Jane and the Waterloo Map

Yep, I still deeply enjoy this series. Yep, it was another fascinating mystery set in a well-depicted Austenian setting. It was excellent, and my only fear whenever I read along with Jane's further adventures is that she may reach the end of her short life. I can only hope it turns out to be a faked death when the time comes, but I strongly appreciate Barron's willingness to eke out as much adventure as possible in the canvas she's chosen.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.

Starting a series on the 13th book was probably not the best idea. It’s akin to taking your two male offspring with you shoe shopping. It never works out. But, I did it anyway, and (in this case) I am glad I did.

The story takes place a few months after the Battle of Waterloo. Jane has come to London to nurse her ailing brother who is facing financial ruin. She is then summoned to Carlton House by the chaplain to the Prince Regent. The chaplain is a fan of Jane’s work and wants her to dedicate her next book to the Prince. While Jane is at Carlton House she is the lone witness to the death of hero from the Battle of Waterloo. Before he breathes his last, he whispers, “Waterloo map”. Jane soon becomes involved in solving his show more mysterious and untimely death.

One of the things I liked best about the book was the subject of Waterloo. Barron includes lots of facts and details surrounding the battle and its aftermath. I am woefully ignorant about Waterloo….other than Napoleon lost the battle (and the song Waterloo by ABBA is GREAT). So I found this part intriguing. Also, Jane (as you would expect) is smart and witty. The mystery kept me guessing right up until the end.

This book works as a stand-alone piece. There are no gaping holes or long explanatory passages that summarize events in previous books. I am interested in reading more about Jane’s history with one of the characters, but it wasn’t necessary to the plot of this specific book.

I enjoyed this book enough to go back and read the others in the series. Although…since my TBR is endless, I’m not sure how soon I will get through them all. After all…this was the 13th installment. show less

Very interesting combination of history and fiction.
Jane Austen was an inveterate letter-writer, and since many of them survive to this day, Stephanie Barron is able to weave a plausible story using Jane's own account of her days, while adding mystery and intrigue to fill in the gaps.
This story begins with the real-life invitation to Jane Austen to visit the Prince Regent's house and library in the company of the Royal Librarian, James Stanier Clarke. At the same time she was given "permission" (a thinly veiled command!) to dedicate her next book, Emma, to the Prince Regent. So much is true.

What is added in this story is Jane's discovery of a body in the library! A celebrated military gentleman whose last cryptic words are, "Waterloo show more map." Jane comes to suspect he was poisoned. She pursues her suspicion in the company of Raphael West, an American painter/British spy she met in the last book. She sort of has a thing for him, and he for her, though it never is acknowledged. She also briefly meets the Duke of Wellington and delves into the world of cyphers and watercolors.

The settings in this story are memorable, and the narrative very good. If there are anachronisms, they are hard to spot! The dialogue rings true; it succeeds where many Austen continuations or fanfiction fails dismally. I'm only wondering where things will go from here, as this book takes place within a couple years of Jane's death. show less

Love the Jane series by Barron. She hits just the right Austenian note for wit, language, and character development. I hesitated going into the series because, afterall, how can Austen be topped? She might well suffer in the hands of a less proficient author, but Stephanie Barron does her research and is meticulous in terms of style and content.

These books are definite comfort reading. The plot here is just complicated enough to keep my interest, and I continue to enjoy seeing Jane with her family and friends. I don't generally enjoy books that plug real historical characters into made up mystery stories, but this series is my one exception to that rule.

Jane is back and manages to get embroiled in a murder. There are a number of red herrings that make the ending quite amusing. Lord Trowbridge is still sadly missed but there is a new interest in Mr. West. Jane is an engaging fictional character.

While this is a new to me author and series, I love anything to do with Jane Austen so I jumped at the chance to read/review this book. Jane as a detective? I couldn't miss reading this one!

Jane and the Waterloo Map was interesting, engaging, well written with a great plot and sub plots. The setting was intriguing and well, if you love Jane Austen and you like mysteries ... you'll love this book!

Thank you to Soho Publishing and Edelweiss for the gifts of this book in exchange for an honest review.