A stranger at the wedding brings a bag of tamarind seeds that causes Adelaide great distress, as does the news that Jane’s niece has found the body of Adelaide’s first husband, Curzon Fiske, thought to be dead, along Pilgrim’s Way. As first magistrate for Canterbury, Edward is charged with the investigation, but he is not above asking his sharp-eyed sister Jane for her assistance. 

Jane is more than happy to help, but finds that why Curzon was originally thought dead, why he chose now to reappear and how he ended up dead and by whose hand may be more complicated than anything she has ever solved before. In addition, Fanny has found Adelaide’s wedding very romantic and has turned her heart to love, something Jane must keep an eye on to prevent further heartbreak and tragedy for her young niece.

  A nice mixture of Chaucer references and Jane lore provides a delightful backdrop for this most complicated tale. Jane is a careful observer of her fellow humans and notices many things that most would miss, helping her draw conclusions that lead her in the right direction.  Jane devotees will enjoy looking for clues to characters that are found here that may appear in the real Jane Austen’s fiction. 

Stephanie Baron does a more than capable job of blending fact with fiction, using both Jane’s real life and her imagination, including what has since sprung from her imagination. The Regency period is rich in detail and nothing is left out, providing a very atmospheric setting.  The mystery is more complex than Jane is used to, but she ably gathers her wits and helps her brother Edward find a murderer before more deaths occur. Niece Fanny rounds out the family nicely and offers Jane something else on which to focus her energies besides the dreadful business of murder.                                                              

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry