If you know me, you will know that I have been a big fan of the mystery genre for quite some time. However, my tastes have changed- I used to love cosy mysteries but I’ve gravitated away from them over the last few years. (Not that there is anything wrong with cosies- if they are your thing, read on!) And in my quest for more historical mysteries, I discovered Alison Goodman’s work a few years ago and I have been hooked. Let’s get into why you should read The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman.
The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin, Alison Goodman
To most of Regency high society, forty-two-year-old Lady Augusta Colebrook, or Gus, and her twin sister, Julia, are just unmarried ladies of a certain age—hardly worth a second glance. But the Colebrook twins are far from useless old maids. They are secretly protecting women and children ignored by society and the law.
When Lord Evan—a charming escaped convict who has won Gus’s heart—needs to hide his sister and her lover from their vindictive brother, Gus and Julia take the two women into their home. They know what it is like to have a powerful and overbearing brother. But Lord Evan’s complicated past puts them all in danger. Gus knows they must clear his name of murder if he is to survive the thieftakers who hunt him. But it is no easy task—the fatal duel was twenty years ago and a key witness is nowhere to be found.
In a deadly cat-and-mouse game, Gus, Julia, and Lord Evan must dodge their pursuers and investigate Lord Evan’s past. They will be thrust into the ugly underworld of Georgian gentlemen’s clubs, spies, and ruthless bounty hunters, not to mention the everyday threat of narrow-minded brothers. Will the truth be found in time, or will the dangerous secrets from the past destroy family bonds and rip new love and lives apart?
Why You Should Read This…
The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin is the second book in Goodman’s series, but I will honestly say, I think that you can read this without having read the first, The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies. (You are given any information you need in this book.) However, if you have not read the first book, I recommend that you go back to the first book!
This is a somewhat darker mystery, as we have a lot of questionable characters committing very problematic… actions. Goodman does a great job at drawing on the darker side of the Georgian period, and it really sets the scene for the mystery here. The dark side also allows for many twists and a steadily developing plot that will keep you guessing- it is not a predictable mystery! (I know that that is many people’s criticism of cosy mysteries, which is fair as it is a convention of the genre.)
I will also say- I spent much of the time that I was reading this grumbling at the male characters. They all just continually think that they know better than Gus and Julia (of course, they are just women after all…) and you will want to throw something multiple times. It is an important element of the story though, and I think relays the difficulties and inherent prejudices that women faced in the period (and long after).
As we come into the darker, chillier, and spookier part of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere, The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin is the perfect mystery to grab!
Is The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Threads | Instagram | Pinterest
