Jane and the Ghosts of Netley [Hardcover]

Stephanie Barron (Author)

Book Description

Series: Barron, Stephanie | Publication Date: May 27, 2003

In her seventh captivating adventure, Jane Austen finds her crime-solving mettle put to the test in a confounding case of intrigue, murder, and high treason. Among the haunted ruins of an ancient abbey, Jane is drawn into a shadow world of dangerous secrets and traitorous hearts where not only her life is at stake--but the fate of England.

Jane and the Ghosts of Netley

As Jane Austen stands before the abandoned ruins of Netley Abbey, she imagines that ghosts really do haunt the centuries-old monastery. But the green-cloaked figure who startles her is all too human and he bears an unexpected missive from Lord Harold Trowbridge, one of the British government’s most trusted advisers--and a man who holds a high place in Jane’s life.Trowbridge tells Jane about a suspected traitor in their midst--and the disastrous consequences if she succeeds. But is Sophia Challoner, a beautiful widow with rumored ties to Emperor Bonaparte, really an agent of the enemy?

Dispatched to Netley Lodge, Jane sets about gaining the confidence of the mysterious and intriguing lady even as Trowbridge’s grim prediction bears fruit: a British frigate is set afire and its shipwright found with his throat cut.It’s clear that someone is waging a clandestine war of terror and murder. But before Jane can follow the trail of conspiracy to its source and unmask a calculating killer, the cold hand of murder will fall mercilessly yet again--and suddenly Jane may find herself dying for her country.

Elegantly intriguing, Jane and the Ghosts of Netley is a beautifully crafted novel of wit, character, and suspense that transports Jane and her many fans into a mystery of truly historical proportions--and a case that will test the amateur sleuth’s true colors under fire.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in the autumn of 1808, Barron's seventh Jane Austen mystery (after 2002's Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House) offers a wonderfully intricate plot full of espionage and intrigue. While admiring the romantic ruins of Netley Abbey on the Southampton coast, the author and sleuth receives a summons from Lord Harold Trowbridge, who asks her to gain the confidence of a suspected French agent, Sophia Challoner, who's taken up residence at Netley Lodge near the ruins. On meeting Sophia, Jane is skeptical that the attractive widow is "the Peninsula's most potent weapon" against the British forces there. When an enemy of England sets fire to a frigate moored at Southampton Water, home of the Royal Navy, and cuts the throat of its shipwright, Jane begins to have doubts that could put herself-or someone close to her-in deadly peril. Barron effortlessly works in such actual history as the machinations surrounding Mrs. Fitzherbert, the Prince Regent's morganatic wife, and the issue of Catholic Emancipation, along with the domestic arrangements of the Austen household at a time of great family sadness and upheaval. Brief editor's notes unobtrusively elucidate such matters as mourning practices of the day. The Austen voice, both humorous and fanciful, with shades of Northanger Abbey, rings true as always. Once again Barron shows why she leads the pack of neo-Jane Austens, which includes Emma Tennant, Julia Barrett and Elizabeth Aston.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-This seventh Austen outing finds the writer and sometime detective recruited once again by Lord Harold Trowbridge. England is fighting France, and he has set Jane to spy on a new neighbor, Sophia Challoner, whom he suspects of spying for Napoleon. Due to a fortuitous riding accident, Jane befriends the woman and her companion, a mysterious young American. Suddenly, a covert and violent war erupts in the quiet seaside community when a ship of the line is torched and the shipwright, killed. Aside from the well-plotted story, Barron imparts details of 19th-century England: what was fashionable and forbidden, the importance religion played in the politics, and how women fared in a decidedly male-dominated society. In footnotes, she deftly explains unfamiliar terms and historical information not easily woven into the narrative. Teens will be captivated by this adventurous detective story filled with intrigue, romance, and the unique and resourceful heroine.
Jane Halsall, McHenry Public Library District, IL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; First Edition edition (May 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553802224
• ISBN-13: 978-0553802221
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,250,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

STEPHANIE BARRON

Stephanie Barron is a graduate of Princeton and Stanford, where she studied history. THE WHITE GARDEN is her twentieth novel, but she is perhaps best known for the critically-acclaimed Jane Austen Mystery Series, in which the intrepid and witty author of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE details her secret detective career in Regency England. JANE AND THE MADNESS OF LORD BYRON, the tenth Austen mystery, is forthcoming from Bantam in October 2010. A former intelligence analyst for the CIA, Stephanie--who also writes under the name Francine Mathews--drew on her experience in the field of espionage for such novels as THE ALIBI CLUB, which Publishers Weekly named as one of the fifteen best novels of 2006. She lives and works in Denver, CO.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emotional Jolt, June 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Jane and the Ghosts of Netley (Mass Market Paperback)

I can't figure out why Romance has such a bad rep, because it's the romance between Jane and Lord Harold that makes this book compelling, especially if, like me, you've come to care for these characters (maybe too much--sniffle!) The rest of the plot was plenty entertaining, but it's the personal stuff that really drew me in. The ending is abrupt, to say the least, so I recommend that anyone who hasn't read it yet should buy the paperback edition instead of a used hardcover. The paperback contains the first chapter of the next book in the series, which serves as a good (and I think necessary) epilogue to this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jane is at it again!, June 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Jane and the Ghosts of Netley (Hardcover)

This mystery, the seventh in Barron's series, focuses mostly on Jane and the Gentleman Rogue, as they both try to solve crimes that signal the destruction of England at the hands of the French conspirators. A killer is loose, slashing throats and causing havoc while Jane and Lord Harold try to track down not only the killer, but the whereabouts of one of Lord Harold's old loves who plays a dangerous role in this story. This book is great - Barron carefully weaves a relationship between Jane and Lord Harold without getting sappy or too romantic. It's a quick, exciting read - but warning: if you are a big fan of this series, you'll be shocked with Barron's ending, wondering where the series could possibly go next!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well researched, October 11, 2003

By 

Valerie Adolph "Coast Journal" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jane and the Ghosts of Netley (Hardcover)

This is the seventh in a series of mysteries featuring Jane Austen as sleuth. As in the previous six, the historical background of this book has been meticulously researched. Previously the speech, social customs, dress and day-to-day lives of the period had been carefully researched. Increasingly however the national history, notably the war against the French, has been brought to the forefront and in this book the espionage and naval history of the period are featured.

In addition to the meticulous research the setting, especially the ruins of Netley Abbey and the tunnels beneath it are well drawn and effective. The characterization is good and the developing relationship between Jane and Lord Harold Trowbridge intrigued even a curmudgeon like me.

So why did I find the book tedious? It plodded from one none-too-exciting drama to the next with murders, arson and vicious personal attacks following unsatisfactorily along. Perhaps Jane was just a little too far out of her element. Perhaps her social awareness and the nuances that are her strength were just lost in what might have been an action-packed spy story.

Should there be other books in the series I hope Jane will return to the drawing rooms and ballrooms where her talents can flourish in greater congruence with the plot and the action of the story.