The Jane Austen Mystery Novel

I’ve written three Jane Austen mystery novels, so it’s a genre that is dear to my heart. New Jane Austen mystery novels are being published each year, so I’d like to investigate what has led to the Austenesque mystery surge, and showcase some prime examples of the genre.

First, let’s start with a definition. Then we’ll look at why blending Jane Austen and the mystery genre is so effective, and then I’ll give 10+ examples of books that fall into this genre.

What is a Jane Austen mystery novel?

A Jane Austen mystery novel is a mystery story that uses Austen’s novels as its base, either by injecting a mystery into one of the original tales, using her characters to solve mysteries beyond the original stories, transforming Jane Austen herself into a sleuth, or telling a modern-day mystery with a strong Jane Austen connection.

Why Blending Jane Austen and the Mystery Genre is so Effective

First, all of Jane Austen’s novels are about social tensions and societal fissures—money and financial distress, love and jealousy, secrets and miscommunication, power and the powerless—and it is at these fissures, these moments of tension, when crime often occurs.

Second, Austen’s novels are deep studies into character: in each, the protagonist must try to understand others in a detective-like manner. It’s a quest to unravel motivations, character history, and unstated desires, especially when these desires contradict with the face that a person displays to the public.

In Pride and Prejudice, there’s a delightful exchange as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy are dancing with each other:

“May I ask to what these questions tend?” [said Mr. Darcy.]

“Merely to the illustration of your character,” said she, endeavouring to shake off her gravity. “I am trying to make it out.”

“And what is your success?”

She shook her head. “I do not get on at all. I hear such different accounts of you as puzzle me exceedingly.”

1895 C. E. Brock illustration of Elizabeth contemplating Mr. Darcy’s portrait as she attempts to understand him (image in public domain)

After much trial and error, by gathering the accounts of others and making her own personal observations, Elizabeth reaches a conclusion on Mr. Darcy’s character, and it’s a positive one. Cue the wedding bells.

The third reason that Jane Austen and mystery combine so well is that Austen is already using many mystery conventions. In 1988, Ellen R. Belton published an article in the journal Nineteenth-century Literature titled “Mystery Without Murder: The Detective Plots of Jane Austen.” Belton argues that all of Austen’s novels are in fact detective novels in which the heroines are “not investigating criminals, but potential marriage partners.” Austen uses countless mystery techniques, including the juxtaposition of seemingly random events, “the embedding of important information in a mass of unimportant detail,” selective disclosure of viewpoints, red herrings, mysteries that once revealed disclose “deeper mysteries,” and “clues that allow us, if we are clever, to solve the mysteries ahead of the heroine.” Ultimately, each of Austen’s novels is structured as a mystery, and the goal is not to simply unravel what happened or “who did it,” but to come to what today we would call an underlying psychological understanding of people and events.

One of Jane Austen’s novels, Northanger Abbey, plays directly with the conventions of the mystery novel. It’s written as a pastiche of the Gothic novel, and the main character, Catherine Morland, sees herself as a protagonist in such a story.

1833 Illustration of Catherine Morland reading (and scaring herself with) a Gothic novel, illustrator unknown (image in public domain)

While staying as a guest at the mysterious, ominous Northanger Abbey, Catherine searches for clues to help her unravel the mystery of the murdered Mrs. Tilney. At this point, Austen turns the genre on its head: Mrs. Tilney was not murdered after all, and no crime has been committed (unless you count being insufferable, overbearing, and mildly vindictive as a crime). Yet Catherine Morland does learn to read character, and she discovers many truths about others and herself in the process.

The fourth and final reason is that while Jane Austen completed only six novels before her early death, the world she penned is expansive, full of wonder and potential. Like Greek mythology, fairy tales, and other literary treasure troves, Austen’s work supplies an abundance to the modern novelist, full of possibilities and “what ifs.” What if there was a death at Pemberley? What if a character gave in to human foibles and embraced the worst of humanity? What then? How do those who remain figure out what has happened and why? And then how do they move forward?

Decades before authoring her own Jane Austen-inspired mystery novel, P.D. James wrote, “I think if Jane Austen were writing today, she might very well be our greatest mystery novelist.”

Truly, Jane Austen has much to teach modern readers—and writers—about what makes an effective mystery. It is little wonder then, that the Jane Austen Mystery Novel is a growing subgenre with an avid readership.

10+ Examples of Jane Austen Mystery Novels:

Note: this post was edited on February 4, 2022, to add some of the amazing Jane Austen mystery novels that came highly recommended.

Have you read other Jane Austen mystery novels? Or did you write one? If so, please share in the comments.