I have very little experience in reading or reviewing mystery books, so I am not really confident that I know what makes a good mystery novel. That being said, I enjoyed reading Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor but did not feel that it created enough suspense or intellectual puzzlement (which I would assume to be important to the mystery genre). I love the Jane Austen period and loved the references to the dress and customs of the day. Stephanie Barron did a good job at imitating Austen's writing style which is probably why it was not very suspenseful. The story plods along and develops slowly and evenly. Austen's original works portrayed daily life in great detail and focused on the motives underlying her character's actions. I am still unconvinced that this style works well in a mystery where extraordinary events such as murder and mayhem are the topics. It seemed to lack emotional intensity which I would expect from characters under such strain.

It is written in first person by Jane under the guise that she recorded the story in her journal as well as in letters to her sister Cassandra. As a guest at a bridal ball being held at Scargrave Manor in honor of her close friend, Jane becomes entangled in a murder case. Her friend, Isobel is accused of murdering her new husband who is found to have been poisoned, but Jane never wavers in her faithfulness to her friends innocence. Though Isobel is secretly in love with her new husbands nephew she is not the type of person to commit a murder. Jane finds important clues, overhear suspicious conversations and uncovers a lot of financial difficulty amongst various members of the family. She is amazingly strong in every circumstance, such as when faced with the horror of discovering a body, when required to testify in court, when visiting the notorious Newgate Prison and when under personal threat. In the nick of time Jane figures out who the real murderer was and saves her beautiful friend from being sentenced to death.

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor is the first in a series of Jane Austen mystery novels by Stephanie Barron. She captures the style, time and setting very well. Her characters are interesting but not very deeply drawn. The mystery held my interest but did not grip me. I would certainly suggest it to readers who enjoy old-fashioned mysteries. ( )

Jane Austen tackles 19th century English society and manners in her novels; Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen tackles society, manners, and murder. In Barron’s Jane Austen mystery series, she attempts a daunting task—to mimic Jane Austen’s literary style with all its gentility, formality, elegance, satire, wit, and meandering. Jane Austen’s penetrating observation of those around her that is so apparent in her novels makes plausible the premise of her succeeding as an amateur sleuth.

In Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, Barron realizes this premise. Jane Austen, the novel’s protagonist and intrepid narrator, applies her keen observational skills to investigating murder.

Jane’s prosaic visit to her friend Isobel’s mansion turns sinister. Isobel’s homecoming party to establish herself as the new Countess of Scargrave turns sinister when her husband, the Earl of Scargrave, falls ill and dies suddenly of an enigmatic ailment. Shortly thereafter, Isobel receives an incriminating letter suggesting she was involved in a conspiracy with Fitzroy, her purported lover the Earl’s nephew and heir, to do away with the Earl. Isobel pleads with Jane to ferret out the true murderer. Jane’s investigation takes on increased urgency as Isobel and Fitzroy are whisked away to dwell in despair in the depths of Newgate prison. Each day brings closer the House of Lords trial upon which a guilty verdict and a hanging will follow.

Purportedly the story has been pieced together from selections of Austen’s personal journal and letters to her sister Cassandra. Barron’s research into Austen’s life, letters, and fiction shines through clearly in her fiction mysteries as she incorporates true facts from Jane Austen’s life such as her nullifying Jane’s agreement to marry Harris Bigg-Wither and her close relationship with her sister Cassandra. Barron also includes quotes from Jane Austen’s novels as if suggesting their origin to be in Jane’s experiences at Scargrave manor.

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor is but the first of Barron’s comedy of manners and a cozy mystery series; the ninth, Jane and the Barque of Frailties, was published in 2006. For readers who enjoy period detail and mystery, Barron’s series should be an apt one to suggest they try. ( )

I have purposefully shunned all of the fake "jane" books out there until I saw this one. I was looking for something light and fun and this fit my need. I really liked this book. The characters were well drawn. I loved the bits of humor. The author really has captured the essence of the real "jane". I will be reading on in the series. ( )

Can you ever get enough of Jane Austen? Since her library is so small, many of us have to go elsewhere. This novel is fun, just because we get to pretend we are getting to know Jane herself. I enjoyed the sprinkling of references to Jane's novels, as well as footnotes about history and culture. I wish I knew for sure what is real and what is fiction in that regard - but not enough to go searching it all out. ( )

In the end I really enjoyed this book. It is not the first time that an historical mystery is told in the form of supposedly found lettes and documents. The one that does this extremely successfully is Elizabeth Peters in her Amelia Peabody series, which happens to be be a huge favourite of mine. Jane Austen in the role of sleuth is not that big a stretch since we already know that the lady was intelligent and had a keen wit. I enjoyed the way Ms. Barron portrayed her in this book, and she was interesting enough to make me want to read more in this series. There were a few loopholes in the plot though, and some "flights of fancy" that seemed to come from nowhere. The historical detail is also not perfect, but these small flaws don't destroy the story. I think the genre for this book is more historical cozy than historical mystery, so keeping this in mind, the flaws do not seem so important and the story is lots of fun. ( )