SOLVING MYSTERIES WITH JANE AUSTEN: AN INTERVIEW WITH JESSICA BULL

 

Welcome, Jessica Bull, to My Jane Austen Book Club!

It’s always a delight to explore new takes on Jane Austen’s world, and today, we’re thrilled to welcome Jessica Bull, author of the Miss Austen Investigates series. Her latest novel, A Fortune Most Fatal, brings us another delightful mystery featuring none other than Jane Austen herself—this time, unravelling secrets in 1797 Kent. With wit, charm, and an irresistible puzzle at its heart, this book is sure to captivate both Austen fans and mystery lovers alike.

Scroll down and join us as Jessica shares insights into her inspiration, the challenges of blending history with detective fiction, and what’s next for our favourite literary sleuth!

A Fortune Most Fatal is the second book in the series. How has Jane evolved as a detective since her first case?

 I wanted to explore Jane Austen as one of own heroines, and, therefore, my Jane is a young woman (a teenager in the first instalment) learning to navigate the world. MISS AUSTEN INVESTIGATES: THE HAPLESS MILINER was very much inspired by Northanger Abbey, and, like Catherine Morland, Jane had good instincts, but her naivety and tendency to fling accusations about without proof, caused her some toe-curling mortification. In A FORTUNE MOST FATAL, she is slightly more mature (twenty-one) and, as this is my tribute to Sense & Sensibility, subject to similar faults as Elinor Dashwood. Throughout the novel, Jane desperately wants to save her brother’s inheritance and resolve the mystery of the foreign princess herself, rather than asking friends and family for help. As Austen put it, ‘pictures of perfection… make me sick’ and it is young Jane, the exuberant author of Lady Susan, rather than the wise and mature narrator of Pride & Prejudice, who takes centre stage so far in this series.

 What inspired you to blend Jane Austen’s life with the murder mystery genre?

 Reading a classic murder mystery, especially cosy crime, is a cathartic experience ­you can have a good cry about the fate of the victim but, as so rarely happens in real life, trust that justice will ultimately be served. I believe that feeling of cosiness comes from the knowledge that, no matter how dark the story turns, the sleuth - in my case, the sharply observant and indefatigable Jane Austen - will eventually swoop in and save the day! It’s the same satisfaction I get from reading Austen – she may take her heroines to the brink of ruin but, after a little trouble, she always provides a happy ending. 

The premise of the novel involves a mysterious young woman claiming to be a shipwrecked foreign princess. Did any real historical events or figures inspire this character?

 Yes! In 1817, a former servant girl, Mary Baker (née Willcocks), persuaded a Gloucester magistrate and his wife she was Princess Caraboo of the fictional island of Javasu in the Indian Ocean, and that she had been captured by pirates and escaped by jumping overboard in the Bristol Channel and swimming ashore. Her ruse was eventually discovered but, rather than prosecute, Mary’s benefactress gave her some money to start afresh in America. Everyone who knew Mary said she loved to tell stories. It made me wonder, if Mary had been born into the class of women who were fortunate enough to receive an education, would she be remembered as another Jane Austen? 

 How did you approach writing Jane Austen as an amateur detective? Were there any real-life aspects of her personality that made her a natural fit for this role?

Through my research I had a vivid impression of Austen’s character, and those of her charismatic family. I really wanted to capture the vibrant, witty, and joyfully irreverent woman I believe she was. I also wanted to tell her story, because it’s tempting to conflate Austen with her more privileged heroines and imagine her path to success was easy. All the things that stand in the way of her investigations are the same obstacles she faced in becoming a published author, and the unique qualities which enabled her genius in real life (such as her sense of justice, an innate understanding of human nature and a determination to succeed) allow her to solve the mysteries in my novels.

 Did you take inspiration from any of Austen’s own letters or personal experiences to develop her character in this series?

I couldn’t have written this series without access to the 161 precious letters and other family writings painstakingly gathered and published by historian Deirdre Le Faye. As Janeites, we all owe her an enormous debt of gratitude. I was also inspired by Austen’s teenage writing, in which many of her characters commit crimes with impunity!

 To make the investigation authentic, I studied the true crimes which touched Austen’s life. In 1799 her aunt, Mrs Leigh-Perrot, was arrested in Bath for shoplifting a card of lace worth twenty shillings – a capital crime in Georgian England. If she’d have been found guilty, the only alternative to the gallows would have been transportation to Australia. Mrs Leigh-Perrot was eventually acquitted but it was a fraught time for the family. While she was confined at Ilchester Gaol, Mrs Austen offered to send Jane and Cassandra to keep her company, but Mrs Leigh-Perrot declined to allow “those Elegant young Women [to] be … inmates in a prison.” Think of the novels we might have had if Mrs Leigh-Perrot had said yes!

 What’s up next in your writing career?

 I’m busy writing more in the MISS AUSTEN INVESTIGATES series. My novels are not retellings of Austen’s works, but they are tributes and explore similar themes, so I hope to write at least six ­just as she did.

ABOUT THE BOOK  

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.

ADVANCE PRAISE

· “It’s rare to encounter a book that brings fresh delight with most every page, but such is the case with A Fortune Most Fatal. The reader is immersed in the world of Jane Austen, and what a fascinating world it is. Crisply written, sharply observant, and with a self-deprecating wit, Jessica Bull delivers a twisty and intriguing mystery that is delightfully Austenesque.” —Vanessa Kelly, bestselling author of The Emma Knightley Mysteries

 

· “A delightful return to the world of Jane Austen’s sleuthing! Jessica Bull delicately balances the details of Jane’s life alongside a richly developed set of mysteries. Rendered in Jane’s signature wit and equal parts light and dark, I enjoyed every moment I got to spend with Jane in this brilliant follow-up.”— Kristen Perrin, international bestselling author of How To Solve Your Own Murder

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessica Bull lives in South East London with her husband, two daughters, and far too many pets. She’s addicted to stories and studied English Literature at Bristol University, and Information Science at City University, London. She began her career as a librarian (under the false impression she could sit and read all day), before becoming a communications consultant.

Her debut novel, Miss Austen Investigates, sold to Penguin Michael Joseph at auction for six figures and is published in 18 territories worldwide. A Fortune Most Fatal, the second book in her cozy crime series exploring the life of Jane Austen, will be published in March 2025. Connect with her online at www.jessicabullauthor.com.