I am always on the look out for new historical mysteries that I might like, especially ones with sassy heroines. I have my usual go to authors but often I find myself waiting on books from numerous favorite authors and I am itching to fill the gaps and find the next ‘it mystery series’.

That’s what happened with this one. I already read the latest historic mysteries from my usual go to authors and found myself wondering—what now? This book appeared on my desk for review literally at just the right moment.

It is a new mystery series set in the 1940s, just after the end of the war and these two women are opening a marriage match making business which I thought sounded odd but yet intriguing!

Summary

In London, 1946, the two women who recently started The Right Sort Marriage Bureau find their new livelihood endangered when one client is arrested for the murder of another.

In a London slowly recovering from the ravages of World War II, two very different women join forces to launch a business venture in the heart of Mayfair—The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Miss Iris Sparks, avuncular and unmarried, and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, practical and widowed with a young son, are determined to achieve some independence and do some good in a rapidly changing world.

But the promising start to their marriage bureau is threatened when their newest client, Tillie La Salle, is found murdered and the man arrested for the crime is one Dickie Trower, the prospective husband they matched her with. While the police are convinced they have their man, Miss Sparks and Mrs. Bainbridge are not. To clear Trower’s name—and to rescue their fledging operation’s reputation—Sparks and Bainbridge decide to investigate on their own, using the skills and contacts they’ve each acquired through life and their individual adventures during the recent war.

In this charming, compelling mystery, Allison Montclair blends meticulous research with two brilliantly imagined main characters into the first in a wonderful new series (summary from Goodreads).

Review

This series is one to watch! I was hooked from the very beginning. I loved the concept of a match making service as the backdrop for this series. I thought it was new and interesting take on the typical detective novels. The way the two main characters played off each other was fantastic and made the story such a pleasure to read. It played such a central part of the story and I was getting all the ‘girl power’ vibes from them as a team and I loved it.

While this book is meant to be a historical mystery, I felt that it was more of a detective and friendship novel as the focus was on the mystery and the friendship between the two main characters, rather any of the historical parts. I think the period helped make it feel a little more cozy and it was a convenient setting for the profession, but beyond that I think the main focus was the story rather than the period. Either way I loved it so it didn’t matter if the focus wasn’t on the historical time period.

I also liked that this novel tackled some pretty big issues such as mental health. In this book, one of the main characters deals with some mental health issues and I loved that the author didn’t shy away from it. I know that sometimes that sort of thing might make some readers uncomfortable, but this author does it in such a classy way and I really felt it added lot of genuine-ness to the story and characters.

This book had a lot to enjoy…..humor, two strong but yet very different main characters, a little history, and an interesting mystery. I can’t wait to see the direction these two take in the next book!

Book Info and Rating

Kindle Edition, 288 pages
Published June 4th 2019 by Minotaur Books
ASIN B07J4RGQJ6
Free review copy provided by publisher, Minotaur Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: historical mystery

Amazing start to the Sparks and Bainbridge Mystery series with unforgettable characters, set in London right after World War II and an engaging mystery that quickly became a page turner including humorous moments, twists and turns. I really liked quick-witted and impulsive Iris Sparks and her practical business partner Gwen Bainbridge who decide to investigate the murder of their newest client in order to save their business The Right Sort of Marriage Bureau. I was totally immersed in all that was happening and didn't want it to end when I got to the last page.

The Right Sort of Man is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a well-crafted period mystery and I look forward to Iris and Gwen's next adventure. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my voluntary and unbiased review. I also purchased a copy for my keeper library.

Slow to get going but got much better. The characters were interesting and varied and interacted well.

I always forget I love mystery novels until I am reading a mystery novel. Maybe this book will be the spark (see what I did there?) that will lead me into a hole full of untimely death and other elements of the criminal.
I had so much fun reading this book! The Right Sort of Man is about Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge and Miss. Iris Sparks, proprietors of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau! Their little business is doing fine during the summer of 1946, setting up couples in a London rebuilding from World War 2. Both women (and the rest of London we encounter) have been deeply affected by the war. Gwen lost her husband and is not entangled in a battle over her son with her inlaws. Iris has a mysterious past relating to the war effort, she is a stone-cold badass, and you know immediately she has certainly killed a man on behalf of England. These women are very different but have such a satisfying, funny, sweet relationship, and they are excellent partners. Our story starts when Tillie, a woman looking for love in the first chapter, is found murdered and the police think the man Iris and Gwen set her up with is the perpetrator. With Gwen spearheading, the women dive into Tillie's life trying to find her real murderer while also handling their critical issues in their personal lives.
I loved this book! I was hooked trying to find the murderer, but along the way, I was really invested most in Gwen's fight to regain custody of her son from her mother-in-law. The emotional core of this story is so strong, and most certainly brought me to tears.
The reveal of the murderer was so well timed, Montclair, a pen name for an author I cannot suss out, did a perfect reader figures it out RIGHT before the characters do. There was so much tension. I didn't love the motive, but it made sense and was very well executed.
This was a fantastic start of a series; I cannot wait for book two! I want to see what Iris and Gwen get up to next!
ARC provided by the publisher! All opinions are honest and my own! This book is currently out! Go get it!

Written in snappy prose with vivid imagery of 1940s England and highly-detailed characters, The Right Sort of Man immerses you in the world of matchmaking and mystery. While parts of the story are fast-paced and funny, others are quite somber and require more mental processing. The savvy skills and witty repartee harkens back to the time of gumshoe detectives in black and white movies.

The war has ended and everyone is hopeful for the future, but for those who need a little help in the love department, there’s the Right Sort marriage bureau. Gwen and Iris are a mismatched pair who bring completely different skill sets and personalities to the business, but who work together seamlessly to match clients while also solving a murder. They go together like Cagney and Lacey with a dash of Jessica Fletcher thrown in for good measure.

I really enjoyed the change of pace from my usual contemporary romances and found this cozy mystery to be the perfect ‘palate cleanser’. All of the rich details helped to make the story fit the time period and the fact that it takes place immediately after the conclusion of World War II, not everything was perfect; buildings and lives were still being repaired from all of the damage the war had wrought on the citizens of London.

If you’re in the market for a cozy mystery to fill an afternoon with pleasurable reading, I would definitely recommend The Right Sort of Man. The heroines are intelligent and highly self-sufficient, the story is enjoyable but not graphic, and the conclusion will leave you wanting more of this sleuthing duo.

This was an enjoyable book to read. I loved how the story focused on how these two women coped after WWII by establishing The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Definitely created characters and a world that drew me in and had me wanting more! Recommend.
I provided this honest review in exchange for a free advance reader's copy.

I absolutely LOVED this new historical cozy mystery!

THE RIGHT SORT OF MAN (Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery Book 1) by Allison Montclair ticked off all of my favorite things in a historical cozy mystery. The time and place is the immediate years post WWII in London. The characters are appropriate to the time, realistic, extremely entertaining and smart. The plot is full of interesting twists and red herrings.

Two very different women meet at the wedding of a mutual friend and form an instant friendship. With their individual talents, they decide to start a business venture called The Right Sort of Marriage Bureau. Iris Sparks is quick witted, impulsive and secretive in regards to her time during the war. Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge is a war widow with a young son, Ronnie who is now destined to become the next Lord Bainbridge. While very different on the surface, both women fit well together with their individual strengths and abilities.

As their fledgling business is starting to take off, one of their newest clients, Tillie LaSalle is found murdered and Scotland Yard arrests the prospective husband Iris and Gwen paired her with. The detectives believe they have their man, but Gwen refuses to believe in Mr. Trower’s guilt. To clear his name and rescue their business, Iris and Gwen decide to investigate on their own using the skills and contacts each has acquired during the recent war.

As the pair investigate the murder, they find themselves surrounded by individuals involved in all forms of illegal post-war activities. Will Iris and Gwen be able to save Mr. Trower and their new business without becoming victims themselves?

I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved these characters. As the mystery plot keeps you turning the pages, so does each revelation in regards to Iris and Gwen’s pasts. The main characters, the secondary characters and the mystery plot make this a perfect historical cozy mystery read. I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Thanks very much to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for allowing me to read this eARC. It was definitely my pleasure!

A fantastic historical mystery set in England in the aftermath of the Second World War fans of Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series are going to adore, The Right Sort of Man introduces two eccentric, intelligent and entertaining sleuths set to become huge reader favorites: Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs Gwendolyn Bainbridge.

Shop girl Tillie La Salle wants to marry a millionaire and escape her drab and unexciting life in Shadwell. With opportunities for women being few and far between in post-war England, Tillie has got her heart set on making a good match, finding a suitable husband and bidding her drab and miserable life farewell. When she spots an advert for a Mayfair agency, The Right Sort of Marriage Bureau, that matches lonely hearts and sets them on the path to marital bliss, Tillie thinks that she has found the answer to her prayers. For an initial fee of five pounds, Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs Gwendolyn Bainbridge will match her with her dream husband and having endured her fair share of awful dates and bad boyfriends, Tillie is willing to do anything to achieve her objective of getting married to the right sort of man.

A quick look through their books and Miss Sparks and Mrs Bainbridge come up with the perfect match for Ms La Salle. The prospective husband ticks all the right boxes and is absolutely perfect for Ms La Salle, however, the owners of The Rights Sort of Marriage Bureau should not get ahead of themselves and purchase a wedding hat just yet for Ms La Salle’s dead body has just been found – and the main suspect is none other than the man Miss Sparks and Mrs Bainbridge had matched her with. The police have got their chief suspect arrested and they are adamant that they’ve arrested the perpetrator and that this is an open and shut case. However, Miss Sparks and Mrs Bainbridge cannot shake off this feeling that something isn’t quite right and they are ready to go to any lengths to clear their agency’s name and prove that the police have arrested the wrong man!

As they begin to investigate this most baffling of cases, the two women find themselves using all the skills, contacts and resources which they have at their disposal, but will they find Ms La Salle’s killer? Or were the police right all along?

An addictive historical thriller that kept me gripped throughout, The Right Sort of Man is an engrossing and engaging crime novel I simply could not bear to put down. Allison Montclair is a talented storyteller who writes with great flair, gusto and aplomb about what life was truly like in London after the Second World War. Spiced with intrigue, suspense and adventure, The Right Sort of Man is a phenomenal tale that will keep you on tenterhooks and riveted to the pages from beginning to end.

The Right Sort of Man has at its heart two phenomenal detectives who are wonderfully intelligent and fiercely intuitive and who more than hold their own with their Golden Age counterparts: quick-witted Iris Sparks and sensible widow Gwendolyn Bainbridge.

A first class historical crime novel I simply couldn’t get enough of, The Right Sort of Man is a compulsively readable tale guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seats.

I absolutely adored this book!
I received an early copy from Netgalley and was shocked to find that things unfold rather quickly.

My biggest disappointment with this book is that we don’t get to know Ms. La Salle at all.

What I loved most about this book is the fact that two women are so strong willed and confident that they’re able to make stuff happen.

Now I’m no history buff, but I didn’t think women were allowed to be strong and independent like now. So to read about two women, who not only outsmart the cops in a way, but dive into organized crime is outstanding.

I have to say I was quite pleased with the way things unfolded! Two of the big events at the end of the book caught me completely off guard.

I would love a follow up story in Gwen, who really finds her voice in this book and begins to fight for her maternal rights.
I would love a prequel (of sorts) about Iris- as her story has so much more to be told. I want to know who she was before The Right Sort Marriage Bureau.


I would absolutely suggest reading this book! And I’m hoping for more more more.

The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair is one of the most satisfying and delightful reads I’ve had in a while.

Take two women who seem to be complete opposites, even in looks, throw them together to start of matchmaking business, and then toss in a murder which they feel obligated to solve because it seems that Scotland Yard has got their man but they know Scotland Yard must be wrong.

Iris Sparks is impulsive, almost world-weary, and highly skilled as she trained in the secret service or its equivalent during the war. Gwendolyn Bainbridge is upper crust, had been very much in love with her husband who died in the war, knows little about the world around her and is somewhat naive despite her ability to read people very well. They make an excellent sleuthing team.

There are lots of colorful characters on board and a few romantic interests that don’t pan out.

The Right Sort of Man is a witty mystery with unexpected twists and turns. The characters are layered with rich, and sometimes unexpected, backgrounds.

From the first page I was engaged by this very well-written mystery, was stunned that this was a debut novel, and am so excited that this seems to be the beginning of a series. I look forward to more. I hope Allison Montclair writes fast!

Considering that I could hardly put this book down and finished it almost in a day, I highly recommend The Right Sort of Man and would recommend that you add this to your vacation reads if you’re a fan of mysteries with a witty edge. A great read!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am so excited for other people to read this book--I can't recommend it highly enough! I love historical mystery series, and this one is (at least after one book) one of the best I've read. The dialogue and banter sparkle, and I laughed out loud multiple times. There was a bit of history (I had no idea about clothing coupons) and the setting was well drawn. But the absolute best part was Gwen and Iris--both as individuals and friends. They are not the two dimensional characters you find in some historical mysteries--both are compelling and multifaceted and have serious back stories that drive them. I absolutely love these two, and I'm absolutely greedy for more books in this series--I can't wait to find out where these two and the Right Sort Bureau go from here. The side characters were great too, and there's a lot of potential laid out for future story development. I also loved that there was plenty of sexual empowerment without any of the characters feeling like they are modern day feminists plunked into a historical setting, which can often happen in this type of book, and while it can be satisfying at times, never rings completely true.

I can't say enough good things about this book and I urge all historical mystery lovers to check it out.

I don’t often read period pieces but The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair looked too good to pass up. It was such a delightful read that I have a new author to follow now. From the beginning the setting comes to life as Tillie seeks out the Right Sort Marriage Bureau to help her find the perfect man. From here it becomes a murder mystery to be solved. A man’s life needs to be saved as well as a fledgling business.

Wonderful characterization with Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, two intelligent and determined women who are trying to make their way in a man’s world. The setting right after WWII with the changes that are so rapidly happened is the right time for these two women to succeed. The beautiful flowing writing is witty and smart. A pleasure to read.

These two dreamed big, long before Disney coined the phrase. Can’t wait to see what Iris and Gwen get into next! Not simply a good book but a great one!

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A wonderful read a storyline set right after Ww11 London two women set up a marriage bureau a matchmaking business. When their first client a woman looking for love marriage is murdered the mystery who killed her why sets in. The characters are really engaging a book that kept me turning the pages& hoping for more books by this author.#netgalley #st.martinsboojs.

This is the first in a series that has a truly amazing amount of potential. The characters are both intelligent and use their very different skill sets well. They seem to genuinely like and respect each other and I really liked both of them. I fell in love with Montclair's writing style from the very beginning. She's funny and sharp with a brightness that really made it shine. The premise itself is fantastic. I love the premise for the series itself. The marriage bureau is both novel and provides a perfectly logical reason for Gwen and Iris to investigate the murder and get to know the victim and suspects. But not only is it a fun read but there are some poignant moments too. Both Iris and Gwen have experienced real tragedy and they both have their own personal struggles. I found Gwen's especially poignant and my heart really broke for her.



What kept this from being a 4 or 5 star read for me was really first book syndrome. There's so much that has to be established with the premise and characters that there were times when the plot kind of bogged down. It was never a book that was difficult to read but there were times I felt a little impatient.



Large parts of this book really sparkled and Montclair's voice felt very fresh and different from anything I've come across before. I'm so excited to see where this series goes and will definitely be looking for the further adventures of Bainbridge and Sparks.

3.5 stars
Admittedly, I don't read a lot of historical fiction, and this one is more cozy mystery than gripping thriller, so it's a little out of my wheelhouse. That said, it's well-written, and the atmosphere of the story kept me turning pages as much as the mystery if not more so. This is the start of the series, so we have a lot introduction to characters, and the story is very dialogue driven, which isn't something I normally care for, but I did enjoy the back and forth between Gwen and Iris. All in all, The Right Sort of Man is a good start to a promising series, and I've enjoyed my little trip outside the box of what I normally read.

I received and ARC of this book for my honest review.
I liked this book. Not what I was expecting. I found it had interesting characters and plot that kept me interested.

Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge are two survivors of World War II England. They come from different backgrounds (though they knew each other slightly before the war.) The are trying to find their way after the war has shattered the futures they envisioned for themselves.

They come together to make new lives for themselves. Iris is looking for a way to forget her past and settle into a safer life. Gwendolyn is a war widow and is struggling to prove that she can support her young son and wrest control of his future from his father’s family.

The come up with The Right Sort of Marriage. It is a modern marriage bureau and promises its prospective clients that they will help them find a mate who is the perfect one for them. They are doing okay but they do have an individual who collects payment when it is not forthcoming. This is one of the funnier parts of an amusing tale.

This is not a rom-com, it is a murder mystery. For that you need a murder and one is forthcoming. Unfortunately, it involves one of their new clients and the finger of guilt is pointed at another client.

In order to save the reputation and, in fact, the very existence of their marriage bureau, Iris and Gwendolyn determine they must solve the mystery of the murder and clear their company of any hint of wrongdoing.

It’s a great start to a new cozy murder mystery series and I will be looking forward to many more books about the exploits of these two intrepid ladies.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Before there was a Match.com, Iris and Gwen set up a new marriage service to help women find the right sort of man after WWII. When a female client is murdered, Iris and Gwen are certain that Mister Trower did not murder the woman and the police have arrested the wrong man. Coming from very different backgrounds, Iris and Gwen decide to investigate. The reputation of their new agency and their own reputation is threatened. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgallery. I don't want to spoil the book, by telling any more about the plot. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. I love this book and look forward to reading the next one in the series.

i am mostly a romance reader and there is rarely a romance book set in this time period . From that point of view it was really amazing to read about London and how women were coming out as their own in that time .
I loved the contrast between the two characters . Their different background and approach to life .

I really thought that this was something that I would really enjoy but for me it was just subpar. I liked the premise of this but have come to realize that historical books aren't a thing for me. I always like the idea of it but when it comes down to it, it's the story that I really wanted.

I don't know what I really expected out of this but it was good for what it was. You have the main plot with some side story at the same time. It made it seem more human if that makes sense. The writing style was good but not my absolute favorite. It will keep your attention and keep you interested though.