A Royal Pain

By: Rhys Bowen

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

The Queen of England has concocted a plan in which penniless aristocrat Lady Georgie is to entertain a Bavarian princess and conveniently place her in the playboy prince's path, in the hopes that he might finally marry.

But queens never take money into account. Georgie has very little, which is why she moonlights as a maid-in-disguise. She must draw up plans: clean house to make it look like a palace; have Granddad and her neighbor pretend to be the domestic staff; un-teach Princess Hanni the English she's culled from American gangster movies; cure said princess of her embarrassing shoplifting habit; and keep an eye on her at parties.

Then there's the worrying matter of the body in the bookshop and Hannis' unwitting involvement with the Communist Party. It's enough to drive a girl crazy.

Listen to more Royal Spyness mysteries.©2008 Janet Quin-Harkin (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Macavity Award, Historical Mystery, 2009

"All the characters from the first book in this rollicking series are present here - Georgie's much-married actress mother, her kind-hearted and resourceful Cockney grandfather, her sophisticated friend Belinda and the enigmatic Darcy O'Mara, a penniless Irish peer to whom Georgie finds herself attracted. There are also fleeting references to the war clouds that are gathering in Europe and the rise of fascism at home and abroad, both of which are neatly tied in with the murders and their solution. It works - both as a grand period piece and a lighthearted and completely diverting mystery." (The Denver Post)

More Royal Fun!

If you haven't sampled this series, do yourself a favor. Start with the first and listen to them all. They are a wonderful mixture of humor, suspense and a bit of romance on the side. You will fall in love with the main characters as portrayed by the incomparable Katherine Kellgren.

Wish there were more Rhys Bowen titles on Audible.

I absolutely loved this series of books and can't wait for Audible to release the next one. It is interesting how Rhys has managed to portray the Royal Family and events from the early '30's. Fun to read references to a young Queen Elizabeth. Also after release of the movie - The King's Speech - gives some more insights - especially funny how Mrs. Simpsonn is portrayed.
Rhys incorporates a mystery into each of these tales along with a wonderful sense of humour. There is a bit of romance, however it does not overshadow the main story line.
This book is most likely to appeal to those who are interested in historical references and who have some kowledge of the Royal family. Also life in the 1930's.
The main character is a terrific example of a young independent woman determined to make her own way in the world.

Gangsters and royal garden parties...

Communists and troubled social situations. If you love mysteries then you'll love Lady Georgie- a truly fun read.

Love this series

The narrator makes this series com alive. She has a wide variety of character voices, having listened to a lot of audio books I know how it can make for a great listening experience.

Great narration

I really enjoy this narrator/actor. She's very lively and forceful in her work. The stories are fun too.

Exciting mystery read extremely well

With an exciting and engaging plot and an AMAZING narrator, this book is a vivid introduction to the world of upper crust England during the 1930's.

Fun

A little campy, but fun. Narrator is so entertaining. If u enjoy Downton Abby or The Queen, you’ll like this.

Great story with a fantastic performance

Loved it! Fantantistic audio performance. Like book 1 upon finishing it I ordered book 2 ... now I am ordering book 3......

A fun little listen!

First book I've heard from this author. I love that she uses historical places and figures! Gives depth to the story! Not so much of a mystery like Sherlock Holmes (one of the suggestions from Audible), but it is a nice distraction and the narrator does a great English as well as a very passable "American" accent. Will try the next in the series!

A fun series

I Like the narration want to meet Darcy O'Marra. A bit predictable but definitely enjoyable :) will be back for more