A Fortune Most Fatal
(Miss Austen Investigates #2)
By Jessica Bull
Historical Mystery, Fiction
Audiobook, Paperback & eBook, 384 Pages
March 25, 2025 by Union Square & Co.
Summary
A witty, engaging murder mystery featuring Jane Austen as an intrepid sleuth—the second installment in the Miss Austen Investigates series.
1797: A broken-hearted Jane Austen travels to Kent to look after her brother Neddy’s children and further her writing. She soon realizes it’s imperative she uncovers the true identity of a mysterious young woman claiming to be a shipwrecked foreign princess before the interloper can swindle Neddy’s adoptive mother out of her fortune and steal the much-anticipated inheritance all the Austens rely on.
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My Review
A FORTUNE MOST FATAL is a fictionalized Jane Austen staying with family as her sister-in-law prepares to birth her fourth child and inserting herself in the middle of a mystery while also trying to escape her sister-in-law's machinations to marry her off. The story is full of familial connections, teasing, Jane's wit, mystery, tension, some danger and a touch of romance. Recommended to fans of the author and historical mysteries who can handle a bit of a darker edge.
I think it's quite an undertaking to take a historical figure like Austen and write her into a fictionalized story like this, especially one where her faults end up being on display. She's in her earlier years at 21 years of age, not yet published, has had some difficult things already in her life, but has so much hope for the future. She's intelligent, opinionated, witty, and has a good heart. She's definitely not the usual debutante or young lady worried about decorum, getting married and having babies. I respected her drive to figure out what was going on even though it also got her in trouble. Jane can be a bit overdramatic, letting her imagination and assumptions get the better of her. As a reader and fan, I wanted to yank her back and calm her down in places. Thankfully she redeems herself in the end.
I loved Jane's relationships with her siblings. They're so well written that the love and comradery between her and her brothers and, through letters her sister, are palpable. All the characters in this story were very well drawn in all their complexities and differences. They each lend their own dynamic and role to this story. The romance isn't center stage at all and I liked the way that was weaved through the story. The relationships, teasing and banter are my favorite part of this book.
The plot itself meanders its way. There is drama and everyday life. There's Jane's resistance to her sister-in-law's plans to have her married and some terrible options for husbands. There's a bit of tension between her family members. There's her desire to write and to be left alone and her being forced to help differently than she thought. Then there's the mystery of this girl and the slowly increasing danger as the story climaxes towards the end. The end is marvelously done. It's not too perfectly tied up. There's a good dose of danger and Jane ignoring what a sensible young woman would do for what she would do. The author also left a bit of sweetness and unknown.
I also thought some parts were a little too forward for this story. This read like a cozy mystery or sweet historical fiction and then there were some dark and disgusting things unveiled that were quite shocking. It's enough that I wouldn't recommend this to most cozy mystery and clean fiction readers.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This was an overall enjoyable and entertaining story.
Content: Some violent references including multiple rapes and abuse.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Austenprose PR, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
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