Tag: Allison Montclair

Fire Must Burn Allison Montclair (Historical Mystery)

Book 8 of the Sparks and Bainbridge historical mystery series, and definitely my favorite so far. London, 1947, and the co-owners of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau are being asked to do a “favor” for British Intelligence by using their matching services to determine whether one Anthony Danforth is or is not a Soviet agent. The catch is that Iris Sparks — once in British Intelligence herself — had been a good friend of Danforth’s back in their Cambridge days, though it has been over a decade since they had seen each other. The plot thickens further with an “almost” body, some clashing secrets, and ongoing doubts as to the ethics of their subterfuge.

I like the series for the snappy writing, the deep and personal historical contexts, and the two main characters — each unusual for their time, but also squarely OF their time. Both serve as exemplars of how times were changing for women, and some of the means by which women were bringing that change about. In this particular installment, I particularly enjoyed the slowly elaborated 1935 Cambridge story that set the stage for the present day mystery. This was full of details — both political and cultural — that helped me understand what life was like in that era. I also liked the various (and plentiful) ethical dilemmas that peppered the plot — presented thoughtfully and resolved (as one often must when one lives in reality) in practical, rather than wholly principled ways.

Intellectually engaging, little to no filler, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you to Severn House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on January 6th, 2026.

Murder at the White Palace by Allison Montclair (Mystery)

Writing: 3/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 4/5

Book six of the Sparks and Bainbridge historical mystery series. These books are just fun — a combination of novel, historical interest, and always an interesting body or two that unravel into quirks and twists and plenty of opportunity for the two women to evolve personally. Set in post-WWII London, the two have started the Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Iris Sparks, with a mysterious past in British Intelligence, and Gwendolyn Bainbridge, a genteel war widow who has recently been pronounced “sane” after an extensive engagement with the lunacy courts. I’ve only read book five so I’ll have to go back and start from the beginning to get all the details, but the author does a decent job of giving you enough background to make sense of the present.
In this episode, Gwen has fun with some bad boys and turns out to be a snooker shark (I’m afraid I skimmed over the snooker scenes — all I got was that it is played on a table with some balls) and has the uncanny ability to tell when someone is lying. Iris is dating a charming man whom we love instantly along with her, though he has ties to the underworld that should be unattractive. A body is found that ties back to history and an old bank robbery, and both women take some pretty interesting twists in their love life. They don’t actually match anyone in this story so (as a fellow reviewer pointed out) we have to hope that they manage to stay in business and nobody is paying them to solve mysteries!

Very entertaining and just the right amount of “cozy” for me.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 30th, 2024.

The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair (Historical Mystery)

This is book five of the historical mystery series starring Iris Sparks (with a possible dangerous past) and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge (an aristocratic war widow with a young son who is fighting for her rights in Lunacy Court!). Together they run the Right Sort Marriage Bureau in post WWII London, but they simultaneously seem to be in just the right place to solve murders, much to the chagrin (and eventual admiration) of the local police.

While this is book five in the series, it’s book one for me. I was able to keep up just fine but I do feel a lot must have happened in the previous books. I can’t tell how much progress was made in the personal situations for both women before this story — may be better to start at book one!

In this book, they get an unusual client. A woman dying of cancer comes in to line up a wife for her husband after her passing. Unfortunately, that passing happens more quickly than expected. Simultaneously, the very conservator who has been holding Mrs. Bainbridge hostage during her fight with the Lunacy Court has also turned up dead. The body count steadily increasing only seems to stimulate the interest of the two women.

The plot kept my interest, and I enjoyed learning about various procedures / processes in that (still rather unfriendly to women) time period. The writing was a little stilted for my taste, but overall I enjoyed it.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 25th, 2023