Jane and the Wandering Eye by Stephanie Barron

About the Book:

As Christmas of 1804 approaches, Jane Austen finds herself "insupportably bored with Bath, and the littleness of a town." It is with relief that she accepts a peculiar commission from her Gentleman Rogue, Lord Harold Trowbridge—to shadow his niece, Lady Desdemona, who has fled to Bath to avoid the attentions of the unsavoury Earl of Swithin.

But Jane's idle diversion turns deadly when a man is discovered stabbed to death in the Theatre Royal. Adding to the mystery is an unusual object found on the victim's body—a pendant that contains a portrait of an eye! As Jane's fascination with scandal leads her deeper into the investigation, it becomes clear that she will not uncover the truth without some dangerous playacting of her own....

My thoughts:

I'm bound and determined to work my way through Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen mystery series.....but so far it's been a bumpy ride. Barron does such a wonderful job of portraying the beloved author as a slueth that you are almost convinced that she really was a detective in her time.....I just wish the plot had been more compelling. While Jane was finding herself "insupportably bored with Bath," I was "insupportably bored after a few chapters." And that's a shame. With Harold Trowbridge, Jane's roguish sidekick, back on the scene and the fascinating world of the theatre,  it should have been a fun ride. 

 I found this installment to be the most challenging to get through -- a very promising beginning soon dragged and lost my interest early on -- but there's always some little nugget of research or historical tidbit in her books that makes the whole effort worthwhile. Barron's attention to the details of the period are fascinating, and although the mysteries are fictitious, the timeline the stories follow align with what is known about Jane Austen's actual life and the history of the period. 

 In this case, I was fascinated by the clue that was left at the murder scene which takes place right at the beginning of the story...an eye portrait. I must admit, I was not aware of the historical significance of this tiny piece of art  until reading this book, and the story behind these portraits is very interesting. 

Barron describes the tiny portraits as a "love token" for illicit lovers. The origin of the portrait is attributed to the Prince of Wales when he commissioned a miniature eye portrait of his mistress, Maria Fritzhebert. Since the entire face is not seen, it is difficult to identify the person in the portrait! Secret lovers could wear the tiny pin close to the heart without too much concern about the person being identified.

Although this is the third mystery in the series, I've actually read 5 of the books to date. Next up,  Jane and the Genius of the Place.

3/5 stars

Title: Jane and the Wandering Eye
Author: Stephanie Barron
genre: historical mystery; Austenesque

*This book is from my personal library.

Death in the Floating City by Tasha Alexander

About the Book:

A Lady Emily Mystery (#7)

"Years ago, Emily's childhood nemesis, Emma Callum, scandalized polite society when she eloped to Venice with an Italian count. But now her father-in-law lies murdered, and her husband has vanished. There's no one Emma can turn to for help but Emily, who leaves at once with her husband, the dashing Colin Hargreaves, for Venice. There, her investigations take her from opulent palazzi to slums, libraries, and bordellos. Emily soon realizes that to solve the present day crime, she must first unravel a centuries old puzzle. But the past does not give up its secrets easily, especially when these revelations might threaten the interests of some very powerful people."

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Absolutely enchanting!  

Death in the Floating City is one of the best in the Lady Emily mystery series and has the same beautiful and elegant writing that first captured my attention in And Only to Deceive. 

The Victorian-era Venetian setting is rich and beautifully depicted, and the mystery is truly intriguing involving poetry, art, illuminated manuscripts, and ancient Venetian noble families. When Lady Emily and Colin are summoned to Venice to begin a murder investigation,  their  detective work unveils a tragic tale of 15th-century lovers.  The star-crossed couple were cruelly denied their  happiness as their respective families were involved in an ancient blood feud and refused to allow them to marry.  Their ill-fated love story broke my heart and reading of their lifelong pain and longing was very touching.  Tasha Alexander wrote their story with such depth and sensitivity that I was brought to tears. How this love story is connected to the murder is a puzzle, and Lady Emily and Colin must piece together ancient clues and clues left at the present-day crime scene to determine the culprit and the motive for murder.

But have no fear, it's not all a tale of woe, and this latest installment has me already anticipating the next book and all of its wonderful possibilities. I hope she's busy writing it!

 An absolute must-read for fans of Lady Emily and Colin!

4.5/5 stars

Title: Death in the Floating City
Author: Tasha Alexander
St. Martin's Press
2012
308 pages
genre: historical mystery

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Book Synopsis:

"The daughter of a struggling greengrocer, Maisie Dobbs was only thirteen when she was sent to work as a maid for wealthy London aristocrats. But being bright and thoughtful beyond her years, Maisie studies her way to Cambridge, then serves as a nurse on the Front during the Great War.

Now, it's the spring of 1929, nearly ten years after the Armistice and Maisie has just opened up her own detective agency. Her first assignment, a seemily open-and-shut case, will reveal a much deeper, darker mystery, forcing Maisie to revisit the horrors of the war and the ghost she left behind. Refreshing, absorbing, and beautifully rendered, Maisie Dobbs marks the beginning of an incredible new series."

My thoughts:

I've had the Maisie Dobbs books on my TBR shelf for quite some time, so I was delighted to be invited to participate in the TLC tour and month-long celebration in March for this wonderful historical mystery series by Jacqueline Winspear.

I thought Book #1, Maisie Dobbs, was a beautifully written story from start to finish. It is a poignant account of a young girl's rise from household servant to wartime field nurse to eventually creating her own career as a private investigator during WWI-era England.

This novel is so much more than just an historical mystery with a clever female sleuth. Winspear creates Maisie's story of her first investigative case in such a way that with flashbacks we experience the horrors of war and come to understand the physical and psychological scars of those who served during wartime. So many made sacrifices of the body, mind and heart, including Maisie herself....which has given her a deep sense of purpose in life that goes beyond just wanting to solve mysteries. She has empathy for those who suffer or are in need, and this first installment of Maisie Dobbs will reveal the unusual and emotional path that has brought her from humble beginnings to professional investigator. A great beginning to a series that I can't wait to continue!

4.5/5 stars = Highly recommended!

*****Thank you to Trish Collins @ TLC Book Tours and the publisher (Penguin Books) for providing me with a review copy of Maisie Dobbs.*****








Be sure to participate in all the fun of Jacqueline Winspear's virtual TLC book tour during the month of March.

The entire Maisie Dobbs series will be read and discussed throughout the month of March! You can jump into this series wherever you like, but if you're following along you can catch reviews and discussions of each book in the series according to the following schedule:

Week of March 5: The first five books in the Maisie Dobbs Series
Week of March 12: The Mapping of Love and Death
Week of March 19: A Lesson in Secrets
Week of March 26: Elegy for Eddie

To see the list of over thirty blogs that will be participating in the read-along, and to see which books will be reviewed by which bloggers, click here.
Enjoy!

What Angels Fear by C. S. Harris

"In London, 1811, a young woman is brutally raped and murdered, her body left on the altar steps of an ancient church. The prime suspect: Sebastian St. Cyr, a brilliant young nobleman still haunted by his experiences in the Napoleonic Wars. Now he is running for his life, desperate to catch the killer and prove his innocence. Moving from Mayfair's glittering ballrooms to St. Giles's fetid back alleys, Sebastian is assisted by a band of unlikely allies and pursued by a Machiavellian powerbroker with ties to the Prince Regent himself. What Angels Fear seamlessly weaves an intimate knowledge of the period with a multi-layered and compelling story, and is the first of a series of novels featuring these characters."
(from Goodreads)

my thoughts:

A very well-written historical mystery featuring the handsome Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, being accused of a heinous crime. Evidence at the scene of the rape/murder of a beautiful young actress implicates him as the culprit. During his arrest, he escapes and becomes a fugitive of the law while donning several disguises to disappear into the seedy underworld of Regency-era London searching for the real killer. Aided by a young street-wise pickpocketer, the duo set out to prove Sebastian's innocence and uncover a sinister plot of blackmail, love affairs, political intrigue, and spies. So impressed were the magistrates with Sebastian's investigative skills that they recruit him to assist them (unofficially, of course) in future cases!

I enjoyed this fast-moving plot as it kept me guessing how it would all play out. Some graphic descriptions of the murder and sex crime may be a bit much for some readers, so be forewarned. I'm definitely interested in continuing the series as there are several intriguing layers to Sebastian's character that should have interesting possibilities. In the author's note, Harris describes a condition (later called Bithil Syndrome) which gives Sebastian an abnormally keen eyesight and hearing, even the ability to have "night vision," as well as unusually quick reflexes. Pretty good qualities to have if you are an investigator!

3.5/5

Title: What Angels Fear (#1 Sebastian St. Cyr)
Author: C. S. Harris
genre: Regency-era historical mystery
kindle edition

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen

"Georgie, aka Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, cousin of King George V of England, is penniless and trying to survive on her own as an ordinary person in London in 1932.

So far she has managed to light a fire and boil an egg...
She's gate-crashed a wedding...
She's making money by secretly cleaning houses...
And she's been asked to spy for Her Majesty the Queen.

Everything seems to be going swimmingly until she finds a body in her bathtub and someone is definitely trying to kill her."(from the publisher)

my thoughts:

Looking for a light, charming, and entertaining cozy mystery? Then look no further -- Lady Victoria Georgiana, a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria known simply as Georgie, is delightful in her approach to life despite her royal connections. Born and raised in privilege to one day marry into more wealth, she suddenly finds herself needing to find a better way to support herself rather than an arranged marriage with an obscure foreign prince. What's a royal to do after getting fired from the cosmetics counter after only one day? How about advertising as a char lady? And imagine her surprise when she is recruited by the Queen to spy on a certain prince and his scandalous American love interest! Add a dead person in a bathtub and you have all the ingredients for a murder and mayhem mystery.

Georgie is endearing, spunky and down-to-earth and this is a promising beginning to a 1930's era English royal mystery series. Her Royal Spyness is strong on charm and characterization and light on mystery, so it's perfect for fans of Georgette Heyer mysteries.

For more information about the Royal Spyness series, click here.

3.5/5

Title: He Royal Spyness
Author: Rhys Bowen
Berkley Prime Crime
324 pages
genre: cozy mystery