My brother snorted. “Why should any person wish you harm?”
“Because of what I have seen.” I gazed at him soberly. “Because of the Waterloo Map.”
(from Jane and the Waterloo Map)
Quick summary: Jane and the Waterloo Map is the 13th book in Stephanie Barron’s Being a Jane Austen Mystery series, but only the second one I have read. Set a month before Jane Austen’s 40th birthday and told from her point of view, the novel takes readers to the Prince Regent’s London residence, Carlton House, where she has been invited by the Reverend James Stanier Clarke to tour the library. While on the tour, Jane finds Colonel McFarland, a hero of Waterloo, dying on the floor. While waiting for help, McFarland utters the phrase, “Waterloo Map,” and Jane is swept up into a mystery in which she must determine the importance of a watercolor map and who would kill to possess it.
Why I wanted to read it: I really enjoyed the previous installment in the series, Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas, and since they are pretty much standalone novels — with editor’s notes to explain historical details and highlight certain parts of the backstory — I couldn’t resist this one.
What I liked: For the most part, Jane and the Waterloo Map, is a standalone novel, but I am glad I read the previous book because the artist Raphael West, whom Jane meets in the last installment, is drawn into this newest mystery with Jane. I love that Jane gets some help from her family as well. Barron does a great job creating a complicated mystery and unraveling the threads at the right pace. It’s a treat to be taken along for the ride, following the twists and turns and not figuring everything out before the end. The inclusion of historical facts, particularly Jane’s visit to Carlton House and Clarke’s strong suggestion that she dedicate Emma to the Prince Regent, creates a fuller story and makes Jane believable as a heroine and sleuth. But most of all, I appreciate the heroine she has created in Jane Austen, from her cleverness to her determination, from her unwillingness to be pushed aside because she is a woman to her thoroughly entertaining first-person narrative.
What I disliked: I thought the book opened a bit slow, and it took me a couple of chapters to be pulled into the story, but I knew I was in for a treat and was not disappointed overall.
Final thoughts: Barron is a creative storyteller, and she brilliantly weaves together fact and fiction. I really need to find the time to go back to the beginning of the series and read them all in order. However, given that Jane is approaching the last years of her life, I am especially curious to find out how Barron continues the series and what kind of trouble our heroine will find herself in next.
About the book:
Jane Austen turns sleuth in this delightful Regency-era mystery
November, 1815. The Battle of Waterloo has come and gone, leaving the British economy in shreds; Henry Austen, high-flying banker, is about to declare bankruptcy—dragging several of his brothers down with him. The crisis destroys Henry’s health, and Jane flies to his London bedside, believing him to be dying. While she’s there, the chaplain to His Royal Highness the Prince Regent invites Jane to tour Carlton House, the Prince’s fabulous London home. The chaplain is a fan of Jane’s books, and during the tour he suggests she dedicate her next novel—Emma—to HRH, whom she despises.
However, before she can speak to HRH, Jane stumbles upon a body—sprawled on the carpet in the Regent’s library. The dying man, Colonel MacFarland, was a cavalry hero and a friend of Wellington’s. He utters a single failing phrase: “Waterloo map” . . . and Jane is on the hunt for a treasure of incalculable value and a killer of considerable cunning.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads
About the author:
Stephanie Barron was born in Binghamton, New York, the last of six girls. She attended Princeton and Stanford Universities, where she studied history, before going on to work as an intelligence analyst at the CIA. She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Since then, she has written fifteen books.
She lives and works in Denver, Colorado. Learn more about Stephanie and her books at her website, visit her on Facebook and Goodreads.
Giveaway:
Grand Giveaway Contest
Win One of Three Fabulous Prizes
In celebration of the release of Jane and the Waterloo Map, Stephanie is offering a chance to win one of three prize packages filled with an amazing selection of Jane Austen-inspired gifts and books!
To enter the giveaway contest, simply leave a comment on any or all of the blog stops on Jane and the Waterloo Map Blog Tour starting February 02, 2016 through 11:59 pm PT, February 29, 2016. Winners will be drawn at random from all of the comments and announced on Stephanie’s website on March 3, 2016. Winners have until March 10, 2016 to claim their prize. Shipment is to U.S. addresses. Good luck to all!
To follow the tour, click the banner below:
Disclosure: I received Jane and the Waterloo Map from Soho Crime for review.
© 2016 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Thanks for the great review! This has been an exciting tour. 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by!
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I think that is why reviews help so much, because sometimes books *do* start slow, but if you know it has gotten good reviews, you keep going, and are usually rewarded for your perseverance!
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Very true!
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I can figure a slow beginning as long as things pick up. This sounds good.
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Having read this author before, I knew I’d be rewarded for reading on.
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Anna, great review. I loved how you broke it up and at least I’ll expect a slow start, but I’m definitely intrigued enough to want to read this and her other ones in the series. Thanks. Annie JC
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Thank you!
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Thank you for sharing your great review and the wonderful contest. I am new to your blog and have enjoyed visiting
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I hope you’ll visit again!
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I have always liked Raphael West’s father’s works. I do not know much about him though.
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I know nothing about them except for what’s in Barron’s books!
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Thank you for your honest review! I’m looking forward to reading this book.
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Thanks for visiting!
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Have enjoyed every stop on this tour. This is one of my favourite series and am so excited to have another installment. Also have found some new blogs to follow along the way.
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Thanks for stopping by! I really need to go back to the beginning and read them all.
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Love a good mystery and love Jane Austen! Excited to give this one a try 🙂
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I don’t read mysteries too often, but if Jane Austen plays a role, you can definitely count me in!
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I have loved going on this tour and look forward to reading the book.
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Thanks, Linda!
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Glad you enjoyed it, Anna! This is a favorite series for me. I love the mysteries, but it is fun that Jane Austen, her family, and friends like Raphael West are also in on the story. I’m saddened that soon these will be over as it is indeed nearing the end of her life.
Well-thought review, thanks!
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Thanks, Sophia! Knowing the end is coming soon is indeed sad.
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These are sound wonderful…I love that there are 13 of them. But I have a long way to catch up if I start these. 🙂
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Me too, since I’ve only read 2! But I think they would be worth it.
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The tour has been so fun! I can’t wait to read it!
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Hope you enjoy it!
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Great review! I’ve read this series in random order and am looking forward to reading the next book 🙂
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It’s great that they can be enjoyed out of order.
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Thank you for your review, and for taking part in the blog tour. It has been a delight.
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Thanks, Laura!
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Good review and I can’t wait read
this newest installment in the series!
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Thanks, ladysusanpdx!
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I’m on book seven and I love this series!
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I really need to read them all!
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I think this might be my cue to start at the beginning again and go in order. By then, the new Louise Penny should be out. Great review
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It would definitely keep you busy while you wait.
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Lovely review. I enjoyed this book too and just found myself immersed in this story in such a pleasant manner. I felt like I left a beloved place that I was visiting when I finished this story!
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Thanks for this. What a great series, definitely worthy of attention!
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Thanks, Alisha!
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Love your review. Very expressive and concise. Sounds like I’ll really take to this book.
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Thanks, Tisarey!
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Thanks for another well-written review, Anna! This sounds like a very engrossing book. Thanks also for hosting this terrific giveaway.
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Thanks, Suko!
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Excellent review, thank you for the details.
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Thanks, daria!
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A good review! I’m interested in reading this one now!
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Thanks, Shannon!
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The giveaway winners have been announced!
http://stephaniebarron.com/blog-tour.php
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