The popular Royal
Spyness series reaches the twelfth
book to celebrate crime in 1930s England. Fans of the
series won't need encouragement, but newcomers might
hesitate before jumping in at this point. Lady Georgiana
Rannoch, a Scottish lady, is a distant cousin to the heir
to the throne, which means she is seen at all the right
parties and should marry someone suitable, but she doesn't have
any money.
FOUR FUNERALS AND MAYBE A WEDDING sounds glum but the
potential wedding is Georgiana's own. She has a
longstanding beau called the Honourable Darcy O'Mara, son
of a lord in Ireland. He doesn't have any money either. In
their social circle, people often have nicknames like Binky
and Fig. They attend Ascot races and gossip. Georgie even
gets to ride in Their Majesties' carriage. But the upper
crust are known for bed hopping. Can Georgie be certain
that Darcy will be faithful? And he's a Catholic, so
they'll need to hold the wedding in a Catholic church.
Other dilemmas of the day rear their heads, as Georgie's
mother is considering remarrying, to a German
industrialist, despite the rise of worrying forces in his
country. The Prince of Wales has to be invited to Georgie's
wedding but he will insist on bringing American divorcee
Mrs. Simpson. Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth will be
bridesmaids. And where is the young couple to live? They
can't afford a flat. Luckily one of Georgie's older
relatives invites them to use his home in Sussex, a Tudor
house with staff. He adds something about needing them to
keep an eye on the place.
Sure enough the house is dusty, dark, damp. The food is
poor although the gardens are bursting with produce.
Georgie, who arrives alone, likes a challenge, but the
sullen staff and unhelpful butler are not what she's
accustomed to. Is something going on here? Something more
than selling off the fruit and veg? She's determined to get
to the bottom of the matter before her life here as a wife
begins.
I thoroughly enjoyed the mysterious situation at the house,
and Georgie's getting to grips with the work needed to
clean up a home uninhabited for years. The grounds are
overgrown and she finds enough suspicious events to
populate anyone's fancies as the tale unfolds. I came
across a few spoken Americanisms which
Georgie possibly picked up from Mrs. Simpson. Rhys Bowen must
have enjoyed planning all the fine detail and building the
suspense. FOUR FUNERALS AND MAYBE A WEDDING could be called
a comedy of manners, as well as an enjoyable historical
crime story. Newcomers and fans alike will relish the
adventure.
In the days leading up to her wedding to Darcy O'Mara,
Lady Georgiana Rannoch takes on the responsibilities of a
grand estate, but proving she can run a household just may
be the death of her in the new Royal Spyness Mystery from
the New York Times bestselling author of On Her
Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service.
If only Darcy and I had eloped! What I thought would be a
simple wedding has been transformed into a grand affair,
thanks to the attendance of the queen, who has offered up
the princesses as bridesmaids. Silly me! I thought that
withdrawing from the royal line of succession would simplify
my life. But before Darcy and I tie the knot in front of
queen and country, we have to find a place to live as man
and wife...
House hunting turns out to be a pretty grim affair. Just as
we start to lose hope, my globetrotting godfather offers us
his fully staffed country estate. Mistress of Eynsleigh I
shall be! With Darcy off in parts unknown, I head to
Eynsleigh alone, only to have my hopes dashed. The grounds
are in disarray and the small staff is suspiciously
incompetent. Not to mention the gas tap leak in my bedroom,
which I can only imagine was an attempt on my life.
Something rotten is afoot--and bringing the place up to
snuff may put me six feet under before I even get a chance
to walk down the aisle...
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