Books in the Her Royal Spyness series

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 . . .On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me - well, actually, my true love, Darcy O'Mara, is spending a feliz navidad tramping around South America. Meanwhile, Mummy is holed up in a tiny village called Tiddleton-under-Lovey with that droll Noel Coward! And I'm snowed in at Castle Rannoch with my bumbling brother, Binky, and sourpuss sister-in-law, Fig.So it's a miracle when I contrive to land a position as hostess to a posh holiday party in Tiddleton. The village is like something out of A Christmas Carol! But then there are three deaths, so-called accidents. Perhaps a recent prison break could have something to do with it . . . that, or a long-standing witch's curse. But after Darcy shows up beneath the mistletoe, anything could be possible in this wicked wonderland.

It's 1930s London, and Lady Georgiana - thirty-fourth in line to the throne - has a lot on her plate, but little in her cupboards, in this national bestseller . . .Baked beans and boiled eggs. That's what my houseguest, the Bavarian Princess, will have to eat if I don't get help posthaste. The Queen of England has requested I entertain said princess, placing her in the playboy prince's path in hopes he might finally marry. But queens never consider money, of which I have little. And which is why I moonlight as a maid-in-disguise. My plans:1) Clean house in manner of palace2) Blackmail brother Binky into sending a few quid3) Un-teach Princess Hanni English from gangster movies - lest she address queen as "e;old broad"e;, and 4) Keep eye on princess at parties, where she drinks like fish.Then there's the matter of the body in the bookshop and Hanni's unwitting involvement with the communist party. It's enough to drive a girl mad . . .

Thirty-fourth in line to the throne - and England's poorest heiress - Lady Georgiana finds herself in a truly draining state of affairs . . . With my hateful brother Binky in town, I've been desperately seeking an escape. To my delight, it comes in the form of an invitation from the Queen to represent the royals at a wedding in Transylvania-legendary home of vampires. I soon realise why I was the one honoured with such an invitation. The bride, Princess Maria Theresa, happens to be my old school chum, Matty. But my stay in her macabre-looking castle turns unnerving when I find dear Matty with blood running down her chin. Then, during the ceremony, a prominent wedding guest is poisoned. Something must be done lest the nuptial festivities go to ruin, or, worse yet, the couple's vows become: to love and to cherish, till undeath do us part . . .

As thirty-fifth in line for the throne, Lady Georgiana Rannoch may not be the most sophisticated young woman, but she knows her table manners. It's forks on the left, knives on the right, not in His Majesty's back.Here I am thinking the education I received at my posh Swiss finishing school would never come in handy. And while it hasn't landed me a job, or a husband, it has convinced Her Majesty the Queen, and the Dowager Duchess to enlist my help. I have been entrusted with grooming Jack Altringham, the Duke's newly discovered heir fresh from the Outback of Australia, for high society.The upside is I am to live in luxury at one of England's most gorgeous stately homes. But upon arrival at Kingsdowne Place, my dearest Darcy has been sent to fetch Jack, leaving me stuck in a manor full of miscreants, none of whom are too pleased with the discovery of my new ward.And no sooner has the lad been retrieved than the Duke announces he wants to choose his own heir. With the house in a hubbub over the news, Jack's hunting knife somehow finds its way into the Duke's back. Eyes fall, backs turn, and fingers point to the young heir. As if the rascal wasn't enough of a handful, now he's suspected of murder. Jack may be wild, but I'd bet the crown jewels it wasn't he who killed the Duke

The author of the Molly Murphy mysteries now turns her attentions to the mischief, mishaps and musings of minor English royalty My ridiculously long name is Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie. Thirty-fourth in line for the throne, I am, as they say, flat broke. When my brother Binky cut off my meager allowance, I bolted from Scotland - and my engagement to Fish-Face (I mean, Prince Siegfried) - for London, where I have:a) built a fire in the hearth - entirely on my own, thank you very much b) fallen for an absolutely unsuitable Irish peerc) made a few quid housekeeping incognito, and d) been summoned by the Queen Herself to spy on her playboy son. Less than thrilled with this last bit, I'm wondering what to do, when an arrogant Frenchman - who was trying to swipe our family estate! - winds up dead in my bathtub. Now, my new job is to clear that very long family name . . .

In her third Royal Spyness whodunit, Rhys Bowen returns with Lady Georgiana, thirty-fourth in line to the throne, everyone's favorite penniless heiress . . .With its posh clientele gone to the country, my fledgling housecleaning business has fizzled. Now to make a living I must rely on my other talents, as a dinner-and-theatre companion. But on my first and only assignment, the not-so-gentle man seems to have quite the wrong idea - and Darcy, my on-again-but-usually-off-again beau, must come to my rescue . . . To avoid further scandal, I'm shipped home, like a naughty schoolgirl, to Castle Rannoch, where I am required to keep the entirely unsuitable Mrs. Simpson from seducing the Prince of Wales. Oh, and I've also been coerced into helping Scotland Yard by keeping an eye on the members of the shooting party at Balmoral and preventing someone from shooting the Prince of Wales instead of quails. And manage all this without strangling my odious sister-in-law, Fig, or my spineless brother, Binky . . .

Lady Georgiana Rannoch, thirty-fifth in line for the British throne, knows how to play the part of an almost royal - but now she's off to Hollywood, where she must reprise her role as sleuth or risk starring in an all-too-convincing death scene . . . My mother, the glamorous and much-married actress, is hearing wedding bells once again - which is why she must hop across the pond for a quickie divorce in Reno. To offer my moral support, and since all expenses are paid by her new hubby-to-be, Max, I agree to make the voyage with her.Crossing the Atlantic, with adventure in the air and wealthy men aboard, Mother all but forgets about Max and matrimony - especially when movie mogul Cy Goldman insists on casting her in his next picture.Meanwhile, I find myself caught up in the secret investigation of a suspected jewel thief. Lucky for me, the lead investigator happens to be my dashing beau, Darcy!Mother's movie and Darcy's larceny lead everyone to Cy's Hollywood home, where the likes of Charlie Chaplin are hanging about and there's enough romantic intrigue to fill a double feature. But we hardly get a chance to work out the sleeping arrangements before Cy turns up dead - as if there wasn't enough drama already . . .