Reminds me of Jeeves more than Jane Austin. LIke in Jeeves I just don't appreciate the quirky characters and the farce. I did find the mystery interesting to solve, and there were many twists so it was very readable. ( )

Swampshire with its luminescent frogs and frequent hailstorms is home to Beatrice Steele, a young lady who manages to skirt the edges and rules of decorum. She is terrible at needlework, has no musical ability and her artwork is frightful. She has a secret that if disclosed would be her ruin - she loves solving murders.

Things are going to get tricky as the family sets off to an elaborate party with the intention of encouraging the most wealthy and eligible bachelor to marry one of their daughters to save them from losing their home and abject penury. Beatrice’s father, Mr. Steele is a prankster of the most outrageous type and her mother is the pushiest, non-feminist imaginable while Louisa, the beautiful, sweet and marriageable daughter has her own issues. There is another daughter, Mary, who no one notices and her comments regarding this while sad are also extremely amusing. The immediate problem is that Mr. Croaksworth, the prospective bridegroom is about to become totally unavailable, which is going to give Beatrice her opportunity to solve a murder.

The author admits to combining her favorite things: mayhem, manners, and solving murders into this frothy, a little too over-the-top Regency period mystery. I am rounding up for an entertaining effort.Many thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a copy. ( )

This novel is a mash up of gothic, country house mystery, and comedy of manners,with a touch of "Clue" thrown in for good measure. When Beatrice and her sisters go to an autumn ball, they never expect to become part of solving the murder of a guest. The stormy weather, crumbling mansion, and swampy setting add to the darkness of the scene. In addition, every character in the story has a motive, means, and opportunity. The focus shifts often and keeps the reader guessing.

While the names of the characters are rather Dickensian, and foreshadow things to come, the author mixes in etiquette rules and manners reminiscent of Jane Austen. In honor of Dame Agatha and Conan Doyle, the elements of detection play a large part in this novel.

Although it is quite a hilarious story in some ways, the plot development dragged on way too long for me. The inclusion of other documents alternating with the chapters, such as play scripts, notes, and commentaries, seemed confusing to me, as did the end of the story. However, I did enjoy the author notes at the end, almost more than the story, which contains many clever and just plain weird elements.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions contained here are entirely my own. ( )

A Most Agreeable Murder was super fun, quick read. I mainly enjoyed the audiobook narration, and that production was very nice. The story takes place in the fictional place of Swampshire in England during the regency period. Beatrice Steele is the main protagonist, and her family are invited to the autumnal ball. Beatrice has a secret — she enjoys detective work and wishes to become an investigator. Well, she gets her chance when a murder takes place, and she, along with the dashing Inspector Drake, try to find out whodunit. This story will have readers guessing and wondering and piecing the clues along with the detectives. Super fun read! And it has all the intrigue of a classic Jane Austen novel. ( )

Happy Publication Day!
June 27, 2023

3.75⭐️


Satirical, humorous, a tad silly yet twisty A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales is a locked room mystery set in Regency-era England. A spoof of Regency-era romances and tropes and Agatha Christie-ish mysteries, the story revolves around twenty-five-year-old Beatrice Steele of Swampshire, England (known for its squelch holes). Beatrice is the eldest of three daughters. Her mother is eager to find her daughters suitable matches given that in the absence of a male heir their assets would be inherited by a distant cousin (the utterly revolting Mr. Martin Grub, who seems quite taken with Beatrice) upon Mr. Steele’s demise. The annual Autumnal Ball at Stabmort Park, hosted by the Ashwoods, one of Swampshire’s most influential families, with a particularly affluent and eligible bachelor in attendance has Mrs. Steele hopeful to make a match for one of her daughters. When a murder takes place at the venue, Beatrice finds herself assisting Inspector Vivek Drake (the former assistant of renowned London detective Sir Huxley of whom Beatrice is a huge fan and whose exploits she secretly follows). The strict code of conduct for Swampshire ladies (as explicitly stated in The Lady’s Guide to Swampshire) forbids them to show any interest in such morbid matters along with other norms failing which might result in being banished or exiled to France. Beatrice is thrilled at the opportunity to try her hand at solving an actual mystery, though she’s not particularly happy about having to work with Inspector Drake. Trapped at the venue due to inclement weather and without any external assistance, Beatrice and Drake leave no stone unturned as they try to find the culprit who is clearly one of the attendees – among whom are Beatrice’s friends and family.

Evenly paced and well-written, I found this to be a fun read with several laugh-out-loud moments, an interesting cast of characters and an endearing protagonist. I enjoyed the dynamic between Drake and Beatrice and liked how the plot is structured. While the final reveal wasn’t completely unpredictable, I did like how we got there and was surprised several times along the way. There are quite a few sub-plots incorporated into the murder mystery and though all of them weren’t resolved adequately (the plot does get a bit convoluted toward the end), I was satisfied with how the author chose to end this story. However, I would have liked Beatrice’s youngest sister Mary’s storyline to have been explored in more depth beyond the comic (and OTT) element. I appreciated the humor and the twists (a tad OTT but not so much that detracts from the overall reading experience). Multiple suspects and red-herrings and some truly wacky characters (some with rather telling names) make for an engaging read.

You’ll be entertained, provided you don’t overthink it and choose to enjoy the ride!

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )