The Lady from
Burma
by Allison Montclair (Minotaur, 2023) is the forthcoming fifth book in the very
fine historical mystery series set in post-war London. People were still
staggering from the enormous losses of the war and thousands were searching for
a new purpose in life. Iris Sparks, recently of military intelligence, and Mrs. Gwendolyn
Bainbridge, widowed by the war, were at loose ends when they met quite by
accident. They established The Right Sort Marriage Bureau to help those seeking
partners along the path to matrimony. Women were not seen as entrepreneurs then
and they sometimes had trouble being taken seriously. But they had no shortage
of applicants.
Their newest
client is Mrs. Adela Remagen. Terminally ill and worried about the welfare of
her socially awkward insect-loving husband after she’s gone, she arranges with
the Bureau to find her husband a second wife. Mrs. Remagen dies shortly
thereafter in what seems to be a suicide but quickly is shown to be homicide. Sparks
and Bainbridge, appalled by the mistreatment of their client, immediately
become involved.
An important second
story line is the continuing attempt of Bainbridge to overturn the ruling of
lunacy that has taken away every single legal right she has including custody
of her son. She is at the mercy of an unsympathetic man who goes out of his way
to remind her of her helplessness. Montclair does an outstanding job of highlighting
the archaic laws of lunacy and how the legal system has been used to exploit
and abuse women. The system still exists, witness the years-long “guardianship”
of Britney Spears. It is a grim reminder of just how poorly the law protects
women.
The murder and
the motive behind it are one of the most deviously plotted pieces I’ve seen for
awhile. Brilliantly done. The growing respect of Lord Bainbridge for his
daughter-in-law is a pleasure to watch unfold. As always in these books, the
post-war setting is authoritative and the characters are razor sharp. Highly recommended.
·
Publisher: Minotaur Books (July 25, 2023)
·
Language: English
·
Hardcover: 336 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1250854199
·
ISBN-13: 978-1250854193
Aubrey
Nye Hamilton ©2023
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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