A rogue's company

The third entry in the Sparks & Bainbridge series (following A Royal Affair, 2020) brings the mystery closer to home. Upper-class Gwen and feisty Iris are making a go of their marriage bureau, the Right Sort, in postwar London. But Gwen is troubled because her father-in-law, Lord Bainbridge, is returning from Africa, and she knows he'll insist that her young son, Ronnie, be sent to a strict boarding school. Bainbridge quickly makes his overbearing presence felt, but Gwen and Iris learn that not all is as it seems with the man. Soon Gwen is caught up in a revenge plot that may endanger her life as well as that of her father-in-law. It's hard to imagine a wittier, more delightfully daring duo than Sparks and Bainbridge. Yet these women are not fluffy characters. Each struggles, Gwen with the ramifications of a mental breakdown, and Iris with events during her war service that continue to haunt her. Sharply plotted and filled with a robust cast of supporting characters, this is a mystery that both stands on its own and neatly links previous series entries.

An artfully constructed puzzle and dry humor lift Montclair's excellent third mystery featuring professional matchmakers and amateur sleuths Iris Sparks and Gwen Bainbridge in post-WWII London (after 2020's A Royal Affair). The Right Sort Marriage Bureau gets its first client of color in the form of Simon Daile, a native of Nyasaland, a British colony where Gwen's father-in-law owns plantations. Simon came to England years before to study advanced agricultural techniques that he could then share with his countrymen. The war derailed his plans, and Simon, who lacks the funds to continue his education, intends to settle down in England with his white spouse, who shares his Christian faith and openness to travel. Gwen believes Simon hasn't been honest with them, a suspicion enhanced after she gets evidence that he's been stalking her. The subsequent shooting murder of an unidentified African and an abduction that strikes close to home raise the stakes. Montclair's feisty leads continue to develop as psychologically plausible characters. Phryne Fisher devotees will clamor for more. (June)

A genteel war widow and her street-wise business partner far exceed their modest job descriptions in their third postwar outing. Gwendolyn Bainbridge has a fight on her hands to regain custody of her son, Ronnie, from the firm grip of her domineering father-in-law, Lord Harold Bainbridge. Her recent stay in a sanatorium after she lost her husband in World War II has labeled her an unfit parent even though she and her friend Iris Sparks have enjoyed success in operating The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Running an expanding business and taking martial arts classes give Gwen a greater sense of control in her battles with Lord Bainbridge, and Iris, a former counterintelligence operative a little too fond of the bottle, supplies both much-needed pep talks and hard-won perspective. But then Gwen discovers that her late husband's share--now hers--of her father-in-law's copper and munitions business is also under Lord Bainbridge's thumb. A mysterious Right Sort client with more on his mind than finding a bride, a dead body near the dust bins behind Bainbridge's exclusive men's club, and Gwen's unintended interruption of a nefarious scheme call on her wits, her newfound skills, and Iris' shady but effective gallery of friends. From the drawing room to the back alley, murder is no match for this unlikely pair of marriage brokers. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.