Jane and the Canterbury Tale

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Authors: Stephanie Barron

Tags: #Austeniana, #Female sleuth, #Historical fiction

BOOK: Jane and the Canterbury Tale
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PRAISE FOR STEPHANIE BARRON’S
BEING A JANE AUSTEN MYSTERY SERIES

 

Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron

 

“The incomparable Stephanie Barron spins an irresistible tale as she ventures once more into the glittering world of the Regency. Featuring Lord Byron at his maddest, baddest, and most dangerous to know, Barron’s latest has Jane Austen crossing swords with England’s most notorious poet in mesmerizing style. From its deftly crafted mystery to its pitch-perfect Regency tone, this book is a delight.”

—Deanna Raybourn

 

“Take two literary titans, one Prince Regent, a dead debutante, and nineteenth-century Brighton … and you have the perfect set-up for sleuthing. Another fabulous adventure with Jane Austen!”

—Lauren Willig

 

“Superb … Barron’s ability to capture Austen’s tone helps make this series one of the more literary and enjoyable of the pseudo-Austen oeuvre.”


Publishers Weekly
(starred)

 

“[The] writing is so joyous and clever and entertaining that it might have been written by the great Austen herself.”

—The Denver Post

 

Jane and the Barque of Frailty

 

“Barron does an admirable job not only with the [Jane Austen] mysteries, but also in mimicking Austen’s style.”

—The Tampa Tribune

 

“Satisfying right to the last revelation … Like Regency great Georgette Heyer, the author excels at both period detail and modern verve. Aping Austen’s cool, precise and very famous voice is a hard trick to pull off, but Barron manages it with aplomb.”


Publishers Weekly

 

“Charming, literate and unequaled in its dissection of Regency-era social injustices.”


Kirkus Reviews

 

Jane and His Lordship’s Legacy

 

“Considered by some as the best of the ‘neo-Austens,’ Barron gets high marks for authenticity and wit.”


Booklist

 

Jane and the Ghosts of Netley

 

“The latest installment in Stephanie Barron’s charming series … [is] a first-rate historical mystery. Barron writes a lively adventure that puts warm flesh on historical bones. The nice thing is she does so in a literary style that would not put Jane Austen’s nose out of joint.”

—The New York Times Book Review

 

“A wonderfully intricate plot full of espionage and intrigue … The Austen voice, both humorous and fanciful, with shades of
Northanger Abbey
, rings true as always. Once again Barron shows why she leads the pack of neo–Jane Austens.”

—Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

 

Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House

 

“There’s plenty to enjoy in the crime-solving side of Jane.… [She] is as worthy a detective as Columbo.”


USA Today

 

“A carefully written, thoroughly researched novel … An enjoyable, authentic portrayal of this classic author, a strong setting and a thoroughly enjoyable plot will convert new readers to the series as well as satisfy longtime fans.”


The Mystery Reader

 

Jane and the Stillroom Maid

 

“Barron does a wonderful job of evoking the great British estates and the woes of spinsters living in that era … often echoing the rhythms of the Austen novels with uncanny ease.”

—Entertainment Weekly

 

“This work bears all the wonderful trademarks of the earlier titles, including period detail, measured but often sardonic wit, and authenticity.”

—Library Journal

 

Jane and the Genius of the Place

 

“This is perhaps the best ‘Jane’ yet. The plot moves smoothly and quickly to its denouement. Barron’s mysteries also educate the reader, in a painless fashion, about the political, social and cultural concerns of Austen’s time. Jane [is] a subtle but determined sleuth.”

—Chicago Tribune

 

“Barron tells the tale in Jane’s leisurely voice, skillfully re-creating the tone and temper of the time without a hint of an anachronism.”

—The Plain Dealer

 

THE JANE AUSTEN MYSTERIES
BY STEPHANIE BARRON

 

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor

 

Jane and the Man of the Cloth

 

Jane and the Wandering Eye

 

Jane and the Genius of the Place

 

Jane and the Stillroom Maid

 

Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House

 

Jane and the Ghosts of Netley

 

Jane and His Lordship’s Legacy

 

Jane and the Barque of Frailty

 

Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron

 

Jane and the Canterbury Tale

 

Jane and the Canterbury Tale
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

 

A Bantam Books Trade Paperback Original

 

Copyright © 2011 by Stephanie Barron

 

All rights reserved.

 

Published in the United States by Bantam Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

 

B
ANTAM
B
OOKS
and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

 

Grateful acknowledgment is given to reprint from
THE CANTERRBURY TALES
by Geoffrey Chaucer, translated by Burton Raffel. Translation and notes copyright © 2008 by Burton Raffel. Used by permission of Modern Library, a division of Random House, Inc.

 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barron, Stephanie.

 

Jane and the Canterbury tale : being a Jane Austen mystery / Stephanie Barron.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-345-53035-6
1. Austen, Jane, 1775–1817—Fiction. 2. Women novelists—Fiction.
3. England—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3563.A8357J329 2011
813′.54—dc22      2011000501

 

www.bantamdell.com

 

Cover design: Jennifer O’Connor
Cover photograph: © Christine Balderas/Photodisc/Getty Images

 

v3.1

 
Contents
 
 
 
  
CHAPTER ONE
  

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