Miss Dido Kent's punishment for refusing to marry a stuffy clergyman with six children in need of motherly love is to play companion to her even more quarrelsome and exacting Aunt Manners. Aunt Manners drags Dido along for a trip to her childhood home, Charcombe Manor. Dido can't help but notice that there are some strange going-ons at Charcombe. Miss Letitia Verney has disappeared and no one seems all that inclined to search for her. Even stranger are the mysterious lights that appear in an abandoned wing of the house, a crying ghost that keeps guests awake at night, and a little room that locks from the outside with initials etched into the stone. When a man with information about the young Miss Verney is murdered, Dido must piece together these unusual clues quickly to find the missing girl and save the life of an innocent man who will hang for a murder he didn't commit.

A PLACE OF CONFINEMENT by Anna Dean delivers an engaging mystery with Austen-like prose in this delightful historical mystery. From the very first words, Dean draws them into the world and mind of a spinster in 1807. This is the first Dido Kent mystery I've read, but Dean's prose style feels so familiar and comforting to me that I slipped effortlessly into this world and into the fantastic mind of her main character. I love how Dean manages to blend the historical concerns of the day with a lead female character who shows remarkably modern sensibilities. Dido doesn't feel like she's a modern character transplanted into a historical setting. She's truly a product of her time while she doesn't quite fit the mold of that time.

In the best traditions of the female amateur detective, Miss Dido Kent's curiosity and intelligence allow her to see the world as others don't. She understands the importance of personal relationships and the at times illogical actions triggered by strong emotion.

A PLACE OF CONFINEMENT is a fantastic addition to the historical mystery genre. Dean's confident and lyrical prose coupled with the richly detailed setting make her an author I will continue to follow.