A Most Agreeable Murder

A Novel

By: Julia Seales

Narrated by: Fiona Hampton

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A delightful cocktail that mixes elements of the Bridgerton series, Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice and Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple mysteries . . . The payoff is a wealth of wit, hilarity and suspense.”—People (Book of the Week)

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.

A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

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 absolutely no musical ability, and her artwork is so bad it frightens people. Nevertheless, she lives a perfectly agreeable life. But she harbors a dark secret: She is obsessed with true crime. 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. Eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth is set to attend the approaching autumnal ball, and the Steele family hopes that younger daughter Louisa will steal his heart. So Beatrice must be on her best behavior—a difficult challenge 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 that the guests 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.

©2023 Julia Seales (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Despite its title, [A Most Agreeable Murder] is as much a parody of Regency conventions as it is a jaunty sendup of the locked-room mystery. It’s with a loving hand and a gimlet eye that she guides us through one fateful evening among the ever-so-proper elite of the aptly named township of Swampshire.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Without exaggerating, it’s one of the funniest cozy mysteries I’ve ever read.”—Book Riot

“Wish Bridgerton had a bit more Agatha Christie flair? That’s what Julia Seales offers up with her debut.”—Entertainment Weekly

A fun story

This story was so much fun to listen to! It’s a great mixture of fun and mystery. Lots of twists and turns and times when you’ll laugh out loud! Can’t wait for a sequel!!

Lots of twists and turns

Suspenseful and amusing. I hope there will be some sequels. Good narration.A Some predictable outcomes, but not all.

Entertaining and light

As a huge fan of whodunnits and Jane Austen I thought this book might be made for me! It’s brilliantly performed and the overall story is engaging and fun!

My only note is I don’t totally understand the angle of silliness to some, if not all, of the plot points. It felt a bit inconsistent and lost the thread for me. That being said, it was wildly fun and I did enjoy the book!

A new favorite!

This book has everything I look for in a book: a murder mystery with a strong female lead and some silliness! I really enjoyed this fun story and it's now a new favorite of mine. Only small critique is that it could have done without the main character's love story with the detective.

Not A Bad Story

This one is one of my anticipated releases for 2023 and I’m a bit disappointed. The story is not bad though, I liked the characters but not sure what it is that was lacking.

Awesome story

There were so many twists and turns it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I enjoyed it immensely!

A Most Agreeable Murder

3½⭐ rounded up to 4 ⭐️
An agreeable story about 3 sisters needing to be married so that they can produce an heir in order to keep their estate. Otherwise a nasty male cousin will inherit when the father dies. A murder happens at a ball and a suitable young man is murdered. One of the sisters decides to investigate the case. At times the story is silly, and laugh out loud funny. A lot of characters, hard to keep track. Quick read/listen. Audio recording.

So much fun

Enjoyed throughout! Appreciate it was clean and had nothing objectionable. Just pure fun in a murder mystery with lots of laughs.

This was a hoot!

Slyly hit every target in the modern Regency / Victorian Romance genre, while providing a creditably twisty mystery. The real fun, though, was in the arcane and absurd details, provided with enough authority to create a fabulous world.

Good not great

Needed editing and the narrator sounded like a robot. Plot was interesting but stronger characters needed.