This was a great story. Really fun to read a book with (obviously) instantly recognisable characters but seeing them in greater depth and with added dimensions. I enjoyed the mystery and unravelling the story behind the “french” hat maker- even if her story didn’t end particularly happily! Will be looking out for more investigative missives of Miss Austen

Jane Austen makes a perfect (endearing, impulsive, clever, and even wry at times) detective! In fact, I am already looking forward to the next title of what I hope becomes a series, as Jane is only 20 when she solves this case!

I have enjoyed the historical setting, the biographical elements, the social comment, and the overall style and tone of this strong classic whodunnit. The atmosphere of the Austen's parsonage, the grand neighbours' house, the streets of Basingstoke, or Winchester's jail are well captured and the actual case (excellent reasons for Jane to want to investigate) kept me interested, even if I was reading the clues perhaps a bit too easily. The characters are varied and well defined, their behaviours plausible... the murder, suitably disgusting; and the law, inflexibly terrifying.

I definitely recommend this book for a cozy evening and I don't think that even real connoisseurs of Austen's work and biography will be too put off by their heroine's detectivesque foray. Jane Austen comes out as intelligent and perceptive (well, she is still quite young, so there are some funny gaffes!), and Jessica Bull, an author to follow,.

After being fully committed to the Bronte Sisters as detectives (thank you, Bella Ellis!) I came to this book half-hopeful, half-worried, because I have to say, I love Jane Austen a bit more than I love the Brontes, and so I really wanted it to be good. It actually didn't take long for me to be caught up in the story but I have to say, I wasn't convinced that it *was* Jane. In spite of all the family members named, and the locations, and the mentions of her early attempts in writing, Jane came over as a bit too selfish...I had imagined her as headstrong and brave, but there are moments where she is foolish and mean, and that didn't sit very well with me. So as I read, I set her (Jane's) books aside in my head, and the person I'd imagined her to be, and just went with the flow of this story.

It's very much a story written post-Bridgerton I think (what a lockdown relief that show was!) and shows a more tawdry and wild depiction than the world of my old favourite pin up Colin Firth as Darcy. Here Jane is drinking heavily at balls, sneaking around in woodlands and kissing her secret (not so secret!) boyfriend and suffering with a hangover. Perhaps it is because she is still very young in this story, but it just didn't feel very Jane somehow. Her father is a vicar, she's very aware of the social niceties required by society, and it felt unbelievable that she would have so much freedom as to be sneaking away kissing her young man quite so often.

Anyway, all that aside, I still found the crime story aspect engaging. I occasionally felt cross at Jane's continued leaps to accusation, but they did liven the story up, and kept the tension growing as you wonder what is going to become of her brother, who stands accused. It felt like it went a little bit too long towards the end, but the final revelations that occur did end up being exciting, enough that I read it past my bedtime.

'Miss Austen Investigates' by Jessica Bull.
Welcome to Hampshire, 1795, where a young Jane Austen has her sights set on securing a marriage proposal from the dashing Tom Lefroy at a local ball. But when a shocking discovery is made - a milliner's lifeless body tucked away in a linen closet - Jane finds herself embroiled in an unexpected murder mystery. As she races against the clock to clear her beloved brother Georgy's name, Jane uses her sharp wits to navigate the treacherous waters of society, unmasking secrets and unearthing hidden motives along the way. With every twist and turn, Jane's determination to solve the case deepens. And if she fails, her brother will face the ultimate punishment - the hangman's noose. Join Jane on her quest for justice as she faces down danger, deceit, and scandal amidst her own friends and neighbours. Will she uncover the truth in time, or will the real killer go free? One thing's for certain - in Hampshire, nothing is as it seems.
I really enjoyed this book and I didn't work out the killer until near the end of the book so it was definitely a good murder mystery. I really loved all the different characters especially all the members of the Austen family.
For fans of cosy crime I would give this book a read.
Thankyou to NetGallery UK, the publishers and the author for letting me read the book in return for an honest review.

Thought I was going to love this book but unfortunately not. It all felt a bit contrived. Jane didn't seem at all like the image of the real Jane Austen I have in my head. She comes across as selfish and uncaring and a bit crass in her investigating skills. She bumbles a bit. Not sure these ideas really work. To be continued? I really dislike this sort of comment. The ending doesn't have to be definitive and neatly wrapped but it does have to end.
Not for me I'm afraid. It dragged and I struggled to finish

Thank you to Net Galley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for this ARC! I was very excited when I saw the title and concept - Jane Austen & murder mysteries are two of my absolute favourite things to read, and a combination was right up my street. I think I am in the minority here, but unfortunately I did not enjoy this book at all, and am stopping at around 300 pages, with the possibility that I will skip ahead to find out ‘whodunnit’. The main reason that I’m not finishing is the characterisation of Jane - she comes across as nasty and stupid, in her treatment of her family and so called friends, and her bumbling attempts at investigating. My two stars isn’t a reflection on bad quality writing or anything like that, just a lack of enjoyment and a struggle to get through the book.

This was such a fun read. Some things were annoying in their historical inaccuracy/some of the representations of Jane Austen, but beyond that it was an entertaining story, Would probably read a sequel!

3.5* rounded up - Thank you to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for providing a DRC of "Miss Austen investigates" (Released January 2024) in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

Set in 1795 we meet Jane Austen, 20 years old, a budding author and intrepid amateur sleuth. This Regency era murder mystery sees Jane trying to clear her brother's name and solve the mystery of who murdered an unknown milliner at a country ball, and why.

This was a truly entertaining read and Jessica Bull has certainly got a great grasp of Austen's style, especially the wit and banter, as well as the Regency period overall. This may have been written in the present but it certainly doesn't feel out of place as a piece of Regency historical fiction.

I do enjoy mysteries that cast well known historical figures as detectives (see also the SJ Bennett series with HM Queen Elizabeth II helping to solve murders around the royal palaces) as they do tend to be a lot of fun to read and this is no different.

The book is well paced with a robust case and plenty of characters to cast our net wide for potential suspects. There are plenty of red herrings and twists and turns along the way leading to a satisfying conclusion and definitely a desire to read more in the series to see where Jane can get involved next.

My reason for 3.5* was that despite how well written and paced this was I didn't fully enjoy the use of the 3rd person present tense. This isn't a perspective/tense combination I normally read in, especially for mysteries so it took me a while to get used to it and at the start it took me out of the story.

Once I got used to it however I was able to dive wholeheartedly into the story in front of me to be able to appreciate the wit, drama and intrigue more fully. I did want to make note of the tense in this review as I know for other readers it can be a little off putting so may not work for all but the quality of writing and story being offered here means I definitely recommend giving it a try as you won't be disappointed by the strong case with a highly likeable lead that we have offered here.

This is the first in a series featuring Jane Austen as an amateur investigator. A dead body is found at a ball attended by Jane and she is determined to solve this mystery when her brother, Georgie, is found in possession of a necklace belonging to the deceased.

Her investigations led her to question her local neighbours and friends to find out who was the real culprit. Her attempts are pretty scattergun leading her to make many an unfounded accusation and upsetting her friends. However she is determined to save her brother from the hangman.

She is delightful and as expected finds the real culprit in the end!

A gentle, fun cosy mystery.

The plot of this C18 murder mystery is great, with interesting twists and turns, many inspired by contemporary C19 social mores. However, for me it is distracting, rather than entertaining, for the author to base many of the characters on Jane Austen’s family and acquaintances. Even more distracting is the writing style, with the whole novel written in the present tense which seems incongruous in a novel that is firmly set in the past. Restricting use of the historical present only to especially dramatic events would have been more effective. These distractions made what could have been a diverting read a bit of a slog, and I struggled to stay with it.

During a ball at the grand Tudor manor of Lord John and Lady Harcourt, a body is found in the laundry closet, brutally murdered. Enter Jane, fresh from the stolen embrace of her true love Tom Lefroy, who immediately smells a rat! She knows the victim as a Mrs Renault, a milliner she has recently encountered at the Basingstoke market. All seems lost when Jane’s mild-natured non-verbal brother Georgy is arrested but the razor-sharp Austen mind goes into overdrive to discover the actual culprit.

The author, Jessica Bull, has done a nifty job of combining fact and fiction to create an energetic mystery steeped in Georgian Britain. We don’t find the slight and sickly Jane who lives out her spinsterhood with her parents; the Jane of Ms Bull’s world is full of beans and questions and keen to take on the patriarchy. Any close reader of the Austen canon would agree, the clues are there as to Jane Austen’s astute investigative nature and adventurous attitude. I thought all the characters were unique and believable. The destitute family caring for Georgy is lovingly portrayed and a welcome addition.

The plot is well-paced and deliciously enticing. There are cliffhangers, clues and red herrings enough to keep you guessing and reading. The little missives to her sister Cassandra at the end of the chapters serve as a reminder of the suspects and their motives and add to the generous seasoning of good humour that underpins the text. I adore the cover too, a clever take on the silhouette art popular at the time.

I do enjoy a light cosy mystery and this was the best I’ve read in a long while! It’s a fun mash-up so if you’re a fan of Agatha Christie or Richard Osman but you have a hankering to be invited to trip the light fantastic at Bridgerton, this will surely keep you in nights. But not too many, it’s a fast read! Thanks as evert to NetGalleyUK and Penguin Michael Joseph for the eARC.

Let’s quickly cut to the chase - many books offer something along the lines of ‘Miss Austen investigates’, where a much loved character or real person is uprooted and placed in a novel situation and proves to be surprisingly effective in this new setting. Sadly, many such offerings promise much but deliver little. In this case, however, Ms Bull has pulled off a surprising tour de force, in which Miss Austen sets out to prove the innocence of her brother who is accused of a crime that could see him transported, if proven. Certainly, the typical Austen features are there to ensure the reader knows where the story is set and who is involved, but what sets this book apart are well drawn characters working to offer the reader a surprisingly satisfying plot that will delight most who dive into this intriguing story. Strongly recommended.

Good story based on Jane Austin's life as a young woman. It is told the Austin style, but in the present tense. The author has cleverly created characters who resemble many of those in Jane Austins books. The mystery element keeps you guessing until the end. A very enjoyable read

This is Jane Austen as you’ve never seen her before, the beloved writer turns investigator in order to save her brothers life. Jane has been invited to a ball to celebrate the betrothal of the baronet’s son to a rich heiress, but before the big announcement a mystery women is discovered dead in the linen cupboard. Her brother is found in possession of the woman’s necklace, and unable to explain himself is thrown into jail to await trial, where the punishment is either transportation or the hangman’s noose. Jane is determined to ensure this will never happen and sets out to identify the true killer. Her list of suspects reveals many motives and embroils her in scenes unbecoming of a young woman in her position.

This book is so beautifully written in the language of the 18th Century, reflecting the morals and standards of the time and revealing Jane’s frustrations with her position. The research is impeccable to produce a beautiful, genteel read (if Murder can be genteel), with a twist at the end, which you should get if you’ve followed the clues scattered throughout the book. I absolutely loved this novel and eagerly await subsequent investigations

An entertaining story, with quite a gripping plot. It doesn't convey the world of Jane Austen though, as it is full of modern idiom and sensibilities, but if you aren't fussed about historical accuracy this is a very good read.

It’s got to be five stars for Miss Austen Investigates by Jessica Bull! To set the stage – I’m not usually a fan of historical fiction and knew very little about Jane Austen beyond her books before I began reading this. But I really loved it! She made the setting feel completely authentic without weighing the narrative down. The characters felt so real and relatable. And Jane herself is a character I loved and will remember – and hope to see again and again in subsequent books in the series. Things like – for e.g. – the way she signed off her letters to her sister were both so funny and felt very true to her character. The plot is twisty and full of surprises; I didn’t pick the murderer and that’s unusual for me. Recommend this one highly, even if, like me, historical fiction isn’t really your thing. Trust me – it’s such a fun read.

I normally read thrillers but I love Jane Austen and when this popped up on Netgalley, I was super intrigued and requested it.

The story takes place in 1795 and we meet Jane Austen. At a local ball there is a body found in a closet and Jane is pulled into becoming a sleuth. Especially when it appears that her brother is in possession of the deceased necklace, Jane sets out to clear his name.

This book was really well executed and I enjoyed the novel.

A good whodunit read and a new light on Jane Austen.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jessica Bull has made a debut in what promises to be an entertaining and well-drawn out series. This book is premised at a time when Jane Austen was young and falling heads over heels in love with Tom Lefroy. Bull has breathed air into ghost and made Miss Jane Austen quite life-like. She is all impetuous, naive, struggling to find her own way in a man's world, struggling to get herself heard in her own family who presumes to know her even though sometimes they don't, breathlessly in love with a man who let her make sandcastles in the air, fiercely loyal to her brother Georgy, and best of all, growing throughout the book. Jane learns from her presumptions, and she learns from her embarrassing encounters with other people who quite don't like being accused of murder. Aside from the well-drawn Jane Austen, the other characters and setting is quite evocative. I really enjoyed the social commentary on how people who were born with disabilities were treated in the 18th century, and the social commentary on the justice system. Alongside that, I loved the presentation of a family struggling with someone they loved being accused of something that they were innocent of and being all set to be hung. It was beautiful, sorrowful, and quite human. I will be eagerly looking forward to the next book in this series, and being able to hang out with Jane, Martha, Mary and Cassandra (okay, Henry and James too). **For transparency I have received the book from Netgalley for a full and honest review**

Meet Jane Austen as she embarks on the first of a new series of murder mysteries.

Although this is such an astonishingly fabulous concept, Miss Austen Investigates is so much more than just a hook book.

Jessica Bull has managed to perfectly entwine a classic golden era whodunnit with the life and society of one of our greatest ever writers.

Full of all the regency period inclusions that a reader might hope for when picking up a book about Jane Austen, as well as a wonderful cast of suspects and red herrings that you want from a murder mystery.

Absolutely loved it.

It's not easy to write a Jane Austen-inspired novel. There is the weight on the writer that they know Janeites everywhere will be critiquing every last detail, especially when it comes to Jane Austen the author herself making a starring appearance in the book. I give kudos to anyone wanting to take this challenge! I write this review with the disclaimer that 18th-19th century British Lit was my concentration in university, so I know a bit too much about Austen and the Georgian period in general... and it sometimes makes reading fictional takes on real people challenging for me!

At first, I heard Austen. Her voice does come through right at the beginning with the "cast of characters" list. However, the present tense of the novel was most jarring for me, especially for this historical fiction of a real person. I love the idea of playing on Jane's known cleverness for a murder mystery, but in some of her phrases like "that shipped has sailed" pulled me out of the world real fast as they were too anachronistic for Jane's time period. (I believe that particular one came about in the late 1800s after Jane had already died!)

Maybe those with less Jane Austen education in their brain would enjoy this story much more! I think I need to stick to only Austen character spin-offs books rather than reading versions of Jane herself popping up.

Thank you so much for the e-ARC, Michael Joseph/Penguin!