A Most Agreeable Murder: A Novel, by Julia Seales — A Review

From the desk of Char Jones:

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

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BOOK DESCRIPTION

Feisty, passionate Beatrice Steele has never fit the definition of a true lady, according to the strict code of conduct that reigns in England’s Swampshire—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, and Beatrice knows she must rise above decorum to pursue justice before anyone else is murdered.

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MY THOUGHTS

Squelch Holes & Glowing Frogs

This debut marvel of kooky wit and mystery kept me utterly entranced. I adored gutsy Beatrice, obsessed with lurid newspaper accounts of murder. She pursues her unladylike interest quietly, for to do otherwise would make her an outcast—a morbid creep indeed—in the very strict Swampshire, teeming with squelch holes and luminescent frogs. 

“Friendless, single, and dressed in last season’s garb, a fallen woman would therefore be forced to leave the village. Only a morally corrupt city would accept her, and once she made it to Paris, she would surely be robbed by a mime. But she might not even get that far. Bedtime stories in Swampshire told of women who, while attempting to flee, were swallowed up by one of the region’s infamous “squelch holes,” never to be seen again”. (13-14)

An Arresting Inspector

During an evening ball that Beatrice attends with her family, a shocking murder occurs, finding her teamed with Inspector Vivek Drake, arrestingly handsome with his scarred visage and dashing eye-patch.

“I shall instruct everyone to lock their doors,”

Drake said. “And then . ..” He let out a sigh of frustration. “And then, I don’t know. We are no closer to determining the killer, and now they may kill again.”

Beatrice knew he was frustrated, but she could not help feeling a slight thrill at the word “we.” 

“I feel so foolish,” she admitted as she rubbed the swollen skin of her neck. It burned, as if she could still feel her assailant’s fingers on her flesh. “I never should have gone off alone.”

“It was not your fault,” Drake began. He leaned forward and touched her skin. “Your neck. It is inflamed.” He brushed a finger across her neck, and she shivered involuntarily.” (174)

Sequel Please!

I could not help but huzzah when A Most Agreeable Murder hints at more, more detecting, more crimes, more of the dazzling Beatrice and Drake. 

“As she and Drake waded through her yard, footsteps squelching in the mud, Beatrice was flooded with excitement. She felt the anticipation of all the horrible and gruesome crimes they would solve, together. Drake’s boot suddenly sank into a particularly deep hole, and he let loose a slew of curse words under his breath. Beatrice held out a hand, and Drake begrudgingly clasped it. As she pulled him loose, Beatrice knew that this was just the beginning of a perfectly exasperating partnership.” (276)

Austenesque With Christie Flair 

Dearest Reader, if you cherish Agatha Christie and are a genuine Janeite, you will delight in author Julia Seales delicious histfic confection. And with me cry, “Brava! Brava!”

5 out of 5 Stars

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WE RECOMMEND A MOST AGREEABLE MURDER IF YOU LIKE:

❤️ Unlikely Duos with Sizzle

❤️ Wacky Regency Mysteries 

❤️ Plucky Women Who Best Societal Norms

❤️ Tales That MUST Have Sequels 

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BOOK INFORMATION

• A Most Agreeable Murder: A Novel, by Julia Seales
• Penguin Random House (June 27, 2023)
• Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook (336) pages
• ISBN: ‎9780593449981
• Genre: Historical Mystery, Cozy Mysteries 

AMAZON | PUBLISHER | ADD TO GOODREADS

We received a review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Cover image courtesy of Penguin Random House, © 2023; text Char Jones, Literary Redhead © 2023, austenprose.com, an Amazon affiliate.

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