Author: Jessica Bull
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Book Release Date: 2025
Pages: 380
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: 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.
My Review: A Fortune Most Fatal is the sequel to The Hapless Milliner. Jane Austen’s heart has been broken by Tom LeFroy. She decides to go to Kent to help her sister-in-law, Elizabeth, with upcoming birth and to work on her novel. When she arrives, she learns that her brother, Edward, may be disinherited from his rich mother, Mrs. Knight. Mrs. Knight houses a shipwrecked woman who claims to be a Spanish princess. Jane Austen suspects that the Spanish princess is a swindler who is trying to steal her brother’s inheritance. Jane embarks on an investigation into the princess’s origins.
In The Hapless Milliner, I greatly disliked Jane Austen as a character. She was very unlikable. I wanted to read the sequel to see if her character development has greatly improved. I have to say that she was still very unlikable and did not improve at all. She was very judgmental and annoying. Jane did very little investigating in this mystery. When she does investigate, she makes many crazy speculations that are not backed up with solid evidence. She falsely accuses people of evil acts. She did not even solve the mystery. Instead, the mystery revealed itself. Therefore, Jane was a very frustrating character.
Overall, this book is about trauma, loss, and secrets. I found all of the characters to be very flat and unlikeable. I did not find any of them to be interesting. The mystery was very boring and predictable. The story was very drawn-out and tedious. A Fortune Most Fatal was not a fun read, and it was a struggle to pick it up to finish it. I did think that this book was very meticulously researched, and I liked the setting. However, I liked this book less than The Hapless Milliner. So far, this has been a very disappointing mystery series. Mrs. Bull took a fun concept and made it incredibly boring. I will try to continue the series, but I am not looking forward to future installments. This book may appeal to Jane Austen fans, but there are better Jane Austen mysteries already published. Therefore Miss Austen Investigates is a forgettable mystery series.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
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