ARC Review: The Unkept Woman by Allison Montclair

The Unkept Woman
Author: Allison Montclair
Series: Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery (Book 4)
Publication: Minotaur Books (July 26, 2022)

Description: Allison Montclair returns with the fourth Sparks & Bainbridge mystery, The Unkept Woman: London, 1946, Miss Iris Sparks--currently co-proprietor of the Right Sort Marriage Bureau--has to deal with aspects of her past exploits during the recent war that have come back around to haunt her.

The Right Sort Marriage Bureau was founded in 1946 by two disparate individuals - Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge (whose husband was killed in the recent World War) and Miss Iris Sparks who worked as an intelligence agent during the recent conflict, though this is not discussed. While the agency flourishes in the post-war climate, both founders have to deal with some of the fallout that conflict created in their personal lives. Miss Sparks finds herself followed, then approached, by a young woman who has a very personal connection to a former paramour of Sparks. But something is amiss and it seems that Iris's past may well cause something far more deadly than mere disruption in her personal life. Meanwhile, Gwendolyn is struggling to regain full legal control of her life, her finances, and her son - a legal path strewn with traps and pitfalls.

Together these indomitable two are determined and capable and not just of making the perfect marriage match.

My Thoughts: This fourth Sparks & Bainbridge mystery continues the adventures of Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge. 

When a woman comes to the Right Sort Marriage Bureau, it is under false pretenses she'd really like to find Iris's former lover. Iris had dumped him some months earlier but is still living in the apartment he provided when she was his mistress. When he shows up again, she leaves to stay with Gwen. But when that woman's body is discovered in the apartment, the first thought is that it is Iris. It is soon discovered that Iris is still alive and now she's a suspect in the woman's death.

Since both her ex-lover and the woman are spies, there is little that Iris can do to help the police in their investigations. Iris has cut ties with her intelligence gathering past and now that past has cut ties with her leaving her alone to solve the problem.

Meanwhile, Gwen is in the process of trying to prove her competency after her nervous breakdown at the death of her husband. She needs to stay out of trouble if she wants to regain her independence, her fortune, and her son. All of them are under the control of her father-in-law. But she can't abandon Iris in her time of need. 

I enjoyed this mystery. The setting is well drawn and the characters well-rounded. The dialog is crisp and snappy. I enjoyed the way the characters are both trying to rebuild their lives after World War II. 

Favorite Quote:

"So I should drop her as a suspect because she's a more proficient murderer than whoever did this?"

"Something like that."

"I'm so tired that that actually makes sense," said Cavendish, yawning. "God help me."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.