Jane and His Lordship's Legacy (Jane Austen Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

The joy in reading Stephanie Barron's excellent Jane Austen mystery series, for me, lies not always in the mystery at hand (though they are rather good), but rather in the manner in which Ms Barron has successfully and brilliantly captured the inimitable Miss Austen's prose style, the manner in which she describes scenes and incidents and the manner in which she vividly portrays her characters. No one, to my mind, has ever successfully recaptured Jane Austen's voice to such an extent. And Stephanie Barron deserves all the praise for her hard work (I especially enjoy all those footnotes) and all her meticulous research. "Jane and His Lordship's Legacy," the latest Jane Austen mystery, was a joy to read. It takes place in 1809, when Jane and her mother had moved to the village of Chawton in Hampshire, where Jane's brother, Edward, owns property.

Edward has decided to move his female relatives into his dead bailiff's cottage in Chawton village, thus displacing the bailiff's widow, and provoking much displeasure amongst the villagers. Jane, still grieving privately for the death of Lord Harold Trowridge, a gentleman with whom she had solved several mysteries, and whom she had come to love quite deeply, is quite thrown to discover that the villagers view the Austens with suspicion and displeasure; and further, that residing in Chawton is one Jack Hinton, who claims that he, and not Jane's brother Edward, is the rightful heir to all the Hampshire estates that Edward will inherit from his rich relatives, the Knights, who had adopted Edward at an early age as their heir. If that is not all, on the very day that the Austen women move into their new abode, Jane receives a visit from Lord Trowbridge's lawyer and learns that Lord Trowbridge has left her all his papers and letters, so that she may write a memoir of his life. Lord Trowbridge's relatives are in an uproar over the legacy and have allowed people to believe that Jane was once Trowbridge's lover. Undeterred by all the malicious gossip surrounding her (to her mother's chagrin), Jane is resolved to read Trowbridge's letter and diaries and to write memoir that he believed only she could write. But even before Jane can delve into his lordship's papers, she discovers the dead body of a labourer is her cellar. A coroner's inquest reveals that the dead man, Shafto French, was murdered. Who killed him, and why was he left in Austens' cellar? Even as a very curious Jane considers these questions, the chest containing Trowbridge's papers is stolen. This coincides with the arrival of the enigmatic Julian Thrace, a gentleman whom it is rumoured is the new heir to the Earl of Holbrook, and his half-sister, Lady Imogen (the Earl's acknowledged daughter), whom Julian would displace as heiress to her father's riches. Could the theft be tied to the newcomers' presence? The quiet village of Chawton is suddenly hopping with activity! Nonetheless, Jane is determined to solve the mystery of the dead man in her cellar and to recover her chest. And with both her brothers, Edward's and Henry's, help she just might do so...

Stephanie Barrons'Jane Austen series only seems to get better and better. Fast paced and thoroughly engrossing, "Jane and His Lordship's Legacy" was a treat to read from beginning to end. The mystery subplot was a little bare, but what made this novel work and a joy to read was how the author presented her characters and the straits they find themselves in. It was all very realistic and believable. I, especially, liked that both of Jane's brothers were prominently featured and that they assisted her without quibbling at all. The respect and affection they had for their sister was evident. At the same time they were not above teasing her wickedly when the occasion so presented itself. It spoke of the kind of relationship the Austens had, and made the book a more heartwarming read. All in all, a thoroughly pleasing read, not to be missed whether or not you're a Jane Austen fan.

This latest book in the Jane Austen detective series is better than the previous entry ("Ghosts of Netley"). This book picks up with Jane and her mother moving into Chawton House - where Jane was to spend the last eight or so years of her life. Jane is, of course, mourning the death of Harold Trowbridge, but soon finds more than enough happening in Chawton to distract her. The family is given a cold welcome in Chawton, where her brother/landlord Edward Austen-Knight is held not to have paid sufficient attention to the villagers' needs. In addition, she is saddled with the bequest of Trowbridge's personal papers and the request to write his memoirs, not to mention a dead body in the cellar!

High points of this book: a well-plotted mystery with multitudes of suspects, the reunion of most of Jane's siblings as they help her figure out the mystery, riveting excerpts from Lord Harold's letters and diaries... do I need to add more? It's really good and, I would say, a high point in the series.

I have enjoyed every one of Stephanie Barron's fine mystery series and this book is no exception. In fact, this may be my favorite of the series. The mystery is well-written but, for me, this is not the true attraction of the novel--and it never has been for this series. Rather, I am always enthralled by Barron's ability to bring Austen back to life.

Barron's grasp of Austen and her world is phenomenal. Her Jane always rings true and there are many echoes of the sentiments and expressions in this series that let the reader know that Barron is truly knowledgeable about her main character. That Barron has a great deal of affection for Jane also comes through and Jane comes alive as a witty, intelligent, and fascinating woman who is also flawed. Barron's Austen is not above bouts of pettiness and impatience and Barron serves Austen all the better for it. Anyone who enjoys and reveres Austen will likely enjoy these books immensely for Barron does an exemplary job of making Austen real and giving fervent Austen fans what they most crave--more of the fine brain and insight that characterize Austen's works. If we cannot have more Austen novels, we are yet very fortunate to have Barron's series.

What really sets this book apart is the maturity that Jane shows. Barron has deftly and seemingly effortlessly written a work that mirrors the sometimes melancholy, often bittersweet, and decidely autumnal feel that characterizes Austen's late work Persuasion. Barron's Jane is not sorry for the choices she has made but has seen much and has such a keen self-awareness that she knows all that she has lost. Though Jane's relationship with Lord Harold Trowbridge is fictional, the details of her dependence on her brothers and her frustrated attempts at publishing during her lifetime are not and Barron gives voice to Jane's feelings on these subjects.

Lest I give Barron short shrift, the central mystery of the story is well constructed and engaging. Barron, like Austen, shows the reader the constraints of the class structure of the day and the lengths to which people were willing to go to climb up the society ladder. Jane's bequest is both a blessing and a curse for it brings her closer to the man she loved and lost but it also imperils her because it contains provocative details that could make or break some of society's most powerful. At heart, this is a story of greed and ambition and though it is set hundreds of years ago its themes are still very contemporary.