Jane and the Barque of Frailty

I love this series. It's well written and imaginative. Stephanie Barron does a wonderful job bringing to life the history of this time period and melding it with her fictional creations. I look forward to each new publication.

Overall, Stephanie Barron has done a masterful job of invoking Jane Austen and her world through her series of mysteries starring Austen as a sleuth. The ninth installment, "Jane and the Barque of Frailty" is one of the weaker stories within the series. While still a testament to Barron's ability to weave a fictional tale around real-life historical figures, it is too far-fetched by half, straining the credibility that has been a keystone in the other works. "Jane and the Barque of Frailty" finds Jane in London, awaiting the anonymous publication of "Sense and Sensibility" while staying with her brother Henry and his wife Eliza. While well past her prime, Jane still enjoys the delights of the town in spring. But as usual, she finds a mystery to solve when a Russian princess is found dead, her throat slit, on the doorstep belonging to a prominent Tory minister. Days before, scandalous letters between the two were published in the papers, but the death is declared a suicide. Jane knows it to be murder, and that the man under suspicion is not the guilty party, but before she can prove this to be true, she finds herself embroiled in guilt with the case and her very life in danger. As always, Stephanie Barron's depictions of Austen's world are near-flawless: her use of language of the period and physical descriptions seem effortless and she does greater justice to Austen's legacy than many others who have stood to profit from her works. However, the storyline for "Jane and the Barque of Frailty" seems rather outlandish at times: the events that lead to Jane and her sister-in-law being suspected of foul play is a stretch, as are some of the manuevers Jane uses to gain information to clear her name. Still, this ninth installment is an enjoyable read for fans of the series, even if it does not rank up there with earlier and better entries.

If you love mysteries, this series is a real treat! The author has a wonderful mind.

This was an exciting mystery with several surprises and an ending that was quite unexpected. For Jane Austen fans, these Stephanie Baron books are engaging and quite in the style of Austen.

I love how Stephanie Barron captures the mood of 19th century England in her novels. I always feel like I've had a bit of a history lesson after reading the Jane Austen series esp since there are many interesting footnotes explaining some of the terms used. In the past I've almost felt overwhelmed in trying to keep up with the educational bent of the novels along with a complicated plot. The plot in this novel is a bit more straight forward and I found it an enjoyable read. I don't really look for character realism in historical novels. I think that would eliminate most of the women sleuths that populate many books in this genre. I can't really see the real Jane Austen as a sleuth, and this Jane Austen doesn't seem to do much writing, but I like that she has the real Jane Austen's family history.