Review: A Most Agreeable Murder

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Julia Seales 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 27 June 2023

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales has a most intriguing premise! This book is for you if you are in the mood for an easy-to-read historical fiction mystery with a twist of humour. It also has some great love story subplots. The book reads as a parody of mystery novels, specifically Austen’s works and the etiquette of the Regency era. But a parody in a good way, I promise.

Plot Summary

Meet Beatrice Steele. Beatrice does not feel like she belongs in her rural, small town of Swampshire, England. She is the eldest of three daughters and sometimes entertains the idea of marriage, as all young women do. However, unlike most young women in Swampshire, she prefers reading about the crime adventures of a London-based detective whose cases are described in the press and sending him her suggestions. Liking crime betrays the etiquette handbook her marriage-obsessed mother always seems to have with her. She attends a ball at a nearby Estate with the resentful task of attracting an offer of marriage. Travesty befalls the ball attendees, so Beatrice partners with another party guest, a recently humiliated detective, to solve the mystery.

What I Liked

I enjoyed the fresh combination of historical fiction, mystery, and comedy. Seales wrote characters who are intelligent and witty while conveying emotion. There are some aspects of the village and society that some have found absurd, but I found them to be hilarious and entertaining. There were moments of modern language, but they did not detract me from the story and eclectic yet loveable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

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