First Impressions

A thrilling literary mystery costarring Jane Austen from the New York Timesbestselling author of The Bookman's TaleCharlie Lovett first delighted readers with his New York Timesbestselling debut, The Bookman's Tale. Now Lovett is back with another brilliantly imagined mystery, this time featuring one of English literature's most popular and beloved authors: Jane Austen.Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customersrequest a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition ofALittle Book of Allegoriesby Richard Mansfield. Their queries draw Sophieinto a mystery that will cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudiceandultimately threatenSophie's life.In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie's quest to uncover the truthwhile choosing between two suitorsand a young Jane Austen's touching friendship withthe aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books.From the Trade Paperback edition.