#BookReview: THE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY OF ILL-MANNERED LADIES by Alison Goodman @AlisonGoodman @PiatkusBooks

Publication: 30th May 2023 – Piatkus

A high society amateur detective at the heart of Regency London uses her wits and invisibility as an ‘old maid’ to protect other women in a new and fiercely feminist historical mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Alison Goodman.

Lady Augusta Colebrook, ‘Gus’, is determinedly unmarried, bored by society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two. She and her twin sister, Julia, who is grieving her dead betrothed, need a distraction. One soon presents itself: to rescue their friend’s goddaughter, Caroline, from her violent husband.

The sisters set out to Caroline’s country estate with a plan, but their carriage is accosted by a highwayman. In the scuffle, Gus accidentally shoots the ruffian, only to discover he is Lord Evan Belford, an acquaintance from their past who was charged with murder and exiled to Australia twenty years ago. With Lord Evan injured and unconscious, the sisters have no choice but to bring him on their mission to save Caroline. What follows is a high adventure full of danger, clever improvisation, heart-racing near misses, and a little help from a revived and rather charming Lord Evan.

Back in London, Gus can’t stop thinking about her unlikely (not to mention handsome) comrade-in-arms. She is convinced Lord Evan was falsely accused of murder, and she is going to prove it. She persuades Julia to join her in a quest to help Lord Evan, and others in need-society be damned! And so begins the beguiling secret life and adventures of the Colebrook twins.

A rollicking and joyous adventure, with a beautiful love story at its heart, about two rebellious sisters forging their own path in Regency London.

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies is yet another historical novel that I enjoyed lately and one of my favourites. It is fun and witty, suspenseful and intriguing, and with a cast of interesting characters.

The protagonist of the novel is Augusta. In their forties, Augusta and her twin sister Julia are considered spinsters, women who should find a quiet occupation and behave as society – and their brother – tells them. However, Augusta has very little interest in staying idle and, in the hope of distracting her sister from the grief over her betrothed’s death, she accepts to help one of their friends retrieving a few incriminating letters from a former lover. This scary and yet exhilarating adventure leads Augusta and Julia to help another woman abused by her husband, but their rescue is first interrupted and then helped by a highway who Augusta recognizes as Lord Evan Belford, who should be in exile in Australia following a murder charge. After this other enterprise full of dangers and nearly escapes, Augusta and Julia promise each other that their detective days are over, but, when they hear of another woman in trouble, the thrill and excitement of the adventure, the desire of not feeling powerless and useless, and in Augusta’s case, the chance of seeing again Lord Evan (who she believes innocent of the murder charge) prevail.

I really enjoyed this novel. I loved the plot, which is full of twists and suspense as well quite a few entertaining and funny scenes. It’s full of historically accurate facts as well as historical figures, like the writer Frances Burney. It also addresses themes like the very poor state of asylums where powerful men confine women who don’t conform to society or the poor who are left in dreadful conditions.

I adored the characters. Augusta is a fantastic heroine. Because of her sex and her age, she is constantly underestimated by society. Her desire of independence and her sharp wit is usually frowned upon: “it was a fact that many men of our acquaintance did not think a woman capable of a genuine sense of humour, or if she did exhibit something of the kind, that it was a singular and unfeminine trait.”. But she doesn’t let society and powerful men dictate her life. She has a very close relationship with her twin sister Julia, so much so that they often communicate telepathically, and she is very protective towards her, while she has a strained relationship with her snobbish brother who thinks women should just do as they are told. In their adventures, Augusta and Julia are helped by their loyal butler Weatherly and by Lord Evan Belford. Accused of murder twenty years earlier, he was exiled to Australia. However, he’s back in England and he professes his innocence and Augusta has every intention to prove it as the two develop a romantic relationship.

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies is a well-written, captivating, and superb novel with a fantastic ending that makes me eager for the sequel. Highly recommended!

A huge thank you to Piatkus and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Alison Goodman is the bestselling Australian author of several novels including the reknowned Eona and The Two Pearls of Wisdom.