Book Review: Miss Austen Investigates by Jessica Bull
Jane isn’t exactly Sherlock Holmes however what she lacks in stealth and diplomacy she more than makes up for with enthusiasm.
Well, I love Jane Austen’s body of work and have read all of her books, most of them more than once, not to mention enjoyed many of the adaptations that have popped up over the years so, to be honest, a series entitled Miss Austen Investigates was always going to catch my attention.
This is a great start to series. It manages to recreate the period really effectively and with minimum fuss, it is witty and charming and full of dastardly red herrings but more than that it gives us this cosy insight into the Austen’s and their world.
As the story begins we meet Jane. She’s a young woman, only 19, attending a ball and acting rather shockingly, meeting up with a young man (Tom Lefroy) to whom she has become very attached. She thinks a proposal is on the wind and hopes that the Ball will be the perfect time and place for such a declaration of love.
Unfortunately; instead of a romantic conclusion to Jane’s flirtation a dead body is instead found locked in a closet, rather putting a dampener on affairs. Jane immediately recognises the victim, a milliner from the market, where she recently purchased a hat decorated with exquisite lace.
From here the local magistrate becomes involved and conclusions are rather quickly jumped to about people skulking around the neighbouring woods and search parties are organised — that all unfortunately lead to nothing new.
At the same time Jane’s brother, Georgy is implicated when he is found with the deceased’s necklace — he is immediately detained and although anyone who knows Georgy would swear to his innocence, it looks very bad.
Jane immediately jumps into action, using her sharpness to try and figure out those with a motive, leaving no clue unturned and frequently finding herself blurting out unfounded accusations that are incredibly embarrassing in an attempt to save her brother.
The entire story is packed with little nuggets that put you in mind of the stories that Austen wrote. Clearly her life experience fed into her imagination and the author does a great job of creating plausible situations that work really well.
The writing is good and this is a quick read. Jessica Bull effortlessly recreates the period without making the writing stuffy or overbearing. She paints a picture of the Austens as a loving family, a bit of a chaotic household but the kind that is filled with laughter, questioning minds and debate. Jane has a strong attachment to her sister Cassandra and at the conclusion of each chapter we have a letter to her sister updating her on the investigation.
In terms of the characters, Jane is young and innocent. On top of her worry about her brother and disappointment over the secret love affair she really feels for the victim, who appears to remain unclaimed and unloved — that is until flowers start to appear on her grave.
Jane is determined to undertake a thorough investigation, unlike the local magistrate who seems only too happy to accept things at face value. She tries to surreptitiously question everyone on her list of suspects, quite often leading to red faces all round. She speculates about motives and she cajoles her friends into impossible situations to help her out.
On top of this we get a good look into the Austen’s way of life and the differences they experience. They are a respectable family and considered to be part of the neighbourhood’s social circle but there are often little cutting remarks concerning their status, even down to remarks about Jane’s need to shop for bonnets at the local market.
There’s also a fun look at the restraints of the period not to mention a casual poke at the way families ruthlessly pursue money — because It is, after all, a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife’ (and vice versa if it’s the woman in possession of a good fortune). It’s almost ruthless and quite unapologetic.
The mystery is good. It’s a cosy murder mystery (although I’m sure the deceased would disagree) with plenty of red herrings scattered across the pages. Jane isn’t exactly Sherlock Holmes however what she lacks in stealth and diplomacy she more than makes up for with enthusiasm.
Overall, this story was easy to engage with. The author manages to paint a picture of the period and the family that is a pleasure to read. I thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery and it’s satisfying conclusion and really look forward to reading more in this series.
Book Length — 464 pages
Hardcover Price — $28.56 (Amazon)
