By Joanna Davidson Politano

This was one of those rare books where I stayed up past midnight to read… and then couldn’t sleep because I was so excited and enamored with the story! Wow! Definitely a new favorite book and definitely a new favorite author!

All of Victorian England waits with bated breath for the next installment of the Nathaniel Droll serial novel, Lady Jayne Disappears. No one knows who the author is behind the famous pen name, but his stories resonate with rich and poor alike. Who is this gifted writer?

Aurelie Harcourt thought she knew the answer. Living with her father in debtor’s prison, she transcribed his stories for him and posted them under the name Nathaniel Droll. But when her father dies, she inherits an unfinished story and a world of secrets and questions about her past. Who really was Nathaniel Droll and Lady Jayne? The only way to find the answers is to finish writing her father’s novel, but doing so may bring to light secrets no one wants revealed. 

Pros: I could go on and on about the pros, but it would be easier for you to just read the book.

This was a Jane Austen meets Charles Dickens meets Louisa May Alcott mash-up of stellar storytelling. The characters were complex and fascinating and the descriptions and narration were fresh and witty. I adored Aurelie’s perspective as a writer. It was so refreshing! As someone who loves a good mystery story, this one delivered with cliffhangers everywhere and a layer cake’s worth of delicious secrets. The reveal was a never-ending series of fireworks that I should have seen coming. It was phenomenal! I’m buying the book and rereading it – multiple times.

Cons: I’m still suffering from sleep deprivation.

Bottom Line: My favorite book of 2024!