Book Review: Jane and the Waterloo Map by Stephanie Barron

Jane Austen turns sleuth in this delightful Regency-era mystery

November, 1815. The Battle of Waterloo has come and gone, leaving the British economy in shreds; Henry Austen, high-flying banker, is about to declare bankruptcy—dragging several of his brothers down with him. The crisis destroys Henry’s health, and Jane flies to his London bedside, believing him to be dying. While she’s there, the chaplain to His Royal Highness the Prince Regent invites Jane to tour Carlton House, the Prince’s fabulous London home. The chaplain is a fan of Jane’s books, and during the tour he suggests she dedicate her next novel—Emma—to HRH, whom she despises.

However, before she can speak to HRH, Jane stumbles upon a body—sprawled on the carpet in the Regent’s library. The dying man, Colonel MacFarland, was a cavalry hero and a friend of Wellington’s. He utters a single failing phrase: “Waterloo map” . . . and Jane is on the hunt for a treasure of incalculable value and a killer of considerable cunning.

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For years, Stephanie Barron's Being Jane mysteries have been on my literary radar, but I took little interest in them, despite their Austenesque genre placement.  I'm not generally drawn to mysteries; in fact, the last few that I've read had almost put me off the subject matter entirely.  About a year ago I won a signed copy of Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas, and I decided that at some point I would at least give Ms. Barron's work a try.  If nothing else, the Twelve Days cover art was enticing me to give it a go.  Yes, I'm that type of reader.

Fast forward a year, and I still haven't read the book.  Yet here comes another title in the series, Jane and the Waterloo Map. I'm intrigued with the battle of Waterloo and pairing it with Austenesque fiction heightened my interest in a mystery novel once again.  I was thrilled when I received an invitation to be a part of the Waterloo Map blog tour and danced a little jig when the book arrived on my doorstep.

As I'm a complete neurotic when it comes to reading books in a series, I simply could not begin my experience with the Being Jane novels with Book 13.  I quickly procured a copy of Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor for perusal, and I was not disappointed! The novel was incredibly enjoyable, and I was thrilled that I'd begun with the first in the series.  Then I began to hear from other readers (including the author herself) that reading Book 2, Jane and the Man of the Cloth would also be a good idea, as many foundational lines are established in this title as well. I mentioned this to my husband, and he promptly found a copy in a used bookstore and brought it home for me. I had little time to get Man of the Cloth read, but once again Stephanie Barron wrote a thrilling tale that was easy to take in with speed and enjoyment.

Although I'd love to plow through Books 3-12, time was wasting away for this post's deadline, so I leaped forward to Jane and the Waterloo Map, which is set eleven years after the conclusion of Map of the Cloth. I found in short order that I needed to familiarize myself with one character in particular, who had been introduced in Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas.  While I don't see it as completely necessary for all readers to do this, I quickly opened Twelve Days and got to know the character of Raphael West just a bit.  He plays a major role in Waterloo Map, and I'm glad I took the time to read a few of his opening scenes in Book 12.  Again, this isn't a requirement for other readers to enjoy this latest title. I just found it to be helpful in my understanding of his relationship to Jane.

As with Books 1 and 2, Jane and the Waterloo Map is a delightful mixture of fact (things we've learned from world history as well as Jane's actual letters), fiction (Jane Austen as sleuth!), intelligence, wit, and just a touch of chaste romance.  Barron's narratives rarely lag, and while I find the number of characters introduced into the story to be many, they always contribute to the plot and hold some significance, no matter how small.  As I do with many of the novels I read, I did a "Hollywood casting" in my head to keep the individuals organized.  At the conclusion of this review, I'll offer up some of the names of those who graced the "silver screen" in my mind.

I must say that near the end of Waterloo Map, Barron truly had me guessing as to what would be coming next in her plot choices, and she surprised me on multiple occasions.  My interest never ceased to be held, and I was particularly shocked at the revelation of one villainous character. I truly didn't see this twist coming at all. And just when I thought that the drama would be at its end, Barron threw in one more scene of peril and excitement, just for good measure. There is a bit of a bittersweet ending, and I closed the book with much satisfaction.  While I don't anticipate abandoning my primary interest in general Austenesque fiction, Stephanie Barron has restored my interest in mystery stories.  In her Being Jane series, she has captured the voice of Jane Austen as none I have read in some time, and has combined her ability to uniquely tell a quality story with a whodunit. I'm utterly surprised at how much I've enjoyed reading her these past weeks, and look forward to not only reading the remaining ten books in the collection but hope to see many more new works from her to come.

Hollywood Casting - Jane and the Waterloo Map

Olivia Williams as Jane Austen in
Miss Austen Regrets (2008 at age 40)

Keep in mind, this is my brain at work.  I try to choose as many Brits as I can, with the proper ages, hair color, etc., but as is the case in the real world, this isn't always possible.  It's just a helpful tool for me to keep characters organized as I traipse through the worlds that my authors create.

Jane Austen - Olivia Williams at age 40
Raphael West (age 46) - Joseph Fiennes
Henry Austen (age 44) -  Jude Law
Prince George (age 47) - Zach Galifianakis
Benjamin West - Christopher Plummer at 77
James Stanier Clarke - Toby Jones
Dr. Matthew Baillie - David Bamber
Charles Haden - Michael Socha
Fanny (Austen) Knight - Jessica Brown Findlay at 22
Duke of Wellington - Rupert Penry-Jones
Madame Gauthier - Lily James at 22
Major George Scovell - James D'Arcy

About the Author 

Stephanie Barron was born in Binghamton, New York, the last of six girls. She attended Princeton and Stanford Universities, where she studied history, before going on to work as an intelligence analyst at the CIA. She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Since then, she has written fifteen books. She lives and works in Denver, Colorado. Learn more about Stephanie and her books at her website, visit her on Facebook and Goodreads.

 

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