QUEEN OF HEARTS by Rhys Bowen

MALICE AT THE PALACE by Rhys Bowen

NO COMFORT FOR THE LOST by Nancy Herriman 

QUEEN OF HEARTS 

Book 7 in the Royal Spyness Mystery series 

by Rhys Bowen 

Downton Abbey fans will rejoice for Lady Georgiana Rannoch, thirty-fifth in line for the British throne, who’s off to Hollywood, where she must reprise her role as sleuth…

My mother, the glamorous and much-married actress, is hearing wedding bells once again—which is why she must hop across the pond for a quickie divorce in Reno. To offer my moral support, and since all expenses are paid by her new hubby-to-be, Max, I agree to make the voyage with her.

Crossing the Atlantic, with adventure in the air and wealthy men aboard, Mother meets movie mogul Cy Goldman who insists on casting her in his next picture. Meanwhile, I find myself caught up in the secret investigation of a suspected jewel thief. Lucky for me, the lead investigator happens to be my dashing beau, Darcy!

Mother’s movie and Darcy’s larceny lead everyone to Cy’s Hollywood home, where the likes of Charlie Chaplin are hanging about and there’s enough romantic intrigue to fill a double feature. But we hardly get a chance to work out the sleeping arrangements before Cy turns up dead. As if there wasn’t enough drama already…

MY REVIEW 

I’ve been reading several “new to me” books after hearing only wonder thing about the authors and series. Rhys Bowen has been on my list, so I’ve finally read on of her books. I’ve been missing out!

Lady Georgiana Rannoch, protagonist of the Royal Spyness series, is such a wonderfully fresh character! She reminded me so much of a combination of Rose from the Titanic move, and a Christie heroine. She was simply delightful!

Author Bowen has penned an excellent mystery. The journey from England to America on the luxury liner added an amazing feel to the story. The mystery was tight and flawless. I kept changing my mind about the killer and was still wrong when I read the reveal.

Author Bowen’s writing is everything I was told it would be and more. I’m happy I have the nest book in the series on hand so I can dive right into it. Speaking of the next book, check the sneak peek of MALICE AT THE PALACE, book nine in the series.

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MALICE AT THE PALACE

Book 8 in the Royal Spyness Mystery series 

by Rhys Bowen 

From the New York Times betselling author of Queen of Hearts comes another mystery for "fans of P.G. Wodehouse looking for laughs mingled with some amateur sleuthing." (Publishers Weekly)

Lady Georgiana Rannoch won’t deny that being thirty-fifth in line for the British throne has its advantages. Unfortunately, money isn’t one of them. And sometimes making ends meet requires her to investigate a little royal wrongdoing.

 

While my beau Darcy is off on a mysterious mission, I am once again caught between my high birth and empty purse. I am therefore relieved to receive a new assignment from the Queen—especially one that includes lodging. The King’s youngest son, George, is to wed Princess Marina of Greece, and I shall be her companion at the supposedly haunted Kensington Palace.

 

My duties are simple: help Marina acclimate to English life, show her the best of London and, above all, dispel any rumors about George’s libertine history. Perhaps that last bit isn’t so simple.

 

George is known for his many affairs with women as well as men—including the great songwriter Noel Coward. But things truly get complicated when I search the Palace for a supposed ghost only to encounter an actual dead person: a society beauty said to have been one of Prince George’s mistresses.

 

Nothing spoils a royal wedding more than murder, and the Queen wants the whole matter hushed. But as the investigation unfolds—and Darcy, as always, turns up in the most unlikely of places—the investigation brings us precariously close to the prince himself.

MY REVIEW

While MALICE AT THE PALACE is the eighth book in this series, it is my second. All I can say is wow.

Author Rhys Bowen once again has written a delightful story from the view point of lead character Lady Georgiana Rannoch, thirty-fifth in line for the British throne. In this installment, Georgiana is enlisted to be companion to Princess Maria, soon to be wife of the King’s youngest son, George. Part of Georgiana’s duties are to dispel rumors of George’s questionable life style. Nut then, of course, she finds herself with a dead body to contend with as well.

I mention all of the above because Author Bowen has flawlessly interwoven her wonderful murder mystery with the true history of Prince George, the Duke of Kent. I honestly don’t know what I found more surprising…the unexpected reveal of this story or the things I learned about Prince George. Brava Rhys Bowen for masterfully teaching us a history lesson within your story. If my teachers had taught history the way you did in this book, I would have been a much better student.

On a side note, I would love to see the author write a companions book to the series of just Lady Georgiana’s dairy entries. I think it would a fascinating read.

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NO COMFORT FOR THE LOST

Book 1 in the Mystery Of Old San Francisco series 

by Nancy Herriman

In this atmospheric historical mystery series debut, a courageous nurse and a war-scarred police detective in 1860s San Francisco champion the down-trodden and fight for justice …

After serving as a nurse in the Crimea, British-born Celia Davies left her privileged family for an impulsive marriage to a handsome Irishman. Patrick brought her to San Francisco’s bustling shores but then disappeared and is now presumed dead.  Determined to carry on, Celia partnered with her half-Chinese cousin Barbara and her opinionated housekeeper Addie to open a free medical clinic for women who have nowhere else to turn. But Celia’s carefully constructed peace crumbles when one of her Chinese patients is found brutally murdered…and Celia’s hotheaded brother-in-law stands accused of the crime.

A veteran of America’s civil war, detective Nicholas Greaves is intent on discovering the killer of the girl, whose ethnicity and gender render her as powerless in death as they did in life. Nicholas’s efforts are complicated by Celia, who has a knack for walking into dangerous situations that may lead to answers…or get them both killed.  For as their inquiries take them from Chinatown’s squalid back alleys to the Barbary Coast’s violent shipping docks to the city’s gilded parlors, Celia and Nicholas begin to suspect that someone very close to them holds the key to a murderous conspiracy…

MY REVIEW

Another new historical mystery on the market, NO COMFORT FOR THE LOST is a beautifully written story. Set in San Francisco in 1867, author Nancy Herriman has captured the feel of the era wonderfully.

Celia Davies is a strong young woman. A wonderful new mystery heroine. I enjoyed her scenes with Celia and her cousin Barbara. I’m also a fan of Detective Nicolas Greaves and look forward to reading more about him in future installments.

This was a well written mystery, where the research done for the story is clear. Ms. Herriman must have had a real passion for her topic because it really comes through on the pages of NO COMFORT FOR THE LOST.

I doubt historical mysteries will ever be my go to choice when picking a new book, but if they keep coming out with books as good as this one, I may be changing my tune.

Make sure to check out the back of the book for an excerpt of book two, NO PITY FOR THE DEAD. 

These great titles are now 

available for pre-order

Release date:

Tuesday, August 4

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