A review by amothersmusings1
Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread by Lynn Knights

4.0

Fans of historical fiction will adore Lynn Knight’s “Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread”.  Set in SE London 1925, when the world of fashion was on the turn, this interesting (and informative) mystery novel explores the attitudes of women in the early 20th century, when they had to decide between marriage or a career.  In the aftermath of WW1, women were often  widowed and with limited available men, I was intrigued by the suggestion of a ‘matrimonial agency’ - a modern day dating agency - which the main premise of this story is based on.  When a female client to the dress shop reluctantly admits to being the victim of a scam, Rose is so infuriated by how her client has been treated (and as a consequence, unable to pay her dressmaking bills), that she embarks on trying to find the ‘gentleman’ fraudster by enrolling on the agency too.  Determined to recover her client’s money and stop other unsuspecting women being conned, she enters an unknown world of blind-dating and dangerous liaisons. 

 

The ambience throughout the story was authentic, depicting the bygone era of a post-war society. The author’s knowledge of fashion knows no bounds and it was the detailed elegance of the design/dressmaking that shone brightly throughout this cosy mystery novel. 

 

This book was a delightful journey to the 1920’s, with an intriguing mystery that concludes in an exciting denouement and with endearing characters, I’d happily recommend this book to readers of women’s historical fiction and would certainly read more by this talented and knowledgeable author. 

 

#MissBurnhamAndTheLooseThread - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️