Gwen and Iris are back in the fourth entry in this entertaining series set in post World War 2 London. The war continues to haunt both as Gwen struggles to reverse her court ordered guardianship imposed when she had a breakdown after her husband was killed and Iris's wartime married lover unexpectedly turns up at her door. He needs a place to hide so iris leaves the apartment to him, and the next day a woman bearing a strong resemblance to Iris is shot and killed in the apartment and her lover vanishes.

Iris is the chief suspect so once again Iris and Gwen are embroiled in a murder investigation to clear her name. Some of the action is far fetched and the villain is pretty obvious but the dialogue is witty and the pace is fast. The book moves quickly to a satisfying conclusion, as Iris uses her wartime MI5 contacts and Gwen taps into her upper class society contacts to find the killer.

This is the fourth in a series about The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, founded in 1946 by two disparate individuals - Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge whose husband was killed in the war and Miss Iris Sparks who worked as an intelligence agent. I read and enjoyed the first book and I’m not sure why I never ended up reading two and three.

While the agency flourishes, tough-as-nails Iris is approached by a woman who has a personal connection to Iris’s former married lover/boss from during the war. Meanwhile, Gwen is fighting to get back legal control of her life after being declared a lunatic, get her fortune back, and get custody of her son from her in-laws. Any more murder investigations could put that in jeopardy and when something hits too close to home, it puts a strain on Gwen and Iris’s friendship.

The dialogue is smart and incredibly snappy, the setting really comes alive, and the supporting cast are almost as delightful as Iris and Gwen. It might be helpful to read the first book so you have some idea of everyone’s relationships, but the author does a good job of catching you up without bogging the story down.

The characters are nuanced and this is a page turner. The mystery is in a satisfying place in between a cozy and a spy thriller. It’s heavily entwined with espionage and the post-war era and they don’t do much matchmaking. It has a great resolution, but Iris and Gwen don’t have resolutions to all their personal issues and those will carry into future books, which I will certainly read.

Content note: There’s a slur used for the Roma people that’s mentioned in relation to a museum exhibit. I love historical accuracy, but you’re writing for modern audiences who may not appreciate that word.

I received an arc from NetGalley

This World War Two era historical mystery is the fourth in a wonderful series that features two women, alone after the war, who must figure out a way to survive in postwar London. Together, they establish a match-making agency, and encounter plenty of mystery and murder along the way. It so happens that I've read the first three books in this series, but I can honestly say that a reader could pick up this newest book and have it work completely as a stand-alone novel. Smart, enterprising main characters and an authentic historical feel are just two of the things that add so much appeal to this story. I look forward to recommending it to readers who enjoy cozy-ish mysteries in historical settings.

I had read the previous books in this series and enjoyed this latest book. The character development is excellent and the plot kept me interested.

Sparks and Bainbridge are two feisty women in an era when that is frowned upon Operating The Right Sort Marriage Bureau puts them in a spotlight they do not appreciate, but when someone is murdered in the apartment where Sparks live, Gwen takes action. Two more disparate characters you will never find, but together they solve crimes and arrange marriages. Love this series.

I enjoyed every second of this book and was sorry when it ended. I'd read Montclair's first Sparks & Bainbridge mystery, The Right Sort of Man, and enjoyed it, but I skipped the second because I don't really enjoy royalty-themed stories and then lost track of the series. The Unkept Woman is book 4. Many characters from the first book are still present, more complete versions of themselves, and the plotline is deeply entwined with character development in a way I found extremely satisfying. My absolute favorite aspect was the punchy dialogue, especially between Gwen and Iris. I'm too lazy to type out an entire exchange, but here's one lovely line from Iris to give you a feel for it: "There should be a collective noun for the lovers gone from one's life, like an exaltation of larks. I know! A remorsefulness of exes!"
And a note on the historic detail: Montclair seems to be very conscientious about portraying the time period and its vocabulary as accurately as possible. It can scarcely be possible to ensure that every single word and detail is plausible, but the dialogue rings true with British novels written in that era. I read a short essay in which Montclair expresses feeling an "obligation as a creator of worlds to Get Things Right," and this book definitely does.

My favorite things:
- clever dialogue
- clever plot
- winsome protagonists
- a wrongdoer who is not some simplistic living embodiment of evil.
- just the right amount of psychological depth for a relatively light read: not soul-wrenching but also not so sweet that it makes your teeth hurt
- a satisfying resolution of the mystery introduced in this book

What this book DOESN'T have (if this is good or bad depends on your preferences):
- on-the-page sex
- resolution for any of the larger issues already ongoing at the beginning of the book
- damsels in distress waiting for a hero to rescue them

This one really renewed my love for this series. You could read this as a standalone, but why deny yourself the pleasure of getting to know Sparks, Bainbridge, and the rest of the rogues' gallery from the start? The dialogue is snappy, the setting is ambient and deeply researched, love quadrangles abound, and the plot keeps you turning the pages.

I was taken aback by how quickly I got into the mystery around this book! It seemed like it could go in many different directions and yet I still was surprised by the way things evolved, so it definitely wasn't predictable. The solution/resolutions still felt realistic and fit with the story though, so it wasn't a situation where the author pulled something unexpected that the readers couldn't guess as they didn't have enough information. The characters are nuanced and complex, but fun and there is a lot of variety so someone is always doing or saying something entertaining.

This is the fourth book in the series and I haven't read the first three, but had no trouble following along as all the backstories were explained as needed. I also liked how this novel is set in the 1940's and grapples with issues of women's rights and independence (after World War II, but also in general) in a realistic way even though the main characters run a matching matching business specifically focused on marriage.

What a wonderful book; I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Unkept Woman, the fourth Sparks & Bainbridge mystery, centers around the two unlikely business partners of the Right Sort Marriage Bureau. The books take place in London after WWII when so many women were coming to terms with their new found freedom to pursue jobs outside the home. Add in the loss of so many young men during the war and the idea of a marriage arranging business was born. There is a mystery in each book and the private lives of the main characters become an important part of the books. As the series continues there is less emphasis on the match making aspects of the proprietors Gwen and Iris and more about the continuing repercussions of the war on their lives. As Gwen says “Life isn’t static. It’s ever changing, and you have to adjust to each change”. I highly recommend you start with the first book in the series “The Right Sort of Man”.

The writing is the star in the outstanding Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery series--unpredictable plot, often-witty dialogue, and extraordinary character development.

Fearless Iris Sparks was a covert operative in World War II. Ostensibly retired from the spy business, she occasionally consorts with previous intelligence contacts. Gwen Bainbridge was confined to a mental institution when her husband was killed in the war, and although she has been living with her disapproving in-laws for months, she still hasn't regained custody of her young son. The two women came together to form The Right Sort Marriage Bureau in 1946 and have forged a tight friendship despite their very different personalities.

But in the fourth book in the series, a young Polish woman is found murdered in the apartment where Iris has been living--an apartment belonging to her former paramour and fellow military veteran. While Iris is grudgingly respected by the Scotland Yard police force from previous adventures, she is still a suspect and needs to use her contacts to help her identify the real culprit. Gwen tries not to become involved so that she can clear her "lunatic" designation and reclaim her son but finds it impossible not to help her close friend and business partner.

Secondary characters are just as fascinating, including a protective gangster, another of Iris's former lovers, Mr. Bainbridge Sr.'s out-of-wedlock son (now living with the family) and his visiting uncle, and more., One chapter describing the brand new Victoria and Albert Museum's wonderful displays is absolutely delightful, even as it also serves to introduce an important character to the story. Highly recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for affording me the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Two Indomitable women…marriage…career…this book of mystery and intrigue is a quick read…the book was sent to me from Netgalley electronically for review…two independent working women…mysteries to solve…who did what? Questions asked…curl up with a cozy Afghan, a cup of steaming hot tea, and a delicious scone…read and read…you won’t put the book down until you have discovered what happened…