Review: The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair
I always forget I love mystery novels until I am reading a mystery novel. Maybe this book will be the spark (see what I did there?) that will lead me into a hole full of untimely death and other elements of the criminal.
I had so much fun reading this book! The Right Sort of Man is about Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge and Miss. Iris Sparks, proprietors of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau! Their little business is doing fine during the summer of 1946, setting up couples in a London rebuilding from World War 2. Both women (and the rest of London we encounter) have been deeply affected by the war. Gwen lost her husband and is not entangled in a battle over her son with her inlaws. Iris has a mysterious past relating to the war effort, she is a stone-cold badass, and you know immediately she has certainly killed a man on behalf of England. These women are very different but have such a satisfying, funny, sweet relationship, and they are excellent partners. Our story starts when Tillie, a woman looking for love in the first chapter, is found murdered and the police think the man Iris and Gwen set her up with is the perpetrator. With Gwen spearheading, the women dive into Tillie's life trying to find her real murderer while also handling their critical issues in their personal lives.
I loved this book! I was hooked trying to find the murderer, but along the way, I was really invested most in Gwen's fight to regain custody of her son from her mother-in-law. The emotional core of this story is so strong, and most certainly brought me to tears.
The reveal of the murderer was so well timed, Montclair, a pen name for an author I cannot suss out, did a perfect reader figures it out RIGHT before the characters do. There was so much tension. I didn't love the motive, but it made sense and was very well executed.
This was a fantastic start of a series; I cannot wait for book two! I want to see what Iris and Gwen get up to next!
ARC provided by the publisher! All opinions are honest and my own!
This book is currently out! Go get it!
