This is the third installment in Allison Montclair's "Sparks and Bainbridge" series and it was equally as entertaining as the previous two (The Right Sort of Man and A Royal Affair). Things have been going well at the Right Sort Marriage Bureau after the monetary reward from the last book and, as a result, a new character has been added, secretary/ receptionist Mrs. Billington. This time around Gwen is the victim of a kidnapping, along with her hostile father-in-law, recently returned from Africa. Lady Bainbridge receives a note demanding ransom and warning not to contact the police. She turns to the only person she knows that she thinks might be able to help--Iris--who leaps into action, calling on her friend Sally and her paramour Archie. A parallel plotline involves Simon Daile, the bureau's first client of color and why he is apparently stalking Gwen. There is also a new romantic twist revealed.
Booklist gushes "It's hard to imagine a wittier, more delightfully daring duo than Sparks and Bainbridge. Yet these women are not fluffy characters. Each struggles, Gwen with the ramifications of a mental breakdown, and Iris with events during her war service that continue to haunt her. Sharply plotted and filled with a robust cast of supporting characters, this is a mystery that both stands on its own and neatly links previous series entries." Publishers Weekly opens their review with this praise "An artfully constructed puzzle and dry humor lift Montclair’s excellent third mystery featuring professional matchmakers and amateur sleuths Iris Sparks and Gwen Bainbridge in post-WWII London..." and concludes "Montclair’s feisty leads continue to develop as psychologically plausible characters. Phryne Fisher devotees will clamor for more."
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