A Jane Austen Encounter by Donna Fletcher Crow - REVIEWED

About the Book:

English professors Elizabeth and Richard celebrate twenty years of marriage with their dream vacation: visiting Jane Austen's homes. But not even the overpowering personality of their Oxford guide nor the careful attentions of their new friends can ward off lurking alarms. When a box of old documents is donated to the Jane Austen Centre in Bath Richard helps sort through it. Later that night he finds the Centre's director bleeding on her office floor. Could the letter that has gone missing lead to new revelations about Jane's unfinished manuscript The Watsons?

Join Elizabeth and Richard on their tour: Visit all the sites so redolent of Jane Austen and her characters in the beautiful city of Bath; stay in the Chawton House Library to visit the charming cottage where Jane's writing flowered and the nearby Steventon church where her father was rector; stand by her grave in Winchester Cathedral; and enjoy your time at the lovely country estate of Godmersham. But don't let your guard down. Evil lurks even in the genteel world of Jane Austen.

My Thoughts:

“Elizabeth, are you sure you want to go on with this?”  (p.191 – Richard to Elizabeth)

Okay, this is every English major’s fantasy trip to England!! Donna Fletcher Crow has created a sabbatical for two English professors who teach Jane Austen’s work to their students.  She could not have created a cozier murder mystery!! I love the way she mixes the facts of Jane Austen’s life with the reality of the mystery unfolding in the lives of Elizabeth and Richard.  Each clue tends to come wrapped in some personal revelation about their own relationship as it relates to their passion for uncovering the truth about Jane Austen’s manuscript!  This is both and intellectual and entertaining read, and everyone will love the way the resolution takes place!

Honestly, I want to go to England and join Elizabeth and Richard on their pursuits!  I love the thoughts they share toward the end!  I believe there is another mystery forth coming!! Whether real or fictional remains to be seen!! LOVED THIS!!!

About the Author:

Donna Fletcher Crow, who lives in Idaho with her husband of 46 years, is the mother of four adult children, grandmother of 10 and author of thirty-some books, mostly novels dealing with British history. Her best known book is the epic historical novel Glastonbury, The Novel of Christian England, which was awarded First Place, Historical Fiction, by the National Federation of Press Women. 

After almost 10 years in the publishing wilderness Donna is reentering the fray with The Monastery Murders, a series of ecclesiastical mysteries featuring Felicity Howard, an American woman studying for the Anglican priesthood in a monastery in remote Yorkshire. When Felicity's favorite monk is bludgeoned to death she finds herself learning about a lot more than theoretical theology. A Very Private Grave, the first in the series will be released by Monarch Books (Lion Hudson) in May 2010 in the UK and next Sept. in the US by Kregel Books.

She says, "I write historical novels and contemporaries that draw heavily on historical background, because I believe it is vitally important that we not loose touch with our rich historical heritage. Those who have gone before us have worked too hard and suffered too much to preserve the privileges we enjoy for us to forget their stories. Reading of the triumphs of the faithful in ages past can inspire and strengthen us for our own challenging times."

Donna is an enthusiastic gardener, enjoying the challenge of growing an English cottage garden in the Idaho desert. You can visit her garden at http://novelgarden.blogspot.com/

She also enjoys drinking tea with family and friends and hearing from her readers. You can write to her at DonnaFCrow@aol.com.