The Jane Austen Mystery Novel. 10+ Examples of Jane Austen Mystery Novels. 4 Reasons Why Blending Jane Austen and the Mystery Genre is so Effective

The Jane Austen Mystery Novel

The Jane Austen Mystery Novel. 10+ Examples of Jane Austen Mystery Novels. 4 Reasons Why Blending Jane Austen and the Mystery Genre is so Effective

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.

4 Reasons Why Blending Jane Austen and the Mystery Genre is So Effective

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.

Illustration of Catherine Morland reading

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:

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor

1. Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron

Published in 1996, this is the first novel in what is now a fourteen-book series which features Jane Austen herself as an amateur sleuth. When her friend Isobel is accused of murdering her husband, Jane must prove Isobel’s innocence and avoid danger.

2. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Published in 2012, this is the sequel to the romantic comedy Austenland (which is also a feature film). In Midnight in Austenland, a recently divorced woman attends a Jane Austen-themed resort…but things quickly turn sinister, and it’s hard to tell where the fiction ends and the truth begins.

The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet by Katherine Cowley - coming April 22, 2021

3. The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet by Katherine Cowley

This 2021 novel is the first in a trilogy featuring Mary Bennet as a spy for the British government. While visiting distant relatives at the mysterious Castle Durrington, Mary discovers a dead body on the beach. She feels driven to investigate, despite the threat of invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte and the fear that she will jeopardize her position at the castle and her family’s good name in the quest for the truth.

(Note: this is my novel! For years, I have wanted to tell a story about Mary Bennet, because it hurt to see the middle sister dismissed and mocked, and I knew that there was more to Mary than everyone around her believes.)

The Lovesick Maid. Charlotte Collins Mysteries Book 1.

4. The Lovesick Maid: A Pride and Prejudice Sequel by Mark Brownlow

Published in 2018, this novella features a perceptive Charlotte Collins solving a whodunnit mystery at Rosings under the eye of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Brownlow has also written a sequel novella featuring Charlotte Collins titled The Darcy Ring.

Pride and Premeditation

5. Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

Another 2021 novel, this is a young adult retelling of Pride and Prejudice in which Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy work for competing law firms; both are set on solving a scandalous murder (and perhaps falling in love in the process).

Murder Most Pemberley

6. Murder Most Pemberley by Jessica Berg

Also published in 2021, this novel features Eliza Darcy, a modern-day descendant of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Eliza returns to England and the family estate, only to find herself embroiled in a murder investigation that seems tied to a family rift.

7. Murder at Longbourn by Tracy Kiely

This 2009 novel is the first in a four-book series of cozy mysteries with Austenesque inspiration (including many characters directly paralleling those in Pride and Prejudice). It features a modern Elizabeth Parker attending a Cape Cod murder mystery party. The problem? Someone is actually found dead, and Elizabeth’s aunt is the prime suspect.

Death Comes to Pemberley

8. Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

Published in 2011, this novel occurs after the events of Pride and Prejudice. There is a murder on the Darcy estate, and Elizabeth’s brother-in-law, Wickham, is one of the main suspects. This novel has been adapted into its own BBC miniseries.

Murder at Northanger Abbey

9. Murder at Northanger Abbey by Shannon Winslow

This 2020 novel is set after the events of Northanger Abbey. In this story, Catherine Morland’s time has come: she gets to solve a real murder at Northanger Abbey.

10. Death of a Clergyman by Riana Everly

In this 2020 novel Mr. Collins is found dead and Elizabeth is the prime suspect. Mary Bennet and an investigator named Alexander Lyons both attempt to solve the murder and prove Elizabeth’s innocence.

What Happened on Box Hill

11. What Happened on Box Hill by Elizabeth Gilliland

This 2022 novel is a modern-day mashup which incorporates all of Austen’s characters into a single contemporary setting, Austen University. A murder is covered up as an accident, but Caty Morland believes otherwise and sets up to find the truth over the course of a three-course dinner party full of suspects from Austen’s novels.

Accusing Mr. Darcy by Kelly Miller

12. Accusing Mr. Darcy by Kelly Miller

In this romance/murder mystery, after a brutal killing in a nearby estate, Mr. Darcy finds himself the prime suspect. Elizabeth must attempt to find the truth and follow her heart, even as she risks crossing paths with the killer. This novel is the winner of the Firebird Book Award for Romantic Suspense.

The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy by Regina Jeffers

13. The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy by Regina Jeffers

Shortly after Darcy and Elizabeth’s wedding, Mr. Darcy’s cousin is found dead, and Elizabeth and Darcy are forced to investigate, diving into family secrets and mysterious legends. The author, Regina Jeffers, has won a number of awards for her Jane Austen-inspired fiction. In addition to this novel, her other Austenesque mysteries include The Disappearance of Georgiana DarcyThe Prosecution of Mr. Darcy’s Cousin, and The Phantom of Pemberley.

Mistaken Identity by J. Dawn King

14. Mistaken Identity by J. Dawn King

Murder, betrayal, and treachery abound in this mystery-variation of Pride and Prejudice. Is it Elizabeth who is trying to kill Mr. Darcy, or someone who likes remarkably similar?

Lover's Knot by Jenetta James

15. Lover’s Knot by Jenetta James

Another variation on the original Pride and Prejudice story, Elizabeth Bennet witnesses a terrible crime, and Mr. Darcy finds himself drawn to discover the truth.

The Suspicion at Sanditon by Carrie Bebris

16. The Suspicion at Sanditon by Carrie Bebris

In her Mr. and Mrs. Darcy series, Elizabeth and Darcy solve a mystery set in the world of every Jane Austen novel (Pride and PrejudiceSense and SensibilityMansfield Park, etc.) This mystery takes place in the world of Sanditon, and the mystery is the disappearance of Lady Denham. Is a kidnapper responsible, or is there a greater secret which has caused her disappearance?

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.

Author Event with This is a Bookstore & Bookbug. Katherine Cowley and her novel The True Confessions of a London Spy

Launch Party for The True Confessions of a London Spy

Author Event with This is a Bookstore & Bookbug. Katherine Cowley and her novel The True Confessions of a London Spy

I am doing an in-person launch party for The True Confessions of a London Spy in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

It will be held at my favorite indie bookstore, This is a Bookstore/Bookbug, on March 1st, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. If possible, pre-order the book from them when you RSVP to support an amazing local bookstore.

During the launch party, I will be teaching everyone how to do letterlocking and create paper traps. That way all your 19th century secrets can remain safe.

More details are available on the Event Brite. Also, please RSVP for the event in advance, so we know how many people to expect! (And preordering the book will make sure the bookstore gets enough copies.)

I’m excited to actually do an in-person event at a bookstore–in fact, because of Covid, this is my first-ever in-person book event. If you are in the area, or if you’ve always wanted to experience western Michigan, then I hope to see you there!

Reflections on Award Nominations for The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet

Reflections on Award Nominations for The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet

Reflections on Award Nominations for The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet

It has been a shocking, thrilling, exciting, and overwhelming week for me. I found out that The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet is up for three awards:

The Edgar Awards

Screenshot from Mystery Writers of America’s list of nominees:

The Whitney Awards

  • One of five finalists for the Best Mystery/Thriller category

  • One of nine finalists for the Best Novel by a Debut Author category

15th Annual Whitney Awards Finalists. Mystery/Suspense. Constantine Capers: The Pennington Perplexity by Natalie Brianne Danger on the Loch by Paige Edwards Heart of the Enemy by Heidi McKusick The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet by Katherine Cowley Treacherous Legacy by Kathi Oram Peterson

The Edgar Awards will be held on April 28th, 2022 in New York City. I haven’t been to New York since I was 14 years old—more than two decades ago—and I feel rather like the storytelling trope of “woman from small Midwestern town visits the big city.” Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen at the end of April.

The Whitney Awards Gala will be held on May 13th, 2022 in Provo, Utah. This is a setting I’m more familiar with—I attended Brigham Young University in Provo, and I have family members who live nearby. This is an award I have followed closely for years, and this year the finalists include a number of incredible authors who I have admired from afar (and an amazing friend who I met when I lived in Arizona).

I did not expect any of these nominations. I’m very proud of my novel, and I spent years of my life researching and writing and pouring my heart into it. I hoped it would find its place among readers, and I was sure that some people would connect with the story. But I had no expectations of any broader recognition.

I’ve already talked about my excitement and initial reactions on social media (learning about the Whitney Awards; learning about the Edgar Awards) so here I’ll share a few other reflections.

Reflection 1: Writing a Niche Story

I had the idea for The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet in 2013. I did some initial research and planning, and then I let it stew and develop in my mind for years. In 2017, when I decided this story would be my next writing project, someone said to me, “A Jane Austen mystery novel about Mary Bennet. That sounds really niche. Do you think that will make it harder to find readers for it?”

It was a fair question, and I didn’t really know the answer, but I decided to write the story anyways.

The conclusion I’ve come to is that you should tell the story that you care about and are passionate about, even if it feels niche. If it’s something you find fascinating and compelling, you will be able to tell that story well, and there will be other people who are drawn to it.

After signing a book contract with my publisher, Tule, I worked with them to see what awards The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet might qualify for. As I was looking at the Edgar Awards on the Mystery Writers of America website, I realized that writing a Jane Austen-esque mystery novel meant my book perfectly qualified for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. They wanted stories in the tradition of Mary Higgins Clark, featuring a woman with good relationships who is drawn into a mystery and “solves her problem by her own courage and intelligence.” The story also had to have no onscreen violence and fit several other requirements. This too is a niche within crime/mystery/thriller writing, but it’s a beautiful one with a long tradition and very avid readers.

My publisher submitted my book for consideration, and while I was certain my book didn’t have a chance, clearly I was wrong.

As a teenager I memorized large portions of “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, and I’m astounded that I will be attending an award ceremony named in his honor. As a teenager, I also devoured the works of Agatha Christie, Elizabeth Peters, and Mary Higgins Clark—women who wrote mysteries that captivated me and inspired me and hooked me on the mystery genre. To have my name, and the name of my book, labeled as a Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee, is astounding and humbling and honoring beyond belief.

Reflection 2: Finding and Embracing Your Community

It’s so important to find and embrace your community. This doesn’t have to be a big community. Back in 2009 or so I joined Livejournal and through that I began to find a writing community. This led to monthly meetups in Salt Lake with a group of other writers. These people became my first writing community, and are still dear friends, as are other writers I met on Livejournal.

In 2012 I moved to Arizona and joined ANWA, the American Night Writers Association. This was my first time participating in a monthly writing group, and not only did it make such a difference for my writing, but, once again, many of the writers I met are now some of my dearest friends and critique partners. ANWA is a part of a larger LDS writing community (authors who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and who write in many genres).

Participating in the LDS writing community brought awareness of the Storymakers community, which led me to following the Whitney Awards, a yearly award to recognize LDS writers. I’ve now been following the Whitney Awards for years, watching authors I admire and love be nominated and win these awards, including Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Traci Abramson, Charlie Holmberg, Julie Berry, and numerous others.

This is definitely a smaller writing community than Mystery Writers of America, but it’s one that means so much to me, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

Closing Thoughts

I found out about being a Whitney Award finalist on Tuesday, and about being a Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee on Wednesday. On Thursday morning I woke up and I was fairly certain that it was all a dream. I immediately checked the respective websites and discovered that it was not, in fact, a dream.

Not a dream. That knowledge still astounds me.

1000 Hours of Writing. 2021: A Year in Review

1000 Hours of Writing in 2021: A Year in Review

1000 Hours of Writing. 2021: A Year in Review

In 2021, I spent 1000 hours writing.

1000.

A few weeks ago I realized how close I was to 1000 hours of writing for the year, so I decided to go for it and get in the last few hours.

1,000 hours 1,000 hours

If you look back on previous years, there were a number of years when I was firmly in the 400 to 600 hours a year range (so writing on average 60 to 100 minutes a day). Last year was my most writing time ever, with 909 hours total–so an average of 150 minutes or 2.5 hours a day. 1000 hours per day is an average of 165 minutes a day, or 2.75 hours.

Of course, I was not actually writing 2.75 hours a day–some months I wrote a lot more than that, some months a lot less:

Bar Graph. Hours Spent Writing in 2021. January 98 Feburary 90 March 93 April 106 May 88 June 79 July 31 August 80 September 91 October 99 November 84 December 61

Now, a qualifier. I did not spend 1000 hours typing. I’ve talked about this in previous year-in-review posts, but I believe in being pretty expansive in my definition of writing. Daydreaming about story ideas counts as writing. Listening to writing podcasts counts as writing. Submitting stories for publication counts as writing. That said…

What specifically did I work on in 2021?

Katherine Cowley and the Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet

First off, my debut novel was published!

When I was five years old, I decided that I wanted to be an author and publish books. While I have had a number of shorter works published, this year was my first to publish a book.

Having my book out in the world has been thrilling and tiring and exciting and overwhelming and wonderful all at once. Most of all, I’m grateful to have a story that I wanted to tell out in the world. And I’m grateful to everyone who has read and shared and reviewed my book–I truly appreciate all of your support for my stories!

While The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet was a huge milestone for my year, it actually didn’t take up most of my writing time. (The time that it did use was sharing the word about the book on social media, blog posts, sending out my newsletter, being a guest on podcasts, updating my website, etc.–aka marketing.)

Here’s a snapshot that shows how I spent my writing time throughout the year:

Book 2 in my Mary Bennet seriesThe True Confessions of a London Spy–comes out in a little over two months, on March 1, 2022. However, this past year I only spent 30 hours on it, and that was for final revisions. (Most of the time for that book came in 2020, when I spent 347 hours on it, and from 2018, when I wrote a very rough first draft.)

What I did spend most of my time on in 2021 was Book 3 in the Mary Bennet series, The Lady’s Guide to Death and Deception. I spent 387 hours on the book. This included brainstorming, research, outlining, reading newspapers from the time, and four drafts. The book is still not finished–I still have 3-4 revision passes on it with the publisher that will happen in early 2022.

Other things I worked on:

Jane Austen Writing Lessons. This has been a project of joy, as I’ve deep dived into writing through the lens of Jane Austen. Basically, this is everything I know about writing in a series of blog posts, and it was actually selected by the Write Life as one of the 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2021.

Jane Austen Writing Lessons. With an image of the original cover page of Pride and Prejudice; a color image of Jane Austen; an image of tea and pastries with an open book, and an early cover of Sense and Sensiblity.

The 97 hours spent on development included my monthly writing group, critiquing the writing of others, accounting, networking, goal setting and tracking, and learning about writing through listening to writing podcasts and reading books about writing. Developing yourself as a writer is so essential at every stage of the writing or publishing process you are at, and so it’s something that I continue to prioritize.

It’s also important to do writing that’s just for yourself, and that’s where my 52 hours of journal writing came in. And then there were all sorts of other smaller writing projects and writing-related tasks that I worked on throughout the year.

How much of the thousand hours was spent actually outlining, writing new words, or revising? I have no idea, and I absolutely refuse to go through every entry in my time tracker to figure that out. My guess is at least 500. But that number doesn’t really matter to me, because all of the writing-related things are important for me as a writer.

How in the world did I get in 1000 hours?

In years when I was writing 400 hours per year, it was because I fought tooth and nail to spend a solid hour a day working on my writing. It took sacrifices–reading less, watching less, cleaning less, waking up early or staying up late, and sometimes insane life-juggling to carve out that hour.

Writing 1000 hours this year was actually easier than writing 400 those years, because of a very particular set of life circumstances:

  • In September, my youngest child entered full-day kindergarten, but I did not start working full-time. Instead I got a 10-hour-a-week part-time job.
  • From January to June, I was a stay-at-home parent with one 5-year-old at home. She was rather independent. I also gave her movie time for 2 hours every afternoon, and I always used it for writing time.
  • Our family finances work on only my husband’s salary, which is a privilege that many incredible writers don’t have. I can put 1000 hours into writing even if I’m not going to make much from it.

If life has taught me anything, it’s that I can’t guarantee what my life circumstances will look like in any given year. Maybe I will have years in the future where I can spend 1000 hours writing, maybe I won’t. But it was fun to achieve that completely arbitrary benchmark this year.

What to Look for From Me in 2022

  • March 1: The True Confessions of a London Spy (Mary Bennet 2) will be released
  • May 13-14: I will be teaching a class called “In Defense of Writing Slowly” at the Storymakers conference in Utah
  • September: The Lady’s Guide to Death and Deception (Mary Bennet 3) will be released

Hopefully I will be able to add some more in-person events to this list

The Secret Life of Mary Bennet Series: The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet and The True Confessions of a London Spy. Mary Bennet, Spy. "Beautifully written, masterfully plotted, meet a Mary Bennet every bit as fascinating and twice as daring as her more famous sisters." -Gretchen Archer, USA Today bestselling author

My Goals for 2022

  • Finish revisions on The Lady’s Guide to Death and Deception
  • Actually finish revisions on an old steampunk novel (this is a goal I had for 2021 that I didn’t meet)
  • Write at least the first draft of a new book (I have a few ideas for this)

I may add or subtract goals from this list as the year progresses.

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Book unboxing in the snow - The True Confessions of a London Spy

Book Unboxing Video for The True Confessions of a London Spy

I have a confession to make.

I love snow.

Not the “it’s March and it’s been snowing non-stop for five months and my car just slid off the road” snow. But in general, I love snow. Watching it fall, bundling up and walking through a snow-filled forest, making snow angels with my kids, drinking hot cocoa next to a fire with snow falling outside the window.

Mary Bennet doesn’t necessarily feel so positively about snow. In January and February of 1814 London received feet of snow (at one point, there were mounds of snow five feet high). It got so cold that the Thames River froze over and an ice fair was held on it. Which all is part of my book The True Confessions of a London Spy.

My advance copies of The True Confessions of a London Spy arrived, so I just had to unbox them in the snow.

The weather is practically a character in the book. Here’s a short excerpt of the first few chapters which gives a feel for the book and a taste of the snow:

When Miss Mary Bennet agreed to become a spy for the British government, she had not realised how many dead bodies the job would entail. True, since accidentally discovering a corpse on the beach in Worthing she had not seen any additional individuals bereft of life, but now she was headed to London for her first time in an official capacity, and she already had an appointment to call upon a corpse.

The carriage windows fogged with the warmth of their breaths. Despite pressing her feet against a hot rock, Mary’s toes felt frigid. She shifted closer to Fanny, one of her fellow spies, to better share the blanket they held over themselves. The other inhabitant of the carriage, a spy named Mr. Withrow, rubbed his gloved hands together.

Snow continued to fall outside the carriage, adding to the piles already on the London streets. A man stood on a roof, pushing at the two or three feet of accumulated snow. It fell heavily onto the walk and road below, to the anger of a couple who had walked into the snow shower.

The book comes out on March 1, 2022, but it is now available for preorder–links are on the main page on my website for The True Confessions of a London Spy. Preordering helps show initial support for the book and makes sure that the publisher prints enough copies.

And now, I should get back to editing book 3 in the series, which comes out late next year.

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