. You must take up the rȏle of Divine Fury. You must penetrate this killer’s motives, and expose him to the world.”’ page 119
And so the game is afoot and the investigation begins…
It is great to have Jane Austen, Detective back on the case and in peak form. Fans of the series will be captivated by her skill at unraveling the crime, and the unindoctrinated totally charmed. The mystery was detailed and quite intriguing, swimming in red herrings and gossipy supposition. Pairing the nefarious Lord Byron with our impertinent parson’s daughter was just so delightfully “sick and wicked.” Their scenes together were the most memorable and I was pleased to see our outspoken Jane give as good as she got, and then some. Readers who enjoy a good parody and want to take this couple one step further should investigate their vampire version in Jane Bites Back.
Barron continues to prove that she is an Incomparable, the most accomplished writer in the genre today rivaling Georgette Heyer in Regency history and Austen in her own backyard. Happily readers will not have to wait another four years for the next novel in the series. Bantam is publishing Jane and the Canterbury Tale next year with a firm commitment of more to follow. Huzzah!
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
July 14, 2011
this was a total impulse "purchase" at the library. seconds away from checkout, this wee paperback called to me from the new releases. it seemed a perfect blend of all things i like: jane austen, murder mysteries, and oversexed romantic poets. how could it miss?!?
it missed, most obviously, by slavishly developing the historical elements rather than the characters. in fact, by page 50, if she had dropped the words "jaconet" or "salad days" or "publickly" one more time, i was tempted to put the book down. we get it; it's regency. women wear muslin! men wear pantaloons! focus on making jane more dimensional instead of fixating on setting or dress, please,and you'll have yourself a better series.
and, yes, i "get" that barron is trying to follow the style of austen's novels, and talking about who's who and what they're all wearing is part and parcel of that. but when i picked up this book, i had hoped that it would be a clear deviation from the factual. think: jane austen as a regency nancy drew! unless jane encountered many a dead body in her day, i don't think it should be that hard to do. but going back and forth between adhering staunchly to the historical fact and then dallying in the fantasy is confusing and clunky.
i dare say i do not much care for it.
the mystery here is fairly blah. the victim is pretty easy to pick out of the early line-up of folks, the murderer even more so, and byron is a deliciously skeevy drunkard. everyone else is sort of interchangeable.
the reason jane austen's novels are so popular isn't because they defy predictability or because they solely revolve around character development. austen wrote with a quick wit and a deft hand, and those two traits are difficult to emulate by anyone at any time. when austen wrote about style and fashion, it was to make a comment on her own society. when she added a character, it was to provide a clear service to the text. barron's attempts at mimicry fall painfully short and remind me of fan fiction.
i'll still read the other 10, though.
it missed, most obviously, by slavishly developing the historical elements rather than the characters. in fact, by page 50, if she had dropped the words "jaconet" or "salad days" or "publickly" one more time, i was tempted to put the book down. we get it; it's regency. women wear muslin! men wear pantaloons! focus on making jane more dimensional instead of fixating on setting or dress, please,and you'll have yourself a better series.
and, yes, i "get" that barron is trying to follow the style of austen's novels, and talking about who's who and what they're all wearing is part and parcel of that. but when i picked up this book, i had hoped that it would be a clear deviation from the factual. think: jane austen as a regency nancy drew! unless jane encountered many a dead body in her day, i don't think it should be that hard to do. but going back and forth between adhering staunchly to the historical fact and then dallying in the fantasy is confusing and clunky.
i dare say i do not much care for it.
the mystery here is fairly blah. the victim is pretty easy to pick out of the early line-up of folks, the murderer even more so, and byron is a deliciously skeevy drunkard. everyone else is sort of interchangeable.
the reason jane austen's novels are so popular isn't because they defy predictability or because they solely revolve around character development. austen wrote with a quick wit and a deft hand, and those two traits are difficult to emulate by anyone at any time. when austen wrote about style and fashion, it was to make a comment on her own society. when she added a character, it was to provide a clear service to the text. barron's attempts at mimicry fall painfully short and remind me of fan fiction.
i'll still read the other 10, though.
January 20, 2024
Following the death of her sister-in-law, Eliza, Jane Austen and her bereaved brother Henry spend two weeks at Brighton for their health. As soon as they arrive, they discover a young lady kidnapped and tied up in Lord Byron's carriage! They free the young lady and restore her to her father, who accuses her of purposefully running away with the romantic Lord Byron. A few days later, the poor girl is found murdered, and Jane suspects that Byron could be the culprit. Every woman who meets Byron feels his magnetic charm, and even Jane herself is not immune. He is wild and arrogant, but is he a murderer?
I liked this murder mystery, and the history behind it. There is quite a lot of real history woven into the story with Jane's family and her acquaintances, but of course the murder mystery and Jane's involvement in the investigation are entirely fictional.
I enjoyed seeing more of Jane's brother Henry and their sibling relationship. It was lovely to see how Jane cares so much for her family, and how Henry respects and values Jane and her keen mind.
I love the formal writing style that mimics the Regency era language. The dialogue is fairly close to what a real conversation might have been like in that time period. It really immerses you in the history.
I liked this murder mystery, and the history behind it. There is quite a lot of real history woven into the story with Jane's family and her acquaintances, but of course the murder mystery and Jane's involvement in the investigation are entirely fictional.
I enjoyed seeing more of Jane's brother Henry and their sibling relationship. It was lovely to see how Jane cares so much for her family, and how Henry respects and values Jane and her keen mind.
I love the formal writing style that mimics the Regency era language. The dialogue is fairly close to what a real conversation might have been like in that time period. It really immerses you in the history.
June 16, 2020
Whilst the mystery was intriguing, I found the personalities therein most interesting. I had no idea of the level of eccentricities of some of the women- usually, it's the men portrayed as "mad". And to find a female with- I'm guessing undiagnosed bipolar issues and a depraved narcissist with poor impulse control "anti-hero".
What more amazing is the safety net of individuals who would ignore the behavior because of the "genius" of the man, or to whom she is married. It makes one wonder what horrible future lay ahead for someone without genius or wealth at that time.
What more amazing is the safety net of individuals who would ignore the behavior because of the "genius" of the man, or to whom she is married. It makes one wonder what horrible future lay ahead for someone without genius or wealth at that time.
November 11, 2021
Ho trovato questo caso delle indagini di Jane Austen un po' tirato per i capelli e questo si può dedurre anche dal numero di giorni che ho impiegato a leggerla.
Dopo la morte di sua cognata Eliza, nell'aprile del 1813, Jane e suo fratello Henry decidono di andare a riprendersi a Brighton a maggio (e qui la Barron ha totalmente inventato la trasferta, visto che non si ha alcuna prova che Jane Austen sia stata effettivamente a Brighton; si sa invece che dopo la morte di Eliza lei rimase a Londra con il fratello).
Pride and Prejudice è stato pubblicato da poco e sta riscuotendo un discreto successo, ma in pochissimi sanno che è Miss Jane Austen, quella signorina attempata in lutto, la famosa Lady sua autrice.
Lungo la strada per Brighton, Jane e Henry salvano una giovane fanciulla, Catherine Twining, che è stata rapita da Lord Byron, che la vorrebbe portare a Gretna Green per sposarla.
Ma la ragazza non sarà salva per molto, perché verrà ben presto ritrovata morta affogata sul letto di Lord Byron, cucita all'interno della vela della sua barca, The Giaour, come se fosse un sudario. Buona parte del romanzo si basa infatti sul fatto che Catherine sia la Leila di cui Lord Byron parla nel suo poemetto The Giaour, che sta scrivendo proprio in quel periodo, e che alla fine verrà proprio uccisa, annegata in maree poi vendicata dal giaurro.
Accanto a Byron si muovono alcuni personaggi storici come la sua amante, Lady Caroline Lamb, che compie azioni davvero assurde pur di attirare l'attenzione di Byron, e Lady Jane Oxford; tutti personaggi che si muovono nell'orbita del Principe Reggente e del suo esotico Pavillion.
Jane ritrova a Brighton Desdemona, la nipote di Lord Harold Trowbridge, suo compagno di indagini nei primi romanzi della serie, che nei primi periodi della loro conoscenza le era ostile, mentre adesso diventa un appoggio per Jane.
Avevo individuato il colpevole praticamente da subito e questo mi ha reso ancora meno interessata alle vicende del romanzo, soprattutto all'ennesima follia di Caroline Lamb, del tutto inutile nell'economia della storia, secondo me.
Dopo la morte di sua cognata Eliza, nell'aprile del 1813, Jane e suo fratello Henry decidono di andare a riprendersi a Brighton a maggio (e qui la Barron ha totalmente inventato la trasferta, visto che non si ha alcuna prova che Jane Austen sia stata effettivamente a Brighton; si sa invece che dopo la morte di Eliza lei rimase a Londra con il fratello).
Pride and Prejudice è stato pubblicato da poco e sta riscuotendo un discreto successo, ma in pochissimi sanno che è Miss Jane Austen, quella signorina attempata in lutto, la famosa Lady sua autrice.
Lungo la strada per Brighton, Jane e Henry salvano una giovane fanciulla, Catherine Twining, che è stata rapita da Lord Byron, che la vorrebbe portare a Gretna Green per sposarla.
Ma la ragazza non sarà salva per molto, perché verrà ben presto ritrovata morta affogata sul letto di Lord Byron, cucita all'interno della vela della sua barca, The Giaour, come se fosse un sudario. Buona parte del romanzo si basa infatti sul fatto che Catherine sia la Leila di cui Lord Byron parla nel suo poemetto The Giaour, che sta scrivendo proprio in quel periodo, e che alla fine verrà proprio uccisa, annegata in maree poi vendicata dal giaurro.
Accanto a Byron si muovono alcuni personaggi storici come la sua amante, Lady Caroline Lamb, che compie azioni davvero assurde pur di attirare l'attenzione di Byron, e Lady Jane Oxford; tutti personaggi che si muovono nell'orbita del Principe Reggente e del suo esotico Pavillion.
Jane ritrova a Brighton Desdemona, la nipote di Lord Harold Trowbridge, suo compagno di indagini nei primi romanzi della serie, che nei primi periodi della loro conoscenza le era ostile, mentre adesso diventa un appoggio per Jane.
Avevo individuato il colpevole praticamente da subito e questo mi ha reso ancora meno interessata alle vicende del romanzo, soprattutto all'ennesima follia di Caroline Lamb, del tutto inutile nell'economia della storia, secondo me.
October 30, 2011
Pride and Prejudice is the only pure romance that I love. I've read Pride and Prejudice several times, ever since my high school teacher assigned it for a homework assignment. (The guys in the class were appropriately horrified, of course.) Lord of the Dead was also a book that I deeply enjoyed reading. It is, as indicated by the title, a recasting of Lord Byron in the role of a vampire. Filled with exotic climes and debauchery, I found the Byron depicted by Tom Holland decidedly appealing. So when I caught a glimpse of Jane Austen and Byron placed together in this book, well... it should have been incredible.
There's something odd about trying to mix the two people. Lord Byron is known for being a dark, mysterious poet; Jane Austen more for romance and light-hearted comedy. So while a great author might be able to mix these together into an wonderful book, Stephanie Barron doesn't quite pull it off. There's interludes of Byron, who comes off as a quintessential "bad boy" whose true personality is never pinned down though he seems to be pretending to be a tortured poet more than he actually is one, and then there's Jane, whose practicality and interest in society makes a weird contrast. It's like reading two books, almost - one is a thriller/mystery story and the other is about Austen's court scandals and dresses.
Speaking of which, how often does the actual Jane Austen reference fashion in her books, unless it was to make a point? I realize that Austen's life must have been meticulously researched, since it says so in the editor's footnotes, but there's entirely too much about dresses in Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron.
For something else to nitpick at, there's Byron's early reference to Austen as being a greater writer than himself. That's... no. No. I can't imagine that the actual Byron would ever think such a thing, and even Stephanie Barron's Byron is otherwise too arrogant to say such a thing. Yet his admission of her as the better writer is just tossed in there, and nothing ever actually happens! It seems as though this part was just tossed in to flatter the heroine. Good grief, they don't even write in the same genres! Anyway, I found this part wildly improbable and, though it was such a small part, detracting from my enjoyment of the rest of the novel.
However, I realize that my criticism of the mentions of fashion and Lord Byron's one, easily edited out portion calling Jane a better writer are small things to complain about. So here's something more important. The fictional Jane Austen is fairly useless. Yes, she was a woman during a time when women (especially ones of her status) had little leverage. But still, she did almost nothing to advance the investigation. Desdemona, Countess of Swithin (who is also Austen's dead lover's niece? I haven't read the preceding books in the series); the Count of Swithin, Mona's (short for Desdemona) husband; and Austen's brother Henry are the ones who actually do things in the story. Mona is the one who pressures Jane into taking on the investigation and the one who drags her around to talk to female witnesses/suspects and Henry is the one who talks to the male witnesses/suspects. Jane just moves along until the final piece of evidence gets dropped into her lap, and she figures it out with her super literary skills. No, really, that's how she solves the case.
It's an entertaining, quick read, but unsatisfying when you reach the end. And Byron barely even shows up - I think he only appears in four scenes, at most.
There's something odd about trying to mix the two people. Lord Byron is known for being a dark, mysterious poet; Jane Austen more for romance and light-hearted comedy. So while a great author might be able to mix these together into an wonderful book, Stephanie Barron doesn't quite pull it off. There's interludes of Byron, who comes off as a quintessential "bad boy" whose true personality is never pinned down though he seems to be pretending to be a tortured poet more than he actually is one, and then there's Jane, whose practicality and interest in society makes a weird contrast. It's like reading two books, almost - one is a thriller/mystery story and the other is about Austen's court scandals and dresses.
Speaking of which, how often does the actual Jane Austen reference fashion in her books, unless it was to make a point? I realize that Austen's life must have been meticulously researched, since it says so in the editor's footnotes, but there's entirely too much about dresses in Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron.
For something else to nitpick at, there's Byron's early reference to Austen as being a greater writer than himself. That's... no. No. I can't imagine that the actual Byron would ever think such a thing, and even Stephanie Barron's Byron is otherwise too arrogant to say such a thing. Yet his admission of her as the better writer is just tossed in there, and nothing ever actually happens! It seems as though this part was just tossed in to flatter the heroine. Good grief, they don't even write in the same genres! Anyway, I found this part wildly improbable and, though it was such a small part, detracting from my enjoyment of the rest of the novel.
However, I realize that my criticism of the mentions of fashion and Lord Byron's one, easily edited out portion calling Jane a better writer are small things to complain about. So here's something more important. The fictional Jane Austen is fairly useless. Yes, she was a woman during a time when women (especially ones of her status) had little leverage. But still, she did almost nothing to advance the investigation. Desdemona, Countess of Swithin (who is also Austen's dead lover's niece? I haven't read the preceding books in the series); the Count of Swithin, Mona's (short for Desdemona) husband; and Austen's brother Henry are the ones who actually do things in the story. Mona is the one who pressures Jane into taking on the investigation and the one who drags her around to talk to female witnesses/suspects and Henry is the one who talks to the male witnesses/suspects. Jane just moves along until the final piece of evidence gets dropped into her lap, and she figures it out with her super literary skills. No, really, that's how she solves the case.
It's an entertaining, quick read, but unsatisfying when you reach the end. And Byron barely even shows up - I think he only appears in four scenes, at most.
January 24, 2024
I should have expected some sordidness based on the title, but it is still a bit of a drawback for me. Some of the dialog is crude, so be aware, if that sort of thing bothers you.
The worst part is that I'm still not sure if I understand who did it. Maybe I'm just dense but it didn't make sense the way it was revealed. I mean I think I know how it went, but was it really what happened or is it because A few things that made Jane question certain character's motives and made her doubt that they would have committed the crime, or made her suspect them, weren't really explained away in the end. Plus,
Not my favorite of the books, but at least it is far less political and yawn-worthy than the one before it, "Jane and the Barque of Frailty." This one is more like one of the better ones, "Jane and the Man of the Cloth" or even "Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House." At some point these books got a bit too tied down with the time setting and didn't have enough intrigue and suspense. I'm glad to see Jane teaming up with other characters now that
The worst part is that I'm still not sure if I understand who did it. Maybe I'm just dense but it didn't make sense the way it was revealed. I mean I think I know how it went, but was it really what happened or is it because A few things that made Jane question certain character's motives and made her doubt that they would have committed the crime, or made her suspect them, weren't really explained away in the end. Plus,
Not my favorite of the books, but at least it is far less political and yawn-worthy than the one before it, "Jane and the Barque of Frailty." This one is more like one of the better ones, "Jane and the Man of the Cloth" or even "Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House." At some point these books got a bit too tied down with the time setting and didn't have enough intrigue and suspense. I'm glad to see Jane teaming up with other characters now that
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2013
It's been eons since I picked up a novel in the Jane Austen Mysteries. I generally am not a fan of the first-person narrative but I liked the epistolary style used in the storytelling. The mystery is unveiled through Jane's eyes and recounted by her. The novel does spend half of it setting up the mystery introducing the characters and the other half dealing with the actual mystery.
The one thing I don't like is the passiveness of the narrative. While we may be in the first person, the story resides primarily in Jane's thoughts or recounting of the recounting of others. In that respect, I wasn't too thrilled about being a completely passive reader at the mercy of what is doled out to me. I realize all mysteries are like that but they aren't so obvious about it as this one was (or at least to me).
After reading a lot of mysteries and period novels, it was kind of obvious where the investigation was going though not necessarily what was going to happen. The characters were more stereotypical rather than fully developed complex characters. I enjoyed the novelty of the writing style and it did read fast. I'm not sure if I will pick up another one in this series or re-visit an old one I read eons ago.
The one thing I don't like is the passiveness of the narrative. While we may be in the first person, the story resides primarily in Jane's thoughts or recounting of the recounting of others. In that respect, I wasn't too thrilled about being a completely passive reader at the mercy of what is doled out to me. I realize all mysteries are like that but they aren't so obvious about it as this one was (or at least to me).
After reading a lot of mysteries and period novels, it was kind of obvious where the investigation was going though not necessarily what was going to happen. The characters were more stereotypical rather than fully developed complex characters. I enjoyed the novelty of the writing style and it did read fast. I'm not sure if I will pick up another one in this series or re-visit an old one I read eons ago.
March 7, 2020
I gave this 3 stars for the story and bumped it up one more because I enjoyed the writing so much.
May 28, 2022
Poor writing. I did not even finish the book.
April 24, 2023
Makes me want to learn more about Byron. This is one of the best books in the series.
September 30, 2024
Book club question: Was Lord Byron really as “mad and bad” as you depicted him in your book?
Author: Actually he was much worse in real life!
Yikes
Meanwhile, I really like the concept of Jane Austen solving murder mysteries every year of her life. This novel is set in 1813, when Jane is nearing her “old” years, the mid 40s
First half of the book is wondering who will be the victim. Next half was disappointed in choice of victim. But good for the author to NOT present the killer as a last minute introduced surprise for readers. The killer is someone we know.
Not a spoiler: Jane Austen is not the killer
Author: Actually he was much worse in real life!
Yikes
Meanwhile, I really like the concept of Jane Austen solving murder mysteries every year of her life. This novel is set in 1813, when Jane is nearing her “old” years, the mid 40s
First half of the book is wondering who will be the victim. Next half was disappointed in choice of victim. But good for the author to NOT present the killer as a last minute introduced surprise for readers. The killer is someone we know.
Not a spoiler: Jane Austen is not the killer
December 10, 2010
The latest entry in Stephanie Barron's entertaining Jane Austen murder mysteries series is, frankly, the best yet.
In this tale, Miss Austen and her recently widowed brother are on their way to Brighton when they rescue a Miss Caroline Twining from abduction at the hands of George Gordon, Lord Byron. The plot thickens when, shortly after the Austens' arrival in the seaside town, Miss Twining's drowned corpse is found in Lord Byron's bed. Byron is arrested for the murder, declaiming his innocence to anyone who will listen.
Jane cannot resist investigating the murder, with help from her new friend the Countess of Swithin and even servants from the Brighton lodgings. Naturally, she eventually comes to the correct conclusion.
Written as though Jane Austen were annotating her diary, the novel is rife with outstanding Regency imagery and situations. Editors' notes explain unusual period terminology or events, and render the book educational as well.
Highly recommended for fans of Regency novels in general, and mysteries in particular.
In this tale, Miss Austen and her recently widowed brother are on their way to Brighton when they rescue a Miss Caroline Twining from abduction at the hands of George Gordon, Lord Byron. The plot thickens when, shortly after the Austens' arrival in the seaside town, Miss Twining's drowned corpse is found in Lord Byron's bed. Byron is arrested for the murder, declaiming his innocence to anyone who will listen.
Jane cannot resist investigating the murder, with help from her new friend the Countess of Swithin and even servants from the Brighton lodgings. Naturally, she eventually comes to the correct conclusion.
Written as though Jane Austen were annotating her diary, the novel is rife with outstanding Regency imagery and situations. Editors' notes explain unusual period terminology or events, and render the book educational as well.
Highly recommended for fans of Regency novels in general, and mysteries in particular.
January 11, 2011
Excellent! This latest offering in the Jane Austen mystery series was well written, highly entertaining, and kept me guessing. I have read all of the books in this series and have highly enjoyed it and would recommend it. The first couple of books are a bit on the quiet side but once you get caught up in the series and the recurring characters, you can't help but be sucked in. I think Madness had an even more engrossing mystery than usual, not to mention Jane's brother Henry is greatly involved, which is always fun, and a reappearance from an excellent character from Jane's past. I am always intrigued by the lifestyles of the wealthy, highborn, royal classes of England and this story has lots of scandal to fill the pages with intrigue. In this way, I find it similar to Lauren Willig's entertaining Pink Carnation series which are set in similar times.
Knowing that Jane Austen's life is drawing near to its end, I'm glad to read that yet another Jane mystery will be written and I'll look forward to more time with this excellent fictional Jane.
Knowing that Jane Austen's life is drawing near to its end, I'm glad to read that yet another Jane mystery will be written and I'll look forward to more time with this excellent fictional Jane.
January 13, 2011
It had been awhile since I read this author - I think she wrote at least one stand-alone book since the last entry in this series. I've read all of the "Jane" mysteries and am glad Barron is working on the next installment; being both a Jane Austen lover and a mystery buff, I find the combination irresistible! Especially when handled so expertly - Barron really captures the dry, witty tone of Jane Austen's works, but she writes from Jane's self-deprecating POV, and it's fun to read her imaginary musings over her writing, friends and family. Barron also manages to weave an interesting (if not always terrifically complicated) mystery into each book, which is really just icing on the cake; for Austen fans, in a market awash with copies and rip-offs of everything from her characters to her plots, this author gets it right. I would recommend these books to any Austen or historical mystery fan, but would suggest you start from the beginning of the series.
April 21, 2015
I confess to reading all the books in this series except the newest. They are definitely a guilty pleasure. Come on, we all know a series which places Jane Austen as a bystander detective, much like Miss Marple, sounds gimmicky and a bit silly. However, I'm hooked.
Unlike other contemporary novels written as sequels to an Austen's novels, or revolving around her fictional characters or the countless time travel, mix ups where a contemporary Austen fan finds herself in Regency England this series of Stephanie Barron's is so well researched. Her writing style is perfectly believable as Jane Austen and Barron's Jane behaves much like a woman in that era would behave. She does not place our modern day values and sensibilities on her characters.
Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron may not be my favorite in the series as far as the mystery goes but it was enjoyable, the new characters were fun to get to know and the bad guy got it in the end.
Unlike other contemporary novels written as sequels to an Austen's novels, or revolving around her fictional characters or the countless time travel, mix ups where a contemporary Austen fan finds herself in Regency England this series of Stephanie Barron's is so well researched. Her writing style is perfectly believable as Jane Austen and Barron's Jane behaves much like a woman in that era would behave. She does not place our modern day values and sensibilities on her characters.
Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron may not be my favorite in the series as far as the mystery goes but it was enjoyable, the new characters were fun to get to know and the bad guy got it in the end.
February 2, 2019
This entire series is FAB! The ultimate reading for mystery readers who also adore Jane Austen and history. Barron entwines Jane in mysteries set in the exact location where Jane was at that time. Each mystery 'could' have occurred. The research into Jane's personal life, rules and habits of the time, real locations at that time, etc, make these books so realistic, and so enjoyable. Jane comes to life and showcases her superb mental faculties in these books.
Read them ALL--and in order!!!
I'm re-reading them again after a couple of years and it's just as enjoyable--almost more enjoyable than in the first reading. Pull up Google Maps while reading and zoom in on the real landscape, buildings, and cities. Much of where she lived and visited is still there--again one of the pleasures of the books, fitting into reality of Jane's life and time.
Read them ALL--and in order!!!
I'm re-reading them again after a couple of years and it's just as enjoyable--almost more enjoyable than in the first reading. Pull up Google Maps while reading and zoom in on the real landscape, buildings, and cities. Much of where she lived and visited is still there--again one of the pleasures of the books, fitting into reality of Jane's life and time.
January 4, 2011
If you can believe Jane Austen might visit Brighton with her brother Henry,
and she might meet Lord Byron, mad bad and dangerous to know, than you would
enjoy this mystery/social novel of 1811. The Regent has brought his friends
to his Pavillion to gamble and carouse and the fashionable set are there as
well. Jane runs into Mona, Countess of Swithin, an old friend who knows Caro
Lamb, Byron and others. It was great fun to read. Byron's poem Le Giaour provides
part of the plot and Byron helps Jane solve a murder.
January 23, 2017
Ah Stephanie Barron never disappoints. Another excellent read that feels so like an Austen novel but with more excitement. Highly recommend this series.
May 20, 2023
"Let it be the taffeta, my dearest Jane." 😊
May 5, 2017
In the Q&A featured at the end of the book, Stephanie Barron admits this book is entirely an invention (as far as we know Jane Austen never visited Brighton), giving us a meeting between two of Britain's most famous authors. Though, this book's version of Byron entirely correctly calls Miss Austen the superior writer. Good.
It's one of Barron's most detectiv-y novels, it even features a LIST of questions for Jane to get the answers to before she can discover the identity of the murderer.
It's also a novel tinged with sadness. Other of the novels had Jane grieving for her friends and family members (as Barron points out, to live in 1813 meant living surrounded by death), but somehow the death of Eliza de Feuillide hurts the most yet, having arrived after her fictionalised version having had featured in many of the 9 books preceding this one.
I started reading the book in bed before falling asleep, and ended up regretting that choice as it's right the first chapter which describes Eliza's last days & last breaths. And Barron uses a suitably Austen-esque understated manner for this, which somehow made it all the more moving.
The rest of the book is more of a rallying for Eliza's lively spirit. Jane, and her newly widowed brother Henry decide to go to Brighton, the most fashionable party town in the kingdom, to grieve Eliza-style. And of course a murder happens. And at the very end, also a new dress Eliza would approve of - cue eyes getting misty.
I can't pretend the whole Byron hullaballo is my cup of tea - and I'm afraid Barron didn't entirely manage to convince me of his magic & magnetism either (and its effect on Jane), but the book is ,(again), just so well written, and manages to weave literature, a good detective case and the vibe of the times so well, I ended up entirely engaged and thrilled nonetheless.
P.S. The central murder, or rather its victim...tragic. And believable.
It's one of Barron's most detectiv-y novels, it even features a LIST of questions for Jane to get the answers to before she can discover the identity of the murderer.
It's also a novel tinged with sadness. Other of the novels had Jane grieving for her friends and family members (as Barron points out, to live in 1813 meant living surrounded by death), but somehow the death of Eliza de Feuillide hurts the most yet, having arrived after her fictionalised version having had featured in many of the 9 books preceding this one.
I started reading the book in bed before falling asleep, and ended up regretting that choice as it's right the first chapter which describes Eliza's last days & last breaths. And Barron uses a suitably Austen-esque understated manner for this, which somehow made it all the more moving.
The rest of the book is more of a rallying for Eliza's lively spirit. Jane, and her newly widowed brother Henry decide to go to Brighton, the most fashionable party town in the kingdom, to grieve Eliza-style. And of course a murder happens. And at the very end, also a new dress Eliza would approve of - cue eyes getting misty.
I can't pretend the whole Byron hullaballo is my cup of tea - and I'm afraid Barron didn't entirely manage to convince me of his magic & magnetism either (and its effect on Jane), but the book is ,(again), just so well written, and manages to weave literature, a good detective case and the vibe of the times so well, I ended up entirely engaged and thrilled nonetheless.
P.S. The central murder, or rather its victim...tragic. And believable.
May 11, 2017
I liked it for all the same reasons I liked Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas (style, pacing, wit, charm, etc.), but I enjoyed this one differently, though perhaps a little less overall. I think the subject matter in The Madness of Lord Byron definitely more scandalous and sensational than 12 Days, at times a bit distasteful, and just as heartbreaking.
Plot Summary: After watching her beloved sister-in-law Eliza succumb to breast cancer, Jane and her brother Henry, go to Brighton for a period of mourning and reflection, only to encounter an abduction en route, and rescue the unfortunate girl from the clutches of none other than celebrated poet Lord Byron. Upon arrival in Brighton, both siblings are treated to the hostile accusations of the girl's father, and witness a domestic altercation. From there, as they renew and make various acquaintances, they keep intersecting the poor darling in various interesting situations, and try to sort out the tangled web enveloping her. They discover many a sordid secret, and ultimately, the innocence or guilt of one man relies on Jane and her uncanny powers of inquiry and deduction.
In Austen style, with some liberties, Barron deals with issues like sexual assault, domestic violence, adultery, hedonism, and, of course, murder, among many other things. Only thrice does Jane encounter Byron himself, none of them speaking to his "better nature," if he has one. No, the creature in this story that captivated me most was the victim herself, who actually didn't die until nearly halfway through the book, and based on all the information provided until that point, I named the murderer from gut instinct (I was right, my husband can vouch for me), though Barron obligingly went lengths to tie up all the loose ends she created. It is QUITE the tangle, let me tell you, but loses none of the intrigue in the exercise.
For those who are die hard fans of the Jane Austen Mysteries, I doubt this will disappoint. For those of us new to it, you may want to borrow it first before deciding if you want to own it.
Support your local library!
Plot Summary: After watching her beloved sister-in-law Eliza succumb to breast cancer, Jane and her brother Henry, go to Brighton for a period of mourning and reflection, only to encounter an abduction en route, and rescue the unfortunate girl from the clutches of none other than celebrated poet Lord Byron. Upon arrival in Brighton, both siblings are treated to the hostile accusations of the girl's father, and witness a domestic altercation. From there, as they renew and make various acquaintances, they keep intersecting the poor darling in various interesting situations, and try to sort out the tangled web enveloping her. They discover many a sordid secret, and ultimately, the innocence or guilt of one man relies on Jane and her uncanny powers of inquiry and deduction.
In Austen style, with some liberties, Barron deals with issues like sexual assault, domestic violence, adultery, hedonism, and, of course, murder, among many other things. Only thrice does Jane encounter Byron himself, none of them speaking to his "better nature," if he has one. No, the creature in this story that captivated me most was the victim herself, who actually didn't die until nearly halfway through the book, and based on all the information provided until that point, I named the murderer from gut instinct (I was right, my husband can vouch for me), though Barron obligingly went lengths to tie up all the loose ends she created. It is QUITE the tangle, let me tell you, but loses none of the intrigue in the exercise.
For those who are die hard fans of the Jane Austen Mysteries, I doubt this will disappoint. For those of us new to it, you may want to borrow it first before deciding if you want to own it.
Support your local library!
March 27, 2018
Compared to the rest of the series, this one seemed much more of a traditional mystery novel, in that Jane meets the victim and interacts with her, alive, for over a 100 pages, and so I felt that the reader was given more of an opportunity to beat the characters to the punch. That, as well as the reappearance of Desdemona and the Earl of Swithin, were very positive for me.
I will say, however, that the principal new characters of this book were unappealing. Catherine Twining was the naive ingenue to the point of being insipid and boring to read, I simply could not care about a character who was so clearly just to function as the victim. The antics of Lady Caroline Lamb were written in such a way that I was constantly annoyed through whatever parts of the narrative she was in. And, finally, Byron. I grant that it is difficult to portray such a well-known person, let alone two in the same book, but I felt like this Byron took all the most superficial stereotypes and cobbled them together, yet the narrative acted as if we should take this to be a deep exploration and a humanizing portrayal. It did neither Byron nor Austen justice, and would have been a poor showing of even a fictional "bad boy poet" and "aging woman writer" without the baggage of those two names.
I will say, however, that the principal new characters of this book were unappealing. Catherine Twining was the naive ingenue to the point of being insipid and boring to read, I simply could not care about a character who was so clearly just to function as the victim. The antics of Lady Caroline Lamb were written in such a way that I was constantly annoyed through whatever parts of the narrative she was in. And, finally, Byron. I grant that it is difficult to portray such a well-known person, let alone two in the same book, but I felt like this Byron took all the most superficial stereotypes and cobbled them together, yet the narrative acted as if we should take this to be a deep exploration and a humanizing portrayal. It did neither Byron nor Austen justice, and would have been a poor showing of even a fictional "bad boy poet" and "aging woman writer" without the baggage of those two names.
August 11, 2018
The book opens sadly with the death of Henry Austen’s wife, Eliza de Feuillide, from breast cancer. Jane and Henry decide to go to Brighton to recover. Enroute, they rescue 15-year-old Catherine Twining from being abducted by Lord Byron and deliver her to her father’s house in Brighton, where she is immediately mistrusted and abused by her tyrannical father.
In the town library, Jane meets Desdemona, the Countess Swithin, and instead of acting horribly to Jane as in His Lordship’s Legacy, Mona is friendly. Jane is on her guard, but in this book, Mona works at becoming Jane’s friend. She uses some rather brutal confrontation tactics to achieve it though—at one point she brings Jane to the point of tears in telling her that she knew her uncle, Lord Harold Wilborough, had intended to marry Jane. It is astonishing to me that this makes Jane trust her the more. Set against how coldly and rudely Mona behaved at the time of Lord Harold’s death, and how she seemed to blame Jane for inheriting the Bengal chest of papers, I cannot understand exactly how she gets a pass in this book by admitting that she knew all along what their relationship was and yet still acted badly toward Jane at the time.
Nevertheless, their detective partnership is delightful. They investigate two historical figures with lots of terrible baggage regarding Lord Byron, specifically, his lovers Lady Caroline Lamb and the Countess of Oxford. They also investigate Byron himself, and Jane feels the power of his personality. Jane voices to Mona a melancholic longing for Lord Harold to have lived, so that his abilities could have helped them solve the murder.
The complexity of the solution is highly satisfying to the reader of murder mysteries, and the detection proceeds with intelligence and little wasted time or effort. Jane, Mona, Henry, and Mona’s husband make no wrong turns or stupid moves that put them into peril, always my pet peeves with mysteries. (I don’t mind peril through mischance, but I hate it when the sleuth is simply careless, or especially, stupid.)
The other satisfactory element is the wit and voice of Jane Austen. In this novel, it is again pitch-perfect, with her dryly amusing comments on people, situations, and her own self just what I imagine Jane Austen to have sounded like in contemplating a murder mystery. In an afterward interview, author Stephanie Barron talks about how in some of the series she consulted the letters minutely to construct the outline of the story, carefully going line by line through the letters of a particular period of time. But in this one, she gave herself free rein to invent nearly everything, given only that Jane was known to be with her brother Henry at this time, and that Lord Byron was known to have first published The Giaour in a 700-line version the very next month, although the two authors were never known to have met. In this interview the author also calls attention to the curious fact that when Lord Byron died, his body was denied burial at Westminster Abbey and was taken to the London home of Jane Austen’s niece Fanny Austen Knight, then married to Sir Edward Knatchbull. Very interesting connection!
In the town library, Jane meets Desdemona, the Countess Swithin, and instead of acting horribly to Jane as in His Lordship’s Legacy, Mona is friendly. Jane is on her guard, but in this book, Mona works at becoming Jane’s friend. She uses some rather brutal confrontation tactics to achieve it though—at one point she brings Jane to the point of tears in telling her that she knew her uncle, Lord Harold Wilborough, had intended to marry Jane. It is astonishing to me that this makes Jane trust her the more. Set against how coldly and rudely Mona behaved at the time of Lord Harold’s death, and how she seemed to blame Jane for inheriting the Bengal chest of papers, I cannot understand exactly how she gets a pass in this book by admitting that she knew all along what their relationship was and yet still acted badly toward Jane at the time.
Nevertheless, their detective partnership is delightful. They investigate two historical figures with lots of terrible baggage regarding Lord Byron, specifically, his lovers Lady Caroline Lamb and the Countess of Oxford. They also investigate Byron himself, and Jane feels the power of his personality. Jane voices to Mona a melancholic longing for Lord Harold to have lived, so that his abilities could have helped them solve the murder.
The complexity of the solution is highly satisfying to the reader of murder mysteries, and the detection proceeds with intelligence and little wasted time or effort. Jane, Mona, Henry, and Mona’s husband make no wrong turns or stupid moves that put them into peril, always my pet peeves with mysteries. (I don’t mind peril through mischance, but I hate it when the sleuth is simply careless, or especially, stupid.)
The other satisfactory element is the wit and voice of Jane Austen. In this novel, it is again pitch-perfect, with her dryly amusing comments on people, situations, and her own self just what I imagine Jane Austen to have sounded like in contemplating a murder mystery. In an afterward interview, author Stephanie Barron talks about how in some of the series she consulted the letters minutely to construct the outline of the story, carefully going line by line through the letters of a particular period of time. But in this one, she gave herself free rein to invent nearly everything, given only that Jane was known to be with her brother Henry at this time, and that Lord Byron was known to have first published The Giaour in a 700-line version the very next month, although the two authors were never known to have met. In this interview the author also calls attention to the curious fact that when Lord Byron died, his body was denied burial at Westminster Abbey and was taken to the London home of Jane Austen’s niece Fanny Austen Knight, then married to Sir Edward Knatchbull. Very interesting connection!
December 24, 2018
Written in the style of Jane Austen, this is Miss Austen's "own" journal of her involvement in finding the murderer of a young woman in Brighton in the year 1813. Jane has accompanied her brother Henry for a a two week off-season stay at the resort, and makes the acquaintance of Catherine Twining by rescuing the young woman from the clutches of her kidnapper, George Gordon, also known as Lord Byron. When a hammock from Byron's boat contained Catherine's drowned body is found in his bed, he is immediately considered the murderer. But Jane thinks too many questions have not been asked, and sets about trying to find the actual murderer. Numerous suspects present themselves before she eventually learns the identity of the culprit. In the meantime, we are treated to numerous details about life among society in Regency times, which is a lot of fun for readers interested in the period. Although I figured out who did it, and why, long before the evidence was all in, as she collected testimony form others, I often found myself thinking, "well, maybe not the person I suspect, maybe this one or that one." A delight to read.
September 4, 2021
"The restoration power of the ocean brings Jane Austen and her beloved brother Henry to Brighton after Henry's wife is lost to a long illness. But the crowded, glittering resort is far from peaceful, especially when the lifeless body of a beautiful young society miss is discovered in the bedchamber of none other than George Gordon -- otherwise known as Lord Byron. As a poet and a seducer of women, Byron has carved out a shocking reputation for himself -- but no one would ever accuse him of being capable of murder. Now it falls to Jane to pursue this puzzling investigation and discover just how 'mad, bad, and dangerous to know' Byron really is. And she must do so without falling victim to the charming versifier's legendary charisma, lest she, too, becomes a cautionary example for the ages."
~~back cover
Not up to the usual standards of this series. The book seemed "looser" somehow.
~~back cover
Not up to the usual standards of this series. The book seemed "looser" somehow.
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