Book Review | ARC Review | A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

336 pages

Published: June 27th 2023
by Random House

ARC Copy – Thanks NetGalley and Random House!

Read: January 2023

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 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, even going so far as to try to solve them herself. 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 mime-infested 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.

Link to Goodreads

Main Characters

I feel like all books with a lot of characters should have the list up front so I can have that for reference 🙂 Especially since I like to read multiple books at a time, it’s nice to have the list right there – so I loved that!

• Mr. Hugh Ashbrook – Patriarch of Stabmort Park
• Mr. Daniel Ashbrook – Son of Hugh, heir to Stabmort Park
• Miss Arabella Ashbrook – daughter of Hugh
• Mr. Stephen Steele – patriarch of Marsh House, into pranks; their family is not very wealthy, their house is their biggest asset
• Mrs. Susan Steele – his wife
• Miss Beatrice Steele – daughter; main-ish character; into solving mysteries
• Miss Louisa Steele – daughter; younger sister; known for her beauty and being good at just about anything
• Miss Mary Steele – youngest daughter; slightly off
• Mr. Martin Grub – Mr. Steele’s cousin; heir to Mr Steele’s estate; very greedy man
• Captain Philip Pena – naval captain, not very well off
• Mr. Frank Fan – French/chinese; frowned upon for going to France
• Miss Helen Bolton – matriarch of Fauna Manor
• Miss Caroline Wynn – orphan and socialite
• Mr. Edmund Croaksworth – wealthy gentleman
• Detective Vivek Drake – Accompanied Mr. Croaksworth to the party; Beatrice had previously read about him in the newspaper and assumed he was not a good detective because the detective he had been working with said so
• Alice Croaksworth – Edmunds sister; she went away 2 years prior
• Sir Huxley – Famous detective, wrote about his crimes in the newspaper; Beatrice would read about the crimes and write in to him

My Review

What a delightful book! It was a little slow for me to get into based on the time period (the 1800s) and the way that the characters spoke and interacted, but once I did, it was really fun. The characters and the setting they were in were very odd, but I think that added charm. There was good humor sprinkled throughout the book as well.

This book follows Beatrice, the eldest of three sisters, as she tries to fit in and be a proper lady while she only wants to solve crimes. Her family is on the brink of losing their house to a scheming cousin. She and her sister are to try to find a husband to ensure that their property stays in their family. They attend a ball and things are looking good for her sister, Louisa, until the wealthy bachelor drops dead during a dance! Thankfully, a detective had been traveling with him and is there to help solve the crime. Beatrice finds a way to get in on the investigation. The way that everything came together was well thought out and satisfying!

Likes

• Although this takes place in the 1800s, it is more of a satire account of the times while also highlighting the norms of being a female at the time
• The humor that is weaved throughout the book

Dislikes

• The period that this takes place makes it a little challenging with the way they speak and act to stay completely in the book

Spoilers