Outside of a long-lost manuscript, the discovery of an unknown Jane Austen letter is enough to set every Jane Austen fan into a tizzy. Hence, I was primed with excitement when I spotted this latest Jane K. Cleland title in her popular Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series. Not having read the previous series installments, I was a tad wary of starting with this one, but Jane Austen’s Lost Letters turned out to be a cozy, entertaining installment that stood alone just fine.

Antique shop owner and local TV personality, Josie Prescott, is in the middle of filming a segment for Josie’s Antiques on site in New Hampshire at her antique shop. She has invited two manuscript and autograph authenticators for this segment to share their findings on a signed first edition Beatrix Potter book. Both specialists are known locally: Oliver Crenshaw, a rare books bookshop owner, and Dr. Gloria Moreau from the university. Oliver’s mother is his guest and Gloria’s assistant Ivan is hers. The first day’s show is going well, and Josie hit it off with both as they describe their processes and findings on the antique book.

Then, during a pause in the shooting, Josie is told someone needs to speak to her. She meets a mysterious woman who claims to have known her dad well and the woman gives Josie a package before swiftly leaving. Josie thought she knew all of her late dad’s friends and acquaintances but gets an odd vibe from this meeting. She hesitates and then opens the package to find art of her father’s, a photo of him and this Veronica Sutton, and two letters signed by Jane Austen.

The mystery of the letters and Veronica’s tie to Josie’s dad in the past have a great deal of her attention and concern, but then the next day of filming, one of her professional guests, Gloria, is found murdered behind Josie’s business after a stranger was seen on the property. Meetings with the police chief who knows Josie’s prowess at crime solving leads Josie to realizing that the stranger must be joined on the suspect list by Oliver and his overbearing mother when their pasts come to light. Then another murder happens, and someone takes pot shots at Josie. She needs the answers to both mysteries before she becomes victim number three.

It took me some time to develop a taste for the cozy mystery genre and I’m still rather finicky, but I’ve come to appreciate them. For instance, I love the idyllic settings and situations of the prime character. In this case, a pretty New Hampshire coastal town in the fall, the antiques’ shop where she works, a fabulous husband and beach house she shares with him, and oh yes, discovering potential long lost Jane Austen letters. To this, I need to add that I discovered the author is an Austen fan and understands just how exciting the discovery would be.

Josie was a likeable lead character. She has some educated guesses, packs her own gun, and even knows how to use it. However, she works with law enforcement and doesn’t try to suppress or take over the investigation. I suppose it helps that she is an important consultant to the police force now that there have been thirteen successful mysteries solved prior to this one.

The mystery with the Austen letters and the murders was what got my attention the most. I loved all the descriptions of the authentication process for the books, letters, and the antique world in general. I think if I had read the series in order I might have been more vested in her personal mystery about her dad, though not to say that I didn’t like this storyline because it was engaging, too. There was a small pool of suspects for the murder mystery, and they had pretty much the same opportunities and motives. I had no idea who did it, but I had a pretty good idea of the why. I even had an inkling about the family mystery, too. I enjoyed getting to the solution, though it took me by surprise.

I probably should point out that if new readers to the series spot this one by the title and the blurb and think that there will be a strong Austen focus, well… not really. The process of authentication of the letters does happen, but the focus is the case itself and the mystery about Josie’s dad and Veronica and not Jane Austen.

All in all, it was a solid cozy mystery, and the series seems to be holding strong through fourteen books now. I loved the location and setting, and Josie was a likeable lead character. I would recommend this book. Give this series a try if you are a cozy mystery fan who loves historical artifacts and antiques.

In this 14th in the series, amateur sleuth/antiques expert Josie Prescott investigates multiple murders.

She also takes on a very personal quest. after an elderly stranger, Veronica Sutton, delivers a package, containing a notecard with Josie's name in her dad's handwriting and two letters, that just might have been written by Jane Austen!

This is a most enjoyable series, as much for the fascinating background on the antiques trade and authentication processes as for the mystery itself.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Even though this was book 14 in the Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries, I thought I would give it a shot. I always love finding authors with gripping stories.

In honor of this being the 14th book in the series, I've made a 14-point list.

1. I was able to follow the characters and plot without having read the previous books. I couldn't put it down. :)
2. I enjoyed the relationship between Josie and her husband.
3. I love antiques, so that was a big win.
4. Delving into authenticating antiques was sooo interesting!
5. I loved how Josie's employees were so loyal.
6. I loved the small-town feel where they all seemed to know each other.
7. I did NOT guess the final reveal too quickly (always a big plus for a mystery).
8. I read the book quickly—did I miss anything about Veronica Sutton closing her business? It seemed like a place to follow up in Josie's search.
9. I was surprised that the title didn't relate to the main plot thread, and yet it did. I would say the story circled back to the title. See what you think.
10. I loved how real-life problems interrupted the mystery.
11. I loved how each character was operating as a real person with their own goals and desires.
12. I was fascinated by how the police worked with Josie instead of against her. (This felt like a fresh approach to me!)
13. I loved how clues were laid early! And background info to make other aspects feel integral. (It's too much of a spoiler if I say more. You'll have to read it for yourself.)
14. I recommend this book!

This is only the second title I've read in this series, but I really like it! Thinking I might need to go back and start at Book 1. My complaint in the other title that I read was that there wasn't enough background given, and I didn't feel grounded in who Josie was, what her job was, etc., so it was hard to join in on the story. But in this book, Cleland does a great job of letting the reader know what the whole setup is so that you don't have a bunch of questions swirling through your head all the time!

I love the world of rare letters--not in real life. Couldn't care less. But Cleland makes me want to know more about hesitations and pressure marks and the context of letters by significant authors, etc. The plotting is complex, but everything makes sense in the end. And I like spending time with Josie and her various colleagues.

A super enjoyable foray into the antiques world!

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

There are two mysteries in this well crafted story that, while the latest in a long running series, reads delightfully as a standalone. In the first, Gloria, a guest on Josie's tv program about antiques, is murdered after a discussion about verifying the authenticity of a note related to Peter Rabbit. And then there's another murder that sends Jane to work with Ellis Hunter, the police chief. More important, though, is the sudden and surprise gift from Josie's deceased father of two letters allegedly penned by Jane Austen. Josie's got, obviously, more questions about her father than the letters but know that the reader will learn a great deal about authenticating writings. I liked the writing style, which is evocative of Austen, as well as the characters. It's a good read with enough twists to sink your teeth into. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm curious what's next for Josie.

The review of Jane Austen's Lost Letters is in the December 2021 issue of Gumshoe Review and is exclusive to them until January 2022. You may read the review by clicking on this link:
<http://www.gumshoereview.com/php/Review-id.php?id=6845>

Jane Austen's Lost Letters is a nice addition to the Josie Prescott Mysteries. A couple of murders and lots of intrigue, it was a fun read and, as usual when I'm reading a Jane K. Cleland book, I learned quite a bit about antiques - this time about letter forgeries. The reader doesn't need to start at the beginning of the series to enjoy the book (it works very well as a standalone), but it does help with character background. Well-written and very enjoyable! A+

I thought this was going to be great - Jane Austen, lost letters, an antiques appraiser who runs the show, figuratively and literally. So what happened - I just couldn’t like or admire the protagonist Josie Prescott. Someone is murdered, she goes for a walk to think. Another body and back to business for Ms. Prescott. Besides the lack of normal, empathy or sympathy, the descriptions about unimportant things were just a bit too much.

While this book can stand alone I think reading the previous installments would have been helpful in understanding the setup to the business and position of the lead character. I have no doubt that I needed the background to watch the development which might have allowed me to be able to like the character. The mystery was interesting with lots of suspects, red herrings and clues. The relationships were well developed and believable. The information on the appraisal, validation and verification of historic papers was informative if slightly excessive.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s/Minotaur Books for a copy.

Josie is in the process of taping her show Josie's Antiques - the discussion is about the appraisal and authentication of a Beatrix Potter peter Rabbit book with her two experts, Oliver Crenshaw, a rare books store owner and Professor Gloria Moreau, a Professor of Archival Studies. The taping is interrupted by a mysterious woman who has a package for Josie from Josie's Dad who perished on 9/11. When Josie opens the package, she finds what appears to be lost letters written by Jane Austen. Are they authentic? Where did her father obtain the letters? Who is the mysterious woman?
As Josie begins her investigation, Professor Moreau is found murdered. Is the Professor's murder
related to unfavorable appraisals in the past and is it in any way tied to the Jane Austen letters.
Interesting set of suspects.

A mysterious woman, claiming to be a friend of Josie’s father, shows up at Prescott’s Antiques and Auctions, hands Josie a brown paper wrapped package and nervously leaves. Inside is a leather box with a note in Josie’s father’s handwriting. When she opens the box, she discovers two letters in transparent plastic sleeves…both are signed “Jane Austen.” Unable to track down the lady, Josie sets off to uncover what this mysterious gift-giver knows about her father and if the letters are authentic. Unfortunately, as she gets close to uncovering the truth, she realizes she’s in danger.

Unaware it was the 14th installment in the Josie Prescott Antiques series, I could still appreciate this book as a ‘standalone’. The first thing I noticed was that there’s no doubt that Jane Cleland’s mother read “Pride and Prejudice” to her in the womb – this book is clearly written by a devotee and true-believer of all things Jane Austen. Next, I was swept away with the forgeries and murders and felt like I was on the set of ‘Antiques Roadshow’ as items were authenticated! I smiled when I read that the item in question was a first edition of Beatrix Potter’s ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ as only a book lover would get so involved. The avid learner in me was spellbound reading about the handwriting analysis. I did love the cozy mystery and found myself giggling at the ‘old-fashioned’ vocabulary and Josie’s relaxed rapport with the local police.

Cleland highlights the modern dilemma – privacy and gun ownership. This would make this a good book for book clubs as there is lots to discuss.

As you turn the last page, you’ll believe it conceivable that more of Jane Austen’s letters could be found as she was a prolific letter-writer. You’ll also have your own idea about what became of the multitude of Jane Austen letters that are missing.

Publishes December 14, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Jane K. Cleland, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The ‘Jane Austen’ in the title is what drew me to this book. I think the premise was clever, especially since this series revolves around an antiques store. I was able to read this as a stand-alone with no problem.

The lost Jane Austen letters set the story in motion, but this story mainly centered on a contemporary murder mystery with a strong women’s fiction feel. There was lots of descriptive technical sections on how the authenticity of documents is determined. There were also a couple of subplots involving the main character’s husband and a mysterious woman who claims to have known the main character’s father. Some readers will enjoy there more than others, but it did slow the resolution to the mystery, until the end of the book when things quickly wrapped up.

I particularly enjoyed the setting of the story in New Hampshire during the fall, especially because of the location near the beach. I also thought it was interesting that the main character’s career involved taping a television show.

I think readers already familiar with this series will especially enjoy this book. I also recommend it for readers who enjoy cozy mysteries and women’s fiction. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Jane K. Cleland pulls out all the stops with this story that reads like a non-stop thriller.
Josie Prescott is shooting an involved episode of Josie’s Antiques featuring two document appraisers, Oliver Crenshaw and Gloria Moreau, and their professional opinion of the first edition of Beatrix Porter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

During the day’s filming, Josie meets with an unexpected visitor who claims to be a good friend of Josie’s dead father. Unfortunately, Josie does not recognize the woman’s name, Veronica Sutton, who then surprises Josie with a package from her father. Veronica suddenly leaves, and Josie opens the paper-wrapped box to find a letter from her dad and two letters written by Jane Austen to friends.

And now, the story takes off with intriguing complexity. First, police find Ms. Moreau’s dead body before she can revise her segment. Then her assistant is also killed. While Josie’s newly found Austen letters create quite a stir, her interest in connecting with this friend of her father’s becomes very important to her. The issue of the letters’ authenticity also becomes an issue. Ms. Cleland’s storytelling moves at a rapid pace as she juggles the investigation of Ms. Moreau’s murder with her tracking of Veronica Sutton and the details of Ms. Sutton’s relationship with her father.

Ms. Cleland writes the most compelling entry in the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series with Jane Austen’s Lost Letters. Engaging and absorbing, this adventure will be hard to beat

Anything Jane Austen thrills me to the core so even the tiniest hint of the possibility of authentic letters written by her is exciting! Though fiction, Jane Austen's Lost Letters tugs at the dreamer in me. This is the fourteenth book in the series but my first. Can't wait to read the previous thirteen!

Josie Prescott appraises antiques (what a dream job!), hosts a television show called Josie's Antiques and is also an amateur sleuth. While she is working on her show, an unexpected visitor arrives and mysteriously hands her a box. The visitor, Veronica Sutton, is a friend of Josie's father who had died twenty years prior but she quickly leaves before Josie can question her. The box reveals stunning information and Josie knows she must find out more about Veronica in order to fit pieces together. A precious note from her dad from out of the blue catches her off guard. So do two letters signed by Jane Austen. Secrets swirl and murder results.

How refreshing that Josie is happily married! She and her husband Ty make a great partnership. Though film production has never particularly intrigued me, I did enjoy the technical bits here. The handwriting analysis segment is riveting. Characters have more than one dimension to them. The author has a splendid way with words and writes with wonderful intelligence and clarity.

Cozy mystery readers seeking something more fulfilling ought to read this..

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this fascinating book!

I enjoy this series by Jane Cleland and this was especially fun combining my love of mysteries and Jane Austen. Josie Prescott is a great sleuth and this entry does not disappoint.

Jane Austen's Lost Letters may be the 14th book in the series but it can easily be read as a stand alone. I have only read a few books in the Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries and I had no trouble figuring out who was who among the many characters from previous books. Over the course of the series Josie Prescott moved from New York City to coastal New Hampshire, started an antique appraising business (which has now grown into a large auction house) and stars in an “Antiques Roadshow” type television show. I find Josie to be interesting, relatable, knowledgeable and a smart business woman. The fun thing about her books is the knowledge the author imparts about antique objects, in this case hand written letters. Two letters, allegedly written by Jane Austen, are given to Josie by a mystery woman and the authentication is the plot of the mystery. Along with finding out who the mystery woman is! This book, a traditional cozy mystery, was a quick and enjoyable read. 3.5/5 stars, rounding up

Josie Prescott of Prescott's Antiques and the TV show Josie's Antiques is in the middle of filming when she is called to the front to meet a lady named Veronica Sutton who introduces herself as "a good friend of your father's" and hands her a wrapped package. She leaves without answering any of Josie's questions and there are many. Who is she? Why hadn't Josie heard of her before? Why did she keep the package until now when Josie's father died when the Twin Towers came down?

Josie is eager to learn more especially after she unwraps the package to find a note from her father and two previously unknown letters authored by Jane Austen. The letters, if authentic, would be blockbuster. Josie needs to find Veronica and learn more about how she knew Josie's father and about the provenance of the letters.

But it's back to work first. Josie is filming an episode which pits two experts against one another in authenticating a First Edition and autographed copy of Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The first expert is Oliver Crenshaw is the third generation owner of Crenshaw's Rare Books, Prints and Autographs. Josie has worked with him frequently. He has brought his mother Rory with him to the filming. The second expert is Dr. Gloria Moreau who is famous for her techniques for authenticating signatures. She brought her graduate assistant Ivan Filbert with her.

Filming goes pretty well. Josie is glad to meet Gloria and thinks they could become friends. But the next day, when the participants are supposed to meet again to clear up some problems with the audio recording, Gloria is late. No one can contact her. Josie finds her body when she is checking out the area around the building because of a strange man who was hanging out around the studio the day before.

Now, besides the mystery of Veronica Sutton and the Jane Austen letters, Josie is trying to discover who murdered Gloria and why. Things get even more complicated when Ivan is also murdered and someone takes some shots at Josie.

This story was filled with interwoven mysteries, secrets, and discoveries. I enjoyed the information about antiques especially the way written documents are authenticated. I enjoyed Josie's rapport with the local police and her role in helping to solve the murders using her own expertise.

This is the fourteenth book in a series, but the first one I have read. It stood alone quite well. While there were lots of characters, presumably accrued from earlier stories in the series, they were all introduced sufficiently and I wasn't confused about who fits where. I am eager now to read some of the earlier books in the series and get to learn more about Josie and her friends and business.

Author and teacher, Jane Cleland is named after Jane Austen. This circumstance led her to hold Austen near and dear to her heart -- something she tells her students in the classroom or in webinars of which I've taken several. That said, this is the first novel of hers that I've read; I'm constantly referencing her book for writers on Mastering Suspense.

Determining which plot is the primary one is up to the reader. Cleland presents her protagonist Josie Prescott with a personal mystery connected to her business as an antiques appraiser/dealer with the character's strong binds to her deceased father. The other plots are forgery, two murders, and the attempted murder of Josie. Based on the inciting incident of a stranger named Veronica Sutton showing up at Josie's business, giving her a gift from her deceased father, and then disappearing -- it seems like that is the story Cleland would rather emphasize. Perhaps if you've been reading the Josie Prescott books all along, you would want that personal plot to lead the way as well. As a new reader, I was more interested in the forgeries and murders.

This story about Veronica Sutton brings up real life moral dilemmas about privacy. Everything can be found online. For Josie, she utilizes behind-the-scenes assistance from Wes, her reporter friend who gathers information in ways the police can't (no warrants needed). Readers are not bogged down with whatever those steps are only that Wes delivers the goods.

A unique characteristic about Josie and about Cleland's writing of cozy mysteries is that Josie is a proud gun owner. The topic is so controversial. Readers may not understand what life is like in New Hampshire, but it's nothing like California or New York. It would be odd if a character didn't grow up with firearms or hunting in their family even if they didn't take it up themselves. Josie is skilled with her weapon as her father taught her. On American television, crime fiction fans are used to agile, thin, capoeira expert, and crackshot characters that don't feel real. Josie feels like a real person who is a good shot and even gets wildly lucky at a critical juncture.

The one part of Josie that didn't feel real to me was her vernacular. Maybe it's because I'm not particularly worldly. Josie says things like, "Oh, golly." And her friend calls her pajamas "a nightie." Those sound like vintage 1950's terms. Josie even comes out with an old time saying, "we'll be in the catbird seat," which I've discussed in my case files. That saying comes from baseball announcer Red Barber who worked for various teams from 1934-1966. I've never heard anyone say it until I was researching catbirds.

There's a lot of build up to the forgery process given that on Josie's television show (Antiques Roadshow style), she has experts come on to defend whether an item is authentic such as a Beatrix Potter first printing. In this plot, three characters create tension. Gloria, a former supermodel turned Ph.D. document expert; Ivan, Gloria's assistant looking to make his name for himself in a similar authentication technique that launched her to success; and Oliver Crenshaw, an antiques shop owner with a shady past and uncontrollable mother.

Does all that build up and foreshadowing about forgeries pay off? Yes and no. The documents in question are given definitive conclusions, but it comes pouring out around the 87% mark (reading the digital ARC).
What about the murders and attempted murder? The suspect pool is small and readers get the chance to understand each motive clearly. Josie doesn't look outside the suspect pool and ends up with a completely different culprit with a motive not nearly as strong as the other candidates.

Since Josie is close personal friends with the police chief, Ellis Hunter, when he questions her officially, she answers with a lot of speculation. However, she admits it. Each time they go through an interrogation, she says that she's only guessing and making things up to connect dots. What's weird though is that some of these interviews take place with Josie in her hot tub. She's always putting on airs in every scene, but she doesn't grab a robe and get out of the hot tub to answer formal police questions while being video recorded.

Every author gets to do what they want in their own playground (their manuscripts). I've only pointed out my own criticisms as a New Jersey reader and writer myself to show what things I found odd for a contemporary cozy. Maybe all the quaint sayings are part of New Hampshire life. I would love to know! I always dreamed of living in New England and Josie and Ty's incredible beach house sounds like heaven. If that's the kind of literary escape you're looking for and you miss Cabot Cove, this series might be perfect for you.

Rating: 5 stars

What an incredible book! I got my hands on an ARC from #NetGalley and am so glad I did. Not only does it have a unique premise and setting - the world of antique evaluation and sales, in particular books - but it features a multi-faceted and intricate mystery that keeps the reader turning the pages and guessing to the end.
The main character is a happily married woman, another unusual thing in the world of cozy mysteries. She is also strong, intelligent, and successful, yet not without her flaws, making her an intriguing and relatable heroine. The supporting characters are likewise recognizable and real, making the story leap off the page.
Ms. Cleland has written a wonderful and eloquent book that is difficult to put down. I was unfamiliar with her series, but this book easily stands on its own, not once making the reader feel like they've missed something. I will definitely check out earlier books in the series.

Long ago in a village named St. Mary Meade lived a spinster named Miss Marple, who could, through her knowledge of human nature, solve crimes. Thanks to her status as an older lady who knitted and gardened, she was frequently overlooked and underestimated. This was an asset to Miss Marple. Fast forward to the present day. The slew of amateur female detectives at work in the form of the contemporary cozy novel are not overlooked (though many of them are starting over). They are strong women who in general run their own businesses and have successful relationships. It’s no longer an asset to be overlooked. In fact, one of the characters in Jane Cleland’s new book has “Be Bold” tattooed on her arm.

Now while the trappings of the detectives have changed, the brains have not. It still takes an astute and intrepid woman to get to the heart of a murder mystery, and Jane Cleland’s Josie Prescott has all of that going on. Josie is the owner of Prescott’s Antiques in New Hampshire, where she lives with her husband, Ty.

One of the things I like best about Cleland’s books is the Josie used her skills as an antique appraiser and expert to solve the crimes she encounters. In this novel, as the book opens, she’s filming an episode for her antiques centric TV show (sounds very much like the popular Antiques Roadshow), discussing the provenance and authenticity of a first edition of Peter Rabbit.

As the filming process proceeds, Josie forms the start of a friendship with one of the experts, Gloria. The two share a work ethic and an intelligence as well as a love of old books and documents that gives them a bond. Of course, Gloria is murdered, and Josie feels like she can hardly help but look into the matter as the body is discovered near her property.

Josie has also been distracted by the appearance of a stranger who leaves a box and drives off. When Josie opens it, she discovers not only that it’s from her father, who perished on September 11, but the portfolio of watercolor sketches inside also happens to contain two letters apparently signed by Jane Austen. Not only that, but the mystery woman has identified herself as a friend of her father’s, someone Josie knew nothing about. As she’d thought she and her father were close and had known everything about each other, it throws her off emotionally.

So Josie has several things on her plate – the murder of Gloria; the authenticity of the Jane Austen letters; and the fact that there’s a woman out there somewhere who knew her beloved father. Josie is distracted but determined, and the intelligence with which Cleland assembles her plot is practically golden age. There are clues, red herrings, and overlaying it all, the expertise of both Josie and the now deceased Gloria.

There’s some good detail about the antiques business, Jane Austen, authenticating documents and handwriting, and a pretty clear eyed look at the way used and rare bookstores are run. The story was compelling and engaging, and Josie is a wonderful central character. Though it’s a secondary character who has the “Be Bold” tattoo, Josie might consider getting one for herself. This is a wonderfully engaging series.

At the time of this typing, I am almost done reading Jane K. Cleland's Jane Austen's Lost Letters, thanks to NetGalley and the kind folks at St. Martin's/Minotaur. I was more than a bit hesitant about starting this because it's the fourteenth book in a series I have never laid eyes on before. If you've been here ... ever ... you probably know about my fixation on reading things in order. BUT. There must be some exceptions and Jane Austen will probably always warrant an exception being made to just about every rule.

Luckily, so far anyway, I don't feel at all lost for not having read any of the previous thirteen books in the series. Even better? I now have thirteen new-to-me books on the ever-growing TBR. I don't know much about the world of antiques and never really figured I would care to know, but now I'm more than a bit fascinated at least with what goes into the art of authenticating letters. It helps when those letters may have been written by one of my favorite people. It's too bad the expert on the method that most intrigued me (dealing with weight and pressure points and whatnot) got knocked off fairly early in the book. I certainly hope Josie Prescott is good at solving murders and the person is dealt with most heinously. I'm guessing all will be resolved satisfactorily. It is the fourteenth book, after all.