I thought the Jane series had gotten tired, but I quite enjoyed this one. Perhaps I merely needed a vacation from them.Plot wandered - my patience for plot twists and red herrings in mysteries is not infinite - but characters and period details more than compensated. ( )

This series gets better and better! This book is set in Southampton in late February of 1807. There's a lot about the Roayl navy and navy life in general at this time in England's history. There is also a lot of murder, mayhem, skullduggery, spying, all fueled by greed. Jane and her brother Frank are trying to save the life of a sea captain who has been charged with war crimes at sea. He is accused of killing the captain of an enemy ship after the surrender flag had gone up. Frank knows that Captain Seagrave could not have done this deed, but as he and Jane try to determine who did, they run across a cruel and evil plot which places Captain Seagrave right in the middle of the scheme, and it's going to be difficult to prove his innocence. Jane and Frank also stumble on a French spy who spies for England. As the plot unfolds, it endangers the life of this French prisoner. This book is engrossing and it also full of surprises. It sure kept me interested anyway!! ( )

I loved the atmosphere in this novel, as well as the action and the introduction of Jane's brother, Frank (and family). The mystery seemed convoluted to me - and never satisfactorily tied all the ends together. Also - I missed the 'Gentleman Rogue' (thought I guess he can't be in EVERY novel!) ( )

from Publishers Weekly: "Jane Austen aficionados once again have cause to rejoice, as Barron (Jane and the Stillroom Maid, etc.) maintains her usual high standards in this latest literary historical, set in the environs of Southampton and Portsmouth, home of the Royal Navy. In the winter of 1807, Jane is one of the Austen household living in lodgings, when her brother Frank enlists her aid in clearing the name of his friend, Captain Tom Seagrave. Seagrave's lieutenant has accused him of killing an enemy officer after the Frenchman surrendered his ship in a naval action off the Portuguese coast. Such a charge under the Articles of War could result in the hanging of "Lucky" Tom. Frank cannot believe that his friend is guilty, and Jane resolves to find a witness, perhaps among the French prisoners of war incarcerated at the Wool House. Soon, Captain Seagrave's is not the only life in jeopardy. Barron has on the whole again caught Austen's tone accurately. Details about life in the British navy serve to illuminate, rather than distract from, the narrative. The novel's real achievement, though, is the portrayal of the minor characters the retired seaman known as the Bosun's Mate, Seagrave's suspicious and vulnerable wife and Jane's brother Frank, who's anxious for command but uncertain of the price that may be exacted. A somewhat convoluted plot, thanks to Jane's puzzle-solving abilities, comes to a neat resolution."

Great book series in which Jane Austen solves mysteries. ( )