Royal Spyness Books in Order

How to Read the Royal Spyness Series

Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series is a sparkling blend of cozy mystery, historical fiction, and romantic comedy. The books follow Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie (known to her friends as Georgie), a penniless minor royal who is 34th in line to the British throne. Set against the backdrop of the interwar period of the late 1920s and 1930s, the series tracks Georgie's growth from a broke debutante to a resourceful sleuth, wife, and mother.

For the best reading experience, it is highly recommended to read the series in publication order. While each mystery is self-contained and can be enjoyed on its own, Georgie’s personal life, her slow-burn romance with the dashing Darcy O’Mara, and her shifting relationships with her royal relatives (including the real-life Prince of Wales and Wallis Simpson) develop linearly. Skipping around will spoil major relationship milestones and character arcs.

The Official Publication Order

The series began in 2007 with Her Royal Spyness. Below is the complete publication list, which includes the main novels as well as the prequel novella:

1. Her Royal Spyness (2007) – Georgie escapes Scotland for London, starts a secret house-cleaning service, and finds a dead Frenchman in her bathtub.
2. A Royal Pain (2008) – The Queen commands Georgie to host a difficult German princess, who promptly becomes the prime suspect in a murder.
3. Royal Flush (2009) – Sent to Scotland to keep the Prince of Wales out of trouble, Georgie must investigate a series of mysterious accidents at Balmoral.
4. Royal Blood (2010) – Representing the Queen at a royal wedding in Transylvania, Georgie encounters a corpse with a stake through its heart.
5. Naughty in Nice (2011) – Georgie models for Coco Chanel on the French Riviera while searching for a stolen royal snuffbox. (Agatha Award Winner)
6. Masked Ball at Broxley Manor (2012) – A prequel novella set during Georgie's debutante season.
7. The Twelve Clues of Christmas (2012) – Georgie takes a job planning a village Christmas festival in Devon, only for the residents to begin dying in bizarre accidents.
8. Heirs and Graces (2013) – Georgie is tasked with teaching aristocratic manners to an unpolished Australian heir to a dukedom, who is soon accused of murder.
9. Queen of Hearts (2014) – A journey to San Francisco forces Georgie to investigate a murder and clear her glamorous mother’s name. (Agatha Award Winner)
10. Malice at the Palace (2015) – While staying at Kensington Palace for a royal wedding, Georgie stumbles upon a dead body.
11. Crowned and Dangerous (2016) – Georgie and Darcy plan to elope to Ireland, but their plans are derailed when Darcy's father is arrested for murder.
12. On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service (2017) – The Queen sends Georgie undercover at an Italian villa to spy on the Prince of Wales and Wallis Simpson.
13. Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding (2018) – Preparing for her wedding to Darcy, Georgie moves into a godmother's country estate, only to find the household staff hiding dark secrets.
14. Love and Death Among the Cheetahs (2019) – Georgie and Darcy's honeymoon in Kenya is interrupted by the suspicious death of a wealthy lord.
15. The Last Mrs. Summers (2020) – Georgie travels to Cornwall to help her friend Belinda, who has been accused of murdering a schoolmate. (Agatha Award Winner)
16. God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen (2021) – A family Christmas at Sandringham takes a dark turn with a series of suspicious near-miss accidents.
17. Peril in Paris (2022) – Georgie travels to Paris to support a pregnant Belinda, only to be drawn into a web of international espionage.
18. The Proof of the Pudding (2023) – Settling into their new home in Sussex, Georgie and Darcy find themselves investigating a poisoning outbreak linked to a famous chef.
19. We Three Queens (2024) – Georgie's Christmas is disrupted by the sudden arrival of her mother, Darcy's father, and a murder at a neighboring castle.
20. From Cradle to Grave (2025) – Georgie balances the challenges of new motherhood and a suspicious nanny while investigating a series of untimely deaths.
21. To Crown It All (Expected November 2026) – Georgie returns to London for the coronation of King George VI in 1936, only to encounter a new conspiracy.

Chronological Order vs. Publication Order

For readers who want to follow Georgie’s timeline strictly chronologically, there is only one major adjustment to make: the prequel novella.

• Masked Ball at Broxley Manor (Novella 0.5) is set in 1929, during Georgie’s first society debutante season when she is nineteen.
• Her Royal Spyness (Book 1) picks up in 1932, when a twenty-two-year-old Georgie is struggling to survive in London during the Great Depression.

While reading Masked Ball at Broxley Manor first is chronologically accurate, it was written and published after the fifth novel, Naughty in Nice. Reading the main novels first allows you to fully appreciate the inside jokes and character dynamics introduced in the novella. Therefore, starting with Book 1 is still the recommended entry point.

What to Know Before You Start

Rhys Bowen's series is celebrated for its rich historical detail, blending real-life 1930s figures into Georgie's fictional mysteries. You will encounter fictionalized versions of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), Wallis Simpson, Queen Mary, and even fashion icon Coco Chanel.

While Rhys Bowen has collaborated with her daughter, Clare Broyles, on her other famous historical mystery series (the Molly Murphy mysteries), Bowen has written every entry of the Royal Spyness series as a solo author. There are no co-authored books or spin-offs in this specific series, though fans of Georgie will likely enjoy Bowen's other historical novels.