Georgie, aka Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, cousin of King George V of England, is penniless and trying to survive on her own as an ordinary person in London in 1932.
So far she has managed to light a fire and boil an egg... She's gate-crashed a wedding... She's making money by secretly cleaning houses... And she's been asked to spy for Her Majesty the Queen.
Everything seems to be going swimmingly until she finds a body in her bathtub... and someone is definitely trying to kill her.
©2007 Janet Quin-Harkin (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
"Rhys Bowen has crafted an insightful blend of old-fashioned whodunnit, clever satire, and drawing room comedy of errors -- and created a feisty new heroine to delight a legion of Anglophile readers." (Jacqueline Winspear, author of the Maisie Dobbs novels)
"Kellgren finds unique voices for quirky characters such as Georgie’s adorable grandfather and estranged mother, Wallis Simpson, and a sexy Irish lord. Kellgren will make listeners want to meet the kilt-clad ghosts who play bagpipes in Scotland’s castle corridors and tartan-wallpapered bathrooms." (AudioFile)
"Happy addition to a difficult genre"
I love a good mystery and am frequently disappointed. This one was very satisfying. The story is set during an interesting time in history, the early 1930s; the characters span a range of social classes due to the main character's position as a fiscally destitute minor royal whose mixed parentage includes a Cockney grandfather. She thinks out of the box which places her in situations that would be precluded by strict adherence to class code. The story contains enough plot twists to keep the reader guessing, but all the necessary clues are provided, so the conclusion is logical.
The narrator does a fantastic job with the voices and accents.
"Joy, Joy, Joy!"
This is the first novel in Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness series and it is a jewel. Katherine Kellgren brings the characters to life and will have you laughing out loud. Not that there isn't suspense in plenty and some romantic interest as well. Audible has all of this series on the site now and if you haven't heard them, you are in for a major treat!
"Not Bad"
Since I have run the gamut of Agatha Christie's mysteries (some multiple times) I was starting to feel like a part of my life was missing, so I figured that I would give this author a shot, even on the outset, I thought these books would be overly hokey. They aren't. Also, I have to say that although the story lines are sometimes, but not wholly predictable, that this series is pretty darn enjoyable. They definitely fit the cozy genre to a "t" and I think the main character is great. Like Christie, Bowen treats English artistocracy with a tongue in cheek type of humor and manages to keep the reader interested enough in the plot to want to keep going without stopping. I don't necessarily think it is a bad thing to be able to predict some of the outcomes, as long as we aren't able to guess them all, and hey maybe this was the author's intent, anyway.
If you are looking for a happy, fun, cozy, enjoyable whodunit, this series is for you.
As an Audible Editor I listen for a living! British classics, YA novels, speculative fiction, and anything quirky, fascinating, or heart-wrenching.
"I’ve Been Charmed"
I’m writing a review of the first book in this series, but that’s because you need to begin at the beginning and keep going. But you don’t want to miss any of the books in Bowen’s adorable and delightful Royal Spyness series. These books are total charmers. They tell the story of Lady Georgiana Rannoch, cousin to the Queen, in 1930s England. She’s a minor royal who's completely penniless, but expected to keep up with the Joneses. Uninterested in marrying for money, she’s trying to figure out how to make her own way in the world, with very few suitable options available to her. And then there’s the fact that keeps running into dead bodies (as tends to happen in these cozy mysteries). You may be rolling your eyes, but trust me: these books are absolutely wonderful little gems. And while I would never dare discourage reading, you really ought to listen to them. Katherine Kellgren is the real star here. She gives perfect voice to all of the characters Georgie encounters: her Cockney grandfather, a handsome Irish rogue, a crazy German princess who’s obsessed with American gangster movies, a stuffy butler, and even Wallis Simpson and Coco Chanel. I can’t wait for the next one!
"Funny as all get out!"
I am generally not a 1st person plot view fan, but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The mystery was not the focus of the story, and I liked that. The whole "aristocrat struggling to get by" plot was what had me coming back to it, and I laughed out loud many a time.
The narrator was perfection as well, I believe she just might be Georgie and just never knew till now :)
"Delightful little mystery"
I bought this book on a whim. The idea of a down-and-out royal trying to make a living in 1930s London was interesting enough to peak my curiosity, but mixing that with a murder mystery was enough to convince me to give it a try.
The book was a worthwhile read for me if only for the portrait it paints of the 1930s class-conscious society that existed of that time in the UK. The lives of those in the upper class as well as those not in that class (NOCD - not our class darling) is presented as is with no explicit excuses or embarrasment, just as the people who lived then must have thought of it. What are most interesting, besides the interactions of the two classes, are the unconscious restrictions placed on the upper class who still, sometimes, had to make a living.
The murder mystery added some additional interest to the book although the mystery was both much clearer and easier to piece for me than Agatha Chrisie's Miss Marple books. There were sufficient red herrings thrown in and our heroine does indeed make some stupid decisions, but it is all in fun and the true culprit did not become clear to me until the last hour or so of the book. All in all I can say that I had a good time reading it. I do not expect to read any other books in the series but I do not regret having purchased and read this one.
Ms Kellgren's narration of the book is first class - the British, Scots and American accents sound authentic (to my ears). She spoke clearly and seemed perfectly chosen for the tone and pace of the book. I feel I can recommend this book for some fun and light reading.
"If you like Miss Marple and Mrs. Pollifax"
I' m sure this kind of book isn't for everyone, but if you like Jane Marple or Emily Pollifax, you'll like Georgie. An amusing cozy mystery/adventure in which a young royal (35th in line for the throne) adjusts to having no money, no household help and tries to survive by doing menial work and special investigations for the queen.
The narrator does an excellent job.
"Delightful"
This was a delightful and an enjoyable listen. I am looking forward to listening to the others in the series.
"Fun, cute, charming!"
If you are looking for a silly, cute book with engaging characters and an adorable narrator to "cleanse the palate" between more serious reads, this is it! Really enjoyed it.
Say something about yourself!
"Funny, Entertaining and a Wonderful Read"
I actually purchased this to listen with my wife. What a pleasant surprise! Best of all I'm hooked on a series with plenty of novels to go.
The story is of a clever, beautiful, poor yet still royal woman having to disgrace her position by working. It leads to a myriad of humorous scenes, all of which overshadow the actual mystery.
Katherine Kellgren does a wonderful job reading a variety of characters.
"Body found in Dukes bath!!!"
This series of audiobooks is among the best for easy listening. Lots of humorous episodes with a minor Royal who also has a cockney grandad.
Georgie, short for Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie is the poor relation but gets called in to the palace to be the Queens spy. This leads to hilarious scenes between Georgie and Fig (the sister-in-law); who holds the purse strings of her brother Binky (the Duke); as she tries to get money or a maid to come down from the Scottish Castle to the London residences were she tries to look after herself without servants.
Georgie's meetings with her ex-policeman Grandad (the royal one haunts the castle battlements) as they investigate the Murder in their bath while dodging someone who wants her out of the way.
Full of laughs and old-fashion fun with thrills in a time between the World Wars.
Katherine Kellgren brings the book to life with the range of voices and accents she brings to this audiobook. Looking forward to the next in the series.
"Brilliant Book"
Very high, certainly one of my favourites.
Having more or less worked out who the murderer was, I was delighted to find I was correct.
Wonderful use of accents, with just the right emphasis.
Yes, but one does have to sleep!
I will certainly be investing in the rest of the series over the coming months.
"Great, light-hearted fun"
This is a great, light-hearted story with a classic feel to it. It kind of reminded me of the old Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot series. Not a complicated tale, and it was easy to work out how the culprit was, but it was still fun to listen as the heroine of the story put the pieces together. I liked the narrator, she did a good job with the characters and added to the fun. This is an ideal book for a lazy afternoon when you want something entertaining but uncomplicated.
"Very Amusing"
A very enjoyable books. Light entertaining and quite jolly.
Definitely. I really enjoyed this one
Her scenes with HRM. The characterization was very funny.
I actually finished it in about 2 days. More's the pity!
I'm really looking forward to the next book I purchase from this series. I listen to audio books as I do the house work. The time flies by and I don't feel the load of the chores!
"A fun lightweight story"
This is not going to win an intellectual review but it was fun and kept me amused on the way to work. I will probably get another in the series at some point because it is easy listening. Enjoyable.
"Dreadful narration"
I liked the concept behind the story. But the story itself is slow-moving and very badly read. The accents are too heavy and unbelievable.
I lost interest before getting to anything interesting. The pace of the book was too slow
Less use of accents
No