The Sparks and Bainbridge series continues to be a favorite. Once again, I was drawn into the story from the first pages. There is so much going on between the crime plot and the subplots of the two sleuths, but all of the threads intertwine and lead to the perfect ending that I never expected. The author has a remarkable talent of bringing the story to life through a vivid portrayal of post WWII London, witty dialog, and characters that feel so authentic and sympathetic that I miss them when the book ends. You can read The Lady from Burma as a stand-alone, but if you haven’t read the earlier books in the series, do yourself a favor and read them now! Thank you, St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the complimentary egalley.

There is a lot to enjoy in The Lady from Burma. The concept of two women running a marriage bureau after WWII is a fun basis for a cozy mystery series, and the fact that one of the partners is a widow and the other never married is a nice added touch. The fact that neither of the partners is married also stokes their personal interests in the opposite sex, and their various romantic pursuits get almost as much coverage in the book as the murders. This will appeal to some readers more than others, e.g., I will not be recommending the series to my husband. Their clients also are interesting. Several are involved in entomology, and I learned a new term, mothing, which is the use of lights to look for moths at night.

The writing style is another especially enjoyable aspect of the book. There was good dialogue and some clever collaboration between the marriage bureau and police officer Quinton. As a fan of good chapter endings, I especially appreciated some of those, which left me with a smile on my face. Unfortunately, the ending of the book itself was not nearly as pleasing as the chapter endings; the last completely unnecessary scene produced a frown, not a good way to leave a book that had many good features.

I had not read the previous books in the series and felt very much at a disadvantage, because Sparks’ and Bainbridge’s backgrounds are significant to the book. This is especially true for Gwen Bainbridge, whose mental health problems are so significant that she has a court-appointed guardian, and a significant factor in the book is her effort to have the court declare her sane enough that she can recover the independence. Iris’ background also has intriguing aspects I would like to know more about, like how she came to be dating a gangster. I recommend beginning with the first book of the series, The Right Sort of Man.

On the other hand, I would not recommend you become a client of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, given their clients’ likelihood to become murder victims.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

This was another excellent episode in the Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery series. It is almost the end of the first year that Iris and Gwen's marriage agency The Right Sort has been in operation. The business is growing and finally becoming profitable since many are looking to start over after the interruption of World War II.

When a married woman who is dying of cancer comes in to sign up her husband for their services, they become involved in yet another murder investigation. Just days later, she is found dead in Epping Forest in an apparent suicide. But the local constable who is called to the body thinks that things might not be as they appear. A brochure from The Right Sort Marriage Bureau sends him to Iris and Gwen for information.

Meanwhile, Gwen's court date to prove her competence and remove her legal guardian is coming up. Things should go well, but a contentious board meeting and argument with her legal guardian throws a monkey wrench into the proceedings. Then, when her guardian is found beaten to death, Gwen becomes the prime suspect.

This was an engaging and entertaining mystery. I like the post-World War II setting. The dialog is crisp. The women's problems are real and engaging.

I really enjoyed this book. It is about 2 friends who are in business together - they run a dating business. Kind of... The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Where people come in and willingly sign up to be matched up with other single candidates on Sparks' and Bainbridge's list. If the pair are compatible, then the business is paid for the match and the couple lives happily ever after. Until a terminally ill-woman comes to visit them. She apparently loves her husband very much, and just wants to make sure he is taken care of after she is gone. The women give her a condition before taking her on as a client, but that condition appears to be broken when the woman is found dead shortly after signing her contract with the women. Luckily, Sparks and Bainbridge have also assisted the police in criminal investigations, and don't delay in putting these skills to use when learning about their client.
The problem is, Mrs. Bainbridge must tread lightly because she could loose everything - again. She has been under a conservator and has finally been given a court date where she can prove her competency to end that. But if she is accused of interfering with any police matters, then that could be used against her.

I continue to love this evocative and mystery series. Just terrific.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC for my review.

This is a remarkable series and i really enjoyed this installment. I liked that it touched on mental health issues and we certainly have come a long way since this era of time. I also liked the mystery itself and look forward to more by this author.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have not read the previous titles in this series but after reading The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair I might just have to check it out now.
This is book 5 in the Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery. And it was such a great story.
I have to admit this is the first historical mystery that kept my attention like this one did.
An incredibly intelligent, well written novel. The characters and setting are so well developed and written.
The mystery was unpredictable and believable. The twists and turns led to an exploding ending.

“I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing
eARC!

I love this series! It just keeps getting better and better with each book. I couldn’t wait to see what Sparks and Bainbridge got themselves into this time. It’s twisty. It’s complicated. It’s too good to say too much and possibly give a thing away! If you love historical mysteries, do yourself a favor and start at the beginning of this series. There is a lot of character development in each book. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Lady from Burma is the second book by Allison Montclair that I have had the pleasure of reading. Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge have come a long way in some aspect of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau Series and not so far in other ways. Now book five gives them an unusual sort of client, one who is extremely sick but wants her husband not to be left alone to pick up the pieces of his life. Nothing goes as planned for this client which the story clearly shows. A mystery for sure.

This post-WWII London story has another mystery happening that is quite interesting too. One of the main characters end up as a prime suspect. Of course, it is evident to the reader that she didn’t do the crime but who did? I kept reading to make that discovery.

From the first mystery plot I found Police Constable Hugh Quinton to be an engaging and interesting character from the first mystery. Perhaps his help will be needed in the next book. I would like to see more of him. While I have missed a few books in the publishing of this series, this one solidifies my belief that this is a great mystery series that has characters whose goal is to help people find each other again, What could be better than that?

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

Another stellar installation in the Sparks & Bainbridge historical mystery series. I love how Iris and Gwen continue to grow as characters, even if there were a couple of moments that I wanted to reach into the page and throttle them for some poor decision making. As always, the plot was engaging and intricate with interesting twists along the way. The main focus of this book is Gwen's petition to be free of the lunacy charge in order to regain custody of the son, alongside the death - possibly murder - of a new client of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, a happily married woman dying of cancer who wanted the women to find a new wife for her husband after she has died. I remain impressed that Montclair - the pseudonym for Alan Gordon - writes women so well. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for a digital review copy.

Allison Montclair's delightful series about a pair of women with a matchmaking business (and a murder solving business) continues in The Lady from Burma. Two stories intertwine here, as a dying woman ends up dead, but Sparks and Bainbridge (and a young police officer from Essex) suspect murder, and Bainbridge continues her battle to be declared legally sane. From much of the book, the story alternates between the investigation into their client's death, and Bainbridge's road blocks as she comes so close to freedom. When the person representing her ends up dead, Bainbridge ends up as a suspect herself, forcing her to find out who else would want Oliver Parson dead. It turns out that the two cases are connected, but it definitely takes until the end of the book for everything to get tied together. This both makes the book more interesting and makes more of it feel more disconnected. I was a little bummed out that there wasn't more of Sparks in the story, as she is my favorite of the pair, and she plays more of a supporting role here. This is an enjoyable series, and while you can read this as a standalone, there is definitely backstory that is beneficial to have to understand the Bainbridge storyline of the book. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Lady from Burma is the latest book in the Sparks and Bainbridge mystery series. This post WW II story of two women who run a marriage bureau in London crackles with clever, snappy dialogue, and rapid, effective storytelling, and just enough background information to keep the feeling authentic. If you are not immediately inspired to seek out the previous four books I will be surprised. In fact, read them in order for extra reading pleasure.
For those of you tired of excessive sex and violence served up with your mystery books, Allison Montclair is just the ticket. It is cozy without the squishy sensation so often found in cozy mysteries.

NetGalley provided the book and I provide a review. Right Sort Marriage Bureau which is owned by Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge operate a well researched couple match making company, who though no fault of their own get involved with murder. First we start with trying to find a future wife for a current wife who is terminally ill, the lady from Burma. Match making and murder make up only a portion of the book, we have corporate shenanigans, family issues, court room drama (trying to get an owner declared sane-more on this in a previous book), insurance claims with a bit of romance sprinkled in for the ladies. There’s enough going on in this book to keep the reader turning pages, which I happily did. I’m looking forward to the next book, get writing Allison.

verbal-humor, matchmaking, London, mental-health-issues, surprises, series, post-WW2, historical-novel****

Fascinating story with witty characters who certainly are and a VERY twisty plot!
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

"In Allison Montclair's The Lady from Burma, murder once again stalks the proprietors of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau in the surprisingly dangerous landscape of post-World War II London...

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."

Never trust a wife trying to find a second wife for after she's gone. That's solid advice I'll always believe in.

Gwen may finally be able to regain her son and her independence. Iris may finally be able to lay some of her ghosts to rest. But then, a new client for their marriage bureau dies, and they must figure out why, and whether it is related to the death of the conservator for Gwen's case. Investigating could lose Gwen everything she's been working for, but so could leaving it to the police.

This series is incredible. I love stories written in WWII/Austerity England, and I'm highly invested in Gwen and Iris and their success. Each has grown since the first book, and it's fascinating how they've carved out their places in a time that was not easy or welcoming to businesswomen. To make things even harder, Gwen has the stigma of having been formerly committed to a mental institution. Iris is haunted b the things she did during the war. They are from completely different walks of life, but their friendship is so strong.

You might figure out the who and the why before the end of the book, but that doesn't matter. Sometimes, a mystery overwhelms the story and the characters, or the backstory of the characters makes the mystery more of an afterthought. That's never the case in one of Montclair's books. The story is so deftly woven, with threads from past and present combining to make a solid work, yet leaving room for future growth.

This is some of the finest mystery writing out there, and I hope the series continues at least until Gwen and Iris retire.

4.75/5.0 stars - highly recommended!

I received an advance copy from Minotaur Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair (Minotaur, 2023) is the forthcoming fifth book in the very fine historical mystery series set in post-war London. People were still staggering from the enormous losses of the war and thousands were searching for a new purpose in life. Iris Sparks, recently of military intelligence, and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, widowed by the war, were at loose ends when they met quite by accident. They established The Right Sort Marriage Bureau to help those seeking partners along the path to matrimony. Women were not seen as entrepreneurs then and they sometimes had trouble being taken seriously. But they had no shortage of applicants.

Their newest client is Mrs. Adela Remagen. Terminally ill and worried about the welfare of her socially awkward insect-loving husband after she’s gone, she arranges with the Bureau to find her husband a second wife. Mrs. Remagen dies shortly thereafter in what seems to be a suicide but quickly is shown to be homicide. Sparks and Bainbridge, appalled by the mistreatment of their client, immediately become involved.

An important second story line is the continuing attempt of Bainbridge to overturn the ruling of lunacy that has taken away every single legal right she has including custody of her son. She is at the mercy of an unsympathetic man who goes out of his way to remind her of her helplessness. Montclair does an outstanding job of highlighting the archaic laws of lunacy and how the legal system has been used to exploit and abuse women. The system still exists, witness the years-long “guardianship” of Britney Spears. It is a grim reminder of just how poorly the law protects women.

The murder and the motive behind it are one of the most deviously plotted pieces I’ve seen for awhile. Brilliantly done. The growing respect of Lord Bainbridge for his daughter-in-law is a pleasure to watch unfold. As always in these books, the post-war setting is authoritative and the characters are razor sharp. Highly recommended.

This book is the fifth in a series, but even though I had not read the earlier books, this book was fine as a standalone. I would like to go back and read the earlier books, as this book was very much character driven. Following WWII, in London, two young women set up a marriage bureau. Iris Sparks has a history of being in military intelligence and is currently romantically involved with Archie, a mobster. Gwendolyn Bainbridge was widowed in the war. She has a young son and after a pair of grief-driven suicide attempts and hospitalizations in an asylum, she is trying to regain custody of her son and also to be able to manage her own financial affairs. Having been declared a "lunatic" she has a court-appointed attorney, Mr Parsons, but Gwen does not believe that he has her best interests at heart. The Lady from Burma herself is a small part of the main story, but it does exemplify the work that our two heroines put into finding mates for their clients. Multiple loose ends and interesting continuing storylines in this entertaining series. I thank NetGalley and the author for this ARC that I received at no charge, but all opinions are my own.

How have I missed out of this series?? Now I want to read all the previous books about Iris and Gwen. This book was certainly enjoyable as a stand alone but likely good to have the whole build up and back story.
Iris and Gwen run a marriage bureau in post WW2 London. They each have their own struggles navigating the world they find themselves thrust into. The side lights of their personal lives are as captivating as the mystery itself.
The premise of this mystery is a woman is dying of cancer who wishes them to find her nerdy intellectual husband a new wife after she dies. She is shortly thereafter found dead. Suicide is suspected but the ladies are not buying that.
There is so much to this book, it certainly belies the term cozy mystery. The characters are amazing and the plot complex and compelling. Highly recommended for mystery lovers especially those who like a historical twist. I am always interested in how women were treated in different time periods. It was also interesting to see how mental health was dealt with in this time period.
Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur Books for the chance to read this in exchange for a honest review. Now to read the other 4 in series!.

Iris and Gwen, proprietors of London's Right Sort Marriage Bureau, are back to keep their business alive making successful matches while solving crimes on the side. This time, Adela who grew up in Burma comes to them to find a wife for her shy husband as Adela is dying and thinks her husband will need someone. Before their work can proceed, Adela is found dead and it looks like suicide but Iris, Gwen, and a young constable believe she was murdered. Meanwhile Gwen continues to try and convince the lunacy court that her son can be returned to her - a fascinating glimpse into the legalities of post war mental health in England.