Royal Blood (Royal Spyness Series #4)

by Rhys Bowen

Overview

A royal wedding brings Lady Georgiana Rannoch to Transylvania and lands her in a truly draining state of affairs in the fourth mystery in the New York Times bestselling Royal Spyness series.

London, 1932. With her hateful brother Binky in town, Georgie has been desperately seeking an escape. So when an invitation from the Queen of England arrives asking her to represent the royals at a wedding in Transylvania—legendary home of vampires—she's delighted to accept. But when the bride starts acting a little batty and a prominent wedding guest is poisoned, something must be done lest the couple's vows become "till undeath do they part..."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425243749
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/06/2011
Series:	Royal Spyness Series , #4
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	57,535
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.60(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Rhys Bowen, a New York Times bestselling author, has been nominated for every major award in mystery writing, including the Edgar®, and has won many, including both the Agatha and Anthony awards. She is the author of the Royal Spyness Mysteries, set in 1930s London, the Molly Murphy Mysteries, set in turn-of-the-century New York, and the Constable Evans Mysteries, set in Wales. She was born in England and now divides her time between Northern California and Arizona.

Editorial Reviews

An insightful blend of old-fashioned whodunnit, clever satire and drawing room comedy of errors.”—New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Winspear

“Brilliant...This is so much more than a murder mystery. It’s part love story, part social commentary, part fun and part downright terrifying. And completely riveting.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny

“The perfect fix between seasons for Downton Abbey addicts.”—New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie

“Fans of P.G. Wodehouse looking for laughs mingled with some amateur sleuthing will be quite pleased.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Georgie’s high spirits and the author’s frothy prose are utterly captivating.”—The Denver Post

“A smashing romp.”—Booklist (starred review)

From the Publisher

Agatha-winner Bowen successfully mixes Wodehousian farce with a whodunit plot in her fourth 1930s mystery starring Lady Georgiana Rannoch (after 2009's Royal Flush). When the queen asks Georgiana, a distant relative of George V, to attend the wedding of a royal cousin and old schoolmate, Princess Maria Theresa, in Romania, the impoverished 22-year-old must scramble to come up with a maid to maintain appearances. She ends up with Queenie Hepplewhite, a clumsy if well-meaning servant who lost a previous job after setting fire to her mistress's clothing. Once in Romania, the pair find themselves in the midst of a sensitive murder case at the remote castle where the nuptials are to take place. Field Marshal Pirin, head of the Bulgarian army and a close adviser to his country's king, collapses during a festive meal and is later found to have been poisoned. Bowen once again demonstrates her mastery of the light, romantic mystery. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

A member of the British Royal Family travels to Transylvania for a wedding beset by werewolves and murder.

Lady Georgiana Rannoch may be 34th in line to the throne, but her family is poor, and she must fend for herself in their London house. When Queen Mary sends her as a representative to the wedding of Princess Maria Theresa, an old school chum also known as Fatty Matty, she has no choice but to go. Having no money to hire a maid, she takes on the untrained Queenie, packs her tiara and meager wardrobe, and travels with the chaperone the Queen has provided, the intrepid Lady Middlesex, and her companion, Miss Deer-Harte. Arriving at the castle, they discover that the guests include Georgiana's love interest, the mysterious Darcy O'Mara, her much-married mother, and her best friend, whose affairs are legendary. When a cordially disliked general is poisoned at the dinner table, a small group conspire to disguise the death as a heart attack until after the wedding. Georgiana's sleuthing experience (Royal Flush, 2009, etc.) makes her sensitive to many undercurrents. The now-slim bride appears nervous, and an unidentified man seen around the castle invades Georgiana's room. Although she knows better, she can't help suspecting that werewolves haunt the grounds. She vows to do all she can to find the murderer and flee Transylvania before she's married off to a homosexual prince.

A lighthearted pastiche of pre–World War II mysteries, enjoyable for readers who know not to take the dark doings too seriously.

Kirkus Reviews