Press Reviews

• R.L. Stine, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Goosebumps</i> and <i>Fear Street</i>

  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!

• Matthew Pearl, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>The Dante Club</i> and <i>The Last Bookaneer</i>

  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

• Suzanne Rindell, author of <i>The Other Typist</i>

  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

• Maria Konnikova, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes</i>

  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

• Sarah Weinman, editor of <i>Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940s & 50s</i>

  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

• Sue Grafton, #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author

  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+

• Library Journal, </i> Starred Review<i>

  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

• Hilary Davidson

  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

• Michele Leber

  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

• Stephanie Lam

  I love Lyndsay Faye's audaciousness in recasting Jane as a murder, and the Victorian Gothic atmosphere is superbly done

• Kate Riordan

  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

• US Weekly

  "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

• People </i>magazine<i>

  Witty, exquisitely plotted, this is such a delectable treat 'tis a pity it has to end

• Wall Street Journal

  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

• Never Imitate Blog

  The narrative is infused with humour and wit, is entertaining and engaging. This is exactly what good storytelling should be

• Biblio Maniac UK Blog

  A perfect read. A great plot with unexpected twists and turns, highly original

• Liz Loves Books Blog

  One for everyone. Possibly the best fun you'll have with a story this year . . . Highly recommended

• Kirsty Logan

  It's amazing. Best book of 2016 so far

• Marie Claire

  Must Read

• Elly Griffiths

  I loved it. What a clever, funny, gruesome, absorbing story!

• National Public Radio

  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

• The Sunday Times

  A heady mix of pastiche and thriller . . . a delight from first to last

• Cosmopolitan

  Jane Eyre gets a dose of Dexter

• Stylist Magazine

  A witty, macabre reimagining of Jane Eyre