I just finished “The Death of Jane Lawrence” by @authorcstarling and absolutely loved it! What a terrific gothic novel, with atmosphere and energy akin to Crimson Peak, Rebecca, Frankenstein, Dracula. I loved the elements of mystery, occult and the great house in decline. The writing was elegant but readable, and lends itself well to transporting you to another time and wrapping you up in Jane’s confusion and fears. Who can you trust? What is real?

Augustine and Jane enter into an arrangement of a marriage, one proposed by Jane herself, and yet a tenderness and longing blooms between them. But he has one, firm stipulation, "Whatever else may or may not change about our... arrangement, that needs to remain true. You will never stay the night at Lindridge Hall, and I always will."

Jane is a very logical woman, focusing on numbers but after seeing and hearing things in the Hall she starts to question what she could believe.

This was a terrific escape and perfect for the Autumn I’m trying to manifest. I see Caitlin Starling has written some other eerie tales and I will definitely be checking those out! What a chilling delight!

The Death of Jane Lawrence is a strange, ambitious, and beautifully written story of surgery, ghosts, and mind-bending magic that’s bound to be on a lot of shelves this fall, including my own. As memorable as it was, though, there were aspects of it that I didn’t feel landed as well as I’d have liked them to, and while I adored it myself, the sharp turn the novel takes halfway through is going to be a hit or miss for many readers. Overall an incredibly suspenseful and entertaining read and one of a few books I’ve read that made me successfully feel like I was losing my mind. It’s a perfect recommendation for fans of Crimson Peak, The Haunting of Hill House (the book, specifically), and Ninth House.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Death of Jane Lawrence is the newest tale of spooky houses, tucked away secrets, and powerful women. All Jane wants is a husband so she isn't looked down upon as strange, but she has a condition. She wants it to be a marriage that allows her freedom, something most eligible men wouldn't entertain. When Jane meets Augustine Lawrence she finds the perfect match for what she's after. They agree on a marriage and he allows that she will stay in town at his surgery office which has an apartment upstairs while he resides at his family home. Their most important addendum for their agreement is this: Jane will never spend the night at his family home. This begins our twisted tale of hauntings, magic, and the impossible pull of love.

This book was one of my most sought after approvals, and I leapt for joy when I got the email that my request was approved. Just coming off my disappointment in Mexican Gothic this was just what I needed to cleanse my horror palette. While there is alot to unpack in this novel, it is done exquisitely. The author weaves a tale that is broken down into parts with a conclusion that leaves you pondering about all you have just read. I don't say this to scare off any readers, in fact I think it will help readers as they come to the different exhibits this novel has to offer. Mathematics, Magic, time travel, existential crisis, life after death, out of body experiences, monsters, and a mystery all rolled into one. Sometimes I did find myself a bit lost and had to reread a chapter or two back, but it was well worth it in the end.

That said, this book will not be for everyone. If you don't like complex magic systems, slow burn stories, or have a super weak stomach this doesn't belong on your shelf. As I stated it was alot to unpack and made you think alot more than most books containing horror do. The author introduces characters throughout and the names at time were hard to keep straight, but each person served a purpose.

Overall I enjoyed this tale, but don't find it has alot of reread value. Four stars from me for originality and a well thought out and put together world. I recommend this for anyone 16+ as there is gore and a touch of sex(nothing smutty). If you stick out the slow burning beginning I think you'll be pleased with what you find waiting for you.

This book sounded like a winner, young woman living in a time when women needed to be married to move about in polite society selects a man to marry to be her “business partner”. She agrees to help him in his surgery (he’s a doctor) and do his accounting in exchange for his name. He agrees, but tells her in no circumstances must she ever visit his ancestral home. Of course, she does, and finds that not only is he a completely different man, but that something very sinister is going on in his home. Unfortunately, I found Jane to be a cold and rather remote heroine and the story line too filled with asides and more information than the reader needed. Weston does a fine job telling the story, but it just doesn’t have much life. More editing may have made this a better story