A well-crafted narrative with multiple subplots drives Barron's splendid 13th Jane Austen mystery. Series tans will be happy to see more of Jane's extended family and friends, and Austenites will enjoy the imaginative power with which Barron spins another riveting mystery around a writer generally assumed to have led a quiet and uneventful life. 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 Princes fabulous London home. But her visit takes a startling turn when Jane stumbles upon a body—sprawled on the carpet in the Regent's library. The dying man utters a single failing phrase: "Waterloo map" sending Jane on the hunt for a treasure of incalculable value and a killer of considerable cunning. "With perfect pitch for Austen's voice and a cast of new and familiar characters, Barron has again produced a pleasant excursion into literate and historical escapism." "Absolutely delightful, with just the right balance between likable, captivating characters and the actual history of Jane Austen's life."