I think I enjoyed A Royal Affair (#980) even more than Allison Montclair's debut novel in the Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery series, The Right Sort of Man (See my post of 9/30/19.) As London begins to rebuild itself after the ravages of WWII, people need help rebuilding their lives as well. Thus, the Right Sort Marriage Bureau was born from a chance meeting at a wedding.
Gwen Bainbridge, an aristocratic war widow, has teamed up with Iris Sparks, a woman of many useful skills gained from her work during the war. Their fledgling business had some success, most notably in aiding the police in solving the murder of one of their clients. A new customer turns out to be Gwen's cousin, who works for the Queen. She wants to hire the pair to vet a marriage prospect. Princess Elizabeth has been sent letters demanding money in exchange for some potentially damaging letters concerning Prince Philip of Greece. The Palace needs to know through discreet sources what the nature of the threat is, and whether or not it is real.
As Gwen and Iris search for answers in murky political waters, the stakes are upped when they discover a body at a rendezvous, and traps laid for them. Above all, the happiness of the future monarch hangs in the balance.
A Royal Affair was an especially poignant read, as I had just watched Prince Philip's funeral on TV. At least there was no doubt that Sparks & Bainbridge would get to the bottom of this affair! These mysteries contain just the right balance of action, humor and moral dilemmas to keep things interesting. Gwen is struggling to regain custody of her beloved son from her controlling in-laws after her breakdown following her husband's death. Iris, though brash and confident on the outside, is trying to cope with the psychic wounds and betrayals from her Intelligence work during the war. Both find unexpected friendship and purpose through the Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Please keep more mysteries coming!
I just have to add one more comment about the cover art on A Royal Affair. Ugh! The more I looked at the main figure, the uglier it got - the claw-like hands, the bulging left buttock, and out of proportion body. Not to mention that the kiss the figure is watching never happens in the book. It's not even hinted at! I hope they find a new person to illustrate future Sparks & Bainbridge Mysteries, or I may be forced to cover them in brown paper before I can read them! Just my opinion.
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