Review: A Most Agreeable Murder

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I cannot believe that I am only at the 10% mark in this book and have already laughed several times, hard enough to nearly wet myself.

This book reminds me very much of one of my beloved historical romances  but with a little more whimsy!

I let you know more as soon as I finish it!

Well, I finished, and it was a read that was well worth my time. There are a lot of giggles, a tiny bit of romance, and a very, very complicated murder with many red herrings.

I don't know how to describe this book. I sure wasn't your typical historical. Instead, it was a delightful mix of Regency historical, comedy, and mystery.

All I can say is do yourself a favor and try this book. You can't go wrong. There is something in it for every type of reader.

I hope there will be more stories set in Swampshire (even the name of the town gives me a fit of giggles), and I would love to know more about Mary. If you read this, you too will be curious about just how the author will treat Mary. Is she what I think she is, or is there another explanation? Only one way to find out!!!

*ARC supplied by the publisher Random House, the author, and NetGalley.


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SYNOPSIS: "When a wealthy bachelor drops dead at a ball, a young lady takes on the decidedly improper role of detective in this action-packed debut comedy of manners and murder.

"If you grew up reading Jane Austen and Agatha Christie (or are a fan of Bridgerton and Knives Out), you will adore A Most Agreeable Murder."--Kate Stayman-London, bestselling author of One to Watch

Feisty, passionate Beatrice Steele has never fit the definition of a true lady, according to the strict code of conduct that reigns in Swampshire, her small English township--she is terrible at needlework, has absolutely no musical ability, and her artwork is so bad it frightens people. Nevertheless, she lives a perfectly agreeable life with her marriage-scheming mother, prankster father, and two younger sisters-- beautiful Louisa and forgettable Mary. But she harbors a dark secret: She is obsessed with the true crime cases she reads about in the newspaper. If anyone in her etiquette-obsessed community found out, she'd be deemed a morbid creep and banished from respectable society forever.

For her family's sake, she's vowed to put her obsession behind her. Because eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth is set to attend the approaching autumnal ball, and the Steele family hopes that Louisa will steal his heart. If not, Martin Grub, their disgusting cousin, will inherit the family's estate, and they will be ruined or, even worse, forced to move to France. So Beatrice must be on her best behavior . . . which is made difficult when a disgraced yet alluring detective inexplicably shows up to the ball.

Beatrice is just holding things together when Croaksworth drops dead in the middle of a minuet. As a storm rages outside, the evening descends into a frenzy of panic, fear, and betrayal as it becomes clear they are trapped with a killer. Contending with competitive card games, tricky tonics, and Swampshire's infamous squelch holes, Beatrice must rise above decorum and decency to pursue justice and her own desires--before anyone else is murdered."