The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Published by St. Martin's Press on October 2021Genres: Horror, Thriller, Historical Fiction
Pages: 368
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
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Practical, unassuming Jane Shoringfield has done the calculations, and decided that the most secure path forward is this: a husband, in a marriage of convenience, who will allow her to remain independent and occupied with meaningful work. 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 in a pitch-black rainstorm, and she finds him changed. Gone is the bold, courageous surgeon, and in his place is a terrified, paranoid man—one who cannot tell reality from nightmare, and fears Jane is an apparition, come to haunt him.
By morning, Augustine is himself again, but Jane knows something is deeply wrong at Lindridge Hall, and with the man she has so hastily bound her safety to. Set in a dark-mirror version of post-war England, Starling crafts a new kind of gothic horror from the bones of the beloved canon. This Crimson Peak-inspired story assembles, then upends, every expectation set in place by Shirley Jackson and Rebecca, and will leave readers shaken, desperate to begin again as soon as they are finished.
Hmmm, I’m not sure what to say about this one because I had such high hopes and it started out so strong. The tone of general creepiness of the book is a solid Rebecca style. I really liked the descriptions of the house itself and of Jane moving through this new world. Jane, practical and intelligent, marries a seemingly normal man and by mere accident, she finds herself stranded by herself on his country estate. Where all hell breaks loose.
I was there with her, trailing behind, trying to take in my surroundings. I was there with her, falling in love with her husband, even though sometimes he acted strangely. I will admit there is a bit of insta-love here, but it didn’t bother me because it obviously was important to the plot for her later actions.
And that cover! Wow. While I appreciated the cover before I read the book, after reading the story I feel like I have a new love of this cover!
I was really excited about the paranormal aspect of the book, adding in real ghosts and spirituality’s darker side. Jane was an easy character to get behind, but as the book continued, she almost became a different character. Many times, she had a chance to escape the house but instead she chose to stay to try to figure things out, which I kinda get but the things happening were already so threatening I felt like this was not in her character. I am not talking about the second part of the book when she actually does need to stay but I won’t spoil that part.
The other thing is the length. The second part of the story dragged and I found myself just trying to get to the end. If the book had been shorter, I think the overall urgency and intensity would have really picked up the pace.
The Death of Jane Lawrence is not my cup of tea, sadly. But maybe I had high expectations of this genre.
Kimberly majored in Songwriting and currently works full time in the music industry. When she's not listening to music, knitting or writing, you can find her outside reading her favorite genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Mystery, and Romance.
I almost picked this up during the BN sale but now kind of glad I didn’t. I think it may end up being a library book for me. The cover is amazing though.
Yeah I love the cover so much. And I loved the synopsis but it didn’t live up to my expectations. I think the writing is really good and it drew me in but there were too many holes for me.
That’s too bad that it didn’t work for you. I really like that creepy cover.
I really liked your review and sorry it didn’t suit you. I may give it a try. Thank you