It was an honest effort to make amends, but what disastrous
results!
It is spring in 1821 and the Rochester family have just
decamped to London while repairs are being made to their
country home in Yorkshire. They are welcomed guests at the
large house of socialite Lucy Brayton, Jane's best
friend, who is thrilled to have them with her for a while
as her husband is away overseas. While Jane normally
prefers the quiet of the country, they all enjoy the change
and Lucy is anxious to show them around.
As Edward loves the opera, Lucy is happy to have them as
her guests and they are having a delightful time. But, as
luck would have it, Jane and Lucy are snubbed by Lady
Ingram, also from Yorkshire, and who had been very miffed
when Edward had not married her daughter and even worse,
had married out of his class to Jane who had been his ward
Adele's governess.
Normally, Jane and Lucy would have laughed this off, but
with the imminent arrival of Lucy's husband's young child
who Lucy is planning on raising as her own and
introducing him to the ton, she cannot afford to have the
ton turn against her. They need to make amends to lady
Ingram. First Edward is to apologize and they would visit,
but now these harmless gestures have turned them into prime
suspects when Lady Ingram unexpectedly dies! How is that
possible?
Then, if that isn't enough, the King's gaudy mistress and
others are using any means they can to get a letter that
Jane has in her possession. It is just a short time to the
expected coronation of King George IV and news of this
letter would certainly create jeopardy for the King. Will
Jane and Lucy be able to salvage their reputations and
protect their family names from the treacherous tactics of
those wanting to harm them? With Edward's eyesight
increasingly failing, can Jane care for him while also
using her detective skills to ferret out who is the real
killer before others are hurt?
DEATH OF A DOWAGER is next book in The Jane Eyre
Chronicles
and follows Death of a Schoolgirl. Written in a style
similar to Charlotte Brontë, Joanna Campbell Slan
authentically captures both the spirit of Jane Eyre as
well as the authentic sights, sounds and smells of the
London in 1821. Slan is a very experienced writer and with
her strong research skills she has added in many intriguing
details that is sure to make this a hit with fans who love
this genre!
DEATH OF A DOWAGER reads very well on its
own, but readers many want to read the previous novel first
and then follow the series. I really enjoyed the
counterbalance between Jane and Lucy as they are both
highly intelligent women but this is Lucy's world and she
has all the sophisticated understandings of the ton where
the more straightforward could easy fall prey to its traps.
Enjoy this captivating and fresh Jane Eyre!
In her classic tale, Charlotte Brontë introduced readers
to the strong-willed and intelligent Jane Eyre. The Jane
Eyre Chronicles pick up where Brontë left off, with Jane
married to her beloved Edward Rochester and mother to a
young son. But Jane soons finds herself having to protect
those she loves…
While extensive repairs
are being made to Ferndean, their rural home, Jane and
Edward accept an invitation from their friend Lucy Brayton
to stay with her in London. Jane is reluctant to abandon
their peaceful life in the countryside, but Edward’s damaged
vision has grown worse. She hopes that time in the capital
will buoy his spirits and give him the chance to receive
treatment from an ocular specialist.
Once in
London, the Rochesters accompany Lucy to the Italian Opera
House. But there is more drama in the audience than on
stage—Jane not only unexpectedly finds herself in the
presence of King George and his mistress, Lady Conygham, she
also encounters an old nemesis in the form of Lady Ingram
(whose daughter, Blanche, once hoped to wed Edward herself).
The aging dowager deals both Jane and Lucy a very public
snub; hoping to mitigate the social damage caused by this,
Lucy insists on visiting the Ingrams the next day. The visit
goes poorly from the start—and ends with Lady Ingram
dropping dead in the midst of taking tea. It soon becomes
clear that the dowager’s death was an unnatural one, and
Jane must set her considerable intelligence to the problem
of solving it—and why the throne appears to have an interest...
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