A fuller review of this will appear soon at Film Stories. It's obviously a delicious concept, and for the most part Golding delivers: neat characterisation, thoughtful inclusivity (the main characters include an Indian girl), plenty of grown-up Austen Easter eggs for adult readers. It does take a good while to get going for MG; it's 50 pages before there's any sort of mystery, and 100 before it's a really substantial one. Still, Jane's witty letters home are a lovely touch, and overall it's a nice set up for a longer series.

The Jane Austen Investigates
The Abbey Mystery
by Julia Golding
Lion Hudson Ltd
Lion Fiction
Children's Fiction | Middle Grade | Teens & YA
Pub Date 23 Apr 2021


I am reviewing a copy of The Jane Austen Investigates: The Abbey Mystery through Lion Fiction and Netgalley:



In 1789 a young Jane Austen turns detective as she seeks to solve the mysterious happenings at Southmoor Abbey. After a carriage accident forces a change of plans, 13-year-old Jane is sent to be a companion to Lady Cromwell for a week as the household prepares to celebrate the eldest son’s coming of age party. While she is there Jane makes a vow that she is going to solve the mystery of the ghostly monk in the Abbey grounds because she does not believe in such stories!



The mystery of the ghostly monk on the Abbey grounds is not the only occurrence for adventurous young Jane to investigate. There are also spooky night time investigations, an Indian girl with secret talents, a library fire, two prize horses in danger, and friends to save from false accusations.



Will Jane overcome the obstacles to finding the truth, with notebook in hand and faithful dog Grandison by her side.



This book would be a great adventure to read for those nine and over, especially if they love historical mysteries.



I give The Jane Austen Investigates, The Abbey Mystery five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This was a really fun read! I love Jane Austen and this gives young readers a taste of the classic ligature she wrote. I would recommend!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
A book for all jane austen fans. It's funny in an inescapable austen way, the characters are likeable and funny and there's a punny tone everywhere in the novel well worth reading it for.

Sometimes I just need a change of pace from my usual thrillers and serious reads, and this book was perfect. Jane Austen Investigates - The Abbey Mystery by Julia Golding is such a fun read!
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This novel features a young Jane Austen as she investigates a mystery while visiting Southmoor Abbey. Our little protagonist is exactly what you would imagine a young Jane Austen to be like! I love her!
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There are so many Austen quotes that I adore in this:
∆ "Jane was hoping for "famous" but infamy sounded exciting."
∆ "No, I'm just an Austen - which means I'm much more outrageous than you can possibly imagine."
∆ "She might be just a rector's daughter, but she could outwit the spoiled son of the house and his ruffian."
❤️
Ok, I'm done. I really hope this turns into a series because I want to read all of them. Thank you @ for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a simply fabulous take on Jane Austen!

It is wonderful seeing the esteemed author become a strong protagonist in her own right. In this caper, she is sent off to be a lady’s maid and she manages to uncover a bit of a mystery, involving a ghost. She doesn’t believe in said ghost but, under orders from her brother, sees fit to investigate. While she does, she under covers some dark secrets.

Hilarious at points but simply wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope that Ms Austen will be back to investigate again in the future.

This Middle Grade book begins with a fictional editor’s note stating that it is based on recently discovered notebooks written by a teenage Jane Austen detailing investigations she was involved in. In what I assume is the first of a series, thirteen-year-old Jane is sent to be a companion to Lady Cromwell at Southmoor Abbey for a week leading up to a big party the Cromwells are hosting for their son’s coming-of-age. Unlike Catherine Morland, Austen’s character in "Northanger Abbey", young Jane does not believe in ghosts, so she is eager to learn the truth behind the rumours that a ghostly monk can sometimes be seen roaming the ruins of the chapel once attached to the Abbey. Jane is already investigating when a fire is started in the library and horses are stolen make her even more determined to find the culprit.

Golding captures something of the cynicism towards traditions and the social order that characterizes the writing of Jane Austen in the observations of her young protagonist. Jane is adventurous and incorrigibly curious, but she does bow down to the rules of the period in public while mentally criticizing the limitations put on her as a young woman, and one for lower standing at that. As a character, Jane reminded me strongly of Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce, except that Jane is obsessed with writing rather than with poisons.

The mystery, which is really three intertwined mysteries, is suitably complex and the stakes are high: people are being wrongfully accused and in danger of losing their livelihoods, perhaps even their lives. The reveal is dramatic and surprising, and the pace of the book is pleasantly swift. In short, it is delightful, and entirely satisfying even for an adult mystery reader. It may also be a nice way to get younger readers interested in reading Austen’s books by introducing them to the period and the types of characters she wrote about.

For fans of Enola Holmes or The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie comes this literary-inspired mystery starring none other than a young Jane Austen. I have mixed feelings about Jane as a young detective, but some of her budding wit and powers of observation as a writer are portrayed in the story. The mystery was interesting and the hint of scandal was delicious. Interesting character development for several of the young heros and heroines in this story. A solid read.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. .

What if a young Jane Austen was a smart young lady who.liked to investigate mysteries? That is the premise for this book and it works so well. Jane has to visit Southmoor Abbey as a companion to Lady Cromwell and while there her brother challenges her to investigate the legend 0f the ghostly monk. What follows is a well written, enjoyable tale of her adventures at the abbey as she makes new friends and investigates several mysteries.
You don't have to know anything about Jane Austen or have read her books to enjoy this story but it may inspire young readers to investigate her works,.
This is exactly the sort of book I loved as a young adult and would recommend it to young readers today.
Many thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance read copy

A delightful middle-grade mistery where a very young Jane Austen (she has just begun writing the Juvenilia) is sent to be a companion for Lady Cromwell, the wife of Sir Charles Cromwell, whose estate includes an old Abbey that many believe to be haunted by a ghost. Jane takes the place of Cassandra who has a broken arm due to an accident with a cart. Jane takes with her her "lapdog" - that is, actually, a "disgraceful encounter between one of the squire's beagles and what might have been a passing Dalmatian", as her brother Henry claims; and makes friend with Luke - the stable boy who assembles steam engines - with young Mr. Fitzwilliam - an ambitious but fair law student - and Deepti, the astonishing and skillful daughter of the Indian chef of Sir Charles.
Jane will try to solve some mysteries such as an arson, a horse theft, a disputed legacy and the mysterious presence of the ghost of the Mad Monk amidst the ruins of the old Abbey.
In her room, Jane writes to Cassandra or plays with words, training herself as any budding writer, with some enjoyable efforts that recall to mind the Juvenilia.
I believe this series in which Jane Austen Investigates will be a great success, and I can't wait to read the next volumes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lion Fiction for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3770937693

An enjoyable middle grade mystery. There were definitely some anachronisms, and I'm also not sure the intended audience will fully appreciate the Jane Austen allusions, since most will not have been introduced to her books yet. Still, it is a fun read for young mystery lovers.

✨”She would be a creature of imagination and starlight. A glimmer of light in one.”✨
—Julia Golding, The Jane Austen Investigates: The Abbey Mystery

A young Jane Austen as a detective? Yes, please.

It’s 1789, and Jane Austen is a thirteen year old girl who get’s sent to the allegedly haunted Southmoor Abbey in order to be Lady Cromwell companion for week. The household is abuzz with activity: Lady Cromwells eldest son’s coming-of-age party is rapidly approaching.

A horse goes missing. An innocent goes to jail. A fire is set. A mystery needs to be solved…

This book is a delightful, and quick read. My only ‘Even Better If’ lies in the fact that I would have LOVED this book a whole lot more if the protagonist had just been a random girl and not my beloved Jane Austen. I say this because I just didn’t get a Jane Austen ‘vibe’. And as cool as her warrior friend was… I just couldn’t picture it.

But, it was still a good, innocent read.

Read. Be happy. Stay safe.

Before she was writing the amazing stories she did, Jane Austen....solved mysteries! This was a fun mystery book and an interesting take on the adventures of Jane Austen. She’s 13, feisty, and ready to solve a mystery! It’s a great read for middle grade readers or anyone who likes a different interpretation of Jane Austen. Theres a great theme of friendship in the story and the weaving of historical mannerisms and customs was great.

*Thanks Netgalley and Lion Hudson Ltd for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest revie.

I loved it so much. This is my second book from Julia Golding and I'm becoming a fan of her writing style. This story is about a 13 years old Jane Austen who due to an accident she finds herself being sent instead of her sister Cassandra to be the companion of Lady Cromwell. During her visit, Jane made new friends and is involved in a mysterious adventure, then an investigation that she is the only one that could solve.

If you like Enola Holmes, Sally Lockhart or you just love Jane Austen, you will love this wonderful imaginative story. I had such a good time while reading it. I recommend it for everyone. This book is about frienship beyond classes and races but also we are witnesses to the injustice that reigned during that period of time. I have to say that I hated Sir Charles and his wife.
Also, some names of the characters are actually inspired by characters of Jane Austen's real books.

I really enjoyed this book by Julia Golding that made me wish to be able to discover her other books.

"The Abbey Mystery" is a delightful mystery set in 1789 in England with a 13-year-old Jane Austen as the amateur detective. I would've loved her as a kid, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story as an adult, too. The historical details about manners and customs were deftly woven into the story and did not slow down the pacing but did explain why certain things happened the way they did. Jane used modern wording and was a realistic 13-year-old girl, so younger readers will feel at home with her. She's spunky, determined, loyal, and has a sense of humor.

The mystery was clue-based, and whodunit was guessable from the clues. Jane had good ideas about where to look and what questions to ask. She made good friends that helped her to accomplish her goal of proving that a more powerful (than her) person was at fault rather than the young man who was blamed. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable historical mystery.

I read this to see if I should get it for my friend's daughter, a voracious reader, and it definitely fits the bill, Clever, gripping, and with one of my favorite characters.

This is one of those middle grade novels that is very much written for children, and possibly won't work as well for adults: I didn't get terribly much out of it, but it is the kind of thing I might give my 7yo sisters! The mystery was fun (if obvious), though the ending was very abrupt and everything seemed to get wrapped up rather too fast. I did enjoy Jane's character - even though she read quite a bit older than her supposed 13, both in her own actions and the way other people treated her (e.g. there was a moment where she mentioned that she wasn't invited to a ball because she was from a poor family... even though a 13 year old never would have been anyway, regardless of social class!) - and I liked all the references to her real-life family and her letters! However, all the side characters were fairly one-note (especially the villains, which made the mystery even more obvious).

This is charming book for youngsters. As a young girl, 55 years ago and counting, I would have really enjoyed it, and I think it is a good introduction to the era of the Jane Austin stories. The setting and the customs are well explained and offer an insight to the times. However I think that today’s young readers may expect something a little more sophisticated and current, so I’m not sure how well the book will be received. Although the story kept a good pace the ending was too abrupt and did not do the rest of the book justice, far too rushed. I do hope young readers enjoy it.
Thank you NetGalley.

Loved this delightful mystery featuring spunky young Jane Austen as a detective and her beloved dog Grandison as sidekick. Dispatched to serve Lady Cromwell as a companion, Jane soon finds herself intrigued by the mystery of the ghostly monk at Southmoor Abbey. That’s when the fun begins! Geared to middle grade readers, JANE AUSTEN INVESTIGATES still kept this adult racing through the pages. Series, please!

5 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 23 Apr 2021
#JaneAustenInvestigates #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, Lion Hudson Ltd, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

Thank you to Lion Fiction and NetGalley for providing me an opportunity to review this title.

The Abbey Mystery is a perfect mix of classic Austen style and a Nancy Drew mystery.

A young Jane Austen is portrayed as a head-strong protagonist in this detective narrative. In an environment very different to her own home and loving, happy family, Jane finds herself engulfed in an intriguing mystery whilst spending time as a companion at Southmoor Abbey, home to the wealthy Cromwell family. What ensues is a ghost hunt, a party, sassy conversations, a girl coming into herself and a mystery to solve.

This book was charming and fun to read!