- Published: 1 April 2025
- ISBN: 9780241642122
- Imprint: Michael Joseph
- Format: Trade Paperback
- Pages: 464
- RRP: $34.99
A Fortune Most Fatal

















- Published: 1 April 2025
- ISBN: 9780241642122
- Imprint: Michael Joseph
- Format: Trade Paperback
- Pages: 464
- RRP: $34.99
Praise for Jessica Bull
Jessica Bull combines genteel Georgian country living with the lively intrigue of a whodunnit to create a very satisfying read
Sunday Express
Sharp and energetic whilst simultaneously warm and heartfelt. This is a delicious treat for fans of Austen's novels and delightfully compelling mysteries
BP Walter
Richly imagined and wonderfully plotted - a great read
S.J. Bennett
Exceptional - the Austen whodunnit I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for! The historical detail was rich and impeccable with gorgeously drawn characters, all the twists and turns you want from a murder mystery and an incredibly striking Austen voice. I loved it!
Sophie Irwin
Sparkling...Woven through with fascinating insights into our heroine's real life and loves, this is a brilliant debut that does Jane justice
Woman's Weekly
I adored this so much. Jane brims with life and wit, the story is packed with delicious details to delight every Austen fan, and the puzzle is constructed as neatly as Emma
Alex Hay
So clever and so well done
Good Housekeeping
A Fortune Most Fatal is the perfect treat for anyone who has ever wanted to don a Regency gown and step inside the pages of a Jane Austen novel...Jessica Bull spins the most perfect mystery, laying down clues with a masterful sleight of hand, then revealing them to the reader one by one, making for a hugely satisfying and deeply moving read. I could not have loved it more!
Ciar Byrne, author of A Deadly Discovery
What a virtuoso blend of historical detail, colourful characters and plot. Charming from the first page to the last, this mystery captivates with dashing characters and arch wit. Miss Austen would most heartily approve!
Orlando Murrin, author of Knife Skills for Beginners
This wonderful book feels almost like an immersive experience. Witty, clever and with exquisite detail. Miss Austen is a terrific sleuth
Ian Moore
BRILLIANT. So sharply observed, yet fresh, funny and a joy to read
Jennie Godfrey
A delightful return to the world of Jane Austen’s sleuthing! Jessica Bull delicately balances the details of Jane’s life alongside a richly developed set of mysteries. Rendered in Jane’s signature wit and equal parts light and dark, I enjoyed every moment I got to spend with Jane in this brilliant follow-up
Kristen Perrin, author of How To Solve Your Own Murder
A delight from the very first page – fun, clever and gritty, with fantastic characterisation and a wonderful look into the darkness hidden beneath the glimmering facade of Regency society. Jessica Bull masterfully brings to life Jane Austen and those around her, doing justice to the glimpses we get from letters. Her Jane Austen is my Jane Austen
Katie Lumsden, author of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
Jessica Bull’s sleuth, Jane Austen, is once again set in a pitch perfect Regency society with a wonderful murder mystery at its core - it’s everything a Janeite could want!
C.L. Miller, author of The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder
Sharp, searching and perfectly constructed, A Fortune Most Fatal is glorious - filled with wit, wrong turns and pitch-perfect characters, and a mystery that pulls expertly on the darker threads of 1797 society too. Jessica Bull is the real deal - a storyteller of such skill and empathy and verve, whose prose sings on every page. Jane Austen would adore this series - and so do I!
Alex Hay, author of The Housekeepers
Jessica Bull deftly weaves real historical events and characters with a thrilling storyline, and wields her extensive research with expert precision. She conjures Jane’s Regency world with as much realism as if she were describing our world today, and I was utterly immersed from the first page. Jane Austen is a plucky, sharp-witted, lovable heroine, and I can’t wait for her next adventure!
Louise Morrish
A fun, clever mystery...a must-read for historical crime fiction fans
Good Housekeeping