Tuesday, May 29, 2012

And Jane Eyre's at it too

We've had Jane Austen doing a bit of sleuthing so why not Jane Eyre? (I know one's a real person and one's fictional). Death of a Schoolgirl by Joanna Campbell Slan is the first in the Jane Eyre Chronicles and will be published in August by Berkely:

Synopsis from Goodreads: In her classic tale, Charlotte Brontë introduced readers to the strong willed and intelligent Jane Eyre. Picking up where Brontë left off, the year is now 1851, and Jane’s life has finally settled into a comfortable pattern. She and her beloved Edward Rochester have married, and have an infant son. But Jane soon finds herself in the midst of new challenges and threats to those she loves…

Jane can’t help but fret when a letter arrives from Adèle Varens—Rochester’s ward and Jane’s former pupil, currently at boarding school—warning that the girl’s life is in jeopardy. Although it means leaving her young son and invalid husband, and despite never having been to a city of any size, Jane feels strongly compelled to go to London to ensure Adèle’s safety.

But almost from the beginning, her travels don’t go as planned—she is knocked about and robbed, and no one believes that the plain, unassuming Jane could indeed be the wife of a gentleman. Even when she arrives at the school, the headmistress takes her for an errant new teacher, and berates her for her late arrival. Most shocking to Jane is the discovery that Adèle’s roommate has recently passed away under very suspicious circumstances, yet no one at the school seems concerned. Taking advantage of the misunderstanding, she decides to pose as the missing instructor—and soon uncovers several unsavory secrets, which may very well make her the killer’s next target…

4 comments:

EAMHarris said...

Using real historical or past fictional characters seems to be quite a trend these days. Personally I'm not keen on it but I'd like to know what the appeal is.

Anonymous said...

Karen - What an interesting concept - Jane Eyre as a detective. The setup and atmosphere sound more or less faithful to what Bronte wrote, too.

joannaslan said...

Actually, DEATH OF A SCHOOLGIRL is set in 1820. As a keen Jane Eyre fan, I have done my best to stay true to the original. Bronte was, after all, a genius.

Victoria H said...

I can't wait to read this! I love Joanna's books!