An Excellent Thing in a Woman is the seventh installment of Allison Montclair’s Sparks and Bainbridge mystery series set in post-World War II London, in which feisty, fierce, fascinating, and foxy Iris and Gwen run a marriage bureau and find themselves dealing with murder and mayhem on the side. And somehow the series just keeps getting better and better,

I loved reading this immersive and entertaining tale. By turns humorous and heart wrenching, complex yet propulsive, the novel is very well crafted, with crisp and witty dialogue. The characters of Iris and Gwen are beautifully developed, with each woman portrayed as having smarts and gumption but also plenty of relatable flaws and fears. The large cast of secondary characters is vividly drawn. The extent of Montclair’s research is additionally apparent, as she once again manages to utterly transport the reader to postwar London, with just enough period specific details sprinkled throughout. I look forward to discovering Iris and Gwen’s future shenanigans and life choices in the next installment of this series.

Highly recommended, particularly to anyone seeking intelligent historical mysteries featuring strong, interesting women.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

This is the seventh book in the Sparks and Bainbridge series. This is another fantastic entry in this series about two women forging a new destiny for themselves after WWII. Iris Sparks and Gwen Bainbridge have a marriage bureau. Somehow their clients lead them to discover crimes, murder and whatnot.
I was surprised by the beginning of this book since I hadn’t read the previous book. For that reason, I would not recommend jumping in at this point.
Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review. Iris and Gwen are tasked with finding a French woman a husband. After the French woman shows up for the date with her prospective groom in a totally different state of mind, the women are confused. Later their worlds collide when visiting Sally, short for Salvatore, at his work. Sally is working backstage in the early days of the BBC.
Truly the mystery here is satisfying. The historical background is fascinating. The characters are fantastic. I highly recommend this book and series. I gave this 5 stars.

The Right Sort Marriage Bureau began by making one long-lasting partnership – and solving a murder into the bargain – in their very first outing, The Right Sort of Man.

The business partnership and ride-or-die sisterhood of Iris Sparks and Gwen Bainbridge has held true through thick and thin, murder and mayhem, for six books so far, with this seventh proving that these two women are in it for each other – no matter what life throws in their way. Separately AND together.

Because they’ve always been separated by one BIG secret – not that they haven’t chipped at that secret’s edges over the course of their partnership.

During the war whose aftermath still scars London and the English countryside, Iris Sparks signed the Official Secrets Act, vowing to keep her clandestine work on behalf of the British government just that, a secret. Gwen has always known that Iris did a LOT of things she can’t talk about – if only because people from Iris’ life during those shadowy years keep showing up in her present.

This particular case, two years after the end of the war, is riddled with bullets and memories from those dark days – even as it portrays a world making bold strides towards the future.

The lights, cameras and action of the brave new world of television are about to bring British talent and culture – and slapstick – into the living rooms of thousands around the country – and eventually the world. But among the shadowy sets and hidden props a traitor has hidden in plain sight – one who plans to pin an entire new set of crimes and coverups on someone in the wrong place and the wrong time.

But he’s made one BIG mistake. He’s tried to fit a frame around someone that both Iris and Gwen hold dear – and neither of them can let that stand.

Escape Rating A-: Archie Spelling is dead, to begin with. The ending of the previous book, Murder at the White Palace, left the fate of Iris Sparks’ lover hanging by a thread. In the brief period between the end of that book and the beginning of this one, that thread was cut. Now Iris is the partner adrift at the Right Sort, while Gwen Bainbridge, finally free of the Lunacy Court and the oppressive conservatorship of her late husband’s wealthy family, has begun a new independent life in a new house with her young son AND has begun a romantic relationship of her own.

Gwen’s world is finally looking up, while Iris’ is mostly staring blearily at the bottom of a bottle, as the manner of Archie’s death, devastating enough in its own right, brought back to Iris entirely too many unresolved issues from her secret spy work during the war.

So Gwen is rising, Iris is falling, and their new case represents the changes coming even as it all goes very, very pear-shaped.


Television transmitter ‘mast’ at the Ally Pally ca 1935
Sparks & Bainbridge are investigating the murder of one of their clients – as they did in their first story – but this case in all of its fake tinsel and real tinsel, takes place at “Ally Pally”, the Alexandra Palace, home and headquarters of BBC television. A performer is dead, a stage manager is suspect, and Iris and Gwen are caught in the middle and tied up in knots by the Official Secrets Act that Iris signed long ago.

Because the dead woman, the accused stage manager, the likely murderer and pretty much every single person Iris runs into along the way of the investigation – all signed the Act and can’t talk about how they know each other, what they did together and separately, and why this murder has nothing to do with BBC TV now and everything to do with secret radio broadcasts from hidden bunkers in the midst of some very dark nights then.

If they don’t tell the truth, the wrong man will be hanged for the murder. If they do tell the truth, they’ll all hang for telling the tale.

Iris can’t save herself, but Gwen can save them all. By becoming part of the world of danger and derring-do that she’s been nibbling at the edges of since the day she met Iris Sparks. It looks like Sparks & Bainbridge are going to be up to their necks in the Cold War in future books in this series – and I can’t wait to read them!

The opening line of this book is devastating if inevitable. And I really liked the book as a whole--Sparks mourning and Bainbridge really coming into her own in her new independent life. Their partnership of matchmaking and mystery solving remains one of my favorite things and I can't wait to see what adventure they have in store next time around.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC./i>

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and found myself rooting for them! I felt like it had everything that it needed and enjoyed the twists and turns even where it felt a little predictable at times. I loved the strong female characters and the male characters who were supportive of those females, too. There were some points that felt like the point could’ve been made a little quicker and I wished where there was some French narrative the translation was provided as at times I was guessing as to what was being said (infrequent but still). Overall, really enjoyed it, but I don’t think I’d read any sequels following on - this one was a good enough story for me and I don’t think much could be added by it being a series.

This is my first timing reading a mystery novel by Allison Montclair. Didn't realize when NetGalley offered me an advance ready copy that An Excellent Thing in a Woman is the 7th novel in a series. That said, I enjoyed reading about two strong female entrepreneurs in pre-WWII London who brilliantly run a marriage bureau and solve mysteries on the side. The book is witty and fun to read. I'm going to look for earlier books in the series now.

I received an early copy through Net Galley. Thoughts are entirely my own.
Allison Montclair's "The Right Sort" series is so good- it hits all the right notes: interesting characters, perfectly crafted plot, the pacing is faultless, and there is a vivid sense of time and place. The series takes place in London in the years shortly after the second World War, but the story/characters/dialogue do not seem dated in any way. I have read every one of the books in this series, and expect that to continue.
The most recent entry: An Excellent Thing in a Woman is to the same high standard as previous books in series. You do not need to read all the prior books in the series to pick this one up, but I recommend you read them anyway. The two main characters are each dealing with some life changes, but their friendship (the heart of the series) is as strong as ever.
The mystery at the heart of An Excellent Thing... is directly related to the marriage bureau they run together (The Right Sort). The victim's story leads the amateur detectives back to a mystery from WWII, and we learn more of everybody's back story and what they really did in the war. This is a feature of all the books, and it it particularly well handled here. The Right Sort books do not shy away from the toll that military service exacts from the men and women who serve, especially those in the clandestine services.
I am reluctant to say too much, as there is a very satisfying plot twist in this one (whichI did not see it coming). I also feel like I am gushing a bit. I do sincerely love this series, and I loved this book. Allison Montclair REALLY knows how to write a mystery.
No criticisms.
Highly Recommend.

An Excellent Thing In a Woman is the 7th book in the exceptional Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery series by Allison Montclair. I've read three of the previous books, all of which were 5-stars for me. You don't need to read all the others before this one to enjoy this outing, but I highly recommend it, especially book 6. This is one of my favorite historical mystery series, taking place after the end of World War II, when the world was still trying to regain its footing. The stories are fantastic, but it's the characters that make this series a keeper.

In Post-WWII London, 1947, Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge are busy trying to make marriage connections for their clients of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, of which the women are partners. Soon, however, they are once again sucked into solving a murder, this time when Gwen's beau Salvatore 'Sally' Danielli - who's also the best friend of Iris - is suspected of murder. Sally has taken a job at the BBC studios at Alexandra Palace (aka "Ally Pally") while he's writing a play. When beautiful Miss JeanneMarie Duplessis, a Parisian performer who's in London to perform in a new variety show in the theatre is found dead, some unfortunate coincidences make Sally the primary suspect. Just days earlier, Miss Duplessis had arrived at The Right Sort, desperately looking for a husband - any husband - to avoid having to return to Paris. During the investigation, Iris is pulled back into the covert circles she worked in during the war, and the woman must find the killer in order to clear Sally's name.

I was thoroughly upset upon reading the first sentence in this book, which tied up a cliffhanger from the prior book. I almost stopped reading I was so horrified, but luckily I made the correct choice and continued to read on. I swear each book in this series gets better and better. I thought I couldn't love these characters any more than I already did, but I was wrong. As wonderful as the mysteries are, it's the characters that keep me coming back for more. Iris Sparks worked as a spy during the war, and she was finally moving on to happier times when tragedy struck. It was heartbreaking to see this strong woman fall apart. She began to drink more and moved to live on a narrow houseboat when she had to leave her residence. Yet she didn't curl up into a ball and totally lose it, but continued to work with her partner - and friend - Gwen at The Right Sort. Gwen's life, on the other hand, was finally on the upswing. She was recently declared sane by the Lunacy Court (she attempted suicide after her husband was killed in the war) and has regained the custody of her young son Ronnie, together with her fortune. Also, after having dated Sally not long ago but not feeling a spark, they have decided to give it another chance and things are going swimmingly...well, until Sally was suspected of murder, that is! Sally is a playwright, but back in the war he, like his best friend Iris, was a spy. Sally is exceptionally tall (which is good, since Gwen is also tall) and is funny and charming. I was really excited to see their romance blooming. The mystery here was great, but I especially love the theme of friendship which permeates each story. They always have each other's backs no matter what happens. I adored this mystery, especially how it tied into World War II and the work Iris did while serving. I thought I had figured out whodunit, but I wasn't even close! The specter of the war was felt throughout the story, reminding one of the hell people went through. I loved every page of this book (well, except for that first sentence!) and hope to see much more of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau and the strong women who own it.

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 stated are entirely my own.

This novel had two very strong female lead characters who were both brilliant in their own ways. As well as running a marriage bureau, they have both come through the war with their scars and are navigating their way in post World War Two in London.

The novel is set in the aftermath of the second world war and made me feel as if I was really stepping into that time period in London. The inclusion of the BBC added intrigue and historical depth. For the most part, the novel was pacy and clever with its link back to the war.

I hadn’t read any other books in this series. This is book number seven. I didn’t have a problem picking up the story, but some of the main characters’ back details I would have understood better if I’d read from the beginning of the series.

4.5 rounded up
Dealing with the significant consequences of the events at the end of the previous book, this one got off to a slow start for me. The place setting Montclair did with the characters dealing with those changes made sense, but nonetheless I found myself anxious for the main plot to kick in. Once it did, the novel delivered every delight I've come to expect from a Sparks & Bainbridge mystery - interesting period details, rat-a-tat dialogue, and a compelling whodunnit at the center. I'm still very much on team Sparks & Bainbridge and eagerly awaiting another installment.

I’m a huge fan of this series, and this book may be my favorite one yet! Iris and Gwen are such a fun detective duo, and I’ve also enjoyed following their individual stories unfold across the series. Heartily recommend!

Book 7 in the series but new to me and a pleasurable, engaging, witty whodunnit with two strong and likeable women as the main characters. Although the author is American, the writing honours the 1940s London setting and I enjoyed not being able to tell it was not a British author as a UK reader. I now want to read all 6 other books.

This was fun to read, with great characterization and a compelling whodunit.

Plot Summary: Iris, or "Sparks," and her business partner, Gwen, run a matchmaking agency in the late 40's. One of their clients is found murdered, and Iris' best friend, who has become Gwen's significant other, is a suspect. The duo goes searching for the real killer.

There are many layers that all work well together. There's the matchmaking, Iris managing after a huge personal challenge, and Gwen bringing up her son and moving on from widowhood. Iris facing a past love interest when both of them still may have feelings but are in different places today, and what really happened during the war to the various French visitors who are all a part of the murder story.

This has a very British tone, which adds interest, and the historical fiction part is well-done. There were multiple red herrings that all make sense, but I saw the big twist a mile away. It also heavily relies on the police-doing-a-poor-job trope.

Although this works well as a standalone, this is the seventh in a series, and my sense is that fans who have been there from the beginning will probably enjoy this a lot more.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Severn House, and Allison Montclair for the opportunity to review an advanced copy.

This was a captivating, original, and well written romance. The humor, wit, drama, exotic animals, carriage accidents, espionage, Bonapartests, intrigue, and other plot twists and emotional issues that kept me very entertained. I enjoyed the surprising relationship that built up to a steamy, passionate love and the delightful ending. I highly recommend reading!

A fun paced historical mystery. I really enjoyed it. I love historical mysteries and this was perfect. The characters were great and life like. I didn't want to stop reading.

This is a beloved historical mystery series and I’m always glad to read the latest and spend time with the marriage bureau amateur sleuths, Gwen Bainbridge and Iris Sparks. This latest volume is focussed more on Iris’s army intelligence past than on Gwen’s healing from the grief of losing her husband and nearly losing her agency and son, Ronnie. When the novel opens, it’s obvious Iris is in a bad place, her fiancé dead and a bottle more often than not her evening companion, and Gwen, in a new, comfortable home, with custody of Ronnie, and a lover (but an old favourite character, Salvatore “Sally” Danielli). I haven’t said much about the murder our sleuths solve — again — because I come back to the series for the lovable characters, their losses and sadness, joys and humour, and most of all, for Gwen and Iris’s friendship. To the blurb, though, for the crimefic details:

London, 1947. Spirited Miss Iris Sparks and ever-practical Mrs Gwendolyn Bainbridge are called to action when Gwen’s beau Salvatore ‘Sally’ Danielli is accused of murder!

Sally has taken a job at the BBC studios at Alexandra Palace, but when the beautiful Miss JeanneMarie Duplessis – one of the Parisian performers over for a new variety show – is found dead in the old theatre, a number of inconvenient coincidences make him Suspect No:1.

Just days earlier, Miss Duplessis had arrived at The Right Sort, desperately looking for a husband – any husband – to avoid having to return to Paris. As the plot thickens, Iris is pulled back into the clandestine circles she moved in during the war and it soon becomes apparent that to clear Sally’s name, she and Gwen would need to go on the hunt for a killer once more!

The blurb’s excess of exclamation marks doesn’t do the seriousness of Montclair’s latest justice because this is a more sombre narrative, if it were not for Ronnie and John and their warm-hearted boyishness. Iris’s past haunts her and Montclair brings it to the foreground, especially now that Archie is dead and her old flame, police detective Mark Kinsey, is the Duplessis murder’s investigator. Kinsey is hateful to Iris, not knowing or understanding that her “infidelity” was a result of “what she had to do in the war.” Married and with a baby on the way, Iris leaves him be, but it’s evident she’s still in love with him and he’s still angry with her. All of these forces combine to make Iris’s life the centre of Gwen’s efforts to clear Sally and help and support Iris. If you’re a series fan, as I am, there’s much here to enjoy.

Above all, however, I’m always fascinated by any narrative dealing with war’s aftermath, the psychic wounds, difficult memories, doubts and guilt it leaves in its wake. As such, Iris is our walking wounded. Montclair writes Iris with her usual skill for sensitive, not sentimental, portrayal. She makes of Iris an ethical core with a seemingly hardened sarcastic, maybe even cynical, voice. But everyone knows a cynic often hides a hurt soul, damaged by the world. Gwen, on the other hand, soft, feminine, and beautiful, is everything kind, intelligent, and gracious. But I love how Montclair imbues her with steel and steely resolve for the people she loves. So, like some mystery readers who share this propensity, I read for the characters and not so much for the mystery puzzle which, in this case, as “puzzle”, I found overly convoluted. But I didn’t care as long as I had Gwen and Iris et. al. for company. I also thought Montclair’s portrait of the BBC’s early days fascinating, even to Gwen’s antennae installation and Sally’s references to “Ally Pally”. If you’ve yet to read the series, start with book one; if you’re a long-time fan, you’ll enjoy this one and anticipate the next.

Allison Montclair’s A Fine Thing In a Woman is published by Severn House (new publisher for Montclair!) and released on February 4th. I received an e-galley, from Severn House, via Netgalley. The above is my honest, AI-free opinion.

A great addition to this delightful and witty mystery series. As with all the other books in this series, the dialog between the main characters is sharp and witty. And fhe mystery is engaging enough to keep the reader guessing, while we follow life as it changes for the main characters.

When the Bainbridge family is invited to Alexandra Palace to see the rehearsals for a new BBC show the last thing Mrs Bainbridge expects is to get involved in another murder. However, when a Parisian showgirl is found garrotted, all clues lead to a wartime betrayal, something Miss Sparks knows a lot about.
This is the seventh book in a series and I have read many positive reviews so thought I'd try this one. At first it was really difficult to catch up with characters and previous plots, obviously, however once getting into the rhythm of the narrative I found myself rather enjoying this story. It's odd to call a crime book light but this is not the meatiest and darkest novel a reader can choose but it does bounce along. The story is short and succinct and all the better for it.

Another captivating case for the women of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. To fully enjoy this story, read the series in order. I’m not sure this would be as good as it is as a standalone book. Business seems to be going well in 1946-7 London for Gwen and Iris…proprietors of The Right Sort. Personally, both women are at a crossroads. Iris’s almost fiancé Archie has been killed and she’s slumped into a wine-fulled funk for months. Gwen has moved herself, her young son Ronnie and a small staff to her own home…leaving her overpowering in-laws. She’s started a romantic and intimate relationship with Iris’s friend a fellow WWII clandestine operative “Sally” Danielli. Their next murder case start with the arrival of a young French woman at The Right Sort who wants a British husband immediately and she doesn’t care who he is. As this isn’t the way that Gwen and Iris work, they only reluctantly agree to take her as a client. They set up her first date with a bachelor who they’ve had trouble matching. But, they are surprised the following night when said bachelor calls to complain that the woman who he met was rude and not at all interested in making a match through the Bureau. Things start to get messy when the young woman is found dead at the BBC studios where she was part of a can-can troop brought to London for a new TV show and it seems that the police have zeroed in on Sally as the killer. To help clear his name and find some justice for their former client, Gwen and Iris start their own murder investigation that leads to clandestine activities in occupied France during WWII, violations of the Official Secrets Act and additional deaths. As always, Gwen and Iris are up to the task and their characters continue have insight, depth and growth. I love this series.

Love mysteries from this time period! The dynamic between our main characters was great as well. Overall a good continuation of the series!