The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown (Guest Review)

“Dual timeline” novels are quite popular these days, but The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton adds another twist. Jennifer Brown alternates a past-tense narrative set in the 16th century with a present-tense story in which, yes, a historian is searching for a lost book – but also is involved in a classic thriller, with eight people in an old, isolated manor house amid increasing menace. Both parts are well done and make for a compelling read.

Elizabeth Barton was a real person, a poor young woman who, in 1520s England, began having visions of people – including public figures – in hell. Soon she was taken up by others with ulterior motives and became a kind of cult figure, with, inevitably, very bad results. There was a book that recorded her visions, but it was almost certainly destroyed, and its reappearance in this book is fiction.

Alison, the 21st century heroine, has found a version of the book, but needs more to reinforce her own writing on Elizabeth. She is convincing, appealing, but a bit naïve. Still, this is pretty much a requirement – there has to be that moment when the reader pleads, “NO, Alison, don’t go there, don’t trust that person!” She is excited to be invited to this exclusive scholarly gathering, surprised to find an old flame in the group, and remains alert to clues about Elizabeth’s book even as odd things begin to happen. The author may be a little too generous with ominous hints, but it’s clear that she wants to make us uncomfortable and to indicate that this isn’t a typical light-romantic plot leading to a satisfying discovery.

The factual background of the Tudor section is accurate, with slight deviations noted at the end. A few characters are added, and they take part in some private events that are offstage from history, so to speak. The author’s description of what Elizabeth and her mentors thought and did, while it is her own interpretation, is very plausible. I don’t think we will get much closer to the truth – unless that book does turn up.

Title: The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton
Author: Jennifer N. Brown
Publication: St. Martin’s Press, hardcover, 2026
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
Source: Personal copy

Thank you to my mother, Stephanie Martin, for her guest review.  I'd had my eye on this book since January and, coincidentally my sister went to the author's book signing and bought it for my mother's birthday.  She was enjoying it while we were on vacation at Cape Cod earlier this month, and I look forward to reading it myself soon.  The author is local and teaches at Bentley University.