Lisa P. (Sluggo-Gal) - reviewed Jane and the Barque of Frailty (Jane Austen, Bk 9) on + 9 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Couldn't figure out til the very end "who done it". A bit more serious and definitely more detailed politically than earlier books. Still, Jane's voice shines through, and we see her fearlessly follow clues until the end. As always, tidbits of Jane's real life make up part of the story. No one does this kind of book as well as Stephanie Barron.
Joy L. (vintagejoy) - reviewed Jane and the Barque of Frailty (Jane Austen, Bk 9) on + 337 more book reviews
In this book 9 of the series, we find Jane spending some weeks with her brother Henry and his wife Eliza, the "Little Comtess" in London. Jane takes note of a lady alone at the Opera one evening, the next day only to find that she is dead under suspicious circumstances. The coroner would have it suicide, but Jane does not think so. In order to solve this mystery Jane ends up in some very interesting situations before all is made clear. If you do not know what the "Barque of Frailty" refers to, in Jane's time this was one of the terms used to describe a 'kept' mistress.
I'm normally a huge fan of Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen mysteries, but I found this one to be a bit disappointing. In this novel, a Russian princess is found dead and Jane and her sister-in-law Eliza are accused of the murder. The man who accuses them (a Bow Street Runner) grants them a temporary reprieve and allows them a week to discover the real murderer. I found this to be a bit far-fetched, but I found Jane and Eliza's rather nonchalant attitude to their situation to be even more ridiculous.
The thing I found most disappointing about this book is how obvious the "guilty person" is. I figured it out very early on in the book, and thus I found Jane's investigation to be a bit boring.
The thing I found most disappointing about this book is how obvious the "guilty person" is. I figured it out very early on in the book, and thus I found Jane's investigation to be a bit boring.
Anne D. (annemarie246) reviewed Jane and the Barque of Frailty (Jane Austen, Bk 9) on + 4 more book reviews
Always enjoy Jane's escapades and this didn't disappoint.