Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House by Stephanie BarronMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
These books are even better on the re-read, IMO. And I gave this one (most of them, I think) 5 stars the first time around.
I'm not sure who the people are who give these books 4s and 3s. I fully support people liking what they like, having their own opinions, reacting to art however they react without feeling like they "should" feel different, but from my perspective these books are right down the center.
Why does it work so well for me? It starts with me loving Jane Austen (and okay, not everyone does, I suppose) and finding real echoes of her writing, her world, her language in this book and the rest. It reads naturally, but it sounds Regency, which is quite a trick. There also needs to be a well-crafted mystery--something the author excels at--and, crucially, Jane must be instrumental in solving it. No bumping into answers; no standing on the sidelines while others do all the work; no waiting for things to work out. That's no good. Here, Jane gets right in, sorting out the clues, low-key investigating while still behaving normally, and does as much as a woman could do in that era. Most women would not do all that this character does, but it's not anachronistic. It all feels perfectly plausible. Also, as an extra, she is exposed to actual physical danger, upping the stakes while still remaining true to the time period.
It's very well done.
This story is about her brother's friend, an officer in the navy, who is facing a court martial for killing a man. Neither Jane nor her brother believe he's guilty, and they have to risk a lot to find the truth. The ending is satisfying, though it's a mixture of happy and sad. I suppose a murder mystery always has to be that way, to some degree.
I recommend the whole series. I find them a real pleasure to read, always a joy to pick back up, and just wish there were about a hundred more of them.
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