although this book was good, I was still left a bit confused due to the fact that this book was the fifth one in the series so I was left with a few questions when some reference to other cases came up ( I suppose from the other series). Besides the confusion. I did like the mental health aspect and how the MC is dealing with it ( it's not common to see this aspect in books). I love the characters, they were well done and the background was very well built. I also love the idea of a match-making business being secretly an investigation office ( women detectives during post-war London is dope).

The Lady from Burma is #5 of Sparks & Bainbridge Mysteries
A mystery that takes place after WW!!
I loved the characters and found myself constantly trying to figure out the mystery (and always failing lol I'm terrible). Definitely an interesting read and I can't wait for the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the fifth entry in the Sparks and Bainbridge mystery series, which follows the matchmaking endeavors of two very different women in London, right after WWII ended. I do not recommend skipping titles, as there is clear character development from book to book, more revelations about Iris’s role in the war effort, and progress on Gwen’s efforts to regain control of her life, her finances, and custody of her son.

In this novel the focus swings back to Gwen and the impending change in her legal situation, though there is a bit more about Iris’ life before the war.

Beware: mental health issues; mentions of self-harm; discussion of suicide; terminal illness (cancer); loss of spouse; grief; conservatorship; shooting on page.

As with all previous installments, the sense of time and place is fantastically well done; the author integrates all the little details that bring the setting alive in the narrative, from dialogue to action, without forcing the reader to stop for a history lesson.

Summer is over, and with Autumn comes a change in weather; Gwen’s hearing before the Lunacy Court is fast approaching, and with it the possibility of her taking charge of her inheritance and regaining custody of her son.

“To think that a man who wears a wig that length and a costume two centuries out of date is public gets to be the one to decide whether I’m sane or not” (Gwen, Chapter 1)

Gwen’s legal situation–as an adult who isn’t considered capable of making any decisions for herself–is honestly terrifying, not least because it happens today to people with unconscionable ease, in many countries around the world.

And once you’re under conservatorship, most courts are inclined to let it stand forever.

Things get further muddled when the person who can’t legally make decisions for herself also happens to be very, very wealthy.

To ice the cake of complicated, the situation at Bainbridge Ltd is in flux; what with Lord Bainbridge being out for the count, still recovering from a nearly fatal heart attack, a second partner in jail awaiting trial for murder, and Gwen being legally insane. And then Lord Tom Morrison, the acting CEO and Gwen’s father-in-law’s closest friend, invites her to sit in at the upcoming Board meeting, so she’ll “be ready” for when she can represent herself.

“You’re going to sit in on a board meeting?” (Iris) asked.

“Yes,” said Gwen. “That sounds rather exciting until you relize it means you’ll be sitting in on a board meeting. But it’s what I need to do.” (Chapter 1)

That same week, a new and unusual client shows up: a married woman who’s very ill, who wants to make sure the husband she loves finds someone else to love when she’s gone.

There’s an unadorned, matter-of-factness to Mrs Remagen’s acknowledgement of her mortality, and her determination to ensure her husband’s future happiness, that makes the scene all the more poignant. The deep of her love for him in one pharagraph:

“I never liked going into the forests, but I camped on the fringes and made sure the water was boiled while he went looking for beetles. I kept him alive for each new term, and we were happy.” (Mrs Remagen, Chapter 2)

The novel spans just over a week, with moments of great tension interspersed with fun banter between the main characters, or between one of them and some of the returning cast of secondary characters, as well as the introduction of a wonderful secondary character, one PC Hugh Quinton, from Essex.

There are, of course, a number of red herrings regarding both plotlines, and for the first time there’s a murder on page.

As for the main characters, Iris has an important breakthrough, finally accepting a few things about herself, and making a decision about her relationship with Archie–which may be a healthy thing or not, but very much a “to be seen” thing.

And then there’s Gwen, who’s still very much grieving for her husband. It’s been well over two years, but between her stay at the sanatorium, and the trauma that brought on, and her long fight to gain a sense of self beyond “daughter” and “wife”, Gwen hasn’t had the space she needs to let go–of him, of the dream they once shared. And until she does, she can’t open herself to the future.

I love these characters, and I am amazed at how much they’ve grown in the space of a few months (in-series timeline), but one reason I’ve been stuck writing this review for two weeks, is that I’m quite unhappy with Sally getting the short end of the stick. He’s been a true friend to Iris for a solid decade, and has been a friend to the firm from the beginning, and while it’s understandable that things go they way they do, given who the characters are and so on, I am still left with the feeling that a serious injustice has been done.

However, the plotting is top notch, the language is great, and the characterizations are all spot on, so The Lady from Burma gets a 9.00 out of 10.

And now to wait until the next book comes out–sometime next year.

London post-WW2 is a changed place. Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge are two determined and motivated women, albeit from very different backgrounds. Iris is dating a gangster, and has a background in the British Secret Service. Gwendolyn is the widow of an aristocrat, has a young son, and is trying to get beyond being declared insane as a result of an attempted suicide after her husband's death. The duo have already solved several mysteries, and opened The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, where they match clients. But their latest client is something unexpected--a happily married woman with a terminal illness who wants them to find someone for her to-be-widower.

When she's found dead in a forest, wearing the most inappropriate shoes for hiking, Iris and Gwendolyn are suspicious. With the help of a local policeman, they look deeper into the classic whodunit questions--motive and opportunity. Meanwhile, Gwendolyn is trying to regain control of her life. When one of her conservators is found dead, she's a prime suspect. The two cases seem completely unrelated, but are they?

The Lady from Burma is a fun read. If you're a fan of Golden Age mysteries like Christie or Wentworth, you'll enjoy following along with this unusual crime-fighting duo. I'm happy to find a new series, and looking forward to following their further escapades.

I think I have narrowed down why I enjoy this series so much. It’s the humor. The things that come out of Gwen’s and Iris’s mouths make me laugh out loud and shake my head. The humor is spot-on, snarky, and insightful, all at the same time.

The book begins with a conversation between two unidentified people, and the reader spends the best part of the book matching up pairs in hopes of getting the puzzle right. I did not have it right. That didn’t bother me. There was so much going on in the book that it was easy to put the puzzle aside to readjust my focus to the next quandary facing the ladies. Whether it was their business, legal, relationships, family, or something else, there were so many distractions that by the time the book ended, somehow Allison Montclair tied enough up that the only parts left would work as fodder for the next book in the series.

I don’t think my summer reading would be complete without a visit to post WWII England where the duo of Bainbridge and Sparks run a marriage bureau, which seems to be more of a front for a free detective agency. Here we are with the fifth (fifth?! Time flies!) installment in the series, The Lady from Burma.

While Iris and Gwen are quite used to unusual events, they are suitably nonplussed when a woman comes to them to find a wife for her husband. It turns out that the woman is dying of cancer and loves her husband so much and knows how dependent he is on her that she wants to make certain that his future is taken care of. Gwen observes something in the woman’s demeanor that makes her think that she intends to die before the cancer can kill her. Gwen convinces her that one shouldn’t lose any moments that one has left and secures a promise from the woman to live out her days however many they may be.

When the same woman is found dead in a nearby forest, Gwen’s first reaction is that the pain from the cancer became too much. But when Iris and Gwen take in the scene, they observe several implausible features that point to the fact that there was foul play involved. Was it the husband? Or someone else?

Meanwhile, Gwen is getting ready for the trial that will determine her legal future, whether she is mentally competent to take care of her son and take her part in the family business that was left to her upon the death of her husband. But nothing is straightforward in the world of Sparks & Bainbridge and Gwen and Iris become involved in another mystery in which money disappears from Gwen’s income every month.

I feel like this brief plot description is just the tip of the iceberg regarding everything that takes place in Allison Montclair’s wonderful ride, The Lady from Burma. This was one of the novels that engrossed me from the first page and made me not want to put it down.

As always, the writing and the mystery are smart with a good deal of humor thrown in. Everything about this book and series is just so satisfying, especially if you enjoy historical mysteries.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

I love this series and confess, although I realize Allison Montclair is a pen name for Allen Gordon, I just adore anything written by either or. So, I’ve decided it’s the dialogue that does it for me. This particular installment of the Marriage Bureau’s dou moves the pair along nicely as a team, and individually. You get a better idea of where Gwen and Iris might be heading personally as well as professionally. I can’t give anything away though, so take my recommendation and give it a read. I’m eagerly awaiting the next Bainbridge & Sparks.

This was my first Sparks and Bainbridge novel and despite not having all the background info from reading previous books I still really enjoyed this mystery. I found the two MCs very engaging and both of the mysteries that were happening simultaneously were equally interesting. I would definitely go back and read more Sparks and Bainbridge mysteries.

I read book 1 in the series and liked it enough, but didn’t read another until this one. And I’m really glad I did. Sparks and Bainbridge are witty, clever and smart, and the entire book just flew by. The resolution for all of the plots was very satisfying. This is a series has clearly developed the characters well and is worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for the arc.

I love this mystery series, set in England post war. The two main characters, Iris Sparks and Gwen Bainbridge are the owners of the Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Both have unique personalities and strengths, which help when they find themselves in the middle of another murder. Mrs. Bainbridge is waiting the decision of the Court of Lunacy, since her past included a stay in a sanitarium after her husband’s death in the war. When the lawyer representing her is murdered, Mrs, Bainbridge is a prime suspect. Add in the murder of a dying lady who hired the Bureau to find a wife for her husband once she dies, and you have another great mystery. Highly recommend this series. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Sparks & Bainbridge mystery number five is set in post-World War II London. The unmarried, slightly risqué Iris Sparks and her friend, the widowed, rather conventional Gwen Bainbridge, have gone into partnership in an ideal niche market: matching single women to the man of their dreams in a world where a shortage of men is a conspicuous problem.

Enter the eponymous lady from Burma. She needs help finding a new wife for her husband, who, due to her fatal illness, will soon be a widower. Tender-hearted Gwen cannot bear the thought that this woman might commit suicide to avoid a painful end, so she extracts a promise from her. Nevertheless, the woman is found dead in Epping Forest a short time later and a not-so-bumbling country policeman, a bit out of his depth in London, says it didn’t look like suicide to him.

Upon retaining a client, Iris and Gwen pull three cards each from their respective files in hopes of finding at least one matching name. Needless to say, using brains and instinct, their intimate knowledge of their clients leads to some successful partnerships, for which they are paid handsomely. Gwen’s aristocratic life, full of problems such as proving to the Court of Lunacy that she’s not insane (giving rise to fascinating tidbits on the British legal system), is posed against Iris, stone-broke and dating Archie, a con man with plenty to offer her. Archie’s slang is the only thing that doesn’t ring true.

There’s much more going on here than a dating service: multiple murder, cheating husbands, corporate stealing, child custodianship and bug collecting. Iris and Gwen are a perfect foil for each other in this delightfully amusing series.

Iris and Gwen must solve the murder of "A Lady from Burma" while managing their own complicated private lives - especially Gwen, who will finally have a court hearing to remove the conservatorship and label of lunacy she has had since the death of her husband. The author does a great job of bringing together several plot threads into the resolution of the mystery. The relationship between the two leads is funny and empathetic and supportive, with great dialogue. I recommend reading the series in order to watch the progression of the characters' relationships and Gwen's legal storyline. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for the ARC.

Montclair’s Sparks and Bainbridge remains one of my favourite mystery series with this latest addition, The Lady From Burma. I expect Sparks and Bainbridge to pale and stale, to wane, but it remains as fresh and engaging as the first, The Right Sort of a Man.

The Lady From Burma sees one-half of my favourite amateur sleuths, aristocratic Gwen Bainbridge, get a good dose of vindication while Gwen and Iris (Sparks)’s love lives take peculiar twists and turns. I don’t know where Montclair is going, but wherever it is, I’ll follow. Oh yes, there are some murders too; the publisher’s blurb will help with that:

In the immediate post-war days of London, two unlikely partners have undertaken an even more unlikely, if necessary, business venture – The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. The two partners are Miss Iris Sparks, a woman with a dangerous – and never discussed – past in British intelligence and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, a war widow with a young son entangled in a complicated aristocratic family. Mostly their clients are people trying to start (or restart) their lives in this much-changed world, but their new client is something different. A happily married woman has come to them to find a new wife for her husband. Dying of cancer, she wants the two to make sure her entomologist, academic husband finds someone new once she passes.

Shortly thereafter, she’s found dead in Epping Forest, in what appears to be a suicide. But that doesn’t make sense to either Sparks or Bainbridge. At the same time, Bainbridge is attempting to regain legal control of her life, opposed by the conservator who has been managing her assets – perhaps not always in her best interest. When that conservator is found dead, Bainbridge herself is one of the prime suspects. Attempting to make sense of two deaths at once, to protect themselves and their clients, the redoubtable owners of the Right Sort Marriage Bureau are once again on the case.

If you’re looking for a focussed mystery, you won’t find it in The Lady From Burma, at least not until all the seemingly disparate threads are brought together and their connections are revealed. The premise is sad, but genius: Mrs. Remagen’s tragic story, singular and original, launches Gwen and Iris’s latest mission. For missions they are, Gwen and Iris aren’t about finding the “answer” to a mystery-puzzle. Like their matchmaking business, which heals hearts too long neglected during war, their involvement in murder investigations is about bringing justice, redressing wrong, and finding peace for those left in a murder’s wake. Certainly, whether finding matches, finding murderers, or finding lovers, Gwen and Iris’s own lives are anything but peaceful. Much to the reader’s pleasure.

In this particular case, their lives are embroiled in Mrs. Remagen’s sad story. The war too is ever present: how it has touched the lives of everyone, how it has changed them, and how difficult it is to reestablish normality and peace of mind. Sparks’s intelligence service past makes her flippantly vulnerable, full of cynical, uncaring bravado, which is, as these cases prove, not true at all. Gwen is mourning her husband, Ronnie, whose loss caused her to suffer a mental collapse and has put her freedom and assets under the “conservator”, a thread established in book 1 and continued in subsequent volumes.

In society’s eyes, Gwen and Iris are mad, bad, and dangerous to know (to borrow from Lady Caroline Lamb). In actuality and for those who know and love them (my favourites, Gwen’s butler Percival and Iris’s friend, Salvatore “Sally” Danielli), they are piercingly intelligent, capable of great love and loyalty, and life-savers. They can’t save Mrs. Remagen, and couldn’t have even if she wasn’t murdered, but they can help a great new character, PC Hugh Quinton, find her murderer. More than the sleuthing and various love interests, Sparks and Bainbridge are about friendship. How they help and support each other; their banter and affection, their understanding of how the war broke them and what the other needs to heal, are what make this a great series. In this particular volume, it looks like there are new horizons for Gwen and Iris and I can’t wait for their next match-making, sleuthing mission. Miss Austen would have loved Montclair’s vulnerable, sharp woman. With her, we agree The Lady From Burma possesses “no charm equal to tenderness of heart,” Emma.

Allison Montclair’s The Lady From Burma is published by Minotaur Books. It was released on July 25th. (If you haven’t read the previous volumes, start at the beginning and make your way to The Lady From Burma. You would enjoy the overarching narrative ARC that makes Sparks and Bainbridge who they are.) Please note I received an e-ARC from Minotaur Books, via Netgalley, for the purpose of writing this review. This does not impede the free expression of my opinion.

Pub Day Book Feature: A Lady From Burma 🌺

⁉️: Do you enjoy the genre of historical fiction?

Post-WorldWar II fiction and memoirs often tend to be difficult to read, because of the stories that they share. Set in London, two unlikely novels partners have undertaken an interesting business venture - The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Miss Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge, a war widow to a young son with roots to a complicated aristocratic family. Most families are trying to reimagine their lives in post-war era.

One day, A happily married woman has come to them to find a new wife for her husband. Dying of cancer, she wants the two to make sure her entomologist, academic husband finds someone new once she passes.

Shortly thereafter, she's found dead in Epping Forest, in what appears to be a suicide. But that doesn't make sense to either Sparks or Bainbridge. At the same time, Bainbridge is attempting to regain legal control of her life, opposed by the conservator who has been managing her assets - perhaps not always in her best interest. When that conservator is found dead, Bainbridge herself is one of the prime suspects. Attempting to make sense of two deaths at once, to protect themselves and their clients, the redoubtable owners of the Right Sort Marriage Bureau are once again on the case.

Thank you @minotaur_books and Allison Montclair for the gifted copy!

#TheLadyFromBurma #AllisonMontclair #HistoricalFiction #MinotaurBooks

Gwendolyn and Iris own a marriage agency. They have been hired by Mrs Adela to find her husband a new wife. Mrs. Adela is dying of cancer and she wants her husband to have someone to take care of him after her death. But, when Mrs. Adela is found dead in Epping Forest of an apparent suicide, the clues do not add up!

I loved these two ladies. Not only are they witty, they are great friends to each other, not just work partners. I was captivated with Gwendolyn and her plight. It seems Gwendolyn has been in a sanitarium and she is trying to dissolve her conservatorship and boy is this a process. I have not read any of the books in this series. It is not necessary that you do so, BUT…the sanitarium story is something I must go back and find out!

I enjoyed how this mystery unfolded. It is not at all what I expected when I picked this book up. This would be a perfect read for by the pool or on the beach.

Need a good, Agatha Christie like mystery…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.

This is the fifty novel in a series of mysteries. Set in the UK in the post WWII era, the protagonists are two women who have set up a matchmaking business. The backgrounds of the two protagonists are interesting; one is an aristocrat, and the other served in the SOE during the war.

In this particular book, a woman comes into the matchmaking agency seeking after receiving a diagnosis of a terminal illness. She seeks a new wife to take care of her husband. In the meantime, one of the agency owners has to fight to get control of an estate she holds interest in.

This series was new to me, I found it interesting and will certainly read more in the series.

I didn't realize this was a series but I didn't feel lost.

I enjoyed this book but did find myself skimming paragraphs.

I loved the two female protagonists, Iris Sparks and Gwen Bainbridge. They were well developed and very likeable. They run The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, a matchmaking agency in London at the end of WWII and one day, "The Lady from Burma", walks in and makes an unusual request that sets Iris and Gwen on a course to uncover a murder.

The pacing was for the most part on point. I did get a bit bored in parts so perhaps the pacing (for me) could have been a bit faster.

I would read another book in this series as I loved the two main characters

The Lady from Burma is the fifth book in the Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery series by Allison Montclair. This is one of the best historical mystery series ever! I've read a lot of them lately, so trust me on this. This is the second one I've read; the first was book three. I had no problem following along without having read all previous volumes, as the mystery in each stands alone. I desperately want to read all that I missed. (I am attempting to lower the mountainous stack of my TBR pile first; if it falls over it will kill me!)

In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the co-proprietors of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau are working hard to build up their business. Miss Iris Sparks worked in British Intelligence during the war, and Mrs. Gwen Bainbridge is a war widow who has a complicated home life and has a conservator in charge of managing her assets (due to her time in a mental hospital after the death of her beloved husband Ronnie). They seem to be an odd pairing of business partners and friends, but it works. A happily married woman comes in for their services, but not for herself; she is dying of cancer, and she wants to make sure her entomologist, academic husband has someone new after she dies. Not long after she is found in a forest, dead, and it appears to have been suicide. Sparks and Bainbridge, however, don't believe it was; and as they tend to do, they begin investigating her death. During this same time, Gwen is attempting to regain legal control over her life, but she's having trouble with the conservator who has been managing her assets, and apparently not in her best interests. When the conservator is found dead, Gwen is one of the prime suspects. Two cases to investigate at once? Not a problem for The Right Sort Marriage Bureau!

The mysteries in this series are extremely entertaining, but it's the incredible characters who make this series such a joy! Iris Sparks is one tough cookie. How tough is she? She dates a mobster! Though she doesn't talk about it, she worked for British Intelligence during the war. Who knew her experience would help in a marriage bureau?! She has contacts and resources that most police forces don't have, so that helps when they fall into murder investigations. It's obvious she cares about Gwen and has sympathy for the horrible experiences the woman went through, but she doesn't coddle her; she's kind, but she can show tough love. Gwen is a very complex character. She attempted suicide when her husband was killed in the war, and she was placed in an institution. There was another suicide attempt later. She lost her freedom, control of her assets and custody of her son. Though she's been through the wringer, it's obvious she's no marshmallow, either. She is now trying to regain custody of her son from her sometimes-odious father-in-law, regain control of her assets from her conservator and take her place on the family's Board of Directors. The conservator is not making things easy for her, and it becomes clear why later. The first investigation into the death of the wife with cancer is hard enough, but when Gwen is suspected of murder things go from bad to worse. Are the cases connected? There are some wonderful supporting characters in this series. Iris's mob boyfriend Archie is attempting to take things further in their relationship, but Iris isn't sure if that's what she wants to do. Gwen's beau Sally (Salvatore Danielli) is crazy about her, but there don't seem to be sparks between them. I love Constable Hugh Quinton, a (I believe) new character who is investigating the first death. The mystery(ies) here are really intriguing and will have you guessing the entire time. I adore this series because the stories tug on your emotions: I run the gamut from shocked, on the verge of tears or laughing out loud from the dialogue between Iris and Gwen. This is a great series, and I can't wait to see what Iris and Gwen get up to next!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The Lady from Burma is sure to be one of my top reads ;for this year. From the first pages I was drawn in to the characters and the story, Though there are other books in the series, I didn't feel like I was missing anything.
There are several different plot lines going through the book, and Montclair navigated all of them seamlessly and brought them all together quite believably.
The setting in post WW1 London was drawn well and I was particularly fascinated by the workings of the Court of Lunacy-- what a great name! Highly recommended for readers of crime fiction, historical fiction, and novels with strong women characters.

I love, love love this series. I will forever be rooting for Ms. Sparks and Mrs. Bainbridge. They always find themselves in the middle of a murder (or two!) and always manage to make their way out. The character development for this one was top notch and I can't wait to see what these ladies get up to next!