Again I am
here to extol the virtues of the next book in the Sparks and Bainbridge
historical mystery series written by Alan Gordon under the name Allison
Montclair. Alan
Gordon is a recently retired lawyer, author, lyricist, and librettist, who is
no stranger to the demands of writing a convincing historical mystery series.
Between 1999 and 2010 he wrote eight well-reviewed books in the Fool’s Guild
mysteries, set in early 13th century
Europe.
Gordon chose a completely different
time and place for his current series, but a fascinating one as well: post-war
London. The country is in social and economic upheaval, service personnel are
returning from overseas to find no jobs and sometimes bombed-out homes, and
shortages of all kinds are still wreaking havoc with the simple act of existing
day to day. He created two compelling, very different characters: Miss Iris
Sparks, formerly of an intelligence unit, and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, widow
of an Air Force pilot from an aristocrat family. Both of them are looking for a
fresh start when they meet and decide to form an agency to facilitate marriage
among the lonely and unattached members of the London populace. The series
debut earned starred
reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus and selection as the
best mystery of 2020 by the American Library Association’s Reading List.
Six books into the series and the
duo are pleased with their success. They are making enough money to hire a
secretary and they moved into a larger office. In Murder at the White Palace
(Minotaur, release date July 30, 2024) Gwen suggests throwing a New Year’s Eve
party for their clients as a sort of large-scale effort to match them up. The
biggest roadblock was a venue that they could afford. Archie Spelling, Iris’s
admirer, offered one of his buildings under renovation. He expedited the
clean-up, during which a body was discovered. The initial assumption was that
another victim of the Blitz had been discovered until further examination
showed otherwise.
Since Spelling’s business ventures
were often somewhat dubious, the police believed the victim was one of
Spelling’s erstwhile competitors. Iris of course could not have Spelling
wrongfully accused so she and Gwen went to work once again as investigators.
They are also addressing changes in their personal lives. Gwen is now
in the possession of her inheritance. She is quietly searching for a home away
from her controlling in-laws where she can raise her son. Iris is steeling
herself to introduce her wrong-side-of-the-tracks boyfriend to her Member of
Parliament mother and then to meet his family at the wedding of his
nephew.
The characters of Iris
and Gwen continue to grow here. Gwen gathers strength and self-confidence as
she navigates the world without the husband she thought she needed. Iris is
shedding the loner lifestyle she had adopted as she moves toward deeper
involvement with Archie and his large family.
A major plot twist
suggests even greater changes in the not distant future. Followers of the
series will be waiting with bated breath for the seventh book.
Highly recommended,
especially for fans of historical mysteries and of mysteries with strong female
leads.
·
Publisher: Minotaur Books (July 30,
2024)
·
Language: English
·
Hardcover: 320 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1250854210
·
ISBN-13: 978-1250854216
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3z1a3PH
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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