Oh, to have found such a fun, lighthearted, entertaining book when I needed it most!

I came across Julia Seales’ debut novel while scrolling through NetGalley, desperate for an easygoing, delightful read after experiencing two duds in a row. Luckily, it did not disappoint!

Aside from its cover being one of my favorite colors in the world, “A Most Agreeable Murder” warmed my soul as I traveled across the country away from my baby while suffering from sciatica thanks to the baby I am currently growing in my belly. Phew. So, as you can see, I was looking for something whimsical and carefree with not a lot of romance and a gritty plot. Quite a tall order, but Seales certainly delivered.

About the book:

OK, Kass. Stop jabbering about your prenatal pain and tell me what this book is all about.

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 absolutely 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. 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, 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 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.

My thoughts

Description sound like some books you’ve read before? Yep, this book is a parody of Austen’s own parodies (add some Sherlock Holmes and other Victorian lit in there too). I couldn’t love this book more if I tried … and I tried (Hamilton reference. Sorry).

I mean, read that description again. This book is laugh-out-loud funny (sorry, fellow plane passengers). The writing is brilliant, the plotline is superb, the characters are hilarious and stereotypical but unusual at the same time, and the plot twist (I didn’t see it coming; I was too busy enjoying myself) was really surprising!

What I loved the most about this book was that Beatrice, while having some feelings about a few male characters in this book, was mostly in it to find herself. She felt lost in Swampshire. She loved true crime, solving mysteries, and scribbling down theories. She loved to read books other than how to be a perfect lady in society. She was (Elizabeth) different. And while she did get some feelings for the out-of-town, grouchy, outcast, (Darcy), the book ended with finding her independence. It wasn’t about the conventional marriage plot. Free from her family, free to live on her own and solve crime, and she was even asked to be a partner rather than an accessory. I just loved that so much. I know Austen would have too.

All the stars. All the recommendations. Julia Seales will be an auto-buy author from now on.

Have you read this book?