Needed a Bit More Focus to Work Well for Me
When it comes to the Sparks and Bainbridge Mysteries, you have to be willing to accept that the mystery is going to come with a high dose of soap opera as we follow what is going on in the lives of our two lead characters. Usually, I’m on board for that, but in the case of The Lady of Burma, it didn’t quite work for me.
If you are new to the series, it is set in London in 1946, and the lead characters are Iris Sparks, who spent the war in British Intelligence doing things she is legally obligated to not talk about, and Gwen Bainbridge, who lost her husband during the war. Together, the two have opened The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, a matchmaking service. Now, you won’t think this would lead to all kinds of murder and mayhem, but that’s exactly what happens.
Along the way, we’ve gotten to know what else is going on in Iris and Gwen’s complicated lives. For this book, the most important thing you need to know is that Gwen’s efforts to lose her status as a ward of the state after collapsing when she found out she lost her husband are coming to a head. Her hearing to be declared sane is just days away as the book opens.
And the Lady of the title? I’m so glad you asked. She’s a client who wants Iris and Gwen to find a wife for her husband. Yes, you read that right. You see, she is dying of cancer, and she doesn’t want her husband to stay single all his life. However, when she turns up dead, Iris can’t help but wonder exactly what happened to her.
I spent the early part of the book wanting the story to get somewhere. Yes, we were watching Gwen get ready for her hearing, but it wasn’t really going anywhere. Heck, I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever met the Lady of the title. While the ending does resolve the storylines, it felt very rushed to me. I feel like better pacing would have helped with this.
Usually, we have some storylines for both of the leads. In this case, Iris’s story was very light. She was mainly working on the murder while Gwen was dealing with her personal life. That’s not to say that the two friends don’t have scenes together, but I felt like they were much less connected than normal.
As the book went along, I definitely got hooked. There were some twists in the second half that made it hard to put the book down. It’s why I am saying that the pacing needed to be tweaked overall.
And those following since the beginning will definitely be glad they read this one since Gwen’s struggle to regain control of her life has been an ongoing story in the series.
I know the series has many devoted fans. I certainly do enjoy the books. But The Lady from Burma wasn’t the strongest entry in the series.
Do check out the rest of the Sparks and Bainbridge Mysteries.
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