Jane and His Lordship’s Legacy
Being the eighth Jane Austen mystery, this novel centers on the family’s move to brother Edward’s cottage in Chawton, Hampshire, where villagers are loathe to hear that his family will displace the bailiff’s widow. Jane’s enthusiasm is subdued with the loss of her friend, Lord Harold Trowbridge (“the Rogue”), but soon her mettle is tested not only by her chatterbox mother, but by a dead body found in the cellar whilst storing a newly arrived Bengal chest containing a very unusual inheritance. Jane soon learns the contents are coveted by more than one person desperate to recover the bequest. Devotees of Jane Austen’s works who may have resisted reading these gentle yet complex mysteries will find the writing a comfort, as the time spent again in Jane’s world is well worth their time and attention.