A Royal Pain (Royal Spyness Series #2)

( 54 )

Overview

1930s London. Poor Lady Georgiana-thirty-fourth in line to the throne-has nothing to serve her Bavarian princess houseguest, even though the Queen of England has requested that she entertain her. Then there's the matter of the body in the bookshop and the princess's unwitting involvement with the Communist party. It's enough to drive a girl mad.

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A Royal Pain (Royal Spyness Series #2)

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More About This Book

Overview

1930s London. Poor Lady Georgiana-thirty-fourth in line to the throne-has nothing to serve her Bavarian princess houseguest, even though the Queen of England has requested that she entertain her. Then there's the matter of the body in the bookshop and the princess's unwitting involvement with the Communist party. It's enough to drive a girl mad.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

To make ends meet, slightly impoverished but well-connected Lady Georgiana Rannoch takes on house-cleaning jobs in disguise in Agatha-winner Bowen's enchanting second mystery set in 1930s England (after 2007's Her Royal Spyness). A tea invitation from the queen, however, sets her on a new mission. Georgiana must house and chaperone a young Bavarian princess the queen hopes to set up with the prince of Wales, thus diverting his attention from his current American love interest. The princess proves to be quite a handful, naïve and addicted to slang. Invitations to the palace, country house weekends and swinging parties are provided for her amusement. When a series of unfortunate deaths arouses Georgiana's suspicions, she launches an investigation that culminates in a startlingly bloody conclusion. Fans will welcome the return of this spunky heroine, 34th in line to the British throne. (July)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Reviews
A royal relative turns sleuth when murder haunts her household. Lady Georgiana Rannoch, who lives in her impoverished brother's London house, survives by doing occasional light cleaning jobs. Although dead broke, she is 34th in line to the throne and at the beck and call of the Queen, who's thought up a scheme to scuttle the highly unsuitable romance between her son David and the married American Wallis Simpson. The Queen asks Georgie to host the lovely young Bavarian Princess, known by her friends as Hanni, as well as her escort Baroness Rottenmeister and their maid. Having no money or servants, Georgie calls on her grandfather and his neighbor to act as butler and cook. Hanni turns out to be a lively young miss with an American accent acquired from watching gangster movies and a bent for unsuitable young men, shoplifting and wild parties. At an aristocratic bash whose guest list includes the Prince of Wales, Mrs. Simpson and Georgie's actress mother, a young man is killed in a fall from a balcony. Georgie and Hanni are escorted away by Georgie's love interest, sexy Irishman Darcy O'Mara (Her Royal Spyness, 2007). As Georgie attempts to keep Hanni out of trouble, more murders follow. Nothing daunted, Georgie works to discover if the cause is a Communist or Fascist plot or something even more sinister. A pre-World War II mystery with a touch of romance that adds another winner to Bowen's accomplishments.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780425228722
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
  • Publication date: 7/7/2009
  • Series: Royal Spyness Series , #2
  • Format: Mass Market Paperback
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 320
  • Sales rank: 140736
  • Product dimensions: 4.20 (w) x 6.70 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

Rhys Bowen

Rhys Bowen has been nominated for every major award in mystery writing, including the Edgar®, and has won seven, including both Agatha and Anthony awards. She is also the author of 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 lives in Northern California.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 54 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(21)

4 Star

(16)

3 Star

(14)

2 Star

(3)

1 Star

(0)
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 54 Customer Reviews

  • Posted Tue Dec 09 00:00:00 EST 2008

    more from this reviewer

    Exciting historical mystery

    In 1934 England like the United States is reeling from the world wide Great Depression that even impacts the aristocracy. Lady Georgiana, thirty-fourth in line for the crown has seen her allowance cut off by her brother Binky. She is staying in the family¿s London townhouse without any servants. The Queen worries about her son and his infatuation with Wallis Simpson so she conspires with Lady Georgie to find him someone else to interest the heir.--------------- The Princess of Bavaria Maria Theresa Hannelore Wilhelmina Mathilda (try signing that on your check) comes to England to stay with Georgie. The Princess learned her English from American gangster movies so sounds like Capone¿s moll and steals like a thug instead of a royal. Working incognito as a maid to bring in some quid, Georgie meets a member of the Socialist Party, who is murdered in the bookstore where he worked. Hannelore and Georgie find him Soon after at party a guest is slipped a mickey and falls off a balcony whose rail was tampered so it was weakened. Finally the Princess¿ chaperone aunt dies of a heart attack. Afraid that Hannelore is the target and her homicide would mean another great war to end all wars, the queen orders peace loving Georgie to investigate expense being no problem as long as Georgie funds it.----------- Talented Rhys Bowen always provides the audience with a sense of time and place with strong characters populating her historical mysteries. Her latest is amusing yet serious as fans will admire the courageous heroine who thinks ¿The world would see a new Georgy girl¿ if she had money, which means extorting from Binky the cheap. Fans will relish this fine tale starring a noble who may be dreaming of being someone of affluence, but accepts reality.------------ Harriet Klausner

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Thu Mar 04 00:00:00 EST 2010

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs Series #1)

    A Fun Read! Great Addition to the Series!

    A Royal Pain is the second mystery staring Lady Georgiana {Georgie to her friends} Rannoch and her struggle to survive being close to the aristocratic top of the ladder, yet being more in the mix with the up and coming middle class. This series is enjoyable because of its witty heroine and her ability to solve mysteries and save the monarchy in spite of herself. A great read for those who enjoy English mysteries with sassy heroines.

    And if you like female English detectives, I recommend starting the series by Jacqueline Winspear, starring Maisie Dobbs.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Mon Oct 26 00:00:00 EDT 2009

    Purchased for Mom...

    My mom loves this series! She really enjoys reading these books. She likes the main character, appreciates the humor, and is looking forward to the next installment. Recommended for fans of cozies containing a dose of humor...

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Sat Jan 26 00:00:00 EST 2013

    Not great

    Reading the reviews I expected a much better read. Same with the first of the series.
    It's fun, it's light weight. There are other authors, and series, I'd rather spend my money on.

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  • Posted Sun Nov 04 00:00:00 EDT 2012

    Excellent!!

    The main character Georgie is fun, light, a little naive but such a refreshing main character. She is a great amateur sleuth!!

    All in this series is a great read! Read all of them...they are a delight!!!

    I recommended "A Royal Flush" to my bookclub. Although they all thought the story was a little light some even called it "fluffy", they could all agree it was a fun, laugh out loud, cozy mystery that was a nice break from some of our more serious reads.

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  • Posted Mon Jul 30 00:00:00 EDT 2012

    Cute & light as a feather

    A charming series...not great literature, but cute and light as a feather! I enjoyed the first two books so far.

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  • Posted Mon Jun 04 00:00:00 EDT 2012

    What a great read!

    I am really enjoying this series.
    Hope she keeps it up.

    And its a series my wife and I can both enjoy and share.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Mon Oct 31 00:00:00 EDT 2011

    Slow

    A slow reaf

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  • Posted Sat Sep 11 00:00:00 EDT 2010

    more from this reviewer

    I loved it!

    Georgie is my kind of heroine. The characters in this book are very well presented with their own quirky traits. All in all, it was a very enjoyable and easy read. Yes, I am now going on to book #3 in the series...

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Tue Jul 20 00:00:00 EDT 2010

    more from this reviewer

    A Royal Pain

    I enjoyed learning more about Georgie this go around. She had her hands full with the Princess and trying to figure out what Darcy was up to as well. I will be looking forward to book 3.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Sat Dec 05 00:00:00 EST 2009

    Royal Reads

    What an interesting concept. I read the first book in the series and was quite surprised and delighted in the main character. All of the characters are pleasantly likable; well save one, but you find out who. The writing is similar in style to Agatha Christie and I believe that is why I bought the first book, "Her Royal Spyness". If you like stories on the royal family, albeit, in the past, this is the book for you. Cleverly written, and you might even get to meet the Queen.

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  • Posted Fri Oct 30 00:00:00 EDT 2009

    more from this reviewer

    a fun and cozy mystery

    Lady Georgiana Rannoch is thirty-fourth in line for the throne, but her family has no money. Georgie left her family's Scottish Castle to live in their London home. There aren't many jobs for a woman in 1930's London, but especially for royalty. If the Queen finds out Georgie is working, she will insist on marrying her off to some deplorable foreign prince. So Georgie has to be careful that only her closest friends now she works as a temp maid.

    Since no one can refuse the Queen, in this second novel, Georgie finds herself playing hostess to Princess Hannelore from Bavaria, as the Queen is hoping to create a love match between Hanni and her eldest son, the Prince of Wales, and break up the relationship between the prince and Wallis Simpson. Georgie can't admit she hasn't any money to pay for servants in her London home, so her grand-dad on her non-royal side of the family and his neighbor agree to act as butler and cook for Georgie. But she has her hands full with the young princess, fresh from the convent school and man-crazy. Her English has been learned from American gangster movies.

    While trying to reign in the Princess and various parties, people all around Georgie are dropping dead and the police find it too coincidental that she is always around. She also keeps running into Darcy O'Mara, the sexy, penniless lord from Ireland.

    This is the second book I have read from Rhys Bowen, in her Royal Spyness series. A Royal Pain is a little more in depth than the first, creating a very good mystery. Georgie is daring and adventurous when it comes to solving mysteries, not so much when it comes to her love life. Her mother is a former actress who frequently marries rich men but has virtually no relationship with her daughter. Georgie's best friend is Belinda, a designer who hangs with the fast set. Georgie's half-brother is Binky and his uptight wife is named Fig, but they have only a small role in this book. This is a fun, cozy mystery with entertaining characters, the real Queen Mary and Wallis Simpson, the bane of her existence. It is full of intrigue, suspected communists, and German spies. It was very enjoyable and quick read.

    my rating 4/5
    http://bookmagic418@blogspot.com/

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    Posted Fri Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2010

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