ARC Review: The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Allison Goodman

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies
Author: Alison Goodman
Series: The Ill-Mannered Ladies
Publication: Berkley (May 30, 2023)

Description: A high society amateur detective at the heart of Regency London uses her wits and invisibility as an ‘old maid’ to protect other women in a new and fiercely feminist historical mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Alison Goodman.

Lady Augusta Colebrook, “Gus,” is determinedly unmarried, bored by society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two. She and her twin sister, Julia, who is grieving her dead betrothed, need a distraction. One soon presents itself: to rescue their friend’s goddaughter, Caroline, from her violent husband.

The sisters set out to Caroline’s country estate with a plan, but their carriage is accosted by a highwayman. In the scuffle, Gus accidentally shoots and injures the ruffian, only to discover he is Lord Evan Belford, an acquaintance from their past who was charged with murder and exiled to Australia twenty years ago. What follows is a high adventure full of danger, clever improvisation, heart-racing near misses, and a little help from a revived and rather charming Lord Evan.

Back in London, Gus can’t stop thinking about her unlikely (not to mention handsome) comrade-in-arms. She is convinced Lord Evan was falsely accused of murder, and she is going to prove it. She persuades Julia to join her in a quest to help Lord Evan, and others in need—society be damned! And so begins the beguiling secret life and adventures of the Colebrook twins.

My Thoughts: This story set in Regency London is a mystery and contains a lot of social commentary. Lady Augusta Colebrook and her twin sister Lady Julia are unmarried and 42. Julia, who is still grieving the death of her fiance needs a distraction and Gus decides that looking into problems of society women will be a way to distract her. 

Their first adventure takes them to Vauxhall's Dark Walk to retrieve some compromising letters one of their friends wrote to a man who was quite a bit less than a gentleman. They manage to retrieve the letters without parting with the diamond necklace that was supposed to be payment. Their second case flows out of their first. Their friend's niece is in grave danger from her husband and needs to be rescued. 

On their way to rescue the young woman, they are beset by highwaymen, but Gus is handy with a pistol and wounds one of the villains. He turns out to be Lord Evan Belford, a member of their social set, who was convicted of murder after a duel and sent to the penal colony at New South Wales in Australia. He's back because he has heard disturbing news about his younger sister. He escaped before completing his sentence and has both a Bow Street Runner and a thief-taker on his trail. 

After a hair-raising rescue mission, Lord Evan goes his way leaving Gus disappointed but intrigued. There are two more cases - rescuing young girls kidnapped to work in brothels and rescuing Lord Evan's sister from an insane asylum. Each case exposes the dark side of Regency London. Each case also allows Gus to be both active and useful.

Historical detail includes the rights of women during the Regency which were minimal and the treatment of the mentally ill which were appalling. Lady Julia's possible breast cancer also illuminates the state of medicine at the time. 

I enjoyed this story with its historical detail and engaging characters. I'm looking forward to more stories about Lord Evan, Lady Augusta, and Lady Julia.

Favorite Quote:

I looked across at him, all my fear suddenly welling up. "Will it work? Can we do this?"

He reached across the table. I met his hand with my own in the center, our fingers curling into one another. "The only thing guaranteed is that something will happen, good or bad," he said soberly. "But we have out wits, our courage, the excellent support of your sister and Weatherly, and" -- his eyes fixed upon his portmanteau under the bureau, the glint appearing again -- "if all that fails, we have a loaded pistol."

I snorted and released his hand. "A speech to rival Nelson's." Yet I did feel reassured. 

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