God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen

And because we’re reading Christmas books this weekend, here’s another one by a favorite author of mine, Rhys Bowen. Wouldn’t you just love to be in an English country house that backs right up to the royal family’s estate…at Christmas? Not only that, but you have the world’s most unloved royal, David, here with his American girlfriend, Wallis Simpson, and they’ve decided to stay with your house party? Did I mention this is a murder mystery? Grab a cup of tea because her Royal Spyness is on the case.

More about God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen

Georgie is back and hanging the stockings with care when a murder interrupts her Christmas cheer in this all-new installment in the New York Times bestselling Royal Spyness series from Rhys Bowen.

Georgie is excited for her first Christmas as a married woman in her lovely new home. She suggests to her dashing husband, Darcy, that they have a little house party, but when Darcy receives a letter from his aunt Ermintrude, there is an abrupt change in plans. She has moved to a house on the edge of the Sandringham estate, near the royal family, and wants to invite Darcy and his new bride for Christmas. Aunt Ermintrude hints that the queen would like Georgie nearby. Georgie had not known that Aunt Ermintrude was a former lady-in-waiting and close confidante of her royal highness. The letter is therefore almost a royal request, so Georgie, Darcy, and their Christmas guests: Mummy, Grandad, Fig, and Binky all head to Sandringham.

Georgie soon learns that the notorious Mrs. Simpson, mistress to the Prince of Wales, will also be in attendance. It is now crystal clear to Georgie that the Queen expects her to do a bit of spying. There is tension in the air from the get-go, and when Georgie pays a visit to the queen, she learns that there is more to her request than just some simple eavesdropping. There have been a couple of strange accidents at the estate recently. Two gentlemen of the royal household have died in mysterious circumstances and another has been shot by mistake during a hunt. Georgie begins to suspect that a member of the royal family is the real target but her investigation will put her new husband and love of her life, Darcy, in the crosshairs of a killer.

My Review

It’s time for Georgie and her husband Darcy to go to his aunt’s country house for Christmas. Aunt Ermintrude’s home is right next to Sandringham where the royal family spends their yearly holiday and the king is not doing well. Unexpectedly they find out among the houseguests is the Prince of Wales and his American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Isn’t this a terrific setting for a good old fashioned English country house who-dunnit? I’ve read several books in this series and it is always so exciting to see what is going on with Georgie and Darcy and this book does a great job of keeping you interested. The murder mystery is well planned with a few surprises and well-planted clues. Better than a Christmas cracker!

About the Author

Rhys was born in Bath, England and educated at London University but now divides her time between California and Arizona. Her books have been nominated for every major mystery award and she has won twenty of them to date, including four Agathas.

She currently writes two historical mystery series, each very different in tone. The Molly Murphy mysteries feature an Irish immigrant woman in turn-of-the-century New York City. These books are multi-layered, complex stories with a strong sense of time and place and have won many awards including Agatha and Anthony. There are 17 books so far in this series plus three Kindle stories, The Amersham Rubies, Through the Window and The Face in the Mirror–a great way to introduce new readers to Molly’s spunky personality.

Then there is Lady Georgie, Rhys’s latest,and very popular, heroine. She’s 35th in line to the throne of England, but she’s flat broke and struggling to survive in the Great Depression. These books are lighter and funnier than Molly’s adventures. They poke gentle fun at the British class system–about which Rhys knows a lot, having married into an upper class family rather like Georgie’s, with cousins with silly nicknames, family ghosts and stately homes.