Author: Allison Montclair
Series: Sparks & Bainbridge Mysteries (Book 8)
Publication: Severn House (January 6, 2026)
Description: The owners of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau are back, and more determined than ever to bring love matches to the residents of Post-WWII London . . . so something as trivial as being dragged into a spy mission isn’t going to stop them!
Sparks fly when an old friend comes to town . . .
London, 1947. After recent events have left the normally steadfast Iris Sparks thoroughly shaken, she’s looking forward to some peace. With The Right Sort doing well, she and business partner Gwen Bainbridge are due a holiday. Until Iris’s former boss enlists their help for a secret mission.
Iris, who left British intelligence after the war, is being recruited for her Cambridge connection to one Anthony Danforth. She hasn’t seen Tony in almost ten years, yet she and Gwen must manipulate him into hiring their marriage service.
Tony’s suspected of being a Soviet operative, and an undercover agent posing as his perfect match could discover the truth. Despite her reluctance at being dragged back into the world of espionage, Iris agrees. After all, Tony was once a very good friend. If he’s innocent, she’ll happily prove it. If not? Well, no one ever said being a spy was easy . . .
Those who enjoy reading Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher Mysteries and Dorothy Sayers will adore this warm and witty historical mystery!
My Thoughts: Iris's past is the focus of this 8th book in the Sparks & Bainbridge series. The Brigadier who was Iris's boss when she was a spy during World War II has come to her because he is suspicious of a man returning from China.
Tony Danforth was Iris's friend when they were both students at Cambridge. Iris is torn between her old friendship and the possibility that Tony is an agent for the Communists. To determine if this is true, Iris and Gwen convince him to become a patron of their marriage bureau and match him with an agent the Brigadier has inserted.
When Tony is firebombed in his new flat, Iris and Gwen get involved in finding out why. If it has something to do with his political leanings, they have one answer. But Iris believes that it has more to do with something that happened while they were students at Cambridge. This event is shrouded in mystery but did result in the suicide of one of Iris's other friends.
I enjoyed the flashbacks to Iris's university days. I also like the way Gwen and Iris work as a team. I enjoy their strong friendship.
I bought this one January 16, 2026. You can buy your copy here.
I bought this one January 16, 2026. You can buy your copy here.
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