Alison Goodman: The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin

In Regency England, the eccentric Colebrook sisters are amateur detectives who use their wits and invisibility as “old maids” to fight injustice in this delightful and fiercely feminist novel of mystery and adventure from New York Times bestselling author 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. 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, Hester, from their vindictive brother, Gus and Julia take Hester and her lover into their home. 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. 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 dangerous secrets from the past destroy family bonds and rip new love and lives apart?

CW: sex trafficking, murder, threatened SA, violence, cancer

I did it again.  I didn’t read a series from the start.  But the happy news was it worked well as a standalone.  Probably would be some value in reading the first in the series, but nevermind.  There was a mystery!  And Autumnal vibes!  And middle-aged MCs! So I sallied forth.

Twins considered well on the shelf at the ripe age of forty-two, Gus and Julia have sworn to protect two women in their care.  I think the first book goes into that adventure, how Lady Hester and her partner Miss Grant end up with Gus and Julia, and they get tangled with a Bow Street Runner and a gentleman on the lam from the law.  This book is a continuation, and this book also ends continuining to the next mystery so while romance is there (although fairly light, more romantic elements) this is more of an adventure story.  I hesitate to truly call it a mystery (more mystery elements) because we also don’t really reach a conclusion of this complicated web at the end of the book.

But there is plenty of action to keep you busy.

I liked the subtle character development/arcs, and many secondary characters that keep the story moving forward.  This wasn’t a finish in one sitting book for me and I did feel a little weighed down by some of the elements (probably because I had not read the first) but I thought the writing was really strong and different. There is a wryness in the humor, and some interesting observations about both the Regency era and contemporary society that I had me thinking.

Gus is really the MC, with the focused POV, and it’s told in first person.  Because it wasn’t strictly a Regency Romance, first person worked for me.

The age of the characters and the themes felt fresh, and I think demonstrate there really is a market for older MCs to do amazing, adventures also involving romantic elements. There is no on page intimacy aside from kisses, and its heavily implied both the FMC and her sister are virgins.

The tone and many of the elements are well steeped in history, so if you are not afraid of some mature themes and violence, I think this is a good series to check out.