Georgiana and Darcy Do Christmas...Murder

God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen, Rhys Bowen

This is another delightful entry in Bowen's "her royal spyness" series featuring Lady Georgiana Rannoch and her husband, Darcy O'Mara. They're now settled at Eynsleigh, the lovely little estate Georgie's stepfather is allowing them to use, and they plan to have a nice small Christmas party with Georgie's grandfather, her brother and sister-in-law and their kids, and maybe her mother, if she's not off playing footie with her German husband.

Instead, Darcy receives a note from his lonely Aunt Ermintrude, asking them to spend Christmas at a grace-and-favor cottage on the Sandringham estate. Georgie finds out it's because she's been summoned by Queen Mary once again to keep an eye on the Prince of Wales, known to his family as "David," and his unsuitable, constant girlfriend, Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. But there's danger in the household: in the previous December, two men attached to the royal household died in mysterious circumstances. Now it seems as if the Prince of Wales is in danger as "accidents" keep happening again, including the death of a brilliant rider and an almost fatal shooting during a hunt in which the King is present.

I did actually suspect who was behind the killings early, and you may, too, given the broad hints provided, but the details of a country house Christmas gone wrong and the combination of characters make this a fun Yuletide read—with a nice surprise (that I also guessed) at the end.