Overview

In London, 1946, Miss Iris Sparks--co-proprietor of the Right Sort Marriage Bureau--has to deal with aspects of her past exploits during the recent war that have come back around to haunt her. The Right Sort Marriage Bureau was founded in 1946 by two disparate individuals: Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, whose husband was killed in the recent World War, and Miss Iris Sparks, who worked as an intelligence agent during the recent conflict, although this is not discussed. While the agency flourishes in the post-war climate, both founders have to deal with some of the fallout that that conflict created in their personal lives. Miss Sparks finds herself followed, then approached, by a young woman who has a very personal connection to a former paramour of Sparks. But something is amiss, and it seems that Iris's past may well cause something far more deadly than mere disruption in her personal life. Meanwhile, Gwendolyn is struggling to regain full legal control of her life, her finances, and her son-- a legal path strewn with traps and pitfalls. Together these indomitable two are determined and capable and not just of making the perfect marriage match.

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Reviews

A believable postwar tale with troubled heroines who must juggle lovers, spies, and an unexpected villain. -- Kirkus Reviews The snappy dialogue, charming characters, and high stakes will have readers racing through this novel to discover who is truly responsible for the crime. Montclair portrays 1940s speech and culture well, with many allusions to postwar concerns. -- Library Journal The solution to the crime is both surprising and fair to the careful reader. Montclair's capable, funny, and fully developed leads set a gold standard for the amateur sleuth subgenre. Dorothy Sayers's fans will hope this series has a long run. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) A delightful immersion in the period and personalities, with that touch of depth that transforms a good series to a great one. -- Laurie R. King, New York Times bestselling author

Author Information

Allison Montclair grew up devouring hand-me-down Agatha Christie paperbacks and James Bond movies. As a result of this deplorable upbringing, Montclair became addicted to tales of crime, intrigue, and espionage. Montclair's spare time is now spent poking through the corners, nooks, and crannies of history, searching for the odd mysterious bits and transforming them into novels of their own. Montclair is the author of The Right Sort of Man, A Royal Affair, and A Rogue's Company--the previous novels in the Sparks and Bainbridge series.

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