Royal Pain

A Royal Pain

By Rhys Bowen (320 pages)

Published by Berkley Mystery

Bookish rating: 4

There’s really only so much you can write about the second book in a slightly (but only slightly) fluffy mystery series.

What to write? Well, the second book in the Royal Spyness series is, delightedly, a solid one. The heroine of virginal Georgie is adequately uppity, satisfyingly original, and, well, the dame is witty. And really, it’s fun to real about the (mostly) fictional British royals in the early 1930s. It’s a time period not often explored for topics other that The (capital T) Great (capital G) Depression (capital D).

So, plot. Our heroine continues to make her way in London (secretly) cleaning houses when the queen asks her to host a Bavarian princess with  the aim of distracting her prince-son from the oh so American Mrs. Simpson.

Of course, some murders take place, this library book having the blue “mystery!” sticker on it with a dude (Sherlock?) with a spyglass and all. Mostly to make the plot work, I suppose, the queen instructs Georgie to get to the bottom of the mystery, as she distrusts her “plodding” police force. So, there you go.

Overall, Royal Pain is another fun romp through historical London. I enjoyed it enough to pick up the third book whilst (see how the brit talk is affecting me?) at the local library branch, so obviously it checked the necessary boxes for enjoyability. Hardly a ringing endorsement, but whatever. Recommended.