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  • Published: 7 March 2023
  • ISBN: 9781641294096
  • Imprint: Soho Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $49.99

Jane and the Year Without a Summer




"If you have a Jane Austen-would-have-been-my-best-friend complex, look no further . . . [Barron] has painstakingly sifted through the famed author's letters and writings, as well as extensive biographical information, to create a finely detailed portrait of Austen's life—with a dash of fictional murder . . . Some of the most enjoyable, well-written fanfic ever created."—O Magazine

"If you have a Jane Austen-would-have-been-my-best-friend complex, look no further . . . [Barron] has painstakingly sifted through the famed author's letters and writings, as well as extensive biographical information, to create a finely detailed portrait of Austen's life—with a dash of fictional murder . . . Some of the most enjoyable, well-written fanfic ever created."—O Magazine
 
May 1816: Jane Austen is feeling unwell, with an uneasy stomach, constant fatigue, rashes, fevers and aches. She attributes her poor condition to the stress of family burdens, which even the drafting of her latest manuscript—about a baronet's daughter nursing a broken heart for a daring naval captain—cannot alleviate. Her apothecary recommends a trial of the curative waters at Cheltenham Spa, in Gloucestershire. Jane decides to use some of the profits earned from her last novel, Emma, and treat herself to a period of rest and reflection at the spa, in the company of her sister, Cassandra.
 
Cheltenham Spa hardly turns out to be the relaxing sojourn Jane and Cassandra envisaged, however. It is immediately obvious that other boarders at the guest house where the Misses Austen are staying have come to Cheltenham with stresses of their own—some of them deadly. But perhaps with Jane’s interference a terrible crime might be prevented. Set during the Year without a Summer, when the eruption of Mount Tambora in the South Pacific caused a volcanic winter that shrouded the entire planet for sixteen months, this fourteenth installment in Stephanie Barron’s critically acclaimed series brings a forgotten moment of Regency history to life.

  • Published: 7 March 2023
  • ISBN: 9781641294096
  • Imprint: Soho Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $49.99

About the author

Stephanie Barron

STEPHANIE BARRON, a lifelong admirer of Jane
Austen's work, is the author of six previous Jane
Austen mysteries. She lives in Colorado, where she
is at work on the eighth Jane Austen mystery, Jane
and His Lordship's Legacy.

Also by Stephanie Barron

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Praise for Jane and the Year Without a Summer

Praise for Jane and the Year Without a Summer A Reading Group Choices Editors’ Pick “[A] carefully researched and beguiling series . . . The author evokes Austen’s amused style with panache—‘one must be on one’s guard when sitting down with a potential poisoner’—as the story’s tone shifts from satire to menace.” —Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal “Absolutely charming, and one of the best among [Stephanie Barron's] prolific list of Jane Austen mysteries.” The Denver Post “Another exceptionally fun read for both the legions of Jane Austen fans and all dedicated mystery buffs.” —Midwest Book Review “I chuse to recommend Stephanie Barron’s most excellent Jane and the Year Without a Summer. Good reader, it will both charm and dazzle you. Closet yourself in your chamber undisturbed, for the story—fraught with poisoning, abduction, and murder—has unfathomed depths worthy of the esteemed Miss Jane Austen herself. Well done, Miss Barron! Your writing is unrivaled in its wit and veracity. Miss Austen instructs there is happiness in serving others, and I mean to follow her example forthwith by informing you that Miss Barron writes with a mighty quill.” —Sandra Dallas, New York Times bestselling author “Stephanie Barron has done it again. It's no mean feat to recreate the world and tone of Jane Austen—while also writing a thoroughly engaging and entertaining mystery! But Stephanie Barron pulls it off with a wry wit and an ease of manner reminiscent of Austen herself. If you haven't read these books yet, go back, start at the beginning, brew a very large pot of tea, and prepare to be thoroughly diverted.” —Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author of Band of Sisters “No one conjures Austen's voice like Stephanie Barron, and Jane and the Year Without a Summer is utterly pitch-perfect. The only way Barron could write Austen more convincingly is with a Ouija board. From the exquisite period detail to the uniquely Austenian turns of phrase, this series is a must-read for all Janeites.”  —Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author of the Veronica Speedwell mysteries “Exceptionally researched and written, Jane and the Year Without a Summer is absolute perfection. Stephanie Barron expertly weaves fact and fiction, crafting a story that is authentically Austen in its elegance, charm, and wit. The characters and setting will enchant you, and the mystery will keep you guessing to the last page. This Regency-set gem is truly a diamond of the first water.” —Mimi Matthews, USA Today bestselling author “The world of Regency England comes alive through the vivid historical detail underpinning this intriguing novel, while Jane and the secondary characters are both engaging and authentic. Whether first-timers or serious followers of Jane Austen, readers will thoroughly enjoy this take on the legendary author's life and sleuthing skills.” —Shelf AwarenessJane and the Year Without a Summer is a sweet indulgence filled with wit, charm, and the author's formidable research into the Regency era and the real Austen's biography . . . sure to please even the pickiest, most well-read Janeite.” —Reviewing the Evidence “Rich in historical detail.” —Everything Zoomer “Barron deftly weaves delights of the early 19th century into the twists of plot, from poisoned delicacies to a masquerade ball, and the rights and rebellions of women of