Band Sinister is what happens when an author writes their own version of Georgette Heyer book by throwing absolutely every socially progressive character type into a friend group and then letting them loose on the very suspecting neighbors. I’ve read exactly one Heyer book, Venetia, back in 2016. Initially this read didn’t jump out to me as especially heavy on the Heyer, but more in line with other queer Regency historical romances I’ve read over the years from Cat Sebastian or Olivia Waite, but the parallels are there.
The story here plays with the classic tropes that Heyer and those that followed her played with: the disreputable rake with a hidden heart of gold, the severe family holding the purse-strings, the virgin swiftly falling in love with the “wrong” man, the family living quietly due to scandals of the past, and the fear of what new whispers in society could do to a woman’s marriageable prospects. But KJ Charles then takes those standard elements and plays with them through her lens, putting society through the wringer and coming away with a found family that cares far more about taking care of each other than following the narrow strictures of society. When the Frisby siblings are pulled into the Murder Club’s house party (Amanda has a devastating riding accident that causes a broken bone in her leg and cannot be moved from the house, Guy must come to be with her) they are in exactly the last place that Guy wants them to be, but perhaps where they need to be.
Charles hit her stride in the mid-section of the book. Once the various backstories are laid in, the wide cast of characters are met, and the romance plot gets under way, the character voices for Guy and Phillip were distinct and clear as more of the plot focused on them. I appreciated how well the intricacies of the group dynamics were woven. Charles also nailed how the characters talk through power and experience imbalances on their way through their relationship. I thought this was great, and I loved the character of Amanda and her romance, but it took me a little too long to sink into it, and I struggled to keep track of the various members of the Murder Club a little too much to rate this five stars, but it’s well worth the read.
Bingo Square: B.
Bingo 7: Migrant, Play, B, Favorite, Arts
