"The Right Sort of Man" opens a mystery series set soon after the end of World War II, and starring marriage bureau founders Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge.

Miss Iris Sparks is quick witted, impetuous and resourceful, and can't talk about her involvement in the war effort, which cost her the love of her life. Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge was devastated by the loss of her husband in the war and her subsequent breakdown left her and her young son under the control of her in-laws.

The mystery begins when police show up after one of their clients is murdered, stabbed through the heart. When another client is arrested for the murder, they are impelled to investigate.

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to see how these two ladies minds worked to solve this case. It was also interesting to see that it was taking place right after WWII. Gwen and Iris both have different upbringing and both are overcoming things from the war. Together they make the perfect team. I am quite interested to see how these two ladies make out in the next book. There is a lot of description on what London looks like after the war and also what life is like during that time. If you like a good mystery then pick up this book.


*I received a free copy of this book via the NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

THE RIGHT SORT OF MAN by Allison Montclair
The First Marriage Bureau Mystery

As London continues to recover from World War II its inhabitants are looking for stability and happiness. Tillie La Salle wants a life that will lead her out of her neighborhood and into matrimony. Enter the Right Sort of Marriage Bureau. Although Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, proprietors, find Tillie to be somewhat shady, they arrange a meeting with a prospective match. But instead of a happy ending, Tille just gets an ending. Police arrest her intended beau for her murder, but Sparks and Gwen believe their client innocent. Now the duo will use their unique skills to find the real murderer.

I enjoyed my foray into the Right Sort of Marriage Bureau. Witnessing the ramifications of the war, especially as it affected the women of London, seeing the world of spivs, and noting the importance of stockings made for a captivating read. It's the little details that make this book special; the fact that Sally is a budding playwright, daydreams featuring Ronald Colman, and, perhaps most specially, a goldfish named Herbert.

THE RIGHT SORT OF MAN is a smart book. There's an ingenious mystery, intricately plotted and filled with fascinating characters. The book is filled with witty banter. It's smart, but superficial. There is tremendous backstory, some of which is teased out periodically. The characters are so interesting, but somehow still come out somewhat two dimensional. It wasn't until the very end that I felt a true connection.

THE RIGHT SORT OF MAN brings readers to 1946 London. There are ruins, rebuilding, and ultimately hope. This book has the potential to become a wonderful series.

"So she lived in the Bainbridge house, a very large, very well-appointed house indeed, and watched her son as he basked in the care of a governess and a tutor, and was allowed to interact with him as much as a mother might while having absolutely no maternal authority over his existence whatsoever. And she thought if she hadn’t been driven mad before, this velvet prison might very well do the trick on its own."

Gwen Bainbridge is a widow with a young son and when her affluent husband died in the war, she was placed in an asylum by her mother-in-law who proceeded to sue for custody of Gwen's son. This left Gwen no choice but to stay in her in-laws' home to be near her son. The Right Sort Marriage Bureau is her form of control and her uncanny ability to read people is her strength in helping those who have not found their perfect mate.

"Your damn protocol plays havoc on a girl’s nerves. You’ve been in Cologne and Paris, based on your shopping spree. Where else?” “Can’t tell you. Let me help you with that.” “Thanks. Does Poppy know you’re back?” “Rang her up. Told her I was exhausted from the flight and would be staying in town.” “Mistress before wife. I’m honoured."

Iris holds secrets in her past that have something to do with the war. One of those secrets is she is having an affair with a colleague who is a married man. She brings her quick wit and social skills to the business. In other words, she can charm the socks off everyone.

The time and location of this book is what caught my eye. I have not read many books based in post-war London and Ms. Montclair describes the scenes of London in that era in evocative and plausible detail.

Though they have very different backgrounds, the rapport between Iris and Gwen is genuine and their uncanny ability to bounce ideas off of each other is enjoyable. Iris' friend Sally, the playwright, bodyguard, and thug, is a real hoot as well and when he gave Gwen a script to confront her nasty mother-in-law, I was cheering her on.

I enjoyed the mystery of finding the real killer of one of their clients. Ms. Montclair sends the reader in many interesting directions with several colorful suspects. If you like cozy mysteries, you will enjoy this book. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Ms. Montclair, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book with no expectations of a positive review given.

This is a good mystery and I like the era. It is an interesting era to learn about, then add the mystery and you have a good story. I really liked the characters and the writing. Good story.

This is the debut novel for Allison Montclair. Set in post-war London, she successfully has you planted in those war torn streets as this tale unfolds.
Gwen Bainbridge, a single mother who is under the watchful eye of her mother-in-law. This woman who has taken custody of her child is controlling and demanding. As such Gwen is trying to build a new life so she can take back control.

Iris Sparks is former military and is extremely secretive about her role in the war. She does seem to have various contacts and skills that are impressive. Right now she is focusing with Gwen to bring couples together in London. The Right Sort of Man is their agency and they screen their applicants and set about matching them.

One such match goes totally awry when the woman turns up dead and the man they matched her with charged and jailed.

Gwen doesn't believe he's the culprit and persuades Iris to help her find the real murder.

There are many twist and turns as their investigation links many shady characters to the deceased.

A page turning read with lots of suspense, family drama, and a surprising resolution.

I hope there are more books planned for these characters, I truly enjoyed them.
Keep reading for an excerpt that will have you wanting more.

I was intrigued when I read the blurb for this book. I have read plenty about pre-WWII London. I have also read plenty about London during the war. But I haven’t read anything about the years after the war. So, that made me want to pick up The Right Sort of Man. I am glad that I did because The Right Sort of Man was a great read!!

The Right Sort of Man takes place in June of 1946. A young woman approaches The Right Sort Marriage Bureau with hopes of being matched with a young man. She leaves the agency with high expectations. But, a few hours later, she is found dead in an alley. A young man is arrested and charged with her murder. What do they have in common? They were both clients of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Eager to clear the agency’s name and prove the innocence of the young man, the owners launch an investigation of their own. Will they be able to clear their names? Will they save the young man from execution?

Like I stated in the first paragraph, I haven’t read any books that dealt with the aftermath of World War 2. The author did a fantastic job of showing the damage that London endured during the bombings. She also did a tremendous job of showing how the people of London were recovering.

I enjoyed the mystery angle of the book. The author did a fantastic job of keeping who the killer was until the end of the book. I thought that it was two people and it ended up being neither. The killer was revealed in a plot twist that took me by surprise.

I liked that the author had the two main characters be female. I also liked that she had them running their own business. There was a sense of woman empowerment throughout the book. Gwen and Iris didn’t back down when a man told them too. They were dismissed throughout the book. In the end, they ended up freeing an innocent man from jail and getting a killer off the street.

I did feel bad for Gwen. She lost it when her husband was killed, which is understandable. She was committed, and in that week, her in-laws were granted custody of her son. I did like seeing her start to realize that she didn’t have to take their crap anymore. I cheered her own when she began taking back her life. The scene where she told off her mother in law was fantastic.

I liked Iris but couldn’t get a handle on her. All I knew was that she was a spy and she was engaged twice. But, as the book went on, the author revealed the different aspects of Iris’s life. I am going to stop right here with her. But I will say this. Don’t take anything about Iris at face value. I did, and I was surprised at what was revealed during the last half of the book.

The end of the book was exciting. I loved how the killer was revealed. Never, in a million years, would I have thought that person was the killer. I liked how the author left the book open for other books in the series.

A delightful mystery set in London just after WWII, where two friends band together and go into business by forming a marriage bureau. Iris Sparks, well-educated and a former agent (maybe, no details), and Gwen Bainbridge, a widow with a small child with great instincts about people, start charging for their matchmaking skills in post-war London where there are a lot of people looking for love now that the war is over.

One of their clients, Tillie LaSalle, is found murdered and another client is accused. They decide that he couldn't be guilty and set out to clear him and get into different kinds of trouble before the case is solved.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5 Stars
Outstanding Whodunit
This wonderful story takes place in 1946 London. Two women who the war left broken try to clear a client of murder. This is written with that witty repartee common to the 1930s and 1940s. One can imagine Carole Lombard playing one of the roles. It is written very well with a great plot with clues for the reader to find. It is all so obvious at the big reveal, but I had no clue. I will be reading this book again as well as more of this author's work. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley. This is my honest opinion and review.

"First comes love, then comes murder.

In a London slowly recovering from 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, quick-witted and impulsive, 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 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 his 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.

Little do they know that this will put their very lives at risk."

Matchmaking gone awry!

The Right Sort of Man
Allison Montclair
Minotaur Books, June 2019
325 pages, Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook, Audio CD
Historical Novel, Cozy mystery
Provided by NetGalley

✮✮✮✮✮

The combination of colors on the cover is what caught my eye when I saw it. It felt like an old photograph. The font was perfect for a post-WWII story with its cross between old type and handwriting. Then they threw in Iris’ knife for the cross of the ‘t’.

The story was amazing. It turned into many stories in one. There was Iris’ story that was really never quite revealed of what she did during the war. There was Gwen’s story of loss and emotional breakdown followed by her in-laws’ enforced commitment of her and taking her son away from her. The two women start their own business as marriage brokers pairing men and women. Unfortunately, one of their pairs seems to go wrong. The poor girl ends up dead and the poor guy ends up in jail for having done it. Iris and Gwen don’t think their client did it, so they set out to prove him innocent. They meet gangsters, forgers, go black market, solve another case, Gwen meets a nice young man, Iris loses a lover and sets an old flame straight all in the course of getting Mr. Trower out of jail. And then it’s business as usual at the Right Sort Marriage Bureau.

The pace was steady, at times quite brisk, depending on what was going on. The tension was always there in the background keeping you worried about things and wondering about what could possibly go wrong next. There was a sadness about the past and some of the present, but there was a lightness about it as well. The author added enough hope to make it about changes and progress, not maudlin at all, even when people were feeling sorry about themselves. I did feel that the ending was a bit abrupt, but everything was tied up and the ladies had to get on with their lives so that was that. I highly recommend you try this one when it comes out in a few weeks, June 4, 2019. See if you don’t end up feeling like hanging a picture of a narwhal somewhere in your house just for the fun of it!

Iris and Gwen- two smart women in post WWII London- what a pair! They've formed a "marriage bureau" on the strength of Gwen's ability to intuit who would be a good match. They both experienced trauma and they both have secrets. You'll know Gwen's up front but not Iris's, not for a while (and you might think you know it but you won't). After their client Tillie is murdered and the man they set her up with is charged, they decide to investigate largely on the strength of Gwen's intuition but also based on inconsistencies. The detective Mike, btw, is one (!) of Iris's former finances and he's a treat. The investigation takes them down an unusual road and reasoning for the murder and you'll meet some great characters- like Archie- along the way. This was occasionally a bit mad cap for me (I almost put it down because of the first chapter) but it's a good story and well written. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Here's hoping these two - who are great amateur detectives- and Sallie- go on to more adventures!

The Right Sort of Man is a winner that I enjoyed from first page to last. I can see fans of Susan Elia MacNeal and Jacqueline Winspear falling for it, too. The period detail adds so much depth to the story. Trying to navigate through the streets of London with its bombed-out buildings, years of "make do and mend," ration coupons... Montclair draws you into this world with ease. The mystery is a strong one, too. The author kept me guessing, and a large piece of the puzzle involves the life of the dead woman, Tillie La Salle.

But the strongest part of the book is the team of Iris and Gwen. Gwen has led a rather sheltered life, and the death of her husband devastated her. As a result, her dragon of a mother-in-law usurped all the power in their relationship. But Gwen is not a timid little mouse. Now she is stronger and willing to do what it takes to regain control of her own life and the life of her little boy. On the other hand, Iris is quick, brave, and smart-- and since a lot of her recent past is gagged by the Official Secrets Act, you don't know for sure just what she's capable of or what she's going to do. They make a formidable pair, and the banter between them is a delight. (It reminds me a bit of Lady Hardcastle and her maid Florence in T.E. Kinsey's historical series.)

Strong mystery, excellent setting, and two marvelous characters-- bring on Iris and Gwen's next adventure!

Historic romance isn’t my usual cup of tea but this one is great.......Gwen and Iris are on the hunt for a killer and the mystery keeps your attention page after page. This was the great start to a new series.. Gwen and Iris decide to start a new business just as the war ends. I did find it started out kinda slow.

Solid start to a new series. It’s just after World War II in London. Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge have started The Right Sort of Marriage Bureau. It’s a very interesting premise – the war is over and Iris and Gwen believe people are going to be looking for love and romance again. They’re very different women. Iris is single, quick-witted and impulsive, with a secret past she won’t talk about. Gwendolyn is practical and widowed with a young son, can read people on the spot, and has secrets of her own. The story begins when their newest client is found murdered and the man arrested for the crime is the prospective husband they matched her with. The police think they have found the murderer and aren’t going to investigate further. If they are to save their business Iris and Gwen must solve the crime on their own.

Be warned that this book gets off to a very slow, often irritating start. The speech and dialogue are very formal and seem to come from a time prior to WWII, and the author overdoes clever and cute. I was annoyed with Gwen staying out all hours when she insists her main goal is to regain full custody of her child. The mystery seemed rather predictable.

But stick with it. As the story proceeds, the plot becomes more intricate, clues are revealed, and the dialogue and cuteness factor settle down. You get a sense of just how hard it was for women to be taken seriously even in what we consider “modern times” and the story deals honestly and effectively with discrimination, the aftermath of the war, both economic and psychological, and demonstrates how solidly class distinctions were still in place. As you learn more about Iris and Gwen and their pasts and their hopes for the future you begin to identify with them, and when Gwen says of her son, “Of course he’s my first priority, which is why I am trying to make this place work so that I can convince everyone that I should be in charge of his life” it is very empowering.

Thanks to Minotaur Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy for my honest review.

Captivating and engaging The Right Sort of Man is a delightful first installment in a new historical mystery series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Iris and Gwen are my new favorite leading ladies...they are tough, smart, clever and witty. When they decide that their client could not have committed the murder that he is accused of they go all out to prove him innocent. Gwen is clearly out of her element and it's fun watching her learn her way around the city she lives in, but doesn't know. Iris is more suited to this kind of work and it's hinted that she did clandestine work during the second World War. Despite,or maybe because of, their differences they complement each other and are good friends.
Ms Montclair does an excellent job depicting a post WWII London that is trying to recover from the war. Rationing was still in effect and young men just home from the war were wanting to begin new lives. A marriage bureau as a business for the two ladies makes perfect sense. I loved this book and I can't wait for the next book in what I hope will be a long and successful series.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a delightful read! I love discovering new authors while still being weary of first attempts. This is a great start to a new series and im excited to read more.

Thank you netgalley for the arc.

I love this new series! Historical detail, romance, murder, humor; what more could you ask for? Iris and Gwen are witty, enjoyable characters. I look forward to more of their adventures with The Right Sort Marriage Bureau.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Very good historical mystery, hopefully the beginning of a series. Terrific characters, interesting mystery, very evocative of time and place. Definitely a winner!

Quite a lot of fun. The Right Sort Marriage Bureau sets up shop in the middle of post war bombed out England. Headed by Ms. Gwendolyn Brooks, war widow and single mother, and Iris Sparks, former spy, the new venture has possibilities. Until one of their new clients, Tillie La Salle is murdered. The police are sure they have their man when they discover the murder weapon under the bed of Tillie's date, set up by the Right Sort. This is bad for business, and Brooks and Sparks decide to investigate on their own knowing the suspect in jail is innocent.
The two women make a nice contrast to each other and compliment each other well. I was a little peeved when the book turned out not to be about a marriage bureau but pleasantly surprised by the mystery and the two very different women.