The Royal Spyness Mysteries: Her Royal Spyness, Royal Pain, Royal Flush and Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen

Mystery

I just finished Royal Blood the latest in the Royal Spyness Mystery series by Rhys Bowen. Lady Georgiana, 34th in line to the throne, is again up to her neck in problems. She is looking for a way to escape her brother and her money problems when the Queen sends her to represent the Royal Family at the wedding of an old school chum, Princess Maria Theresa. When she arrives she finds the wedding is being held in a spooky castle and the bride is not what she remembers. Then first one one of the guests is murdered and then shortly after that another guest is pushed to their death. Once again Lady Georgiana involvement in solving the crime puts her life in danger.

This is a really fun series. Historical events are mixed in with the fictional crimes. Lady Georgiana has family problems, no money and is not allowed to work. To add to her problems her family keeps trying to marry her off to men she cannot stand. While she works to overcome all of these problems she keeps running into murder and mayhem. Each book has a great cast of supporting characters many of which appear in each book.

So far there are 4 books (Her Royal Spyness, Royal Pain, Royal Flush and Royal Blood) in the series with another due out in 2011. Each can be read as a standalone but are better if read in order.

Berkley Prime Crime publishes the Royal Spyness Mysteries by Rhys Bowen

Royal Pain and Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen

Mystery

I recommended Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen in my November 18, 2008 post. In that post I mentioned that much of the book was devoted to setting the scene and background for the series but it still had enough plot to hold a readers interest. With the background setup out of the way A Royal Pain and A Royal Flush move forward at a brisk pace. Lady Georginna, “34th in line to the throne and a penniless heiress”, finds her unique background aids in solving mysteries. Of course, if not for her background she would never be involved in the mysteries at all. Again there is the fascinating mix of real and imaginary characters. Set in 1932 the historical background becomes a part of the story in each book. Added to the mix is Lady Georginna’s attraction to someone who is also penniless and Catholic, a no-no for an heir to the British throne.

The promise seen in Her Royal Spyness is fulfilled in Royal Pain and Royal Flush. While each can be read as a stand alone the books are better if read in order.

Berkley Prime Crime published Royal Pain in 2008 and Royal Flush in 2009.

Rhys Bowen lives in California but was born in England. She has written two other series.

The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly

Paranormal Mystery

This seems to be my week for ghost stories. This time it is a mystery. The Ghost and Mrs. McClure published by Berkley Prime Crime is the first in a series that has 4 published books with a fifth coming out in January. PI Jack Shield was killed in 1949 in a book store in Quindicott, Rhode Island. He cannot leave the store and has been haunting it ever since. Penelope Thornton-McClure and her Aunt Sadie are updating the book store. They have changed the name to Buy the Book and have a bestselling author on hand to bring in new business. The author is killed in the bookstore. Penelope and Jack find that they can “talk to each other”. This is the first time Jack has been able to communicate with anyone. He and Penelope team up to solve the murder. Jack is a typical 1940’s Pi so he is the brains and Penelope, a modern woman, is the legs. It is a cute book, easy to read and only 261 pages long. If you want a fun read I recommend The Ghost and Mrs. McClure. I give it 3 thumbs up.

A side note. "Alice Kimberly is the pen name for Alice Alfonsi, who writes with her husband, Marc Cerasini." They also write The Coffeehouse Mysteries.