Dude I have no idea what the heck I just read but I loved it! A dark Gothic horror and I was all in!

I was blown away by this novel. It wasn't anything that I expected. The twist is worth the wait. Please don't pass up!

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling is an absolute love letter to Gothic horror. Creepy, moldering family mansion, tortured hero, secrets, feelings of madness, and some serious body horror - Caitlin Starling gives you all of the things you crave from Gothic novels. And then some.

Set in alternate England, just after the War, Jane, an orphan with a talent for numbers, has decided her best bet is to make a no-nonsense, practical arrangement type of marriage. No feelings involved. She approaches the local doctor with her idea. At first, he refuses but she convinces him with her offer to live in a separate residence and to keep his books. His only stipulation is that she never his family home, Lindridge Hall.

Their plans go awry on their wedding day when a coach accident forces Jane to seek shelter from a storm with Augustine at Lindridge Hall. Jane doesn’t recognize the skittish, paranoid, haunted man who lets her in. Where’s the calm, confident doctor she married?

Caitlin Starling creates a shadowy, increasingly threatening atmosphere, slowly tightening the tension. Jane and Augustine question their own sanity and each other’s as well. Jane with her practicality and love for order falls further and further into a world of magic, belief twined with her beloved mathematics as she searches for answers.

The writing is hauntingly descriptive. Be warned, there’s a fair amount of body horror. And this book does for eggs what Mexican Gothic did for mushrooms. The atmosphere is so quiet, yet constantly poised for the next horror to reveal itself.

The contrast of Jane’s down-to-earth sensibilities slamming against hauntings and secret rooms and rituals is the perfect contrast to make for uncomfortable reading. I loved the constant push and pull of were things real or was Jane going insane.

This Gothic horror at its beautifully terrifying best. It’s got the creeping unease of Shirley Jackson, the family secrets that unsettle like Rebecca, and the lens of modernity viewing classic tropes and putting new sparkle (or maybe that’s viscera) on them like Mexican Gothic. Intensely creepy and satisfying.

I am always so excited when new gothic horror uses the same rhythm alongside a fresh, CREEPY idea. Big, decaying house; untrustworthy visions; constant thunderstorms to keep our terrified protagonist from leaving. All tropes that give me comfort as much as dread!

BUT, Jane Lawrence adds concepts and plot choices I didn’t see coming that I thought blended beautifully with the embedded tropes. I cared about Jane, I cared about the nightmare she was going through, and I found the ending satisfying and well worth the time it took to get there. Super, super recommend for anyone with a particular taste for gothic horror.

*many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for this ARC*

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

HOLY CRAP..
This book.
It was good from the start, I felt the mystery starting to swirl from the first page, and it kept my attention. Jane throughout the story grows and changes so much, it was such a great transformation. And the TWIST OMG. My kind of twist. Highly highly recommend.

The Death of Jane Lawrence is an intense Gothic ghost story.

PROS:
Jane is a bookkeeper, a student of math. The story is told from Jane’s point of view, and her objectivity comes through in the prose. Her character and her way of thinking are so real that at times I would forget I was reading. It was like I was experiencing the story.

I love how we don’t know why Augustine is reluctant to marry Jane. Is he hideously scarred? Is he gay in a Victorian society? Is he a vampire? Starling drops clues along the way, and I was eagerly turning pages to see what was up with him.

Starling uses details of the Victorian time, both in vocabulary (once in a while, not enough to throw off a modern audience) and in how people dress and live.

Augustine’s big, dilapidated mansion becomes a menacing character itself. It was really cool how the house would do subtle but aggressive stuff like when the splinters on the worn stairs snatched at the hem of Jane’s skirt. Even the ground surrounding the mansion shivers as if frightened of the stone house.

Jane struggles with her sanity (or does she struggle with sorcery? sleep deprivation? ghosts? magic? drugs?) when she is alone in the house. Starling dances around what is real in Jane’s surroundings and what isn’t, and the ambiguity, paradoxes, and mathematical analogies are fascinating. I worried for Jane, but at the same time it was fun trying to figure out what is happening in the house before Jane figures it out.

CONS:
This wasn’t a con for me, but The Death of Jane Lawrence is a slow burn novel. Readers who prefer fast-action scenes may not enjoy this story.

OVERALL:
Five fantastic stars and a big thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.

In the Death of Jane Lawrence, we meet Jane Shoringfield as she tries to convince Augustine Lawrence, the local surgeon, that they would make a compatible marriage. So begins this very dark and gothic tale of ghosts, dark magic, and terror. The story seems to take place in the fictional country of Breltain, around the mid eighteenth or early nineteenth century. However, mention of war and bombings that took place in the past could easily place this tale in an Dystopia future. As Jane begins married life, she meets several of Augustine’s friends and learns her husband is not what she thought he was. I found Jane and Augustine to be very complex, but sympathetic characters. The pacing was steady and the conclusion was deliciously twisty.

Trigger Warnings: Lots of blood and gore from surgical procedures and black magic.

In a fictional place that pulls elements from England in the 18th, 19th, and 20th century, Jane Shoringfield proposes a business arrangement/marriage to Augustine Lawrence, the local surgeon in their small town. She's not interested in a traditional marriage, but needs a marriage to afford the life she wants. Quickly, Jane and Augustine throw their established expectations for the marriage out the window. Jane ends up staying at Augustine's family estate, where she had previously promised never to visit. There's something terribly wrong with the home, and despite all of Jane's research on Augustine, there is much she does not know about his past.

The Death of Jane Lawrence takes a lot of inspiration from classic gothic favorites and adds a bit of necromancy. It's a good concept, but the execution is lacking. One of my biggest issues was the setting. The decision to make it a fictional place comes off as lazy. The story uses technology from different centuries, which could be fine, if those technological developments weren't sort of dependent on each other. (E.g. the internal combustion engine. There are gas attacks from the "Ruskans", but everyone's still riding in horse-drawn carriages?) It comes off like if a horror movie creator wants to get rid of cell phones in the plot, instead of putting the location in a remote area with no service, they make the location an alternate universe where everything is the same, but for some reason cell phones were never invented.

I DNFed at 38%. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it enough to keep reading. Jane has a tendency to jump to conclusions, and while she wasn't wrong with a lot of them, her level of anxiety wasn't relatable enough to get me there with her. I desperately just wanted her to calm down and talk to her husband before freaking out. I'm not completely writing this book off. A lot of reviews say it gets better, but I don't like it enough to keep reading.

💀 THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE 💀 Y’all know that I’m often not one for the thriller genre… but OH MY GOD. A rare 5/5 for me, “The Death of Jane Lawrence” blew all of my expectations out of the water. This story has elements of Crimson Peak, Wuthering Heights, and Rebecca. One of the summaries said “…crafts a new kind of gothic horror from the bones of the beloved canon” and that sums it up best. For anyone who considers themselves a fan of the gothic horror genre, this is a must-read. Available October 2021!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

★ Summary: “Jane Shoringfield has decided that the most secure path forward is a husband who will allow her to remain independent. Her first choice, the dashing but reclusive doctor Augustine Lawrence, agrees to her proposal with only one condition: that she must never visit Lindridge Hall, his crumbling family manor outside of town. Yet on their wedding night, an accident strands her at his door and she finds him changed. Gone is the surgeon and in his place is a paranoid man—one who cannot tell reality from nightmare. By morning, Augustine is himself again, but Jane knows something is deeply wrong at Lindridge Hall…”

★ I can’t express enough that this is straight from the gothic horror canon in the best way. It immediately marks itself as a champion of the genre, in a post-war England and a spooky manor house to boot.

★ Starling does an incredible job in her characterization of both Jane and Augustine and you go back and forth about your feelings for both of the characters. The writing itself is also masterful, which is no small feat when doing all of the work of setting up the scene for gothic horror.

I’m typically not a fan of the horror or thriller genre… but this one might just have changed my mind!

I received and Advanced Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Let me start off by saying, this book is what I thought "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier was going to be like. Jane Shoringfield, an orphan whose guardians are moving to the city she left behind, proposes a marriage plan to the local Doctor, bachelor Augustine Lawrence. The deal is simple: Jane, a trained accountant, will run the books and business of his shop in exchange for never stepping foot in his home, Lindridge Hill. The only problem is, the carriage driver takes her there as soon as they are married, and due to weather, she is trapped there for two days. While things start off relatively normal, it isn't long until the lines between perception and reality begin to blurr.

I really struggled with the rating of this novel, as I really wish Goodreads would let us give out half stars. In the end, I decided to turn my 3.5 rating into a 3 star rating because there were a few things that irked me about the novel. The major thing being how quickly Jane went from stating herself that her marriage was strictly a business agreement to falling head over heels with her husband. I was very interested in a character strong enough to be her own women, and this really hampered my opinion of the first half of the book. The second thing was how the regions in the novel are a few letters different from Great Britain and Russia, at that point, I wish she just used the same countries we currently have (but that is just nitpicking). If you are also struggling through the first half of the novel, KEEP GOING! I promise you the ending is worth it.

Blog post to come within a month before the release.

I am always a sucker for a historical mystery, and The Death of Jane Lawrence drew me in immediately. What surprised me was how absolutely terrifying and completely riveting this story was. Starling's winning combination of deep character development alongside vivid imagery had me laying awake for several nights in a row. While I wouldn't recommend this as a book to read as you try to doze off at night, I'll absolutely be recommending this to library patrons and friends!

I read this book like I was trapped in a fever dream, unable to stop, unable to put it down.
Gothic, atmospheres, and a little claustrophobic.
When Jane approaches the local doctor about a marriage of convenience, I thought I knew where this story was going.
I was wrong.
This world is not like ours, similar enough to feel grounded, but just different enough to occasional knock you off balance, which really just adds to an element of the book.

I plan on rereading it soon so I can pick up all the details and clues I missed the first time around.

Warnings for:
Surgical procedures, Victorian medicine, body horror, death to children, death, occult

When I first saw the blurb on NetGalley for The Death of Jane Lawrence, I was intrigued. Especially once I saw it compared to Crimson Peak – a personal favorite in both book and movie. So it leaves little doubt that I had to request it.

The Death of Jane Lawrence on the surface has a basic enough premise. There is a young woman with a potential decision to make and there is a handsome young man with a dark secret. Add in the ubiquitous crumbling manor house and you have the recipe for most any gothic novel. That however is where the comparison ends because this book contains so much more.

I think what I liked best about The Death of Jane Lawrence was how unexpected it was. What I mean is, while reading it I was quite sure I knew the direction in which the story would go. Having read my fair share of gothic novels – both modern and historical – I tend to be able to guess how a story of this kind will end. And while sometimes I am correct there are other times where I am wrong. The Death of Jane Lawrence proved that point to me, that one cannot always guess how a book is going to go.

I quite enjoyed reading this book. Starling does a wonderful job of creating the perfect moody setting with Lindridge Hall and its surroundings. She peoples it with characters that are sympathetic and ones that are insensitive and at times they are the same person.

As a fan of gothic novels, I heartily recommend The Death of Jane Lawrence to my readers. With the colder months soon upon us it the perfect spooky book to settle down with on a dark night.

Imagine if the Bronte sisters had taken a sharp turn into gothic horror + magic... You'd have had this book 100+ years ago.
Jane Shoringfield is a mathematically minded, independent woman in search of a husband through practical need = she has limited rights and wants to be left alone to do her work (not set in the past we know but similar to our Victorian era). So, she begins meeting with eligible bachelors who would be in agreement to an amiable marriage of convenience. Enter Dr. Augustine Lawrence. Sounds fairly hot, very kind, and is shrouded in mystery. His one requirement = he lives in the manor house while Jane lives in the village at the townhouse. Sounds great! But, not for long.....
When caught over night at the manor house by a storm, Jane and Augustine's relationship takes on a heated physical attribute they hadn't planned on (very PG writing here folks). Over the next few nights she continues to share his bed and things begin to get spooky really quick. This is about 25% into the book and it's honestly where my curiosity finally picked up. Previously, the writing was fairly slow and I nearly stopped-- so hang in and you'll be rewarded with some hair on back of your neck standing up. For example, who is this blonde haired, red eyed woman who periodically can be found peaking at you from dark windows? Faces with clawed limbs that move within the deep shadows? Jane is definitely freaked out and desperately wants to leave -- bit her deepening feeling Augustine prevents that as a solution. Call upon friends and/or family to help? That's a no go too (for an interesting reason).
Summary = very Jane Eyre, but with a touch of The Shining.

Oh... my gosh. What did I just read? This was... wild. It is definitely what I would consider a "slow burn" as it took a bit of time to really amp up and get interesting, but this book was certainly one of the most twisty-turny book I have ever read. And my mind is just... scrambled. I’m actually sort of lost a bit. So much happened and it was so drawn out.

This marriage of convenience turns out to be a rather good business agreement between the two characters, but what I did not like was their insta-love/insta-attraction. That seemed... forced. I also didn't care for the ... *SPOILER* human bone rings. While it did play a part in the macabre feel, it just felt odd. Other than that, the writing was beautiful and the story was so atmospheric. But it was a VERY slow burn and I found myself struggling attention wise at time.

I have never read a gothic-horror quite like this, and this book seriously is giving me the vibes to read MORE gothic-horror. But this story is just…. It’s messy. Not in the gore sort of messy. But in flow and premise. I really disliked the climax and the big reveal. There really needed to be some ironing out of this story.

What a deliciously creepy and weird gem of a book! Caitlin Starling excels at creating oppressive, claustrophobic environments; I read this book feeling both exhilarated and breathless.

An accountant arranges to have an arranged marriage with a doctor. Their arrangement rules: this is to be a business relationship, she will tend to his books and finances and live separate from him, they will only consummate their marriage to meet the legal requirements, they are to live separate lives essentially. Jane wants a marriage where she does not have to have a romantic relationship and Dr. Augustine Lawrence fits her bill since he is a man who is known to live in a separate home and is shy and handsome. Within about a day of meeting him ( and offering this arrangement, to which he profusely rejects, she strong arms her way into spending time with him to convince him to say yes) and she basically falls in love with him after a day. Augustine warns her that if they are to be married she must understand that this is strictly a business arrangement and she can never stay over at his family home....in which she strong arms her way into doing that after their wedding. Jane essentially goes back on her entire arrangement and is determined to be in love with him and stay at his home. He warns her that his home is not for her and that it is a messed up place.... but she stays. Soon she discovers that he has more secrets and that the house is haunted. Throw in some ghosts, magic, and tons of body gore descriptions and this is a creepy and gothic story. It definitely has elements reminiscent of Crimson Peak.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to the publishers and Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I would say this hit at about 4.5 stars for me.

I have to say I’m not usually a horror reader but because this had a fantasy element and came recommended by an author I follow (Lyndall Clipstone) I decided to give it a shot! I had read the author’s novella Yellow Jessamine and it was decent but I didn’t love it. The Death of Jane Lawrence had been compared to Crimson Peak, Mexican Gothic, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Ninth House, Rebecca, Haunting of Hill House, and more, so I had high hopes for it.

The Death of Jane Lawrence follows Jane Shoringfield, a practical and logical woman who decides she must get married as her guardians are moving away and she will no longer be able to afford to live with them. She makes a list of suitors and decides the town’s doctor and trained surgeon, Augustine Lawrence, is the most fitting candidate. So she gives him a proposal: we marry, but it is a business agreement, I will work for you, I will live separate from you, and we’ll both have our freedoms. Augustine, eventually, accepts, on the one stipulation that Jane must never spend the night at his crumbling estate, Lindridge Hall.
But on the night of their wedding, as Jane is taken back to the town, Jane’s carriage is swept away in a flash flood/mudslide, and Jane is forced to make the trek back to Lindridge Hall and stay the night. But the Augustine she left at sunset is not the Augustine she finds during the storm: instead a haunted and terrified man who barely recognizes her.
The Death of Jane Lawrence turns into part haunted house story, part gothic love story, and part mystery fantasy, as Augustine is haunted by the patients he’s lost and a past he doesn’t like to speak of, Jane sees reflections of a woman with blood red eyes following her, Jane is led into a secret society of magicians, and the painful and deadly cost of magic becomes clear.

I was completely fascinated by the beginning of this book. I loved the marriage of convenience trope, that, naturally, turns into more. I related quite a bit to the main character, Jane, as a more logical person myself. I loved Jane and Augustine’s relationship as it grew, which was a match made in morbid heaven. (Wedding bands made out of human bone!) Him being a surgeon added a sort of body horror into the story, as well as the magic system.

I loved trying to decipher and figure out what direction this book could take. (Is the husband going to try to kill her? Is he a bad guy? What’s the deal with the ghosts? How much is this going to be like Crimson Peak?) and I am pleased to report that as the synopsis promises, The Death of Jane Lawrence did, in fact, completely overturn and upend all expectations. By the end of it, TDOJL was completely bonkers, in the best way possible.

I think the beginning of the book closely follows books of the genre set before it, the marriage, the spooky and decaying big house, ghost sightings, (very much Crimson Peak inspired) but it diverges and completely takes a different direction than what you’d come to expect.

I completely devoured this book, feeling as though I quite literally couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I was compelled, a woman possessed, you could say! I read the first part of the book, stopped myself, then read the rest of the book the following night.

By the end of it I was grappling with making sure I understood the climax/ending and feeling slightly crazed, adrenaline from this book left me reeling at 5 in the morning. I will say that this book does get fairly circular/confusing, so if people prefer more clear cut and straight forward climaxes & resolutions, I’d err on the side of caution before reading this, but I found I didn’t mind it!

My oh-so-eloquent first thoughts upon finishing were probably: what in the absolute f*ck. Wow.

I will also note because I quite literally never read horror, I didn’t read it expecting to be scared. And I wasn’t. It was spooky and exciting for sure, though!

I will definitely be buying this come October and can’t wait to add it to my print book collection. I absolutely LOVE the cover as well.

Starling is a household name in the horror community. However, this book disappointed. Seemed it could have been about a third as long with its rambling and purposeless inner dialogue of the protagonist. Starling seems to have attempted to write 3 or 4 different stories and didn't finish any of them in this hefty story. I wish I loved this story because it has so many lovely aspects of gothic horror but I believe the author just attempted too much and couldn't focus her story enough to make a cohesive, well-written story.

The cover and description of this book really drew me in, however the content was at times hard for me to get through and personally felt a little over descriptive. I still found it to be enjoyable!