The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies is the first book in a new historical mystery series by Alison Goodman. Released 30th May 2023 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 464(!) pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
This is an exceptionally well written mystery romp, full of skullduggery and with a basically historically accurate framework, done so seamlessly that it's not easy to tell where real history fades into fiction. The protagonists are deliciously written, especially Gus, who is -firmly- on the shelf, thank you very much, and has absolutely no desire to put up with anyone's foolishness.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 15 hours 33 minutes and is expertly narrated by Kristin Atherton. She has a well modulated, professionally trained alto voice with a cut-crystal RP accent which translates well to this read. She doesn't overpower the read, and listeners will find her pleasantly neutral and not invasive (or screechy or difficult to listen to).
Four and a half stars for both the audio and print versions. Definitely one for the fans of historical mysteries. The feminist overtones and "protagonists of a certain age who are unwilling to put up with the world's nonsense" are delightful and not -too- heavy handed.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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