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The Twelve Clues of Christmas A Royal Spyness Mystery Rhys Bowen 9780425252789 Books

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The Twelve Clues of Christmas A Royal Spyness Mystery Rhys Bowen 9780425252789 Books

I've read/listened to all the Royal Spyness novels. By far this Christmas story is my favorite! Katherine Kellgren outdoes herself with the narration on Audible. Her voices for bratty American boy Junior, his older sister and the Dowager Countess are outrageously funny. I find myself bursting out laughing as the scene plays itself out in my head. The Christmas dinner feast is one of my favorite scenes. Makes me wish this novel was turned into a movie or TV series. To see it performed with the same agility as Ms. Kellgren would be amazing. (Seriously, she does various accents, tones, and even sings. Throughout the whole series I can tell who the characters are just by her accent alone. I don't need a "Darcy said" or "Fig groaned").

Between the narration and the descriptions of a 1930's style "old fashioned country English Christmas" makes this audiobook a lovely replay while I'm sewing, baking, wrapping, shopping or doing all the little things to prepare for Christmas.

The murder mystery kept me guessing right through the end. I had several plausible suspects and theories, none playing out as I imagined until the very end. Loved the Twelve Days of Christmas theme. Since I am mostly listening to this series, I didn't get that first clue until exactly the same time as Georgie. And even then I was wrong about the whodunnit.

There are several things to love about the Royal Spyness series. The lead character, Lady Georgiana, seems like a levelheaded modern girl yet she is also firmly a member of her class and time period. I love how her romance with Hon. (and devilish) Darcy O'Mara plays out. This installment sees them together more and taking a more serious step in their relationship. (If you're reading for the relationship alone, you can concentrate on Books 1-3, 4, 6 (this one), 9, 10 (Crowned and Dangerous), 11 and next year's "Four Funerals and a Wedding Maybe".) Darcy develops nicely from a bit of a borderline cad/rogue (he first makes a play for Georgie on a bet) to a mysterious charmer with a purpose. It's not said clearly but you get the impression he started taking on jobs for the Secret Service as a lark or out of survival and then takes them so he can raise enough funds to settle down with the girl his heart desires. In this installment, fate seems to bring them together. Darcy is absolutely wonderful to Georgie. I love the wassailling scenes. The ending is so sweet I want to hug them both.

As for those reviewers criticizing the actions of some characters, the point of Georgie's mother's stinginess is that she is a very self centered person. It doesn't occur to her that her daughter may need financial help. Georgie nearly starves herself in a freezing London townhouse because she's too proud and stubborn to admit to her brother or Queen Mary she needs help. That's what makes her a noble character. Despite being abandoned by her mother at age 2, surrounded by equally self-absorbed Society peers, constantly belittled and pestered by an overbearing sis-in-law and whimpy brother, Lady Georgiana sticks to her sense of morality and purpose. You can easily see she is the type of woman who could help propel England through the terror of WWII.


Tags : The Twelve Clues of Christmas (A Royal Spyness Mystery) [Rhys Bowen] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>She may be thirty-fifth in line for the throne, but Lady Georgiana Rannoch cannot wait to ring in the new year—before a Christmas killer wrings another neck… </b> On the first day of Christmas,Rhys Bowen,The Twelve Clues of Christmas (A Royal Spyness Mystery),Berkley,0425252787,Aristocracy (Social class);England;Fiction.,Christmas stories.,Murder;Investigation;Fiction.,Aristocracy (Social class),ENGLISH MYSTERY & SUSPENSE FICTION,England,Fiction,Fiction - Mystery Detective,Fiction General,Fiction Mystery & Detective Historical,Fiction Mystery & Detective Women Sleuths,Fiction-Mystery & Detective,GENERAL,General Adult,Investigation,Monograph Series, any,Murder,Mystery & Detective - Historical,Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths,Mystery fiction,MysterySuspense,United States

The Twelve Clues of Christmas A Royal Spyness Mystery Rhys Bowen 9780425252789 Books Reviews

For my annual Christmas cozy quest, I delightedly present “The Twelve Clues of Christmas,” by Rhys Bowen. It’s part of the immensely popular “Her Royal Spyness” series which is highly recommended by Library Journal. Thirty-fifth in line for the British throne Lady Georgiana Rannoch hopes for a quiet Christmas in Devon, but of course murder, romance, genuine thrills, and hilarity ensue. It’s set in the 1930s, so Mrs. Simpson is the subject of talk and Noel Coward makes an appearance or two. It’s as much satire of the upper class as anything, with silly names, exasperating lady’s maids, and flaming plum puddings, as if P.G. Wodehouse decided to write murder mysteries set in great country houses. Wonderful fun.
I am a dedicated fan of Rhys Bowen’s work, so I choose this book for entertaining holiday reading. And Ms. Bowen did not disappoint.

As ever, Georgie is short of money, fashionable clothes, and a settled place to rest her head. This Christmas, it seems as though her choice of holiday setting has come down to dreary Castle Rannoch and her frosty sister-in-law, when she finds a holiday gig as (paid) hostess for a house party.

But after she arrives at her destination (the quaintly-named Tiddleton-under-Lovey) Georgie is soon aware of a distressing number of deaths taking place in this purportedly quiet village. They seem to be occurring to a random selection of people, and all seem to be accidental. But Georgie’s belief in coincidence is limited; leave it to her to discover the common thread. But by then, she finds that she herself is in jeopardy.

I found this book thoroughly enjoyable, despite the alarming number of casualties. Her hapless maid, Queenie, continues to be a walking disaster much of the time. On a more positive note, her relationship with the fascinating Darcy seems to be moving along nicely.

Generous bonus at the end Christmas recipes and games. All in all, great fun.
I love this series of cozy mysteries. The books are written somewhat tongue in cheek and are quite humorous, as well as fast paced. The star of the series is Lady Georgiana Rannoch, now thirty-fifth in line for the throne of England. Lady Georgianna has a penchant for trouble and for solving mysteries, and the Christmas holidays are no exception. Faced with spending the holidays with her brother, the Duke of Rannoch and his detestable, penny pinching wife, she opts to hire herself out as a party hostess, landing a plum job hosting a Christmas party at a posh manor house in the village of Tiddleton for Lady Hawse-Gorzely.

No sooner does Georgiana arrive than the guests and villagers start dropping like flies. Something is afoot, and, as always, she aims to get to the bottom of it. Really, just who is it that is contriving to ruin this house party with all these untimely and unseemly deaths? To spice things up, it turns out that the Lady of the house is related to Lord Darcy, Lady Georgiana's love interest. So, guess who turns up to add spice to the mystery?

While some of these murders may seem improbable, as with most cozy mysteries it is not the murders themselves that bind the reader, but, rather, it is the journey to their ultimate resolution. This is a welcome addition to the genre, and fans of cozy mysteries will certainly enjoy this book, as will fans of the series.
I've read/listened to all the Royal Spyness novels. By far this Christmas story is my favorite! Katherine Kellgren outdoes herself with the narration on Audible. Her voices for bratty American boy Junior, his older sister and the Dowager Countess are outrageously funny. I find myself bursting out laughing as the scene plays itself out in my head. The Christmas dinner feast is one of my favorite scenes. Makes me wish this novel was turned into a movie or TV series. To see it performed with the same agility as Ms. Kellgren would be amazing. (Seriously, she does various accents, tones, and even sings. Throughout the whole series I can tell who the characters are just by her accent alone. I don't need a "Darcy said" or "Fig groaned").

Between the narration and the descriptions of a 1930's style "old fashioned country English Christmas" makes this audiobook a lovely replay while I'm sewing, baking, wrapping, shopping or doing all the little things to prepare for Christmas.

The murder mystery kept me guessing right through the end. I had several plausible suspects and theories, none playing out as I imagined until the very end. Loved the Twelve Days of Christmas theme. Since I am mostly listening to this series, I didn't get that first clue until exactly the same time as Georgie. And even then I was wrong about the whodunnit.

There are several things to love about the Royal Spyness series. The lead character, Lady Georgiana, seems like a levelheaded modern girl yet she is also firmly a member of her class and time period. I love how her romance with Hon. (and devilish) Darcy O'Mara plays out. This installment sees them together more and taking a more serious step in their relationship. (If you're reading for the relationship alone, you can concentrate on Books 1-3, 4, 6 (this one), 9, 10 (Crowned and Dangerous), 11 and next year's "Four Funerals and a Wedding Maybe".) Darcy develops nicely from a bit of a borderline cad/rogue (he first makes a play for Georgie on a bet) to a mysterious charmer with a purpose. It's not said clearly but you get the impression he started taking on jobs for the Secret Service as a lark or out of survival and then takes them so he can raise enough funds to settle down with the girl his heart desires. In this installment, fate seems to bring them together. Darcy is absolutely wonderful to Georgie. I love the wassailling scenes. The ending is so sweet I want to hug them both.

As for those reviewers criticizing the actions of some characters, the point of Georgie's mother's stinginess is that she is a very self centered person. It doesn't occur to her that her daughter may need financial help. Georgie nearly starves herself in a freezing London townhouse because she's too proud and stubborn to admit to her brother or Queen Mary she needs help. That's what makes her a noble character. Despite being abandoned by her mother at age 2, surrounded by equally self-absorbed Society peers, constantly belittled and pestered by an overbearing sis-in-law and whimpy brother, Lady Georgiana sticks to her sense of morality and purpose. You can easily see she is the type of woman who could help propel England through the terror of WWII.