Synopsis
A romance develops as a detective partners with a lonely-hearts columnist to solve a murder mystery.
London, 1885
Amelie Hampton is a hopeless romantic, which makes her the perfect columnist to answer lonely heart letters in The Marriage Gazette. When Amelie plays matchmaker with two anonymous lonely hearts, she also decides to secretly observe the couple’s blind date. To her surprise, the man who appears for the rendezvous is Harold Radcliffe—a grieving widower and a member of Amelie’s book club.
Police detective Michael Baker has been struggling ever since his best friend and brother-in-law died in the line of fire. Because he knows the dangers of his job, he has vowed never to marry and subject a wife and family to the uncertainty of his profession. But when he meets Miss Hampton, he is captured by her innocence, beauty, and her quick mind.
When a woman’s body is pulled from the river, Michael suspects the woman’s husband—Harold Radcliffe—of foul play. Amelie refuses to believe that Harold is capable of such violence but agrees to help, imagining it will be like one of her favorite mystery novels. Her social connections and clever observations prove an asset to the case, and Amelie is determined to prove Mr. Radcliffe’s innocence. But the more time Amelie and Michael spend together, the more they trust each other, and the more they realize they are a good team, maybe the perfect match.
They also realize that Mr. Radcliffe is hiding more than one secret, and when his attention turns toward Amelie, Michael knows he must put an end to this case before the woman he loves comes to harm.
My Review:
This book was a delight! From the beginning with it’s romantic advice to the interactions of the romantic pairing, this book had me laughing. It also had a villain with a dastardly plan that needed to be thwarted. I highly recommend this book.
I received an ARC and wish to thank Shadow Mountain and the author for bringing us such an awesome story.
Let’s Chat
When I said this book was a delight. I do mean it. I had started reading this other detective book first, because it had caught my eye and the Detective shared my first name and seeing it in books is rare. The reviews had been good. However, the language was leaving much to be desired. As the book progressed, the swearing (f bombs) got worse. I don’t like being bombarded like that. (I can’t wait for the day that there is a filter you can use on an ebook reader that will black out certain content and you can simply click on it with your finger if you want to see it or not.) After a few chapters, I had had it and opted to ditch that book and picked up The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart.
This was just what I needed it. I read long into the nights as I drank in this marvel. I even filled my husband in on the story was we spent time together before he had to to go work.
The leading lady is Amelie Hampton. She is a romantic at heart, and dreams big. She lives in a happy optimistic bubble regarding romance and love. She writes romance advice. Michael Baker is a cynical detective, and Amelie chips away at his shield as she helps him solve a murder. I won’t say much more than this: read this book! The advice the opens many a chapter will surely delight you as the main event unfolds.
Roxbury Books 