Jane Steele

I loved it. What a clever, funny, gruesome, absorbing story!
This is a wonderfully wicked book. The deadly first chapter actually made me gasp. Jane Steele is a character you will not soon forget. Great evil fun!
Lyndsay Faye pulls off the most elusive feat of historical fiction: to give us a book that reads as though it was unearthed from a perfectly preserved antique chest. Sneakily charming and wildly well written, like Faye's other novels Jane Steele demands attention
A heady mix of pastiche and thriller . . . a delight from first to last
Jane Steele is lethal good fun! In Jane, Lyndsay Faye has created a heroine unwilling to suffer tyrants or fools. The result is a darkly-humorous, elegantly-crafted story of an "accidental" vigilante. A delicious read
Let's be honest here. When I was sent an advanced readers' copy of Jane Steele, which was billed as an historical crime novel with a Jane-Eyre-style heroine who becomes a serial killer, I thought someone was pulling my leg. I decided to read ten pages, just to annoy myself as I'm often inclined to do. Also, to show what a good sport I am. I was hooked by page five and read my way through at a merry clip. I loved this book! The language rings true, the period details are correct. Jane Steele is a joy, both plucky and rueful in her assessment of her dark deeds. The plotting is solid and the pacing sublime. If this were a series, this would be the perfect introduction. As a stand-alone, I give it an A+
Enchanting. Jane Steele is beautifully rendered and utterly captivating, from the first cry of "reader, I murdered him" to its final pages. Lyndsay Faye is a masterful storyteller, and this is her finest tale yet
A witty, macabre reimagining of Jane Eyre
From the gasp-inducing moment Jane Steele utters the words "reader, I murdered him", you know you are in for a rollicking romp of an adventure that recasts the Jane Eyre story in an entirely new light. But mixed in with the verve and vivacity is a story of real heart, exemplary, near-forgotten history, and an utterly unforgettable heroine. Brava to Lyndsay Faye for what's already one of my favorite thrillers of the year
Young Jane Steele's favorite book, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, mirrors her life both too little and too much . . . In an arresting tale of dark humor and sometimes gory imagination, Faye has produced a heroine worthy of the gothic literature canon but reminiscent of detective fiction
Add Jane Steele to that club of unforgettable antiheroes - Tom Ripley, Hannibal Lecter, and Dexter Morgan - who do dreadful things to bad people. Bold, inventive, and charmingly wicked, this instantly addictive novel pays homage to Jane Eyre while being wholly original. Lyndsay Faye has created a masterpiece
Faye's skill at historical mystery was evident in her nineteenth-century New York trilogy, but this slyly satiric stand-alone takes her prowess to new levels. A must for Brontë devotees; wickedly entertaining for all
I love Lyndsay Faye's audaciousness in recasting Jane as a murder, and the Victorian Gothic atmosphere is superbly done
Jane Eyre gets a dose of Dexter
Jane Steele is a marvellous book and I loved every elegantly wrought sentence of it. No reader could wish for a more entertaining narrator than big-hearted, knife-wielding Jane, nor a more vivid and convincing portrait of nineteenth century England. A very worthy companion to its inspiration and template, Jane Eyre, but with a great deal more blood, swearing and general uproariousness. Wonderful
It's amazing. Best book of 2016 so far
"Reader, I murdered him." That's how Lyndsay Faye sets up her take on Jane Eyre. Like the classic heroine, Jane is a Victorian orphan, mistreated and sent off to school. Only she's a killer seeking vengeance in this clever thriller
Must Read
Witty, exquisitely plotted, this is such a delectable treat 'tis a pity it has to end
Reader, she murdered him. In Lyndsay Faye's darkly comic retelling of Jane Eyre, the heroine is a serial killer with justification for every bloody act
The narrative is infused with humour and wit, is entertaining and engaging. This is exactly what good storytelling should be
A perfect read. A great plot with unexpected twists and turns, highly original
One for everyone. Possibly the best fun you'll have with a story this year . . . Highly recommended
Faye hasn't embarked on a retelling of Brontë's masterwork, or anyone else's, for that matter. Her novel pays homage to the greats, yet offers a heroine whose murky past and murderous present remind us that some female behavior in other eras never made it into print
'A delight from first to last' The Sunday Times

ORPHAN. GOVERNESS. SERIAL KILLER.

Like the heroine of her the novel she adores, orphaned Jane Steele suffers at the hands of her aunt and schoolmaster. And like Jane Eyre, they call her wicked - but in this case she fears the accusation is true. When she flees, she leaves behind the corpses of her tormentors. After her escape, she takes a position as governess to Mr Thornfield, and soon falls in love - but what happens if he discovers her murderous past?

'Jane Eyre gets a dose of Dexter' Cosmopolitan

'I loved it: clever, funny, gruesome, absorbing' Elly Griffiths

'A witty, macabre reimagining of Jane Eyre' Stylist

'Darkly funny' Red

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Fiction
£7.99

ISBN: 9781472217561

[author photo]

[Also available as an ebook]

Author photograph © Gabriel Lehner
Cover credit...

Lyndsay Faye