My Christmas
Eve read was an early copy of Fire Must Burn, the eighth book in the
Sparks and Bainbridge series by Allison Montclair, which I was fortunate enough
to be given the opportunity to read via NetGalley. The latest in this excellent
historical mystery series is due to be released on 6 January 2026 by Severn
House. Severn House has been a reliable source of good mysteries and thrillers
for more than 40 years. I was concerned when I saw that the firm had been
acquired recently by Joffe Books, since consolidation of publishing houses
often means authors lose their contracts and readers lose favorite series.
However, Joffe also has a considerable interest in crime fiction, I know
because I subscribe to their newsletter, and my fingers are crossed that the
author list at Severn House remains unchanged. Or expands. Expansion would be
good, too.
Iris Sparks
and Gwen Bainbridge continue on their quest to match the lovelorn members of
the post-war London populace via their marriage bureau, The Right Sort. On the
personal front, Gwen is settled into her own house away from her demanding
in-laws and enjoying her flourishing relationship with Iris’s Cambridge friend
Salvatore Danielli, or Sally, as everyone calls him. It is lovely to see her
relaxed and enjoying life. Iris on the other hand is still grieving the loss of
her fiancé and is drinking far more than she should.
Her life is
further complicated when her manager from her wartime British Intelligence
service contacts her and tells her that one of her Cambridge friends is
suspected of being a Russian agent. The Brigadier wants Iris to find a way to
coax her friend, recently returned from China, into subscribing to the services
of The Right Sort and to match him with a British agent who can dig more
deeply.
Neither Iris
nor Gwen appreciate having their service exploited in this way but see no way
of avoiding it. Iris has not seen Tony Danforth for nearly 10 years but she remembers
him with affection and can’t believe that he would betray his country. She
manages to visit a bookstore at the same time he does, he loves books too, and
her assignment proceeds as expected. Until Tony’s apartment is bombed and he is
severely burned. The questions of why and how become the next investigation of
the intrepid Sparks and Bainbridge.
Flashbacks to
the mid-1930s and Iris’s days at Cambridge describe her history with Danforth,
which help explain her feelings about Danforth now. There are some informative
bits about the status of women at Cambridge. Despite allowing women to study at
the university, Cambridge did not award full degrees to women until 1948, about
the time of this story.
As usual,
Gwen and Iris combine their disparate skills and jointly work through the criminal
problem as well as answer a couple of questions that arise along the way. Their
developing friendship is a highlight of these books.
The societal
inequities to which women were subjected during the first half of the 20th
century (and sometimes still are) is an ongoing theme for Montclair. Unfortunately
she has no shortage of material. This title highlights some of those injustices
while spinning a very good mystery with some fine plot twists. Starred review
from Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly calls the book “a treat.” Recommended!
·
Publisher: Severn House
·
Publication date: January 6, 2026
·
Edition: Main
·
Language: English
·
Print length: 256 pages
·
ISBN-10: 144831593X
·
ISBN-13: 978-1448315932
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4pVGpRe
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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