A Most Agreeable Murder: A Novel Spiral-Bound | June 27, 2023

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.

“If you grew up reading Jane Austen and Agatha Christie (or are a fan of Bridgerton and Knives Out), you will adore A Most Agreeable Murder.” Kate Stayman-London, bestselling author of One to Watch

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 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, even going so far as to try to solve them herself. 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, and 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 mime-infested 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.

Story Locale:Swampshire, England (a township located in between London and Bath...but far more respectable than either of the two)Excerpt from A Most Agreeable Murder:

"In the English countryside there was a small township called Swampshire, comprised of several lovely mansions and one disgusting swamp. This was the home of Beatrice Steele - one of the mansions, not the swamp. The swamp was home to an overpopulation of luminescent frogs. The visual effect at night was arresting, though the incessant croaking deterred some who might have otherwise chosen to inhabit the charming village.

Beatrice Steele was plump, with a cheerful gap in her front teeth and a white streak in her black curls, gained during a particularly competitive round of whist. She had a passionate disposition and a lively wit, which endeared her to friends and family – most of the time. For Beatrice was curious by nature, and therefore noticed too much, felt too much, and wondered too much about life outside her village. Others considered this behavior an unnecessary to-do, as Beatrice would surely settle down with one of the young men of Swampshire in a mansion that hadn’t been overtaken by frogs, start a family, and live happily from then on.

This was the expected path of a lady, for there were strict rules of decorum in Swampshire...But despite growing up with these values, despite these rules being ingrained in her mind since childhood, Beatrice harbored a dark secret: She was obsessed with murder. Not the act of committing it, but the act of solving it. She loved nothing more than to consider the intricacies of a suspect’s motivations, to determine the killer, and then watch this killer brought to justice.

She herself found no satisfaction in the approved hobbies for young women outlined in A Lady’s Guide to Swampshire. She was terrible at needlework, had no musical ability, and was banned from drawing because her artwork was so bad that it frightened people. Conversely, she found the hunt for murderers gripping. It granted her a sense of fulfillment, a sense that she was making the world a better place by (vicariously) pursuing justice.

Unfortunately in Swampshire all of this made her - one shudders to even say - a morbid creep. There are many types of creeps, of course: the peeping Toms, the lurkers, those who deign to show up at a party twelve minutes earlier than the invitation states- but in Swampshire, creeps of the morbid variety were considered the most unsavory. If anyone found out about Beatrice’s secret obsession, she would be publicly disgraced and shunned. Politely, but completely."


More Praise for A Most Agreeable Murder:

• In Seales’ tongue-in-cheek Regency murder mystery…The character types are endearingly familiar to anyone who has ever read a Jane Austen novel, and the dialogue crackles with wit, outrage, subtext, and pluck. Beatrice, a true Sherlock Holmes within her restrictive social world, is a delight...The result is a deliciously dark delve into a world that seems genteel on the surface and teems with sex and violence and greed just underneath—not so unlike Austen’s but with a morbid, rather than domestic, bent. Irreverent, satirical, and oh so much fun!” Kirkus (*starred review*)
• “[An] exceptional debut… The intricate plot races along at a sprightly pace, and Seales delights with her sharp humor and accomplished sense of narrative control. Jane Austen fans will be enthralled.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
• "If you grew up reading Jane Austen and Agatha Christie (or are a more recent fan of Bridgerton and Knives Out), you will adore A Most Agreeable Murder. An effortless blend of witty delight and sexy suspense, this book is everything I want in a summer read." Kate Stayman-London, national bestselling author of One to Watch

• "A Most Agreeable Murder is a delightfully entertaining debut that kept me engrossed from the beginning right through to the satisfying end. Witty and clever, it's like something Agatha Christie and Jane Austen might have created were they able to collaborate, only with its own wonderfully unique spark. Be prepared to laugh out loud at the comedy, gasp at the murder mystery, and altogether have a thoroughly great time!" India Holton, author of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
• “A Most Agreeable Murder is an utter delight. A fast-paced mix of marriage plot and manor house murder mystery with something for everyone: a scintillating romance, an intricate puzzle to solve, and layers of snarky, pointed wit that would make Austen proud. I snorted and swooned my way through this book in record speed—it’s some of the most fun I’ve had reading all year. Cozy mystery fans, this is a must.” Ashley Winstead, author of The Last Housewife
• “Absurdly entertaining, with twist upon twist upon twist, A MOST AGREEABLE MURDER is a most agreeable read! Jane Austen fans will appreciate the insightful observations as well as the wry humor that pokes fun at certain well-known characters and tropes. I look forward to more of Beatrice Steele’s adventures–as well as that of the mysterious (and delightfully dashing and grumpy) Inspector Drake!.”
• Mia P. Manansala, author of Arsenic and Adobo
• “I adored this: a comedy of manners meets murder mystery, just as thrilling as it is gorgeous.” Sophie Irwin, author of A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting