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Her Royal Spyness

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Her Royal Spyness

By: Rhys Bowen
Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
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About this listen

Agatha Award-winning author Rhys Bowen’s charming combination of intrigue and romance blended with a touch of humor shines when performed by Audible Hall of Fame narrator Katherine Kellgren, whose deft range and impeccable accent work make it hard to believe this isn’t a multicast performance.

In this irresistible cozy set in 1930s London, Rhys Bowen introduces the lively Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie—or "Georgie" for short. Despite standing 34th in line for the throne and occasionally having tea with (…and spying for!) Her Majesty the Queen, Georgie is penniless and down-on-her-luck. And just when it seems things might be looking up, she finds a body in her bathtub.

Listeners are sure to be hooked on this royally enjoyable series—and luckily for them, the collaboration between author and narrator only gets richer over the course of 12 books.

©2007 Janet Quin-Harkin (P)2010 Audible, Inc. Amateur Sleuths Detective Historical Mystery Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Fiction Witty Espionage Cosy Romance

Critic Reviews

  • Audie Award Nominee - Best Mystery/Suspense Audiobook, 2011

"Rhys Bowen has crafted an insightful blend of old-fashioned whodunnit, clever satire, and drawing room comedy of errors -- and created a feisty new heroine to delight a legion of Anglophile readers." (Jacqueline Winspear, author of the Maisie Dobbs novels)
"Kellgren finds unique voices for quirky characters such as Georgie’s adorable grandfather and estranged mother, Wallis Simpson, and a sexy Irish lord. Kellgren will make listeners want to meet the kilt-clad ghosts who play bagpipes in Scotland’s castle corridors and tartan-wallpapered bathrooms." ( AudioFile)
All stars
Most relevant

Would you consider the audio edition of Her Royal Spyness to be better than the print version?

This is my first experience with this author's books, I have not read the print version, but the audio edition was read well.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

You could see the influence of Christie and Sayers with a bit of Nancy Mitford thrown in, but it was a wink to the golden age of detective fiction, not a rip off. I especially enjoyed the way the author used Royals as characters in the book.

Have you listened to any of Katherine Kellgren’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I have not heard any of Kellgren's performances, but I will be listening to the series, her reading was very pleasant. Apart from Patricia Hodge's reading of Love in a Cold Climate, Kellgren's is the best reading I have heard since subscribing to Audible.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I could have listened to it easily in one sitting and I think it will stand another hearing, it is very witty.

Any additional comments?

I bought this because the Twelve Clues of Christmas by the same author was available for a cheaper price and I wanted the main character's background before I listened to the Christmas story. I will be purchasing the series, the lead character Georgie is a lot of fun and the reader is excellent.

Lovely, light hearted mystery.

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Witty and engaging characters. you can get easily immersed in such a well written book.

Great book

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Loved this book so much - a bit of everything!!! And the characters were amazing. So happy there are more in the series!

Absolutely perfect!

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love the characters the plot . suspende that made me think aint easy to figure out but i enjoued gping along with the evidence as georgona unlocked then

love it grea range of characters and thrill.

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After a couple of serious books I was ready for something light and this fitted the bill perfectly. I've always had a soft spot for between the wars mysteries, and this is an easy listen. perfect for mid autumn...

a cosy mystery

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Is there anything you would change about this book?

I'm not sure about this. I did enjoy it, but found myself not gripped.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Let Georgie eat cake! (That tea with HM was just too much... or too little!"
NOT the fault of the book itself, but Ch 8 kept stopping. I don't know why as the other chapters played through.

Which character – as performed by Katherine Kellgren – was your favourite?

Georgiana ... and Darcy

Was Her Royal Spyness worth the listening time?

Oh yes. I might even listen to another one though it seems the romance must move slowly.

Any additional comments?

Good fun.

Good fun

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With an excellent performance by the narrator who really fills in the gaps and adds depth. A simple yet pleasing story, with humour and passion as well as sleuthing. Set last century some of the character's views are discriminatory, in terms of class, gender, race & sexual orientation. The protagonist Georgie is relatively open hearted and minded for the era. An amusing view into some of the old ways of the ruling classes.

A cosy & enjoyable mystery

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I was looking for light entertainment so wasn't expecting too much, and yet this audiobook managed to underwhelm me! I didn't really like the narrator's voice but she did the voices fairly well, so that's probably down to personal taste. The story was basically just a whole string of anachronisms loosely woven together and the big reveal was highly disappointing.

Oh dear!

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