This was the first book I've read in this series and I really enjoyed it. Some readers will be frustrated that it takes a long time for mystery portion to begin but Jane Austen as protagonist and the Austen-ish style were enough to keep me reading. ( )

I jumped in late on this one and didn't know it was the 12th book in the series. Having the idolized author Jane Austen as the detective in these series was such fun! A cozy yet well-researched holiday tale of murder in the world of Austen, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the actual 12 Days of Christmas and how they were celebrated as well as the mysterious deaths at The Vyne. If you love Austen, you'll enjoy this detective tale. ( )

I am sure that plenty of people will enjoy this book but unfortunately, I wasn't one of them. The first strike for me was turning the author Jane Austen into a character, which I find distasteful; I was willing to be convinced otherwise but wasn't.

Second strike was the repeated references to her niece's doll & its outfits (clearly used as an excuse to put in stuff about Regency clothing) -- it would have gone down better for me if there had been at least some mention of gifts for the other children. I was also a bit irritated by the interruption of the narration to read notes; if I had been reading in print, I could have skimmed or skipped these as they were mostly information I already knew but in the audiobook (especially the Hoopla streaming audiobook format) it wasn't possible to skip these or to choose when to look at them. This problem is not Kate Reading's fault as I am sure that it was an editorial/publisher decision. However, the pace of Reading's narration was strike 3 as it was too slow-paced for me but the sound quality became tinny and sounded as if it was in an echo chamber when I tried to speed it up (even at 1.25x).

The final strike & most serious for me was the unsatisfactory ending -- first off, there were 2 different killers which stretches the credibility a bit too much for such a small group of people. And BOTH escape justice which I absolutely hate.

I will say that I think Barron has done her research. Too bad I didn't care for how she presented it. ( )

To be honest, the mysteries and solutions are not why I read the Jane Austen mysteries. I forget the details too quickly; they're not especially memorable. But I've been consistently pleased with the author's voice and the feeling of authenticity. It's the fun way of garnering information about Jane Austen's family, lifestyle and times.
This one involves a French spy and Napoleonic intrigue, house parties and Austen family dynamics. ( )

Very pleasing continuation of the Jane Austen Mystery series, one I have long enjoyed. Jane's voice remains consistent and the story is engaging, not least in the fascinating descriptions of Austen-era Christmas and 12th night celebrations. Festivities, trying familial situations, difficulties with transportation, and a heartless murderer at large are the hallmarks of this lively new addition. Absolutely delightful!

Advance copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )