This novel was a joy from start to finish. Barron seems to be channeling Jane Austen and the reader is treated to a bird's-eye views of life in Austen's time, written in what could easily seem to be Austen's own words. There are quite a few "real" characters here in addition to Austen and her brother, Henry, including Lord Byron, Lady Caroline Lamb, and the dilettante prince regent, the future King George IV.
Jane and her brother, Henry, travel to Bath after the death of Henry's beloved wife, Eliza. On their way, they rescue a lovely young woman, Catherine Twining, who has apparently been abducted by the infamous Lord Byron, who had planned to marry her at Gretna Green. During their sojourn in Bath the young woman's body us found in Lord Byron's chamber, wrapped in the sail from his boat, but the circumstances of the death and discovery convince Jane that Bryon is not the killer,
Barron has infused the novel with rich, believable details of life in Austen's time. The reader can almost feel and smell the Assembly Rooms at Bath and the combination of real historical characters and details with fictional situations is seamless. I highly recommend this series.
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