The acute powers of observation that marked Jane Austen's brilliant authorial career serve her equally well as a sleuth, as Barron's popular series has demonstrated in five earlier outings. Here, Barron uses Austen's well- documented interest in the Royal Navy as the linchpin of the plot. Jane's brother Frank, an officer who served under Nelson at Trafalgar, can't believe that his friend Tom Seagrave, commanding officer of the Stella Maris, killed the captain of the French frigate Manon moments after he'd surrendered his ship to Seagrave, despite the testimony of a junior officer. Ministering to the French prisoners of war housed at the Wool House of the title, Jane soon discovers another witness to the incident, a dashing and romantic surgeon whose account might save Seagrave from the gallows. As usual, Barron evokes the social, domestic, and cultural scene of England in the glory days of the empire with the wit, charm, and verve that mark her heroine's literary legacy. --Jane Adams


From Publishers Weekly
Jane Austen aficionados once again have cause to rejoice, as Barron (Jane and the Stillroom Maid, etc.) maintains her usual high standards in this latest literary historical, set in the environs of Southampton and Portsmouth, home of the Royal Navy. In the winter of 1807, Jane is one of the Austen household living in lodgings, when her brother Frank enlists her aid in clearing the name of his friend, Captain Tom Seagrave. Seagrave's lieutenant has accused him of killing an enemy officer after the Frenchman surrendered his ship in a naval action off the Portuguese coast. Such a charge under the Articles of War could result in the hanging of "Lucky" Tom. Frank cannot believe that his friend is guilty, and Jane resolves to find a witness, perhaps among the French prisoners of war incarcerated at the Wool House. Soon, Captain Seagrave's is not the only life in jeopardy. Barron has on the whole again caught Austen's tone accurately. Details about life in the British navy serve to illuminate, rather than distract from, the narrative. The novel's real achievement, though, is the portrayal of the minor characters the retired seaman known as the Bosun's Mate, Seagrave's suspicious and vulnerable wife and Jane's brother Frank, who's anxious for command but uncertain of the price that may be exacted. A somewhat convoluted plot, thanks to Jane's puzzle-solving abilities, comes to a neat resolution. (Nov. 27)Forecast: The superb jacket art emphasizes the naval theme, a possible crossover lure to C.S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian fans.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
The Austen family's interest and participation in Britain's navy comes to the fore in this sixth series historical, set in 1807 Southampton. Barron provides insight into her skillful re-creation of Austen's ethos and prose at www.francinemathews.com, her web site. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Jane Austen, author of such classics as PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, is the fictional protagonist of this mystery in which a British naval officer is charged with murder and sentenced to hang. Austen, convinced of his innocence, traverses dangerous and seedy settings in pursuit of truth. Those who prefer nonstop action might tire of the slow pace and historical details (with footnotes). But the language is delicious, the characterizations layered and the plot full of surprises. Kate Reading's narration quietly underscores the Austen-esque humor and captures the quirkiness of a wide array of characters. She shines at moving along briskly while still taking time to savor the language. E.S. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
The sixth novel in Barron's successful Jane Austen mystery series presents Jane with a baffling murder at sea. When her brother Frank's friend, Captain Tom Seagrave, is accused of killing a French captain in cold blood after the French ship had already surrendered, Frank is shocked and convinced that his friend has been falsely accused. Jane and Frank pay a visit to the Seagraves, and Jane is troubled by Tom's wife, Louisa, who seems to harbor malicious feelings for her husband. Jane leaps at the opportunity to aid Mr. Hill, a physician, at Wool House, where some French prisoners are being kept. At Wool House, she tries to learn the details of what happened when Seagrave's crew boarded the French ship. A mysterious prisoner, Etienne LaForge, seems to have the answers, but after Seagrave's accuser is killed, even LaForge's testimony can't help the captain. Or can it? Jane quickly realizes the mystery is deeper than she and Frank first realized, and the pages turn rapidly as our clever heroine puzzles it out. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
“Jane ventures ever further from the world conventionally assigned her real-life original.”
— Kirkus Reviews


Praise for Stephanie Barron’s superbly engaging Jane Austen mysteries:

“Historical fiction at its best!”
— Library Journal

“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

“Ms. Barron’s skillful rendering of Ms. Austen’s style, attuned to picking up the most delicate fluctuations in social behavior, reveals it to be an ideal vehicle for the classic cozy murder mystery. Who knew?”
— The New York Times Book Review

“A real charmer.”
— San Francisco Chronicle

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

“People who lament Jane Austen’s minimal lifetime output ... now have cause to rejoice.”
— The Drood Review of Mystery

“Splendid fun!”
— Star Tribune, Minneapolis

“Happily succeeds on all levels: a robust tale of manners and mayhem that faithfully reproduces the Austen style — and engrosses to the finish.”
— Kirkus Reviews

“A lighthearted mystery ... The most fun is that ‘Jane Austen’ is in the middle of it, witty and logical, a foil to some of the ladies who primp, faint and swoon.”
— The Denver Post



From the Hardcover edition.


Review
?Jane ventures ever further from the world conventionally assigned her real-life original.?
? Kirkus Reviews


Praise for Stephanie Barron?s superbly engaging Jane Austen mysteries:

?Historical fiction at its best!?
? Library Journal

?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

?Ms. Barron?s skillful rendering of Ms. Austen?s style, attuned to picking up the most delicate fluctuations in social behavior, reveals it to be an ideal vehicle for the classic cozy murder mystery. Who knew??
? The New York Times Book Review

?A real charmer.?
? San Francisco Chronicle

?There?s plenty to enjoy in the crime-solving side of Jane.... She is as worthy a detective as Columbo.?
? USA Today

?People who lament Jane Austen?s minimal lifetime output ... now have cause to rejoice.?
? The Drood Review of Mystery

?Splendid fun!?
? Star Tribune, Minneapolis

?Happily succeeds on all levels: a robust tale of manners and mayhem that faithfully reproduces the Austen style ? and engrosses to the finish.?
? Kirkus Reviews

?A lighthearted mystery ... The most fun is that ?Jane Austen? is in the middle of it, witty and logical, a foil to some of the ladies who primp, faint and swoon.?
? The Denver Post



From the Hardcover edition.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

""I will assert that sailors are endowed with greater worth than any set of men in England." So muses Jane Austen as she stands in the buffeting wind of Southampton's quay beside her brother Frank on a raw February morning. Frank, a post captain in the Royal Navy, is without a ship to command, and his best prospect is the Stella Maris, a fast frigate captained by his old friend Tom Seagrave. "Lucky" Tom - so dubbed for his habit of besting enemy ships - is presently in disgrace, charged with violating the Articles of War. Tom's first lieutenant, Eustace Chessyre, has accused Seagrave of murder in the death of a French captain after the surrender of his ship. Though Lucky Tom denies the charge, his dagger was found in the dead man's chest. Now Seagrave faces court-martial and execution for a crime he swears he did not commit." "Frank, deeply grieved, is certain his friend will hang. But Jane reasons that either Seagrave or Chessyre is lying - and that she and Frank have a duty to discover the truth. The search for the captain's honor carries them into the troubled heart of Seagrave's family, through some of the seaport's worst sinkholes, and at long last to Wool House, the barred brick structure that serves as gaol for French prisoners of war. Risking contagion or worse, Jane agrees to nurse the murdered French captain's imprisoned crew - and elicits a debonair surgeon's account of the Stella Maris's battle that appears to clear Tom Seagrave of all guilt." When Eustace Chessyre is found murdered, the entire affair takes on the appearance of an insidious plot against Seagrave, who is charged with the crime. Could any of his naval colleagues wish him dead? In an era of turbulent intrigue and contested amour, could it be a case of cherchez la femme ... or a veiled political foe at work? And what of the sealed orders under which Seagrave embarked that fateful night in the Stella Maris? Death knocks again at Jane's own door before the final knots in the killer's net

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Jane Austen aficionados once again have cause to rejoice, as Barron (Jane and the Stillroom Maid, etc.) maintains her usual high standards in this latest literary historical, set in the environs of Southampton and Portsmouth, home of the Royal Navy. In the winter of 1807, Jane is one of the Austen household living in lodgings, when her brother Frank enlists her aid in clearing the name of his friend, Captain Tom Seagrave. Seagrave's lieutenant has accused him of killing an enemy officer after the Frenchman surrendered his ship in a naval action off the Portuguese coast. Such a charge under the Articles of War could result in the hanging of "Lucky" Tom. Frank cannot believe that his friend is guilty, and Jane resolves to find a witness, perhaps among the French prisoners of war incarcerated at the Wool House. Soon, Captain Seagrave's is not the only life in jeopardy. Barron has on the whole again caught Austen's tone accurately. Details about life in the British navy serve to illuminate, rather than distract from, the narrative. The novel's real achievement, though, is the portrayal of the minor characters the retired seaman known as the Bosun's Mate, Seagrave's suspicious and vulnerable wife and Jane's brother Frank, who's anxious for command but uncertain of the price that may be exacted. A somewhat convoluted plot, thanks to Jane's puzzle-solving abilities, comes to a neat resolution. (Nov. 27) Forecast: The superb jacket art emphasizes the naval theme, a possible crossover lure to C.S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian fans. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

When a British captain is accused of dishonorably killing a French counterpart who had already surrendered his vessel, the only person who steps forward to help is Jane Austen, here starring in her sixth mystery. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews