I loved seeing Jane's nephew Edward take a somewhat prominent place in this tale. The murder happens in a boys school and the insights into how those schools were run was fascinating. I also enjoyed the twisty turns in pursuit of a motive. The saddest part was Jane's increasing illness and her dashed hopes that she could somehow afford more competent medical advice. ( )

Jane still searches for relief from her illness in their home town of Chawton. She and her sister receive two old friends, also sisters, as they pass through town. Althea is worried her sister will be lonely and entreats Jane to promise to visit Elizabeth in Winchester, where her son is having a rough year at Winchester College. Jane's nephew Edward recently matriculated to Oxford from there and remembers his younger friend Will very well. After a classmate is found drowned in the river under suspicious circumstances, Will is accused of murder. While I missed Cassandra being with Jane in this story, I really liked the relationship between Jane and her nephew, Edward, who remains in town to help clear his old friend's name. The cruelty of the prefects to the younger students was well documented and Will's stutter an interesting plot device. The cathedral, the mystery, Jane's hope--it made the last in this series a bit bittersweet. I do appreciate how Barron followed the thread of Jane's life and illness until just months before we know what is to come. ( )

Although Jane Austen is quite ill when her nephew, Edward, enlists her help to solve a murder, Jane manages to muster up enough strength to oblige him. The journey from Chawton to Winchester College to investigate what really happened will further tax her weakening constitution, but her friend’s son, William, has been charged with the murder, so obligation prevails. William is a stutterer and generally prefers his solitude because of his speech impediment. Jane is acquainted with William’s mild mannered nature and cannot envision him a violent killer.

Edward attests to the abominations he both witnessed and endured while a commoner at Winchester College, where William attends. Arthur Prendergast, the deceased, was a ruthless bully and William was a target of Prendergast’s wrath. Could this be a motive for murder? Even though salacious allegations have surfaced against William, Jane is not convinced, but is even more so determined to identify who the true killer is and have William exonerated. Can Jane solve her final mystery?

I only became acquainted with this series during the prior book’s release (book 14) entitled Jane and the Year Without a Summer, thanks to a book tour arranged by Austenprose PR. The book was absolutely phenomenal and it was the start to a new favorite author journey. Stephanie Barron’s prose is so utterly reminiscent of Jane’s voice and the Regency period that I immediately fell in love with her writing and eagerly anticipated this final book in the series. My wait paid off. Jane and the Final Mystery was an excellent read! I particularly enjoyed the passionate inquest scenes and Jane’s investigative techniques and tenacious spirit despite her dwindling health. The characters are a delight. Stephanie Barron’s books are intellectually satisfying and brimming with interesting facts about Jane’s real life which adds to my enjoyment of her stories.

Jane and the Final Mystery exhibited a slightly more somber tone than Barron’s prior mystery. However, after having had the privilege of listening to the author’s commentary at the conclusion of this book, I surmise I can understand the reason for it. I am sad to see this amazing series end. However, I am elated that I can start from the beginning and catch up on all of Jane’s mystery adventures.

A tremendous thank you to SoHo Crime for a complimentary copy of Jane and the Final Mystery. ( )

I am so sad that the wonderful Being A Jane mystery series has come to an end. I was captivated by Jane Austen as an amateur sleuth from the very beginning. Stephanie Barron has always delivered a faithfully-drawn Jane as she navigates the more mysterious side of Regency England society. Accurate depictions of the time and place, as well as Jane and the Austen family and friends, bring authenticity to a thoroughly enjoyable mystery series. In Jane And The Final Mystery, the reader and Jane know that her time is short. Though modern readers would consider her young, Jane is a spinster who depends on the meager revenue from her writing as well as a small stipend supplemented by her brothers and has few prospects for bettering her life. It would be easy to feel sorry for the historical Jane, but through Barron’s depiction we see a woman content with how her life has run. Jane And The Final Mystery finds Jane struggling with illness but still keen to discover just whodunit in the cathedral town of Winchester. I loved the historical details Barron uses — food, fashion, education, medicine, judicial practices — to bring early 19th century England to life. Characters, both historical and fictional, play a part in the story, making this book very believable. While there is no historical proof that Jane was a successful sleuth, this book (along with the entire series) makes my Jane-loving heart believe. 😉 The pace of the mystery kept me turning the pages as I strove with our heroine to solve the case. Barron kept us both on our toes!

For those who have been faithful followers of this series, you will love the poignant ending. And if you are new to these mysteries, you are in for a treat — 15 books to savor! I recommend you start at the beginning of this wonderful mystery series.

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

Author Stephanie Barron has written her “Being a Jane Austen Mystery” series for more than two decades, the first published in 1996. “Jane and the Final Mystery” begins in the spring of 1817, and Jane Austen died in July of that year at age forty-one. As a known Janeite and enthusiast of this series that parallels Austen's adult life—and knowing the sad truth of what is to come—I have been in bittersweet anticipation for this last novel.

Barron’s gift to write in a very Austenesque manner, her astute understanding of the mores of the times, and her exacting research of locales and the Regency mirrors Austen’s voice in this fictional work. Yes, fictional. I must remind myself that this series is more proof of Barron’s genius. Her expertise in the genre leads readers to wonder, Is this true? Did that really happen? She is The Incomparable when it comes to Regency mysteries—often imitated but never duplicated. Given that disclaimer of my bona fides as a Stephanie Barron fan and holding the series in much esteem, I feel quite at liberty to share my impressions herein.

March 1817: As winter turns to spring, Jane Austen’s health is in slow decline, and threatens to cease progress on her latest manuscript. But when her nephew Edward brings chilling news of a death at his former school, Winchester College, not even her debilitating ailment can keep Jane from seeking out the truth. Arthur Prendergast, a senior pupil at the prestigious all-boys’ boarding school, has been found dead in a culvert near the schoolgrounds—and in the pocket of his drenched waistcoat is an incriminating note penned by the young William Heathcote, the son of Jane’s dear friend Elizabeth. Winchester College is a world unto itself, with its own language and rites of passage, cruel hazing, and dangerous pranks. Can Jane clear William’s name before her illness gets the better of her?

Thus begins “Jane and the Final Mystery” as Jane exposes whodunit in this fifteenth and final of Stephanie Barron’s mystery series. Though Jane is dangerously ill and continues to tire quickly, she comes to support her dear friend, Elizabeth Bigg-Wither Heathcote, formerly of Manydown, and endeavors to unravel the minacious web against William Heathcote.

“She glanced at me sidelong. ‘Thank Heaven, you do not abuse me as an hysterick. For nearly three years, Will has been subject to relentless attacks on his spirit, his mind, and his sanity in the world.’
‘You suggest something more profound and malevolent than the abuse he endures, on account of his regrettable speech defect?’”—p.68.

Likening to Austen’s quality prose, Barron excels in credible dialog. Miss Austen’s voice, told from this fictional Jane Austen’s point-of-view, nearly echoes off the page.

“‘I see now why you figured as a great general of Gabell’s,’ I said admiringly. ‘Like Wellington, you are a keen strategist…’
‘As to that—were it not for the danger Will finds himself in, I should regard this as a fine lark, and plunge in with vigour! I might even turn to the study of Law. The work of a solicitor should offer more scope for imagination and variety than that of a clergyman.’
‘Are those your only alternatives?’ I asked gently. ‘You cannot dedicate yourself to writing?’
Edward laughed brusquely. ‘I doubt I have the necessary talent to make a success of that.’
‘Why?’ I demanded. ‘Do you regard me as a frivolous flatterer? I do not offer praise lightly, my dear. When I tell you I enjoy and admire your sketches—so different to my own little bit of ivory, on which I work with so fine a brush—I am sincere, you know. I do not seek to puff you up with nonsense.’” —p. 136.

With lives, fortunes, and reputations in the balance, Barron casts a few red herrings that I confess kept me confounded until the last. Even at the inquiry, I almost, almost but not quite, suspected young Heathcote.

“‘You left the school?’
‘I d-d-did.’
Elizabeth drew an audible breath.
“At what hour?’
‘I qu-qu-qitted Gabell’s House a qu-qu-quarter before the hour of f-f-four o’clock.’
‘And where did you go?’
‘I c-c-cannot say, sir.’
‘William,’ Elizabeth murmured in agony beside me.
‘Come, come, Master Heathcote. You are required to answer my questions truthfully and fully.’
Will compressed his lips, his countenance appallingly white.
‘You refuse to answer?’
Again, not a word passed William’s lips.” —pp..107-108.

Excellent world building, engaging characters, and thought-provoking prose, I found this fifteenth book more page-turning intrigue than the maudlin literature I half-expected. But I recommend having a handkerchief nearby to dab at your eyes—just in case. You need not read the previous novels to be excessively diverted by “Jane and the Final Mystery.” Still, from one who has read this epic series in order, you’re shortchanging yourself if you don’t read them all. Oh! And why “Being a Jane Austen Mystery” isn’t a Netflix series already is beyond me.

I'll put this out into the universe one more time. As I have said before, I want Stephanie Barron to write a dual-era series next, titled “The Gentleman Rogue.” A contemporary woman discovers a trunk of Lord Harold’s papers and… Who’s with me? ( )