Review:
If Nancy Drew had been born an impoverished royal, 35th in line for the throne, she might have been Lady Georgianna Rannoch.
The 'Her Royal Spyness' mysteries, of which Heirs and Graces is the seventh, are light cozy mysteries set in the 1930s among England's (and Europe's) high society. Georgie is charmingly matter-of-fact, intelligent but not well-educated (a fact that leaves her woefully unprepared to earn her own living), and surprisingly down to earth without being common (in any sense of the term.) Her impecunious state leads her to take on odd jobs, often for the Queen, while her curiosity, relative fearlessness, and naivite in some areas lead Georgie into various madcap scrapes and the occasional spot of real danger. Often on hand to rescue her is Darcy O'Mara, younger son of an Irish peer, mysterious adventurer, and Georgie's sweetheart.
In Heirs and Graces, Georgie is invited to Kingsdowne Place to help teach Jack Altringham, the long-lost heir to a dukedom, how to behave in polite British society. Raised in the Australian outback, poor Jack is none too keen to inherit despite his relative poverty. But within a day or two of his arrival, the Duke, Jack's unpleasant uncle, is discovered dead -- with Jack's knife in his back.
There are plenty of suspects. The Duke's artistic proteges (and likely toy boys) are put out over his plans to adopt his French valet -- a plan which also gives both Jack and his grandmother, the very traditional Dowager Duchess, a motive, for such a move would presumably supplant Jack as heir. In addition, there's a former footman with a double grudge: not only did the Duke sack him after years of service, but the Duke's planned theater would require demolishing the cottages in which the man's parents live. Georgie, with her usual pluck (and inability to stay out of things) sets out to figure out who the real culprit is.
The result is a delightful glimpse into the fading but still privileged life of the British aristocracy circa 1934, and a cozy mystery with a surprising and Christiesque twist at the end. Neither high drama nor great literature, this enjoyable, frothy, and well-plotted series will nonetheless appeal to fans of Christie, Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple mysteries, and other series set among Britain's upper crust.
* * *
Rating: 4 stars
Category: Cozy mystery; historical mystery
Series: Her Royal Spyness #7
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Release date: August 6, 2013
Book source: public library
Links: Goodreads Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo
About the author:
Rhys Bowen is the New York Times bestselling author of the Royal Spyness series, Molly Murphy Mysteries, and Constable Evans series. She won the Agatha Best Novel Award for Naughty in Nice (a Royal Spyness mystery) and was nominated for the Edgar Best Novel for Evan's Gate. Rhys’s titles have received rave reviews around the globe.
Rhys was born and educated in England and began her writing career in her early 20s with a radio play for the BBC. After moving to Australia and then San Francisco, Rhys began writing children's books, then YA novels under her married name, Janet Quin-Harkin . Eventually she turned to her first love, mysteries, beginning with the Constable Evan Evans novels set in a small Welsh village.
Rhys currently writes two mystery series: the atmospheric Molly Murphy novels, about a feisty Irish immigrant in 1900s New York City and the funny and sexy Royal Spyness mysteries about a penniless minor royal in 1930s Britain. Her books have made bestseller lists, garnered many awards, nominations, and starred reviews. She now divides her time between California and Arizona.
(adapted from the author's official biography on her website)
Connect with the author: Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads
This sounds like a lot of fun. We have the first one of this series and my wife read it and liked it, but I see this is #7. I didn't realize there were that many in the series. Anyway good review this looks like a fun little series.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun, relatively light series -- sort of "cozy historical". I enjoy them. I think her Molly Murphy series is a little heavier, but not dark; I'm planning to start them sometime next year.
DeleteOh this sounds good, and I loved Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys in fact from 3rd grade through 4th I think I read them all! LOL I like the setting of his as well. Will these work as standalone?
ReplyDeleteI think some of these work pretty well as standalones. It's not like some series, where you're totally lost if you didn't start at the beginning. But the first book was a lot of fun, and establishes the character and her milieu.
DeleteI've read a couple books in the other series and have wondered about this series. Maybe I'll give this book a try.
ReplyDeleteThe reverse of me! Actually, I read almost all the Constable Evans books, her first mystery series. I really enjoyed them, even though they made me 'homesick' for Wales. (No, I'm not from Wales, but I've been there twice and I have some Welsh ancestry, quite a few generations back. Something about the land and the people really connects somewhere inside me... I can't explain it.)
DeleteI read Nancy Drew many, many years ago! And the Hardy Boys, too.
ReplyDeleteGood review, Lark. I've read several of Her Royal Spyness series :( but as with many series I've fallen behind. I've also read a number of the Molly Murphy series, but am behind there, too! They're on my list of maybe read in the future...lol
I hope to start the Molly Murphy mysteries in 2014. I know what you mean about getting behind! I actually missed the Royal Spyness set in Nice; I'll have to track it down at the library.
DeleteI haven't tried this series by Bowen yet but I read the first book in her Constable Evan's series in January 2012 and thought it was just an okay read. I keep meaning to give this series by her a go but I'm nervous to try it. Great review though Lark, :)
ReplyDelete-Kimberly @ Turning the Pages
These are a little lighter and funnier than the Constable Evans mysteries. I couldn't call them great literature, but they're a nice, frothy read, good for when I need a little escape.
Delete