For those not familiar with this series, Barron has imagined the Regency literary legend as a detective who subtly yet surely uses her keen insight into human follies to solve those puzzles (and occasional murders) that come across her path in life.
For this latest entry, Jane and the Year Without a Summer, the year in question is 1816 when a volcanic eruption caused a worldwide change in the seasons. Nevertheless, Jane and her sister Cassandra decide to spend a couple of weeks in the spa town of Cheltenham for some much needed rest and restoration.
Since the works of Jane Austen are often blended into the narrative of each story, I thought that a good way to highlight the new Jane Austen mystery would be by pointing out some of those familiar story sights.When Jane and her sister do arrive in Cheltenham, they quickly learn that there is more to the place than just taking the waters.
Plenty of amusement is to be found among their new acquaintances at their local lodgings, rather like Charlotte Heywood discovers in Sanditon , that sadly unfinished story set in a seaside village looking to offer the promise of renewed health and perhaps a touch of romance to visitors there:
Intrigue abounds, however, as one of their new company turns out to be fleeing from her nobleman husband and possibly wicked stepmother.
The lady’s insistence that her family seeks to ruin her health for their own financial benefit does sound quite a bit like one of those Gothic novels that Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey would devour in one late night sitting.
Regardless, things may not be what they seem as both Jane and her fictional heroine learn along the way…:
Thanks for the lovely spotlight on Jane and the Year, Tara. Barron is so gifted at channeling Jane Austen. It is remarkable. I enjoy her historical details too. This mystery is fun and intriguing. I am looking forward to the final book in the series too.
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