FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE by Rhys Bowen

Life is quiet for Lady Georgiana and her young heir; they are quite happy with their unconventional life. A stranger arrives on her doorstep claiming that Fig, her insufferable sister-in-law, requested her to become Lady Georgiana’s new nanny. The woman is too rigid and chastises Georgie for wanting to spend time with her son. She pushes Georgie’s buttons.

To make matters worse, Fig descends upon the house soon after. She wants to make sure the nanny she selected is settled. She doesn’t have a departure date. As Darcy is in and out of the house for work, Georgie is not happy at home. As she can’t spend time with her son, Georgie decides to visit Zou Zou in London. Georgie discovers her friend on her way to a funeral.

Over the next few days, Georgie hears about several young men dying. They all appear as accidents, but her gut is telling her something different. She starts poking around the deaths, looking for any connection between these men. Could someone be murdering firstborn sons? Is Darcy on the list?

FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE is the 19th book in the Her Royal Spyness series. You can read this as a standalone novel, but you will want the backstory of all the quirky, fun characters. The mystery in this story is less straightforward than in previous books. The ending of the book will leave readers anxious for the next installment of the series.

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SUMMARY

Lady Georgiana “Georgie” Rannoch is just like any other new mother, balancing responsibilities of being 34th in line for the British throne and solving the shocking deaths of several young men, in this new Royal Spyness novel from the queen of historical mystery, Rhys Bowen.

Georgie may be figuring out what it means to be a new mother but she does know one thing for sure: she absolutely despises the strict nanny who was foisted upon her by her meddlesome sister-in-law. In search of a new nanny, Georgie travels to London to see her old friend ZouZou only to find her about to depart for a funeral, after the unexpected death of a young man in her social circle. It quickly becomes clear there’s more than one mysterious death around town, when another friend reveals he’s also just returned from the funeral of a school friend, who seemingly died in a boating accident. But when word arrives that the son of family friend has also died tragically and unexpectedly, Georgie is certain it can’t be a coincidence. Yet the victims don’t seem to have any connection to one another.

ZouZou shares Georgie’s suspicions that the deaths were not an accident and begs Georgie to solve the case. As Georgie delves deeper, she can’t help worrying that her own husband, Darcy, may be next. It seems likely there is a serial killer at work and Darcy fits the bill to be their next victim. Will Georgie solve the murders before it’s too late for Darcy, and manage to find the perfect nanny all at the same time?

EXCERPT

BOOK SERIES

Royal Spyness