Queen of Hearts

Starred review from June 16, 2014
Bowen’s eighth Royal Spyness mystery (after 2013’s Heirs and Graces) is a showcase for the series’ many strengths. The year 1934 finds Lady Georgiana Rannoch, an impoverished cousin of George V, adrift, with nothing particular to do in the Kent countryside. The arrival of her scandalous actress mother, Claire Daniels, lifts her out of the doldrums. In need of a quickie divorce in Nevada, Claire invites her daughter to join her on a trip to America. Georgie and her anti-Jeeves of a maid, the hapless Queenie, set sail on the Berengaria, aboard which they become involved in the search for a legendary jewel thief. This quest involves a murder investigation once the ocean liner lands in the U.S. Fans of P.G. Wodehouse looking for laughs mingled with some amateur sleuthing will be quite pleased (e.g., when a passenger asks the Berengaria’s captain, “Do ships like this sink very often?,” he dryly responds, “Only once”). Agent: Meg Ruley, the Jane Rotrosen Agency.

July 15, 2014
Being 35th in line for the British throne is no guarantee of a peaceful life for an inveterate amateur sleuth. Lady Georgiana "Georgie" Rannoch has had much better luck solving mysteries than finding security. Poor as a church mouse, she continues to struggle while her glamorous actress mother, Claire Daniels, roams Europe shedding husbands and lovers. Claire drops into Georgie's life, pressing her to accompany her to Reno for a quickie divorce so she can marry her wealthy German lover. A fast shopping trip for some decent clothes, and Georgie and her remarkably inept maid, Queenie, are on the Berengaria headed for New York. Georgie is thrilled to discover that her mother's unofficial fiance, Darcy O'Mara, an Irish aristocrat with many secretive jobs, is on board trying to capture a jewel thief. Dining at the captain's table, Claire and Georgie, her marriage plans on hold until Darcy can make his fortune, meet fabulously wealthy filmmaker Cy Goldman, fresh from buying more treasures for his California mansion. Also at the table are his mistress, movie star Stella Brightwell; Promila, an Indian princess whose ruby is soon stolen; and the notorious Wallis Simpson, who may also be traveling in search of a divorce. All of them but Mrs. Simpson and Promila end up in Hollywood, where Cy talks Claire into starring in his new movie and even offers the handsome Darcy a job. Suspecting Stella of being the jewel thief, Darcy is especially pleased to accept an invitation that reunites most of the leading characters at Cy's hideous country castle. Georgie finds herself back in the familiar role of sleuth when Cy is murdered and the only suspects are the staff and the guests. Georgie's charming eighth (Heirs and Graces, 2013, etc.) subordinates its modest mystery to romance, local color and historical tidbits.

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August 1, 2014

In her latest adventure (after Heirs and Graces), Lady Georgianna Rannoch, 35th in line for the British throne, agrees to accompany her many-times-married mother from Britain to Reno, so that her mother can sign a quick divorce in order to proceed directly to another upcoming nuptial. The tides turn as Georgie's mother meets movie producer Cy Goldman on the ship and is swept away by the promise of a lead part in his new film. The tale quickly turns to tragedy when Cy is murdered and Georgie must step into the role of sleuth once again to discover not only the killer but a suspected jewel thief as well. VERDICT Georgie's effervescent spirit and Bowen's prose are light as air, adding pizzazz to an already amusing and intriguing 1930s-era mystery.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
It's the Depression, but not for the titled nobility in England or for movie moguls in Hollywood. Despite being thirty-fifth in line for the throne, Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie Rannoch, called Georgie, depends on the hospitality of others while she waits for her true love, adventurer Darcy O'Mara, to make enough money so they can marry. She is delighted when her mother, actress Claire Daniels, sweeps in to take her on a transatlantic cruise to New York and on to Las Vegas, where Claire will seek a divorce. Making the acquaintance of shipmate and movie mogul Cy Goldman, Claire and Georgie add Hollywood to their itinerary. But there are shadows over their trip. Georgie thinks she saw a body thrown overboard, Darcy shows up in pursuit of a jewel thief, and, to cap it off, while hosting a weekend house party at his secluded castle, Goldman is found murdered. Bowen moves the classic country-house mystery to a glitzy California castle, portrays real and Hollywood-made celebrities, and adds romance in an engagingly madcap adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)