Monday, August 11, 2014

Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas: Being a Jane Austen Mystery by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas: Being a Jane Austen Mystery

by Stephanie Barron

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Published by: Soho Press October 28, 2014
Genres: Mystery in the style of Jane Austen
Source: ARC from Publisher
Rating: 4 Stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Christmas Eve, 1814: Jane Austen has been invited to spend the holiday with family and friends at The Vyne, the gorgeous ancestral home of the wealthy and politically prominent Chute family.

Jane, however, discovers holiday cheer is fleeting. One of the Yuletide dies in a tragic accident whose circumstances Jane immediately views with suspicion. If the accident was in fact murder, the killer is one of Jane’s fellow snow-bound guests. With clues scattered amidst cleverly-crafted charades, dark secrets coming to light during parlor games, and old friendships returning to haunt the Christmas parties, whom can Jane trust to help her discover the truth and stop the killer from striking again?


I love a good Jane Austen spin-off and I enjoyed this one very much. It was very Agatha Christie-like (whom I also love) . . . A group of friends and strangers snowed in a house with a murder (and murderer) on their hands. The author does a sneaky job of leading the reader on a wild goose chase in terms of who the murderer could be and how they are connected to the murdered. I admit that I didn't guess the ending and am always pleasantly surprised when that happens.

Jane was a sleuthy Jane Marple, keeping her family close and the rest of the party closer, knowing that one of them was dangerous. She follows the clues, one at a time, and ultimately solves the riddle.

I'd recommend this to anyone who like Agatha Christie, Jane Austen and mysteries set at Christmastime.

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