March 1817: As winter turns to spring, Jane Austen’s health is in slow decline, and threatens to cease progress on her latest manuscript. But when her nephew Edward brings chilling news of a death at his former school, Winchester College, not even her debilitating ailment can keep Jane from seeking out the truth. Arthur Prendergast, a senior pupil at the prestigious all-boys’ boarding school, has been found dead in a culvert near the schoolgrounds—and in the pocket of his drenched waistcoat is an incriminating note penned by the young William Heathcote, the son of Jane’s dear friend Elizabeth. Winchester College is a world unto itself, with its own language and rites of passage, cruel hazing and dangerous pranks. Can Jane clear William’s name before her illness gets the better of her?
Over the course of fourteen previous novels in the critically acclaimed Being a Jane Austen Mystery series, Stephanie Barron has won the hearts of thousands of fans—crime fiction aficionados and Janeites alike—with her tricky plotting and breathtaking evocation of Austen’s voice. Now, she brings Jane’s final season—and final murder investigation—to brilliant, poignant life in this unforgettable conclusion.
PRAISE FOR JANE AND THE FINAL MYSTERY
- “Poignant . . . Elicits deep emotion out of Jane’s struggles against her own mortality. This is a fitting send-off for a beautifully realized series.”— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
- “Barron developed Jane’s narrative voice by reading Austen’s collected and published letters, and it is neither spoiler nor surprise to say that series readers will be sorry to say goodbye to Jane Austen, amateur sleuth.”— Booklist
- "[Barron] has brilliantly combined authentic historical and biographical details with skillful plotting and a credible evocation of Austen’s wry, distinctive voice. She brings the English author’s final investigation to a poignant, unforgettable close. Fans of this historical series will not be disappointed.”— First Clue
In 1995 author Stephanie Barron began her renowned Jane Austen Mysteries. Now totaling fifteen titles, the series traces the fictional escapades of the beloved English novelist as amateur sleuth. The first volume, Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, joins Austen shortly after her rejection of Harris Bigg-Wither in December 1802 when she is in her late twenties. With each subsequent novel of Barron’s, the timeline of Jane’s life continues. As history records, she died in July of 1817. At the conclusion of the fourteenth novel Jane and the Year Without a Summer, the titular heroine was beginning to show signs of her ailment in 1816. In Jane and the Final Mystery, she is heavily beset with fatigue, pain and other symptoms of her sickness. Nonetheless, within her social and familial circles a crime is discovered and she is on the case to assist in its resolution, bringing justice to the wronged and vindication to the falsely accused. Readers are given an intimate view into the complex environment of an elite boys' boarding school, which Jane deftly navigates in order to discover the truth about the offense committed.
Stephanie Barron has a talent for capturing the voice of Austen in a way that places her in an elite field. This reader has consumed a significant amount of Austenesque fiction, as well as novels that are set in 19th century England. While I have enjoyed most of the titles, very few have reached the excellence of writing that Barron offers. Her history is well-researched, the language is accurate to the period (to my limited knowledge) and the style is accessible enough for modern readers. That said, I enjoyed the discovery of new words to add to my vocabulary. Although an entertaining endeavor, reading Jane and the Final Mystery was also an educational experience.
When I opened the first pages of the Final Mystery, it was with a tinge of sadness. I was hesitant to begin, as it would bring me that much closer to the conclusion of this delightful series. However, I have the unlikely “blessing” of being a latecomer to Barron’s writing, as I only discovered her work in 2016. I have read five of her full-length mystery novels as of this date. This means I have the opportunity to enjoy ten other titles previously published. Barron touches on a few moments from those past titles near the conclusion of Final Mystery, and while I was not familiar with all of the elements to which she referred, it was not alienating. Those remembrances merely spurred my desire to return to the rest of the series in short order.
Several years ago Stephanie Barron took a hiatus from writing this series. Six years passed between the publication of the thirteenth title Jane and the Waterloo Map and the next, Jane and the Year Without a Summer. I was positively delighted when the mysteries continued in 2022. Thank you, Stephanie Barron, for returning to our dear Jane in order to conclude her final years as amateur sleuth. As has been the case with the other titles enjoyed by this reader, Jane and the Final Mystery is a Janeite’s delight and a mystery reader’s pleasure. Your vision of this treasure of Regency England is thoroughly believable and provides clever reading which would most assuredly be enjoyed by Jane herself. Congratulations to you, and thank you again for this gift to your readers.
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