The Death of Jane Lawrence is an unusual tale based in an alternate reality very similar to our own. The novel opens with Jane devising a plan to secure a husband by proposing marriage to the new town doctor Augustine Lawrence. Dr. Lawrence agrees to Jane’s proposal on the condition that she always live at the surgery in town and never stay past sunset at his family estate, Lindridge Hall, outside of town. Naturally, once the two are married Jane ends up spending the night at Lindridge Hall and is immediately unsettled by the vibe of this crumbling and ominous estate. Jane soon finds herself bearing the tremendous burden of not only unraveling the family secrets Augustine and his family home hold, but trying to right past wrongs and save her husband from a perilous end.

The plot got a little out there for my reading taste, but it could be just the thing if you’re looking for a great spooky read for October. Additionally, the book might have been even more gripping were it not so lengthy and drawn out at times. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and is certainly a unique story. Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Look for this title from your favorite bookseller or library on October 5, 2021.

I have such conflicting emotions about this book! It's such an eerie, atmospheric, beautifully written gothic horror story. But it's also utterly confusing.

Jane Shoringfield is a practical woman and she approaches Dr. Augustine Lawrence with a business proposition: they'll marry--in legal name only--so that she can remain independent and do meaningful accountancy work for him.

He agrees, but under the condition that she never spend the night with him at his house, Lindridge Hall. But on their very wedding night, an accident forces Jane there and instead of finding her new husband, she meets a paranoid man living in terror and she discovers that there is something horrifically wrong with Lindridge Hall.

I really did enjoy this book. Author Caitlin Starling creates a world that's so vivid, you're drawn into it completely and I love her writing style. But I'm left with some questions, because I didn't really understand this existential world. The entire plot hinges on Jane and Augustine's marriage, but why did she need to get married in the first place? It seems like this is a world that accepts professional women--Jane is an accountant and several are doctors. It would make sense that Jane could...just get hired by Dr. Lawrence to balance his books without becoming his wife? And with the fervor that Augustine demands Jane stay at Lindridge Hall, he conveniently abandons that requirement immediately. I'm also somewhat confused by the magic system itself. It sort of just exists and appears without any explanation or justification. But I'm going to accept that this is simply a mind-bending novel that you just have to go with.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this advance copy in exchange for a review.

I’m so confused about how to start this review. I started out really liking this book, the gothic horror vibes with a mix of Jane Eyre. But around the halfway-ish point my brain started to feel as jumbled as Jane was and not in a good way.

I enjoyed Jane being a character that just grabbed life by the horns and didn’t let others dictate how she was doing to live her life but the whole setting seemed to clash. We have more modern settings mixing with historical so it was hard to get a good grasp of a time period.

The last 30% is where things really started to hurt my head. I think there should have been less of an info dump and an “easier” more logical way for it to have gone. Maybe I’m just not smart enough for this one 😂

First I'd like to say finally) A strong female character, a gothic style, and twisted plots? YES PLEASE!

Wow. There is so many things to love about this book. I feel like I could discuss it for hours with anyone that shares a love for the macabre twisted goodness such as myself. It is rare for me to rave about a thriller book that wasn't published before 2004!

The Death of Jane Lawrence starts with an unusual but masterful request from a very independent woman who won't take no for an answer. The result? A marriage of convenience, purely business with just one condition. If only she had known....

Fate had a different plan for the pair and horrible circumstances force Jane to break the one rule and stay the night at Lindridge Hall; Dr. Lawrence;s family home. That's when the true nightmare starts. I'm talking plot twists you wouldn't believe and placed in the perfect part of the story! The construction of this novel is perfect, not a word out of place. Starlings talent shines within these pages and will leave you with an eerie feeling you won't soon shake.

For fans of horror/thriller twisted stories, this is for you! You have to have a somewhat strong stomach as there are a few graphic scenes involving a lot of blood but if you're a slasher film fan, you'll appreciate every bit of The Death of Jane Lawrence.

4.3 stars from me. Strongly recommended. if you're prepared to have your mind played with and manipulated in the best way possible.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an advance e-copy for me to enjoy and share my honest thoughts with bookworms everywhere!

Excellect Gothic horror to make any season spooky season!

I stayed up multiple nights past 2am to read more. Which is the best type of book! But maybe read with the lights on if prone to nightmares... as Augustine is a surgeon, you do get some detailed gore. But it was well done and not over the top.

Jane is also an amazing heroine. Assertive, intelligent, empathetic, and curious. I appreciated how complex she was, through her actions and thought process. I loved watching as she worked to figure out what to do next. Questioning both her sanity and my own!

The uneasy feeling was there all the way till the end, and I loved it! I'll definitely be thinking about the ending for quite some time!

Death always wins.......

The Death of Jane Lawrence is a hot, bubbling cauldron of emotions. We've got the dark, slimy things that go bump in the night and the movement of ill-shaped shadows that form along the winding hallways. No matter how tightly you close your eyes, strange wigglies seem to seep into the webby corners of your mind and play loud echoes all night long.

Meet Jane Shoringfield, a crackerjack accountant who specializes in annuity funds. She's lived with the Cunninghams since she was a child. But Mr. Cunningham will be taking on a new judgeship in another town. Jane realizes that opportunities for marriage will soon be out of reach because of her age and position. She's talented in business transactions and that's exactly what her next step will be.

Meet Dr.Augustine Lawrence. Augustine is an over-worked physician in the town of Larrenton. He has gained a reputation for his patient care and his success as a surgeon. Our Jane corners Augustine one morning as he is leaving his surgery. She bargains with him to become his wife with strictly friendly terms. She can take care of his ledgers and efficiently run his office. Our girl is persistent and Augustine agrees to allow her into his surgery on a trial basis. Marriage is not what he has in mind. But by chance, Jane assists him in an emergency surgery and keeps her wits about her. Augustine has now changed his mind.......

Oh, Sweet Girl, be careful what you wish for. There is something beyond peculiar at Lindridge Hall, the rundown family mansion of Augustine. He insists on sleeping there each evening with new wife Jane staying at the surgery. And the minute Jane steps over the threshhold of that eerie decaying house, the Creep-O-Meter will be on full throttle. Just check out all those little details on that eye-catching book cover.

Caitlin Starling has created a Gothic nightmare within these pages and approaches it with a very original theme. And yet, there is the familiarity of classic horror of long ago movies and literature within these walls. The story does become very detailed in its conclusion with some repetitious scenes that could have benefitted from paring down. But The Death of Jane Lawrence hits its target with the main ingredient of horror........heart-pounding apprehension. Foreboding served up in those long, boney fingers ready to grab you on that hair-raising cover.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to Caitlin Starling for the opportunity.

"The Death of Jane Lawrence" starts with a very much alive Jane Shoringfield, determined to make a business-type transaction to be wed to Dr. Lawrence. At first, Dr. Lawrence insists that it is impossible for him to be wed, but with quick chemistry between the two, Dr. Lawrence agrees to the wedding on one condition: Jane will never go to his home at Lindridge Hall.

Of course, where's the fun in that? ... and Jane ends up right where she wasn't supposed to go. That's when the story starts to get crazy- in a good way. Is magic real? Are ghosts real? What is wrong with Lindridge Hall?

With the 'death' of the main character within the title, I had reservations about the book. I didn't want to get attached to Jane... because... she was going to die, right? In the end, it didn't matter what the title of the book was, I became attached to Jane anyway :).

This book was FANTASTICALLY creepy, strange, and worth every page. I loved the dark atmosphere, the quasi-romance story, and the weird characters. I highly recommend this book to people who like the gothic horror genre. I also recommend it in general as a great spooky October/fall read.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for a review. "The Death of Jane Lawrence" is scheduled to be released on October 5, 2021- just in time to be the perfect Halloween read!

This is an atmospheric, gripping gothic horror with a doomed romance, mysterious family histories, witchcraft, and vengeful spirits, all wrapped up in a Hill-House style haunted manor. It explores compelling themes about bodily autonomy, hubris, and the permeable boundary between spiritual and medicinal healing practices. The mechanism for the magic element is really interesting, reminiscent of The Bird and the Nightingale and Deathless's magic systems, but with the added element of mental illness and institutionalization. The final reveal is very close to the plot twist in The Girl from Rawblood, but the element of logic and mathematical proofs that help Jane make sense of what happens to her makes the turn interesting in its own way. There are a few loose ends that don't get fully tied up, but certainly a wonderful spooky read for autumn!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my ARC.

I loved the first quarter of this book. Jane is an intelligent, sensible woman who proposes a marriage of convenience to Dr. Augustine Lawrence. Although he declines at first, the two soon come to a business arrangement of how the marriage will be conducted. He has certain ground rules involving his family estate, Lindridge Hall, and Jane agrees to his terms.

What starts out as a beautifully Gothic and atmospheric read morphs into a convoluted plot of dark spirits, superstition, and ritual magic.

All of those would normally result in a stellar read for me, but the execution and underlying threads fizzled. On the plus side, the characters of Jane and Augustine are well developed and the awkwardness of their relationship, especially at the beginning, held me enthralled.

Secrets abound, especially as related to Lindridge Hall, a locked cellar door, rituals, and Augustine's past. The writing is descriptive and dense, beautiful language that needs to be savored. After Jane is introduced to Augustine's colleagues, who form a magical cult, the plot gets messy.

There are moments of surgical gore, plenty of metaphysical posturing, and a chapter near the end that borders on the abstract. The final conclusion was fantastic, but the path to reach that point was muddled and overly long. I'm sure many readers will enjoy this book for its dark imagery, odd alternate reality and Gothic feel. This is one that comes down to a matter of preference.

I'll say up front that this is going to be a brief review. The Death of Jane Lawrence is the kind of Gothic novel that one should come to without prior knowledge. It's haunting, surprising, twisting, heart-pulling, and frightening—everything a good Gothic should be. If you like that kind of fiction. You'll love this book. If you've never read that kind of fiction, this would be a great time to try it.

Whoa, I did NOT expect this book to be what it is. I was expecting a 21st century version of the gothic romance with modern ideals and practices layered over the old version of the gothic heroine. What I found was this weird and terrifying blend of Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, and even a little of Castle of Otranto thrown in for good measure.

The characters of Jane and Augustine are well-developed, a task that becomes increasingly difficult as they descend into madness or whatever state the author intended at the end. Jane especially goes from confident, determined, buttoned-up *partner* (not *wife* initially) as she negotiates her future to her highly emotional state at the end. (Not really a spoiler because the ending is just HOLY HELL!)

The text is somewhat dense, but not weighed down by the flowery descriptive conventions of 18th and 19th century gothics which can truly dull the senses until - WHAM - the author hits you with a scene that makes your hair stand on end. Starling follows that path, but her writing is far more accessible.

Fans of gothic horror will enjoy this, but I wonder if they will pass it by thinking its another “Jane Eyre?”

I absolutely love this Gothic thriller. The plot and the characters are original. The atmospheric tension slowly builds. I was stunned by the ending but I loved it.

This book is not for me, and I should have known that. I have a low threshold for scary and creepy. I really want to be the person who loves this stuff, but alas I am just too nervous.
The description sounded so cool, I just had to request it.
It's great for the genre, but this chicken is going back to reading more happy books for a while.

Jane prefers logic and calculations to emotion. She has calculated Dr. Lawrence to be a good match for her and proposes a marriage arrangement. He accepts on the condition she never goes to his home, Lindridge Hall But on their wedding night an accident strands her at Lindridge Hall and she finds her husband may not be the man she thought him. She finds herself plunged into the dark secrets of her husband and Lindridge Hall.

The beginning of the story gripped me, and it had that gothic feel I was looking for. At the beginning I appreciated the no nonsense view of marriage and Jane's good sense when it came to marrying. The building mystery of Lindridge also intrigued me and the creepy atmosphere began as soon as we got a peek into the doctor's career when Jane helps with a surgery. I enjoyed how the story tests Jane's logical mind.

But I found the second half a bit confusing. All the logic behind the secrets of Lindridge felt a little too complicated at times and the story got too caught up in trying to explain. I ended up putting this one down and haven't returned. While this wasn't quite for me and I preferred The Luminous Dead (which was amazing), I'd say this is worth picking up for anyone who wants a gothic haunting with a protagonist who is very logical and relies on mathematics to make decisions.

3.5 stars

Set in post-war England, Jane has decided to find a husband so her family doesn't have to provide for her any longer. She wants her marriage to be as a business arrangement though. She discusses this with Augustine Lawrence, a young, reclusive doctor. He agrees to her proposal, with only one requirement: she must never visit Lindridge Hall, his ancestral, crumbling house several miles out of town. From her first day at Augustine's surgery (the building where he practices but also has rooms upstairs), things start to go sideways.

I greatly enjoyed the creep and scary factor of this book as well as the historical and gothic feel. I felt though that the whole story went on and on to the point where at 50%, I was ready for it to be over and some of the creepy was just getting started. I feel like the book could have been cut down drastically. The prose was good for a debut author so I enjoyed that part as well as the heavy gothic feel of the story.

This does have quite a bit of magic and mention of blood (he's a surgeon/doctor so I kinda expected that). It can get pretty dark at times too. This is the type book that is hard to recommend to everyone as not everyone enjoys the historical feel but would enjoy the magic and creepiness and horror of it all.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This intriguing story quickly moves from feeling like The Mirror has Two Faces to Jane Eyre, then to a uniquely haunted tale that questions the existence of magic, ghosts, and reality itself. Jane Lawrence wants to avoid moving with her guardians to the city and the nightmares of war and her dead parents. It would be inappropriate for a woman to stay alone in the village, so Jane concocts a plan to enter into a marriage contract with the local doctor. She will handle the book keeping and learn to be a nurse, living as an employee instead of a wife. The one rule: the doctor must spend every night at his estate and Jane cannot ever visit. When a wedding mishap and a violent storm strands Jane at the estate on her wedding night she discovers her new husband is haunted by mysterious secrets and a past that will try to trap Jane in as well.

This is an unusual ghost story. There is a haunted house and what seem to be spirits. Jane is a no-nonsense woman who marries based on practicalities. Her new doctor husband has secrets and she ends up discovering them the hard way. I loved the atmosphere and the descriptions of the dilapidated manor. There is also a lot of blood and medical procedures. I liked the explanation of one of the most important ghosts. That said, I didn’t enjoy the novel as much as I thought I would. Jane is a likeable heroine, and the rest of the characters are well fleshed out. There is, however, too much inner monologue for my taste and the plot was a little too confusing. It’s well written and I still enjoyed the read, just not as much as I expected.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ St. Martin's Press!

This is a good October read, creepy and odd. It faltered in places and the characters weren't the greatest dimensionally, but overall I enjoyed it as a foray into a genre I only read once or twice a year.

Honestly this started out well but then became a huge messy jumble of words that made little sense. The plot was lost, the author started rambling like a madman. One has to wounded whether they tried this “magic” themselves and then went off the rails. How else does one justify the writing within this book?

This is a book you should not read alone, like I did, at night at my job, where it is very very quiet...... I got startled over the tiniest noise. Anyway, this book was very haunting, there is medicine, magic and math, the 3 M's are involved in here, we meet Jane, she is looking for a husband, a marriage of convenience, she chooses Augustine, a new surgeon in town. But of course I had this crazy feeling that there marriage will be a little bit more than that. Augustine agrees to the marriage, he has some rules of his own she agrees to them, they shake on it and proceed, that's not really how it happened, but I cant give it away.

Augustine is such an interesting character, I was fascinated by him. When he performs surgery its WILD, but that was the lay of the land back in the Gothic ages I guess. I wanted to know more about Augustine just as much as Jane did, until I got to 70% of the book. Augustine as a character fell flat, and Jane was not as interesting anymore, the book took too long to get to the point, it might be the genre maybe, but I was disappointed that the mystery of Augustine's life and his attachment to the house got overshadowed by other happenings, I felt like I was going crazy I had to read certain parts again and again because I was so confused.

I loved how the end tied everything together, but it was such a slow burn I was getting a little bored. But we cant forget about the INTENSELY GORY DETAILS!!! Those will keep you up at night for sure.