English professors Elizabeth and Richard are celebrating their 20th anniversary by visiting Jane Austen’s old stomping grounds. From Bath to Hampshire to Steventon and more, this couple has planned the dream vacation. But, when some old papers are donated to the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, Richard ends up helping go through them and begins what will become a multiple-victim mystery, complete with a search for a missing Austen manuscript.

Before I even began reading this book, I wrote this in my notes: "I haven't even opened the book yet and I'm excited! I just took a Jane Austen-themed tour this past September to all the places mentioned in the back cover description. I am so looking forward to reading this!"

I absolutely adored this book---totally was not disappointed! The author has obviously spent time in the places she's describing. The Jane Austen Centre tea room---oh, I can just see it! She mentioned so many things I just loved about England. The performers in the courtyard and Holy Communion at Bath Abbey, the beautiful assembly rooms, Chawton Cottage---I followed her every step of the way! One line in the book said, "Jane never wrote about a place she did not know personally." This story completely came alive for me because I do know these places personally!

The writing style is simple and sweet. My favorite line from Elizabeth: "Logic can be such an inconvenient thing." Love it!

I'm definitely looking forward to reading the other two in this series, as well as looking into the archaeological dig at Steventon---the only place mentioned in the story that I didn't visit.

Thanks so much to Donna Fletcher Crow for the complimentary review copy. My daughter is enjoying it now, and then it will go into our personal collection. ( )

College professors Elizabeth and Richard are on their dream vacation - visiting all Jane Austen’s homes in England with the help of an Oxford guide - could they have stumbled upon a letter that has gone missing which could lead to revelations about Jane Austen’s unfinished manuscript The Watsons? ( )

English professors Elizabeth and Richard are celebrating their 20th anniversary by visiting Jane Austen’s old stomping grounds. From Bath to Hampshire to Steventon and more, this couple has planned the dream vacation. But, when some old papers are donated to the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, Richard ends up helping go through them and begins what will become a multiple-victim mystery, complete with a search for a missing Austen manuscript.

Before I even began reading this book, I wrote this in my notes: "I haven't even opened the book yet and I'm excited! I just took a Jane Austen-themed tour this past September to all the places mentioned in the back cover description. I am so looking forward to reading this!"

I absolutely adored this book---totally was not disappointed! The author has obviously spent time in the places she's describing. The Jane Austen Centre tea room---oh, I can just see it! She mentioned so many things I just loved about England. The performers in the courtyard and Holy Communion at Bath Abbey, the beautiful assembly rooms, Chawton Cottage---I followed her every step of the way! One line in the book said, "Jane never wrote about a place she did not know personally." This story completely came alive for me because I do know these places personally!

The writing style is simple and sweet. My favorite line from Elizabeth: "Logic can be such an inconvenient thing." Love it!

I'm definitely looking forward to reading the other two in this series, as well as looking into the archaeological dig at Steventon---the only place mentioned in the story that I didn't visit.

Thanks so much to Donna Fletcher Crow for the complimentary review copy. My daughter is enjoying it now, and then it will go into our personal collection. ( )

Donna Fletcher Crow’s latest mystery, A Jane Austen Encounter (book 3 in the Elizabeth and Richard Mystery series), is a delightful cozy that will definitely appeal to the serious Jane Austen fan. Filled with references to some of Austen’s lesser known works, as well as interesting facts on her life and relatives, this novel poses the question of just how far an Austen scholar will go to get the next big discovery?

Elizabeth and Richard Spenser are married English professors. Elizabeth is recently retired and Richard is on sabbatical ostensibly to write a thesis on Austen. Their working holiday includes touring all of the sites of Jane Austen’s life and letters. But there are missing documents, mysterious stalkers and assaults that plague the group assembled to give them the best tour they can ask for. The two are no strangers to solving literary-themed mysteries, so they again set off to find out just whodunit.

A Jane Austen Encounter will appeal to the serious Janeite. I thought I knew a lot about Austen’s works and history, but Crow has included little known information that will thrill Austen’s fans. There is also a well-researched thread that pursues Austen’s spiritual life. The mystery keeps the story going, but it was the Austen info that captured my attention. I am not sure the book would have the same appeal to those unfamiliar with Austen’s work, but it is a must-read for any enthusiast.

Recommended.

(Thanks to the author for a review copy.) ( )

Title: A Jane Austen Encounter (Elizabeth and Richard Mystery #3)
Author: Donna Fletcher Crow
Pages: 243
Year: 2013
Publisher: StoneHouse Ink
This book was written with the Jane Austen fan in mind. There are lots of quotes from and references to many of Jane Austen’s more well-known works. If you are not a Jane Austen fan, then your reading experience and enjoyment of the tale will be limited. You will still enjoy this British mystery, but won’t experience it as completely as the Janeite would.
Richard and Elizabeth are both Jane Austen experts and are on a second honeymoon, touring Jane Austen sites in England. Elizabeth has just retired as head of the English Department and Richard has taken a sabbatical to write a paper on something new about Jane Austen, a daunting task as so much has been written about her already. Soon after their tour starts, an employee of a Jane Austen museum discovers a previously unknown letter stating that there might be papers detailing how Jane would have completed a novel she had left uncompleted. Richard wants those papers and is spurred on by his tour guide. As the search and tour continue, other strange things occur. Will they find the papers before someone is seriously hurt? Where could these papers be? Are they worth killing for?
Donna’s rich descriptions will make readers feel as if they have been transported to the time and place in which Jane Austen lived and wrote. I love that about all of her books. I am not a Jane Austen fan, so all the quotes and character comparisons and so forth were lost on me. Not to say I’m a detractor either; I just don’t know very much about her. However, I still very much enjoyed the trip through the English countryside, the sites seen and the search for clues. It is obvious a tremendous amount of time and research was put forth to gather all the quotes and such and place them within the story at just the right time. Another thing that is always present in Donna’s books and makes them entertaining and educational is her dedication to accurate and thorough research. I always learn something when I read her books. I also liked how Donna brought forth the spiritual side of Jane and how it enhanced her work. I look forward to more books in this series.
My rating is 4 stars.
Note: I received a complimentary copy for an honest review of this book. The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. Other reviews can be read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/. Also follow me on Twitter @lcjohnson1988, FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/lisa.johnson.75457 ( )