Bookshop owner Georgia Fenchurch is a member of the Archivist Society, a group of amateur sleuths. When a visiting princess's guard is murdered, the Duke of Blackford asks Georgia and the Society to help guard the princess and investigate the murder. They soon discover a larger web of deceit and terrorism.

In THE ROYAL ASSASSIN, author Kate Parker crafts an engaging mystery with an intricate plot. The story is told by Georgia in first person, and I enjoyed her reactions to the characters and situations. Like a real person, she can find good and bad in most people. I will admit, with some of the plot points, I found myself disappointed that Georgia wasn't noticing what seemed obvious to me. She just doesn't always put two and two together. Still, she's a bright and strong-minded 19th century woman and very interesting to follow through her day.

Parker also paints a strong picture of the changing class structure in England at that time -- a sharp contrast to the more volatile class system the Russian characters are used to. It's a thoughtful backdrop to the royal mystery.

THE ROYAL ASSASSIN is part of Kate Parker's Victorian Bookshop Mystery series. It is not necessary to have read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one. THE ROYAL ASSASSIN will appeal to readers who like historical mysteries, the Victorian age, and to a certain extent, historical romances.