Her Royal Spyness: A Royal Spyness Mystery, Book 1

Author:  Rhys Bowen

Year: 2007

Publisher:  Berkley

Narrated by:  Katherine Kellgren

Goodreads Synopsis:
The Agatha Award winner debuts a 1930s London mystery series, featuring a penniless twenty-something member of the extended royal family.
Her ridiculously long name is Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, daughter to the Duke of Atholt and Rannoch. And she is flat broke. As the thirty-fourth in line for the throne, she has been taught only a few things, among them, the perfect curtsey. But when her brother cuts off her allowance, she leaves Scotland, and her fiance Fish-Face, for London, where she has:
a) worked behind a cosmetics counter-and gotten sacked after five hours b) started to fall for a quite unsuitable minor royal c) made some money housekeeping (incognita, of course), and d) been summoned by the Queen to spy on her playboy son.
Then an arrogant Frenchman, who wants her family's 800-year-old estate for himself, winds up dead in her bathtub. Now her most important job is to clear her very long family name. 

My Opinion:

I was sold on these books by the  name alone. And it's that kind of humor that just really makes this book. One of those little things that I always enjoy is a good  little cozy mystery and this is the definition of a cozy. Georgie is a terrific character. She's fun, hilarious and caring. Plus, she thinks pretty quickly on her toes. Rhys Bowen created terrific side characters in Belinda, Georgie's non-royal grandfather, her mother, and some insignificant little Irishman named Darcy.  ;)   The series is also set in a wonderful time period. It's a time when women are just starting to stand on their own but there's still enough of the old aristocracy and ways around that they're limited. I can just feel that Georgie is going to end up being one of the trailblazers for women. 

The mystery wasn't too predictable but I did figure out who did it before the reveal in the story. I didn't mind that though because I was having so much fun listening to the story.  The narrator Katherine Kellgren was perfect for the book. I don't think I've listened to any of her work before but I am definitely going to be keeping an eye out for her in the future. 

Actually, there's a good chance that I'll move straight to book two in the series from here.