The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart

by Nancy Campbell Allen

Edition: ARC, 2021

Synopsis: 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.

As a hopeless romantic, Amelie is well suited to answer lonely heart letters for her aunt’s social publication, The marriage Gazette. She cannot resist secretly observing a rendezvous of one of the letter writers and is astonished to recognize a member of her book club. She is even more astonished when police detective Michael Baker demands she tell what she knows about the suspected murderer. Together, this unlikely pair must solve a murder and keep themselves safe!

I love a good mystery romance, and I was intrigued when I first read the description of this book. Amelie is just as she sounds: a naive young lady who looks for the best in the world. She also has a crush on the recently bereaved member of her book club. At times, her naivety made me roll my eyes but her heart was in the right place.

Michael Baker was a sympathetic hero. He has seen the darker side of life and given that his partner was recently killed on the job, he has a more cynical opinion of the world. Amelie’s naivety often frustrates him, especially when she insists she become his deputy to solve the case. He made the most character growth, I think, in the story.

The pace of the mystery was excellent, and the suspense kept me glued to the page. However, the romance fell flat. in fact, when Michael declares he will propose to her, I was surprised because it felt like it came out of nowhere. It did not feel as though they had near enough time to know each other.

Another thing that is quite honestly me being overly picky is that if the synopsis hadn’t said the story was set in 1885, I wouldn’t have known. The atmosphere and details of the book are Victorian, but the Victorian era was a long time and each decade different from the last. Even a hint in regards to the fashion would have been nice.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read for the mystery and I would recommend it to readers who enjoy historical mysteries. I would honestly rate it at 4.5 stars.