It is worth reading if you can enjoy humor with uneven landing, and you will trade coherence for mayhem. Kirkus Reviews awarded a starred review for its wit, while All About Romance graded it a C and found the jokes wearing. The mystery itself drew credit even from the sceptics: All About Romance called it twisty and surprisingly complex.

Julia Seales

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Reviewed

November 3, 2026

Read Time

7 min read

Our age bandAdult

Reader rating

4.0 · 2,154 Amazon ratings, as of Nov 2026

reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

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A Most Agreeable Murder

Name: A Most Agreeable Murder
Author: Julia Seales
ISBN: 0593450000

A Most Agreeable Murder Review: Fun Parody, Uneven Jokes (Julia Seales)

by Julia Seales

Julia Seales's debut A Most Agreeable Murder sends true-crime-obsessed Beatrice Steele after a killer at a Regency ball. Kirkus Reviews found it irreverent, satirical and oh so much fun; All About Romance found the humour scattershot.

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Our age band: Adulta poisoning-style murder at a ball · greed and violence beneath a genteel surface

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Readers who want an absurdist, genre-mashing Regency spoof wrapped around a storm-trapped, cozy-style whodunit, and who value zany energy over a tight puzzle or a sincere Regency romance.

Worth it if

Worth reading if you can enjoy comedy that swings between inspired and groan-worthy, and you'll happily trade coherence for mayhem in the big ensemble scenes.

Skip if

Skip it if you're an Austen devotee or take Regency romance seriously, or if you want dry, controlled wit, since the middle sags into guest-by-guest interviews and the gothic, slapstick and social-commentary mix can feel muddled.

Where reviewers agree and split

Readers rate it 4.0 on Amazon. The reviews we read that discuss it in depth split on some points:

Of the 2 reviews we read that discuss its humour, 1 finds the humour a blast, but 1 finds the jokes scattershot and groan-worthy.

Humour
1 finds the humour a blast · 1 finds the jokes scattershot and groan-worthy

Who says what

Humour

Praise

“Seales’ over-the-top caricatures succeed in being humorous rather than cliché.”

— Kirkus Reviews · Trade review

Criticism

“The humor is scattershot at best”

— All About Romance · Book blog

2 reviews weigh in (1 trade review, 1 book blog); counts are per topic. A review counts only where we can quote it.

What readers & critics say

Reception leans positive but split on the humour: Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review for its witty dialogue, while All About Romance found the jokes scattershot and landed on a C. Smart Bitches, Trashy Books called it unhinged, and Sam's Beach Reads liked the Austen pastiche and closed-circle mystery but found the genre blend muddled.

“the dialogue crackles with wit, outrage, subtext, and pluck”

— Kirkus Reviews

Sources: Kirkus Reviews, All About Romance, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, Sam's Beach Reads

4.0from 2,154 Amazon ratings, as of Nov 2026— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

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A Most Agreeable Murder drops a true-crime-obsessed Regency heroine into a storm-trapped country-house ball where a suitor has just dropped dead mid-minuet. Reviewers split on the comedy, with some finding it a blast and others finding it scattershot. It suits readers who want absurdist, genre-mashing farce more than a tight puzzle or a sincere Regency romance, and the middle sags during the guest interviews.

Is it worth reading?: It is worth reading if you can enjoy humor with uneven landing, and you will trade coherence for mayhem. Kirkus Reviews awarded a starred review for its wit, while All About Romance graded it a C and found the jokes wearing. The mystery itself drew credit even from the sceptics: All About Romance called it twisty and surprisingly complex.
Similar books: For another cosy whodunit with an ensemble cast and a lighter touch, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman is the closest catalogue match. Shady Hollow by Juneau Black offers a gentler, quirkier small-community mystery. Sherry Thomas's A Study in Scarlet Women is a period-set mystery with a female investigator, though it is not currently in the catalogue. Among reviewers' own comparisons, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and Sam's Beach Reads place the book alongside country-house mysteries and Austen homage.
Who should read this?: It suits readers who want an absurdist, storm-trapped whodunit and are happy to treat the Regency setting as a springboard for farce. Fans of parody and pastiche will enjoy the Austen scaffolding, including a Collins-like cousin and Bennet-like parents. It is a poorer fit for Austen devotees, readers who approach Regency romance with reverence, and anyone who prefers restrained wit.
Where do reviewers split on the book?: The sharpest divide is over whether the sheer excess works. Kirkus Reviews judged the over-the-top caricatures humorous rather than cliché, while All About Romance found the humour scattershot at best. A secondary split concerns structure: Smart Bitches, Trashy Books said the middle drags from endless interviews, and Sam's Beach Reads found the blend of gothic and slapstick muddled.
Do I need to read anything first?: No. This is Julia Seales's debut and stands on its own, with the murder resolved by the final page. Familiarity with Pride and Prejudice is not required, though recognising the Bennet-style parents and the Collins-like cousin adds to the pleasure.

Summarize this book

Is it worth reading?

Who should read this?

Where do reviewers split on the book?

Do I need to read anything first?

Summarize this book

Beatrice Steele lives in the aptly named township of Swampshire and fails at every ladylike accomplishment. When the eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth collapses dead at the autumn ball at Stabmort Park, a storm traps the guests and Beatrice must set aside decorum to find the killer. She works alongside the disgraced detective Vivek Drake, who has turned up uninvited, and the case resolves within this book.

Follow up

Is there a sequel?

Does the summary spoil the killer?

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Our Review

We review the evidence: published critics, reader verdicts and BookTube reviews, gathered and weighed with AI assistance and edited by LuvemBooks, rather than one reader's first-hand take.

Worth reading if you want a very silly Regency spoof with a locked-room murder at its centre, and you can tolerate comedy that swings wildly in quality. Kirkus Reviews called it "irreverent, satirical, and oh so much fun" in a starred review, while All About Romance found the humour scattershot.

A Most Agreeable Murder: A Novel by Julia Seales front cover

What happens in A Most Agreeable Murder?

Beatrice Steele lives in Swampshire, a small English township with a rigid code of conduct, and fails at every ladylike accomplishment: needlework, music, drawing. Her secret is an obsession with true crime, which would get her banished from respectable society if anyone found out.

Her family's hopes rest on younger sister Louisa winning over Edmund Croaksworth, the eligible bachelor expected at the autumn ball at Stabmort Park.

Then Croaksworth drops dead mid-minuet, a storm traps the guests, and a disgraced detective, Vivek Drake, has already turned up unannounced. Beatrice must set aside decorum to find the killer before anyone else dies.

There is a slow-burning romantic thread between her and Drake, which All About Romance said tweaks Regency conventions while staying grounded enough to make readers care.

Is A Most Agreeable Murder actually funny?

This is where the sources split most sharply. Kirkus Reviews praised dialogue that "crackles with wit, outrage, subtext, and pluck" and judged the over-the-top caricatures humorous rather than clichéd.

All About Romance's reviewer took the opposite view: the humour is scattershot, many jokes groan-worthy, and the Swampshire-is-literally-a-swamp style of gag never lets up. That review gave the book a C and said readers who take Regency romance seriously will likely not enjoy it.

How does the Austen pastiche hold up?

The book blogger behind Sam's Beach Reads enjoyed spotting the Austen scaffolding: Beatrice as an Elizabeth Bennet who happens to be a crime buff, and Martin Grub and Mr. Steele as stand-ins for the Bennet parents. She found the parody campy and lighthearted, but advised that devoted Austen purists may not take to it.

Kirkus Reviews saw the same familiar types as a strength, describing a genteel surface with sex, violence and greed underneath, much like Austen's world but with a morbid rather than domestic bent.

Does the murder mystery work, and where does it sag?

Sam's Beach Reads liked the closed-circle setup, with everyone locked in and every guest holding a motive, though she guessed the culprit about 85% of the way through and still enjoyed the dark-and-stormy-night atmosphere. All About Romance, despite its criticisms, called the mystery twisty and surprisingly complex, and said that, along with the romance, is why the book reached a C.

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books was the most mixed on structure. The reviewer said the middle drags once, with Beatrice and Drake interviewing guest after guest, and that the story only recovers when the silliness returns.

Sam's Beach Reads added that the blend of fantasy-gothic hints, slapstick, dry wit and social commentary comes out muddled.

Is A Most Agreeable Murder worth reading?

Weighing these reviews, the tension they keep circling is whether the sheer excess is a gift or a trap. Smart Bitches, Trashy Books said it was unhinged and could not coherently explain what it had just read, yet named the maddest ensemble scenes as the parts it liked best.

All About Romance and Sam's Beach Reads found the same breadth wearing.

That points the book towards readers who want absurdist, genre-mashing comedy and a cozy-style whodunit more than a tight puzzle or a sincere Regency romance. It points away from Austen devotees and anyone wanting dry, controlled wit.

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and Sam's Beach Reads place it alongside country-house mysteries and Austen homage, while BookBrowse's read-alikes include Jennieke Cohen's gender-bent My Fair Lady take and Paraic O'Donnell's Austen-flavoured Victorian mystery.

It is an April 2024 paperback edition from Random House Trade Paperbacks; the hardcover debuted in 2023. A sequel, A Terribly Nasty Business, follows Beatrice, but this book resolves its own case.

Sources & Further Reading

The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.

Cited in this review
1
A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales: 9780593450000 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
penguinrandomhouse.com
2
A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales : All About Romance
allaboutromance.com
3
Summary and Reviews of A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales
bookbrowse.com
Further reading
4
A MOST AGREEABLE MURDER | Kirkus Reviews
kirkusreviews.com
5
Book Review: “A Most Agreeable Murder,” by Julia Seales | Books for the Beach
samsbeachreads.com
6
A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales - Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
smartbitchestrashybooks.com
7
Review: A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales – Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
quirkycatsfatstacks.com
8
A Most Agreeable Murder: A Novel, by Julia Seales — A Review – Austenprose
austenprose.com
9
A Most Agreeable Murder: A Novel | Barnes & Noble®
barnesandnoble.com

Age & Reading Level

Our age band

Adult

Our age band groups books for browsing; it isn't an age a review gave.

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2 content notes · who it suits

Content to know about

a poisoning-style murder at a ball

greed and violence beneath a genteel surface

Skip if you want a serious Regency romance or dry, controlled wit rather than absurdist farce.

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Books like A Most Agreeable Murder

Curated picks for readers who enjoyed A Most Agreeable Murder, with our reasoning for each match.

If you liked A Most Agreeable Murder

In our catalogue

The Thursday Murder Club

Richard Osman

Amateur sleuths treat murder as a hobby in a comedy that never lets the jokes undercut the puzzle; ideal for readers who came for Beatrice Steele's true-crime fixation.

Four retirees in a Kent retirement village meet weekly to pore over cold cases, then find themselves investigating a fresh killing on their doorstep. Like A Most Agreeable Murder, it plays its detective work straight while letting eccentric characters and warm absurdity carry the comedy. Best for readers who want the whodunit to be genuinely solvable, not just a backdrop for gags.

In our catalogue

Shady Hollow

Juneau Black

Cozy village mystery where a reporter investigates a murder among woodland animal residents; matches the playful tone while keeping the stakes gentle.

On Amazon

A Study in Scarlet Women

Sherry Thomas

Gender-flips Sherlock Holmes into a Victorian lady detective; same pleasure of watching a period heroine outsmart everyone while society underestimates her.

Not your thing?

On Amazon

Death Comes to Pemberley

P.D. James

For readers who found the jokes scattershot: a straight-faced murder mystery set in Austen's world, six years after Pride and Prejudice, played completely seriously.