Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: 25th January 2024
Miss Austen investigates is centred round the title’s eponymous heroine and famous 18th Century writer who, on a winter’s evening, attends with her family an engagement party only to discover the body of a local milliner who has been beaten to death in a cupboard. This shocking discovery is elevated to even more dramatic heights when Austen’s brother George is implicated in the crime and so begins the narrative journey of trying to vindicate his name and free him from the clutches of the law and a potential death sentence.
George Austen was one of the only Austen siblings who was cared for throughout his childhood and beyond by a local family in the village where the Austen family resided. It was known that he had some form of learning disability, and, for some reason, it was decided by Jane’s family that he should live away from the family home. Poignantly, within this fictional world, the writer creates a strong bond between Jane and George and her compulsion to solve the murder and free her brother is what drives her to push against social and gender barriers.
The novel itself was well researched and it felt that the author was knowledgeable regarding time era as repeated references to clothing and etiquette pervaded the text. Jane’s own limitations and frustrations with societal attitudes towards women was an issue that was always returned to, and no doubt real life Jane Austen would have felt something similar as we can see from her own works of fiction. It did feel a little bit frustrating that Jane’s writing endeavours took a bit of a back seat to the main plot focus of discovering the murderer’s identity. Personally, I wanted to spend more time with Jane’s character and her thinking about her writing and creative process. I found that I had my own sense of how Jane Austen might react in certain situations and slipped slightly into disbelief when she wildly accuses several characters of being the murderer along the way. Jane Austen is so well formed in our collective consciousness that it can feel problematic when a writer choses to utilise them for fictional narratives that are at odds with your own perceptions, although I recognise this is a fault that lies with me and not the writer.
There were moments in the novel that I really enjoyed, such as the presentation of the relationship between Jane’s brother Henry and her first cousin Eliza. In time they would come to marry, but at this point in the story we are left to perceive their relationship through the eyes of Jane and so left outside of their burgeoning romance. Jane’s friendship and admiration of her cousin is also well done. Eliza de Feuillide, is an interesting character in her own right and is the subject of much historical debate. A single mother who had to flee from the French revolution, she raised her son, Hastings on her own. Eliza’s son seemed son seemed to share a disability with his uncle George and it is interesting to consider the different representations and treatment of both.
Overall, it felt great to be in the company of the fictional Austen family. Miss Austen Investigates is an enjoyable read which had all the familiar aspects of a cosy crime tale that is perfect for these cold winter months.
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