I just finished reading Peril in Paris by Rhys Bowen of the Her Royal Spyness Series, and it was such a good book!
My mother discovered Rhys Bowen and the Her Royal Spyness Series a few years ago and since then, we have been reading this series and we always anxiously await the next addition!
Each chapter begins like an entry in a diary and follows the life and adventures of Georgie, her best friend, the Honorable Belinda Warburton-Stoke and Georgie’s future and present husband, the Honorable Darcy O’Mara.
Who is Rhys Bowen?
Rhys Bowen is the pseudonym for british-born Janet Quin-Harkin.
Janet was born in Bath, United Kingdom in 1941.
To date, she has written about 40 novels.
Most are series but some are stand-alone and most come under the heading of “cozy mystery “.
What is a Cozy Mystery?
I would say that Cozy Mystery is for people like me; scaredy-cats. Lol
But anyone that enjoys mystery would probably enjoy cozy mystery.
Cozy Mysteries have mystery elements without being over the top scarey, bloody or horrific and often, they do not have a lot of sex or bad language, as well.
I would say that usually, of the books I’ve read, there is no bad language and only a hint of sex, if that much.
In other words, it’s pretty much “good clean fun” with some mysterious death thrown in!
According to my research, the term “cozy mystery” was coined in the late 20th century when various writers attempted to re-create the “Golden Age of Detective Fiction”.
The “Golden Age of Detective Fiction”
was from approximately 1911 to 1941.
Most of the golden age authors were British born and Dame Agatha Christie is among their ranks.
Her Royal Spyness
The Her Royal Spyness series, in a nut shell, is the story of Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, daughter to the Duke of Atholt and Rannoch; Georgie to friends and family but Lady Georgiana to everyone else!
Georgiana is related to the King and Queen of England, in fact, she is thirty-fourth in line for the throne but despite this, she is very poor.
Georgie lives with her half-brother, Binky (Hamish Albert Henry Rannoch, Duke of Glen Garry and Rannoch) and his wife, Fig (the Duchess of Glen Garry and Rannoch, née Hilda Wormwood) in their run down castle in Perthshire, Scotland until Fig sends her away to fend for herself.
Fig is basically very jealous of Georgie and treats Georgie as a slave. Once Georgie graduates from Finishing School, Fig insists that Binky cut off her allowance.
Fig knows very well that a young woman of Georgie’s background, #1: has no means of supporting herself, #2: has no skills that would make her “marketable” and #3: isn’t actually allowed to work.
Still, Fig sends her off to live in the London house, without servants, without money, without heat and without food!
Under these circumstances, Georgiana has no choice but to fend for herself by taking jobs incognito!
Georgiana
Georgie seems to attract murder like a magnet! Everywhere she goes, she seems to stumble on to a dead body… and the police are not happy about it!
Rhys’ most recent Her Royal Spyness book is Peril in Paris.
This is such a fun story with lots of intrigue!
Georgie goes to Paris to visit her best friend, Belinda.
Belinda is living in Paris and apprenticing under Coco Chanel!
During a fashion show, Georgie stumbles upon yet another dead body! How was this woman killed mid-fashion-show? So many people disliked the deceased woman, but who disliked her enough to take such a risk with numerous possible witnesses?
I really do not want to tell you more and ruin the story for you.
Here’s the official description of the story, “Lady Georgiana Rannoch and her dashing husband, Darcy, are awaiting a bundle of joy, but an unexpected trip to Paris will thrust them straight into a tangled web of international intrigue in this all-new mystery in the New York Times bestselling Royal Spyness series from Rhys Bowen.”
You have lots of catching up to do because there are currently 16 books in the series and a 17th coming out next November!
I hope you’ll go right out (or to the computer) and get yourself a copy!!