Jane and the Canterbury Tale by Stephanie Barron

Stephanie Barron‘s latest book, Jane and the Canterbury Tale (New York:  Bantam Books, 2011), is at least as good as her last one, Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron, which I wrote about in January. One of the main reasons I enjoyed the most recent one so much is that Barron, for the most part, abandoned the pretext of Jane writing about events in her journal or letters.  As a result, the book flowed much better.

Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron by Stephanie Barron

I think that Stephanie Barron‘s latest Jane Austen mystery, Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron (New York:  Bantam Books, 2010), is probably her best to date.  I’ve added this novel, and her next one, which is apparently to be published this year, to my list.

In “A Few Questions for Stephanie Barron” at the end of the book, Barron states that “there’s no record of . . . her [Jane Austen] having met Lord Byron[, though] she read Byron’s poetry . . . and they had acquaintances in common” (335).

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron

I enjoyed Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave (New York:  Bantam Books, 1996), Stephanie Barron‘s first Jane Austen mystery.  At times Barron did a good job of imitating Austen’s writing style.

Barron has written eight other books in the series:

• Jane and the Man of the Cloth (1997)
• Jane and the Wandering Eye (1998)
• Jane and the Genius of the Place (1999)
• Jane and the Stillroom Maid (2000)
• Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House (2001)
• Jane and the Ghosts of Netley (2003)
• Jane and His Lordship’s Legacy (2005)
• Jane and the Barque of Frailty (2006)
• Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron (2010)
• Jane and the Canterbury Tale (2011)

Barron also writes mysteries as Francine Mathews.

As I wrote last year, I’ve read mystery novels with Leonardo da Vinci as the detective.  I wonder if anyone has written murder mysteries where William Shakespeare or Agatha Christie is the sleuth.

The Queen’s Gambit by Diane A. S. Stuckart

The Queen’s Gambit is Diane A. S. Stuckart‘s first Leonardo da Vinci mystery.  It is told in first person by Dino, one of  Leonardo’s apprentices.  I won’t spoil the story by giving away Dino’s secret.

The novel was a little slow, but I did enjoy it and plan to read the sequels: Portrait of a Lady and Bolt from the Blue (due out in January 2010).

If you enjoy mysteries and historical fiction, I highly recommend it.

Presentation: “The Twitter Book – A Sneak Preview”

Presentation:  “The Twitter Book – A Sneak Preview“