Mystery Book Club at Connie Morella

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies

Join us to discuss The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman.

Come join the Connie Morella Mystery book club! We will be reading mysteries, thrillers and whodunits together every month. This April, we will be discussing The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies, by Alison Goodman, in which a high society amateur detective at the heart of Regency London uses her wits and invisibility as an ‘old maid’ to protect other women.

Lady Augusta Colebrook, “Gus,” is determinedly unmarried, bored by society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two. She and her twin sister, Julia, who is grieving her dead betrothed, need a distraction. One soon presents to rescue their friend’s goddaughter, Caroline, from her violent husband.

The sisters set out to Caroline’s country estate with a plan, but their carriage is accosted by a highwayman. In the scuffle, Gus accidentally shoots and injures the ruffian, only to discover he is Lord Evan Belford, an acquaintance from their past who was charged with murder and exiled to Australia twenty years ago. What follows is a high adventure full of danger, clever improvisation, heart-racing near misses, and a little help from a revived and rather charming Lord Evan.

Back in London, Gus can’t stop thinking about her unlikely (not to mention handsome) comrade-in-arms. She is convinced Lord Evan was falsely accused of murder, and she is going to prove it. She persuades Julia to join her in a quest to help Lord Evan, and others in need—society be damned! And so begins the beguiling secret life and adventures of the Colebrook twins.

Copies of the book can be picked up at the front desk at the Connie Morella Library, or you can borrow a digital copy from our online collection here.

Questions about this program? Contact the branch 240-777-0970

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Accommodation Requests

People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation at least five days before the library-sponsored program they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Program Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.

cm 1.1 01/03/2023

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