For the Readers Imbibing Peril challenge, I chose to read Jane and the Barque of Frailty, part of the Being A Jane Austen Mystery series by Stephanie Barron. My first thought upon picking up this novel was, "What on Earth is a 'barque of frailty'?" About half way through the book, I discovered that a "barque of frailty" is used to describe a mistress or a very loose woman, and in the novel, Jane must confront many of these "bits of muslin" in order to solve the murder of a Russian princess.
The plot is far fetched, but then again, so is Jane being a detective. Jane and her sister-in-law, Eliza, are accused of murdering the Princess Tscholikova and stealing her jewels, so Jane must solve the case within a week or be charged with murder. I found the book rather slow moving, lacking the action of Jane and the Ghosts of Netley, and the ending was too abrupt, but if you like historical fiction, this is a good pick.
