After receiving a rather cryptic and uncharacteristic letter from Mr. Rochester's ward Adele, Jane Eyre begins to suspect that things are amiss at Adele's boarding school. When Jane arrives in London to check on Adele, it's only to see the body of a girl being taken from the house. Worry over Adele's safety, spurs Jane to disguise herself as the new German teacher while she works to unmask the murderer.

Ms. Campbell Slan faithfully recreates the Gothic world of Jane Eyre with every bit of the dramatic, intense emotions which made the first story popular, but she also manages to continue the growth of the characters along a logical path. Jane is still intelligent and scrappy, but now she gets to use those skills in a new and exciting way. She becomes an amateur sleuth. This feels like a natural continuation for her character. It's nice to have beloved characters remain true to their original form and not morph into completely modern characters who are unrecognizable. The story feels and reads like a sequel. The motivations and prejudices, the characters and setting, the language and syntax are kept intact without change for a more modern audience. I appreciated the dedicated attention to the original detail and believe that it worked well for the classic characters.

I'll admit that I was never a big fan of Mr. Rochester. I always felt like I would be cheating on Mr. Darcy by giving some of my attention to another hero. Mr. Rochester isn't as integral to this story as he obviously was to the first. He's more likable now, with some of the sharp edges worn off, but he remains a supporting character to Jane and their relationship is a driving force for her.

If you're a fan of Gothic and Jane Eyre, DEATH TO A SCHOOLGIRL will not disappoint. If on the other hand, you like your historical romance and mysteries with more modern sensibilities than this might not be the book for you. Jane is every inch a Gothic heroine which is why she's fabulous.