A mystery set in a country estate during Christmas time, and Jane Austen as the detective that solves it? Sign me up.

Jane Austen as a detective is a vaguely ridiculous concept, and the writing isn't going to win any awards for brilliance, but after the first quarter of the book was waded through, the story actually became genuinely entertaining. Where the book gets derailed, again and again, is in the insistence of the writer to fill every page with Jane Austen trivia, and the audiobook stopping mid-paragraph to read the footnotes that punctuate each chapter. Stylistically, that is a flaw, but it shows that Stephanie Barron knew what the hell she was talking about when she discusses Jane Austen's known acquaintances, traditions of the time, and fashion of the era.

The mystery itself wasn't that bad, though it's pretty obvious who is involved, and the resolution was frustrating to say the least. It's not enough to solve the mystery; something must be done about it.

Regardless of the flaws in this book, I had fun reading it. In light of what's going on in the world right now, I wanted to spend my December reading things that were light and filled with holiday spirit where available. This book fit the bill nicely.