Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Fire Must Burn by Allison Montclair

  

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 20^th 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.

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: An Excellent Thing in a Woman by Allison Montclair

Alan Gordon is turning out one fine book after another in his historical mystery series about two women at loose ends after the end of World War II. Gordon is a 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.

Under the name Allison Montclair, Gordon chose a completely different time and place for his current series. He created two compelling characters: Miss Iris Sparks, formerly of Cambridge and 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, a group to which they belong. The series earns consistent acclaim from critics and readers alike.

In the seventh title An Excellent Thing in a Woman (Severn House, 2025) Sally (Salvatore) Danielli, Iris’s long-time friend, has found work with the BBC and the new medium of television. He sends one of his new coworkers to Iris and Gwen for matrimonial assistance. Unfortunately both of them come under suspicion when a dancer from Paris is found strangled in a BBC props storage room.

The plot reaches deep into the past of several characters, including Iris, and their wartime service, reminding the reader that the war for many was not far away. As usual, Iris and Gwen swing into action to rescue their friends and clients. Their growing confidence in each other’s support is one of the deeply attractive aspects of the running story line, as is their amusing chatter. I found the details about the budding television industry of the late 1940s of especial interest. Gwen purchased a state-of-the-art model for her home with an impressive 12-inch screen. The installation of the rooftop antenna fascinated the neighborhood.

With this title, publication of this series transfers to Severn House. I am sorry that Minotaur did not see the value of retaining this popular and historically accurate series. I hope that Gordon and his agent find a way to keep it in print for years to come.

 

·         Publisher: Severn House; Main edition (February 4, 2025)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Hardcover: ‎224 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎144831237X

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1448312375

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3CJtqyG

 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Lesa's Book Critiques: Winners and a July Giveaway

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Winners and a July Giveaway

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Murder at the White Palace by Allison Montclair

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.

Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS AND HISTORICAL MYSTERY GIVEAWAY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS AND HISTORICAL MYSTERY GIVEAWAY

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair

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.

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Unkept Woman by Allison Montclair

Alan Gordon is a lawyer, author, lyricist, and librettist, an interesting mix of career interests. Between 1999 and 2010 he wrote eight books in the Fool’s Guild mysteries, set in early 13th century Europe, and in 2019 launched a new historical series under the name Allison Montclair. In September 2020 I burbled in this space about the debut of Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, proprietors of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, in 1946 London, England. https://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/2020/09/aubrey-hamilton-reviews-right-sort-of.html

Since then Gordon has released three more volumes of their adventures as well as a separately published short story. The fifth is scheduled to be published next summer. The fourth is The Unkept Woman (Minotaur, 2022), which focuses more on the personal lives of the main characters than on their marriage bureau and its clientele. Iris Sparks, who worked in covert operations during the war, is startled to find that her past has come alive again. First she realizes she is being followed on her way to the office one morning. Her shadow is not especially competent so Iris knows it’s no one professionally trained but she cannot think who might be interested in trailing her. Her musings on this subject are pushed aside when she returns to her apartment to find an earlier paramour has returned and is planning on hiding there.

In the meantime widowed Gwendolyn Bainbridge decides to take formal action to claim her inheritance, which would result in independence from her in-laws. The interview with the lawyer who might undertake the job for her highlights just how unusual the idea of a woman starting her own business was for the time. It was hilarious, as Gwen conscientiously reveals the sideline in homicide she and Iris have inadvertently developed. He assures her that anyone involved with as many murders as she seems to have been will not be viewed as responsible enough to manage her own affairs by the judiciary so she agrees to avoid murders for the duration, a bargain she is unable to keep as the story unfolds.

The authentic backdrop of post-war London with its bombed-out buildings and shortages of every kind is one of this series’ high points. Gordon’s research is impressive. Gwen and Iris are charming creations and I am looking forward to their next adventure, when I hope attention returns to their burgeoning enterprise. Highly recommended.

Starred review from Publishers Weekly.

  

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.