ARC Review: The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair

The Lady from Burma
Author: Allison Montclair
Series: Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery (Book 5)
Publication: Minotaur Books (July 25, 2023)

Description: 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.

My Thoughts: 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. 

Favorite Quote:

"Sally won't say a word. He is being a perfect gentleman about it."

"Then why should I be any different?"

"Because we are women," said Iris. "And women are required to discuss matters of the heart with their closest female friends."

"Who made that rule?"

"We did. The Secret Society of Women Who Are Still Dating. You must have missed the meeting."

"Was it a close vote?"

"Not at all. So spill it, sister, or I shall be forced to write you up for a violation."

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