Jane Austen Investigates: The Burglar's Ball by Julia Golding

Jane Austen Investigates: The Burglar's Ball
by Julia Golding

ISBN-13: 9781782643456
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Lion Hudson Ltd.
Released: October 22nd 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Join young budding detective Jane Austen in her second investigation to uncover a devious diamond thief at the glitziest, most scandalous ball of the year! These events will later inspire "Sense and Sensibility."

When the headmistress invites her past favourite pupil to attend their end of term ball, Cassandra brings her younger sister, Jane, along too. Cassandra plunges into the feverish excitement of preparing for the biggest event of the year – the dresses, the dances and the boys expected from the neighbouring school.

Feeling rather excluded, sharp-witted Jane unearths the reason for the fuss – the headteacher wants to impress a rich family returned from India as the school is at risk of going bankrupt. Jane also befriends the dancing master’s assistant, a former slave, called Brandon, who is as quick to notice things as she. At the ball, a diamond necklace is stolen from a locked room and they are propelled into a race to uncover the burglar and save Brandon from gaol.

With the ever-present Austen spirit, Jane with notebook in hand, boldly overcomes the obstacles to finding the truth.


My Review:
The Burglar's Ball is a delightful mystery set in 1789 in England with a 13-year-old Jane Austen as the amateur detective. I would've loved her as a kid, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story as an adult, too. Jane used modern wording and was a realistic 13-year-old girl, so younger readers will feel at home with her. She's spunky, determined, loyal, and has a sense of humor. This book is the second in a series, but it can be read as a stand-alone and didn't spoil the previous mystery.

The mystery was clue-based, and whodunit was guessable from the clues. Jane made good friends that helped her to accomplish her goal of proving who was at fault rather than the foreign, young man who was blamed. She had good ideas about where to look, what questions to ask, and what was going on. The historical details about manners and customs were deftly woven into the story, were briefly explained when needed, and didn't slow down the pacing. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable historical mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.