Though young in years, Jane Austen has long had the sharp wit and shrewd insight to observe what others do not. So when the body of a milliner is shockingly discovered during a lavish ball at Sir John Harcourt’s estate, she sees how blind polite society can be to the truth. With the death pronounced a murder and Jane’s brother Georgy swiftly accused of the deed, the injustice of it strikes close to home.

Jane writes stories filled with secrets exposed, motives questioned, and manners deceiving. Now, she must turn her powers of observation to detection, to unmask the true murderer. For if she fails, her beloved brother will face the ultimate punishment – the hangman’s noose .