I want to read more of Bainbridge and Soarks, the two marriage bureau ladies who solve crimes. Light reading and amusing character portrayals gave this book of nurder an Agatha Christie-like feel without being heavy. ( )

Gwendolyn and Iris own a marriage agency. They have been hired by Mrs Adela to find her husband a new wife. Mrs. Adela is dying of cancer and she wants her husband to have someone to take care of him after her death. But, when Mrs. Adela is found dead in Epping Forest of an apparent suicide, the clues do not add up!

I loved these two ladies. Not only are they witty, they are great friends to each other, not just work partners. I was captivated with Gwendolyn and her plight. It seems Gwendolyn has been in a sanitarium and she is trying to dissolve her conservatorship and boy is this a process. I have not read any of the books in this series. It is not necessary that you do so, BUT…the sanitarium story is something I must go back and find out!

I enjoyed how this mystery unfolded. It is not at all what I expected when I picked this book up. This would be a perfect read for by the pool or on the beach.

Need a good, Agatha Christie like mystery…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion. ( )

World War II is over and things are getting back to normal, but it might be a new normal. Before the war it was a man’s world, but in their absence women stepped up and it might be hard to get them all back into their boxes. Women performed roles during the war, experienced losses during the war, and everyone is London is trying to find their footing again.

Iris and Gwen are opposite in personality but compatible, successful business partners. Their business goal is simple: make suitable matches through their The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Yes, it sounds simple, but somehow they always end up being detectives, involved in murder, finding themselves in danger. Many of the men they encounter still believe it’s strictly a man’s world and respect, cooperation and often basic manners from these men are hard to come by.

The Sparks and Bainbridge Mystery Series is engaging and entertaining. Iris and Gwen are clever, determined and dedicated to making their business a success and to supporting each other both personally and professionally. The plots are well-paced, with lots of twists and turns and clues leading to solving the mystery. By this, the fifth book in the series, I think the pace needs to pick up a little; Iris and Gwen seem to be stuck in the same old ruts. But The Lady from Burma was still a good read with a satisfying ending.

Thanks to St. Martin's Publishing Group for providing an advance copy of The Lady from Burma via NetGalley for my reading pleasure and honest opinion. I enjoyed this book and voluntarily leave this review. All opinions are my own. ( )

Once again, Allison Montclair [pseudonym of Alan Gordon] has a winner in the newest Sparks and Bainbridge historical mystery, The Lady from Burma. The various clients who walk through the doors of the Right Sort Marriage Bureau keep readers firmly in tune with post-World War II London and all the types of people who are trying to put their lives back together.

The solutions to the deaths of the client and the conservator certainly kept me guessing, but I was even more interested in Gwen Bainbridge's fight to regain legal control of her life. Gwen basically came unglued when her husband was killed in the war, and the depth of her grief caused her husband's aristocratic family to take away custody of her young son and to have her committed to a mental institution. It's been an uphill battle, but it is obvious to all the readers of this series that it's more than time for Gwen to be back in charge. Her relationship with her in-laws has evolved slowly, and she's made the effort to learn how to deal with her income once she has it in her own control. What's maddening is her reaction-- in court and directly afterward-- to the machinations of her conservator. I wanted to give her a little shake and yell, "Snap out of it!" Not that I've fallen under the spell of these characters or anything...

An absorbing mystery, the engrossing lives of the two main characters, a pitch-perfect setting, and witty dialogue that absolutely sparkles. I love this series and hope that it continues for a good long time. If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Iris Sparks and Gwen Bainbridge, I suggest you begin at the beginning with The Right Sort of Man. These two very different women make quite a formidable team.

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley) ( )

Those Detective ladies!—Rip roaring adventure once again!

I’m on tenterhooks the whole time I read an Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge novel. The ‘Lady from Burma’ was no exception.
A client whose suffering from cancer seeks the help of the Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Mrs. Adela Remagen wants to make a booking for her husband for use after her death. But apparently she now seems to have suicided out of London in Epping Forest, Essex County.
Meanwhile Gwen has being invited to a Bainbridge board meeting as an observer and seems to be running afoul of her lunacy guardian.
Gwen’s courtcase to remove the lunacy clause doesn’t go according to plan.
And that’s just the beginning. I can say no more without revealing too much.
Suffice to say there’s a great deal of dirty work coming at the ladies from more than one direction
A page turner indeed!

A St. Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher. ( )