Jane and the Man of the Cloth

Being the Second Jane Austen Mystery

By: Stephanie Barron

Narrated by: Kate Reading

For everyone who loves Jane Austen . . . the second tantalizing mystery in a new series that transforms the beloved author into a dazzling sleuth!

Jane and her family are looking forward to a peaceful holiday in the seaside village of Lyme Regis. Yet on the outskirts of town an overturned carriage forces the shaken travelers to take refuge at a nearby manor house. And it is there that Jane meets the darkly forbidding yet strangely attractive Mr. Geoffrey Sidmouth. What murky secrets does the brooding Mr. Sidmouth seek to hide? Jane suspects the worst—but her attention is swiftly diverted when a man is discovered hanged from a makeshift gibbet by the sea. The worthies of Lyme are certain his death is the work of “the Reverend,” the ringleader of the midnight smuggling trade whose identity is the town's paramount mystery. Now, it falls to Jane to entrap and expose the notorious Reverend . . . even if the evidence points to the last person on earth she wants to suspect . . . a man who already may have won her heart.

Critic reviews

“Eat your heart out, Charlotte Bronte! . . . Jane's narrative voice stays coolly crisp and witty, never losing its clarity of style and authenticity of tone, even in nerve-racking moments of excitement . . . captivating . . . delightful . . . Ms. Barron's skillful rendering of Austen's style, attuned to picking up the most delicate fluctuations in social behavior, reveals it to be an ideal vehicle for the classic cozy murder mystery. Who knew?”—The New York Times Book Review

“The words, characters, and references are so real it is a shock to find that the author is not Austen herself.”—Arizona Republic

“Delightful . . . captures the style and wit of Austen. . . . A real charmer.”—San Francisco Examiner

“There's plenty to enjoy in this crime-solving side of Jane. . . . [She] is as worthy a detective as Columbo.”—USA Today

keeps you guessing

This novel keeps the reader guessing who the Reverend is for over five hours. I highly recommend.

Danger and Romance and Jane Austen!

Wonderful murder mystery with Jane Austen as our witty sleuth. But this time around we have a bit of romance as well.

Interesting all the way

I really enjoyed the story itself and especially the footnotes , as I am a jane austin fan.

Slow to start but great story

This is my 4th "Being Jane Austen Mystery" as I started out of order with later titles. First, I really liked the overall story. It's a well done mystery with developed characters. I only give it 4 stars because it was sooo slow for the first half and there were so many editors notes/footnotes that I almost stopped listening. The later books are true stories so I was surprised at how many footnotes there were in this one - to the point that it really took away from the story and made parts of it feel like a historical documentary of some kind. (I also felt that at least half of the footnotes were things that anyone remotely familiar with Regency era stories would already know.) I think if I were reading the story and could look over the footnotes at leisure I'd appreciate them but there were too many interruptions that took me out of the story. It is a great mystery that is worth reading/listening to - and I love several of the other books so the series is wonderful - just be warned about the numerous interruptions in this particular book.

Love this series!!

I read Stephanie Barton’s novels years ago and am enjoying listening to them! Ms Barron absolutely captures the spirit of Jane Austen. Well done!!