The Proof of the Pudding
- Downloads：5724
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-12-21 17:22:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rhys Bowen
- ISBN：B0CKRXK67M
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Virginia
，
Delightful！Especially loved the surprise famous guest writer！ What a delight to add that person。 Ironically the real name of the murderer us the same name of a friend I went to school with。 I got a chuckle over that。
Pat
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Good， easy， mystery
Lawana
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Latest in the "A Royal Spyness Mystery" series 。 I've enjoyed this series--fun， light， good writing。 Latest in the "A Royal Spyness Mystery" series 。 I've enjoyed this series--fun， light， good writing。 。。。more
Hannah
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Sadly， perhaps the worst book in this usually delightful series。 Repetitive -so repetitive！- plodding， predictable。 Murder solving by committee - what is Agatha Christie doing in there？ The number of times I muttered "idiot"under my breath as some character puzzeled over something completely obvious。 I guessed the murderer and the solution fairly early。 A shame。 I'll think twice before starting any more of this serious。 Sadly， perhaps the worst book in this usually delightful series。 Repetitive -so repetitive！- plodding， predictable。 Murder solving by committee - what is Agatha Christie doing in there？ The number of times I muttered "idiot"under my breath as some character puzzeled over something completely obvious。 I guessed the murderer and the solution fairly early。 A shame。 I'll think twice before starting any more of this serious。 。。。more
ME
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I don't want to be misled myself later when I look at the star rating， but it was just OK。 A whole lot of dialogue on repeat。。。 on repeat。 It is a book in which not much happens， where the romance between Darcy and Georgie is reduced to him calling her "old girl"， where Agatha Christie makes a cameo and solves the crime， and where said crime is so obvious from the start as to be laughable。 No hilarious hijinks - it seems our Georgie is sadly growing up。 I don't want to be misled myself later when I look at the star rating， but it was just OK。 A whole lot of dialogue on repeat。。。 on repeat。 It is a book in which not much happens， where the romance between Darcy and Georgie is reduced to him calling her "old girl"， where Agatha Christie makes a cameo and solves the crime， and where said crime is so obvious from the start as to be laughable。 No hilarious hijinks - it seems our Georgie is sadly growing up。 。。。more
Lynne
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Terrific entry to this series！ Poor Georgiana is 8 months pregnant and about to be surrounded by relatives and friends， desirable or not。 She and Darcy are invited to a dinner party in a ghoulish mansion nearby （with a properly creepy host）。 A day later half the guests are under the weather and two are dead。 Georgie and Darcy's new French chef is arrested on suspicion of poisoning。 And it's the middle of a heat wave in merry old England。 It would seem everything is going downhill and then one of Terrific entry to this series！ Poor Georgiana is 8 months pregnant and about to be surrounded by relatives and friends， desirable or not。 She and Darcy are invited to a dinner party in a ghoulish mansion nearby （with a properly creepy host）。 A day later half the guests are under the weather and two are dead。 Georgie and Darcy's new French chef is arrested on suspicion of poisoning。 And it's the middle of a heat wave in merry old England。 It would seem everything is going downhill and then one of the dinner guests - none other than Agatha Christie - agrees to help Georgie with a bit of sleuthing。 The entire book was fun， clever and without a solution until almost the end！ A real page turner， thanks to Rhys Bowen's always fine writing。 。。。more
Anna Fox
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I love reading this series。 The mystery kept me guessing and I like the characters。 Things always move forward。 I look forward to more。Thank you to the author， the publisher， and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review
Bev
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An aloof， rather forbidding mystery writer hosts a group at his country house， including Georgiana and Darcy， and of course there is a death after the special dinner。 Could it have been caused by something from the poison garden out back？ Lovely。
Sharron
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The murderer was easy to identify but since I read this amusing series for its regular cast of endearing characters it doesn’t matter。 It offers a welcome break from the excessive gore and terror in so many other stories these days and I hope the author writes many more。 I don’t always read the Author Acknowledgments but I did here and was charmed to learn that the author and Louise Penny， another favorite author of mine， are good friends and explore the Chelsea Physic Garden when they are both The murderer was easy to identify but since I read this amusing series for its regular cast of endearing characters it doesn’t matter。 It offers a welcome break from the excessive gore and terror in so many other stories these days and I hope the author writes many more。 I don’t always read the Author Acknowledgments but I did here and was charmed to learn that the author and Louise Penny， another favorite author of mine， are good friends and explore the Chelsea Physic Garden when they are both in England。 。。。more
Groucho42
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Georgie is about to pop with their first kid， they're at the country manor and hold a dinner party when Sir Hubert comes back。 A cast of suspects is introduced and the party at the horror writer's home ends up with sick people and one death。 Let the mystery begin！This one uses a pretty standard trope that unveils in a standard manor， （view spoiler）[especially since there's only one person really in danger from the dead person， （hide spoiler）] but it's another fun romp。 Her two cooks continue the Georgie is about to pop with their first kid， they're at the country manor and hold a dinner party when Sir Hubert comes back。 A cast of suspects is introduced and the party at the horror writer's home ends up with sick people and one death。 Let the mystery begin！This one uses a pretty standard trope that unveils in a standard manor， （view spoiler）[especially since there's only one person really in danger from the dead person， （hide spoiler）] but it's another fun romp。 Her two cooks continue their stereotypes， but much more mellow in some previous books in the series。 Enjoyable。 。。。more
Miriel68
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Reading a new entry of Her Royal Spyness is a bit like watching a new episode of your favourite soap opera - fast， amusing and painless。 However， mystery-wise it didn't live up to the previous Peril in Paris， the culprit and the modus operandi are so obvious （the clues offered by the author overabundant） I was surprised Agatha Christie （yes， she makes her appearance here， maybe to compensate for the absence of Wallis Simpson） didn't point her finger in the right direction immediately。 Only for f Reading a new entry of Her Royal Spyness is a bit like watching a new episode of your favourite soap opera - fast， amusing and painless。 However， mystery-wise it didn't live up to the previous Peril in Paris， the culprit and the modus operandi are so obvious （the clues offered by the author overabundant） I was surprised Agatha Christie （yes， she makes her appearance here， maybe to compensate for the absence of Wallis Simpson） didn't point her finger in the right direction immediately。 Only for fans of the series。 。。。more
QNPoohBear
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Eynsleigh in summer is the perfect place to await the birth of Georgie and Darcy's first baby。 With Sir Hubert coming home and wishing to throw dinner parties， it's time the newlyweds hire a chef。 It wouldn't do to serve Sir Hubert and the neighbors Queenie's plain English cooking。 As luck would have it， Georgie has a chef all lined up。 On her trip to Paris several months ago， she met an out of work chef Pierre at a café。 Sure she hasn't tasted his cooking but he says he's a trained French chef Eynsleigh in summer is the perfect place to await the birth of Georgie and Darcy's first baby。 With Sir Hubert coming home and wishing to throw dinner parties， it's time the newlyweds hire a chef。 It wouldn't do to serve Sir Hubert and the neighbors Queenie's plain English cooking。 As luck would have it， Georgie has a chef all lined up。 On her trip to Paris several months ago， she met an out of work chef Pierre at a café。 Sure she hasn't tasted his cooking but he says he's a trained French chef so that's good enough for her。 Sure she hasn't checked references but he was out of work like so many others and affordable too。 The last thing Georgie needs right now is a jealous rivalry between Queenie and the rest of the staff。 Queenie is furious about Pierre's impending arrival and fiercely jealous of Maisie， Georgie's maid。 Can she be calmed down and convinced to stay and at least show Pierre the ropes？ Scratch that last thing。 The REAL last thing Georgie needs right now is another murder！ First， some guests fall ill after attending an excusive dinner party at their eccentric neighbor's home with Pierre as chef。 It seems someone got into Sir Mordred's poison garden and made use of one of the plants。 Pierre， being a foreigner and avowed Communist is an easy scapegoat for Sir Mordred and the police。 Then， someone dies and the stakes are higher for Pierre。 It's up to Georgie and Darcy to clear his name but can Georgie figure this one out before the baby arrives？Not Rhys's best work， in my opinion。 There were a couple of continuity errors。 I thought Georgie had to renounce her claim to the throne in order to marry a Catholic？ Here she's still in line albeit 35th。 Wouldn't that be 34th now her cousin is King？ Or did another closer royal have another child in the meantime？ Or maybe Fig was mistaken and just being her usual social climbing self。 The date of the garden party is wrong too。 Sir Mordred states the date is July 15th but it's actually July 25th according to the dates in Georgie's diary。 Does anyone remember if Darcy has mentioned having little brothers who died of influenza along with his mother？ Has he ever mentioned sisters？ Where the heck are they when their father needs help？ The plot was really predictable too。 I wasn't entirely sure but I figured it out before Georgie。 Then I realized the answer to the how was a gaping plot hole！ It just doesn't make sense in the timeline given。 I went back and checked。 （view spoiler）[IF Mordred didn't know Tubby was coming， how did he have time to poison Tubby's drink？ Did he know the old lady was coming？ Why not wait and see what Tubby has to say and what he wants FIRST， before killing him。 Maybe he doesn't even remember anything that would reveal Mordred's true identity？ （hide spoiler）] I thought Sir Mordred was going to be the victim。 There would have been more of a logical motive and a couple of suspects。 On the plus side， Mr。 and Mrs。 Mallowan， otherwise known as Agatha Christie， and Laurence Olivier and his wife， the famous actress Jill Esmond have cameos。 Not only that， THE queen of crime helps Georgie solve the mystery。Georgie needs to grow a backbone and not just when she's in labor。 She lets people walk all over her and even Queenie too in this case。 Usually Queenie brings out the worst in Georgie but here Georgie is more sympathetic。 Georgie is kind of obtuse about the mystery。 She's very pregnant and uncomfortable so she can be forgiven and the one detail she remembers late in the story is one I had forgotten。 Georgie has made a plan for her baby。 They'll still travel， with the baby and take Maisie as nursemaid if she's willing or have another nursemaid。 The birthing scene was not too much， thankfully。 （view spoiler）[The baby is James， after Georgie's late Uncle Jimmy who was killed in the Great War， Albert after Granddad and Georgie's dad Bertie and her great-grandfather Prince Albert， Darcy， 11th Baron Kilhenny。 （hide spoiler）]It's Darcy who comes across as snobby in this book。 He dismisses Queenie's cooking， he's eager to sack her even though she's been nothing but loyal and brave。 At least he's sweet and supportive of Georgie during her late stage of pregnancy and labor。 Do you know what Darcy's baptism name is？ I'll give you ONE guess （modernize it） and I LOLd because I WAS wondering if he was named after THAT Darcy。 His first name is （view spoiler）[William！ Of course LOL！ In case you live under a rock， the hero of Pride and Prejudice is Fitzwilliam Darcy。 （hide spoiler）] That actually explains a lot about his feelings towards Queenie。 Queenie fans will be happy with this one and Queenie haters will appreciate the balance between keeping her in the story for those of us who enjoy her and keeping her out for those of you who don't。 She may sulk， complain and be a klutz but she enjoys cooking and sticking to the things she knows how to do and do well is not a bad thing。 Maybe she can cook for Granddad and the servants， and the family when they're not entertaining and have Pierre come when needed？ Queenie is good with babies if I remember correctly and even though she's a walking catastrophe at times， I think she'd be a good nursemaid。 I'm a Queenie fan。 As Mrs。 Holbrook notes， she's a simple girl。 She has a big heart but is not too bright。 Her big heart is why I like her so much。 （Also her klutziness is almost worse than my own。） I was surprised Queenie wasn't under suspicion for the murder， accidental， of course。 （view spoiler）[Even though she was sick too， she could have accidentally added the wrong berries。 （hide spoiler）]Sir Hubert is a dear。 He's a sweet， kind old man and it's no wonder Georgie liked him best of all her mother's husbands。 Sir Hubert obviously adores Georgie and thinks of her as the daughter he never had。 He was too busy climbing mountains and Claire can't be second fiddle to anyone or any THING so it didn't work out。 Sir Hubert is easily charmed by women and is not immune to Zou Zou's charms。 I usually like her but in this book she is shallow and vain， flirting with another man when she already has Darcy's father on a hook and buying inappropriate gifts for a baby that isn't born yet， being catty with Georgie's Mummy。 Zou Zou is generous with her money at least。 Fig is back and as ghastly as ever。 She's so horrid。 She doesn't care for any children， not even her own and doesn't even like or respect her husband。 All she cares about is money and social climbing。 Good thing the Queen's drawing room presentations will be cancelled for good soon。 She can save money and not worry about Addy's presentation costs。 Yeesh。 There's still school fees for little Podge。 I suppose he'll be sent to whichever school Fig can find that's cheap and will starve and beat the little lad。 （I thought he was older than 7 already？） Granddad isn't in the story much but he is still providing wise counsel and I expect he'll move to Eynsleigh permanently if he has a job to do AND to dote on his new great-grandchild。 I hope so because I love Granddad！ How did such a lovely man turn out a selfish femme fatale like Claire？ She has a brief moment of regret and then is back to her usual awful， selfish self。 It's sickening at this point in history with the Nazi party already in power。 Pierre is a stereotypical temperamental French chef。 He doesn't speak much English， is confused by Queenie's colloquialisms and must have certain ingredients to cook certain dishes。 He's arrogant enough to appreciate the attention of a neighbor who wants to hire him。 Pierre should settle in first and learn some English， learn how to get along with others in the kitchen and THEN think about taking on extra work。 Even though he's a Communist， I think he's a self-proclaimed Communist and talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk。 Everyone needs money and he's no exception。 He's not so stupid as to reject a job offer because it came from wealthy nobility。 Therefore， I don't see him as a murderer。 Sir Mordred is a weird and creepy guy。 A Gothic mystery writer who has a creepy monstrosity next door， complete with a poison garden。 He relishes showing off his property but doesn't like dealing with the little people。 This guy lacks any sort of warmth or charm that would endear celebrities and wealthy people to want to be his friend。 Therefore， he resorts to holding a charity dinner to hobnob with royals （Georgie and Zou Zou）， nobility （Darcy， Sir Hubert） and celebrities （Max Mallowan， the famous archeologist but not so much Mrs。 Mallowan， the writer Agatha Christie）。 Sir Mordred did some bad things in his younger days， fighting in South Africa and later working in a diamond mine。 He seems to be trying to atone for it by donating money to orphans in South Africa but he isn't so kindly towards his own motherless children。 Yes they're adults now but it sounds like they resent their father and don't like him very much。 I don't really blame them。 This guy is super weird and moody。 It's strange to try to poach a neighbor's brand new chef after only one dinner。 He's also rather dramatic and a hypochondriac， making it a lot harder to know what is real and what is in his head。 Sir Mordred's son Edwin is a young man at university wishing he were a young man about town， a man of leisure。 He's not so lazy or boorish as young gentlemen usually are in these novels though。 He's friendly to Georgie and readily answers her questions。 He gets his college buddies on board to help serve and Georgie suspects the young men may have tried to play a prank that went too far。 She also suspects there's no love lost between Edwin and his father so perhaps Edwin tried to kill his father and failed？ Or just tried to make his father sick enough to sign over the property to the kids so they can sell it？ Sylvia sounds like a spoiled brat。 Her husband is not very bright and an unemployed dreamer。 If Mordred were the victim， I would point fingers at Sylvia and Stanley。 Her， mainly。 He's not smart enough to plan a murder。 Wait- maybe he did do it， accidentally！ The servants seem loyal to Mordred though so perhaps he pays well or is more into helping those who can't help themselves or maybe his kids are just lazy moochers？ The butler， Ogden， is elderly and can barely move so I don't think he poisoned anyone。 If he tried to bend over a plant， I doubt he could stand back up again。 Mr。 Henman， Sir Mordred's chef， seems furious and jealous of having another chef in his domain。 Who wouldn't be？ He's older and he suddenly becomes ill on the day of the dinner party and can't help Pierre？ Hmm。 I think this chef is setting Pierre up for failure。 Could he also have poisoned a guest or two or several？Some of the guests are ripe to be murdered。 Colonel and Mrs。 Bancroft are horrifying。 They're old school conservative， British raj and make Georgie and Darcy's hair stand on end with their comments about "natives。" Mrs。 Bancroft also stated that Sir Mordred's books are un-Christian and demons would accompany him to the dinner table。 So um yeah but unfortunately they're not the victims！ Maybe they wanted to frame Pierre because he's foreign and a Communist？ Maybe ruin Sir Mordred's reputation so he'll go away？ Mr。 Robson-Clough is a friend of Sir Hubert's and a famous explorer。 This guy is mostly off page and silent when he's on but he's essentially a bore and no one except Sir Hubert likes hanging out with him。 How much does Sir Hubert know about his friend's background？ Could he have a motive for murder？ Mr。 and Mrs。 Crump are not very likable either。 He's a car manufacturer from the north and she's a celebrity stalker。 They're at the dinner to show off their wealth and see celebrities。 The wife wanted to come。 She may be disappointed because Zou Zou， being foreign royalty， isn't "real" royalty to her and Georgie is second cousin to the king。 Big whoop。 Olivier isn't a famous actor yet。 Maybe just being with so much money is impressive enough for them。 I don't know what motive Mr。 Crump would have for murdering another guest。 One guest who is not ripe for murdering is killed anyway。 Tubby Halliday， an old schoolmate of Sir Mordred's returns to reminisce with "Shrimpy" about their old school days。 Mordred seems embarrassed by the enthusiastic， large man。 Tubby is one of those ex-jocks who loves to relive their glory days while putting down everyone else， including his wife。 He seems OK to me though not too mean， just one of those bullies who doesn't realize they're a bully。 HAW HAW HAW！ Slap the thigh while everyone else cringes。 That doesn't mean he deserves to be murdered。 Maybe his long suffering wife did it？ She seems mild mannered but she could have been pushed too far and snapped。 Miss Ormond is the other stranger at the feast。 She's a little old lady who seems to be connected to Sir Mordred's South African charity。 Did she come to collect the money？ Did she come to make sure the charity got the money？ Or is she not who she seems？ I suspect she's not who she claims to be and knows something about Sir Mordred's past or is someone connected to someone from his past。 Just a hunch。 Max Mallowan is a famous archeologist。 He seems to be kind and devoted to his wife， who is not quite as famous as himself yet or at least in some circles。 No one seems to be fangirling or fanboying Agatha Christie the way the readers of Georgie's "diary" probably are！ I don't know much about her but I loved the Aggie Morton mysteries for tween readers （ The Body Under the Piano） so I know a bit about what her personality might have been like。 She's highly intelligent， obviously， and adventurous to have traveled with her husband。 Mostly she sounds like a better writer than Mordred and he's jealous。 Agatha can write compelling mysteries without resorting to demonic possession， tortured serial killer or haunted mansion （HA HA HA！ Hollywood！）It was so much fun watching THE Queen of Crime solve a "real life" mystery with Georgie。 Sir Laurence Oliver is even less well known。 He's eager to take a role as a vampire in a film based on Sir Mordred's books。 He just has a cameo along with his then wife， who was a more famous actress I had to look up。 Was it a joke to include Oliver？ Is he Rhys's Darcy of choice？ Every author is allowed a misstep once in awhile。 I don't expect this series to continue much longer but I will probably go along for the ride to see what happens with everyone。 They're like friends now， friends you only see once a year， maybe on vacation， and you want to catch up and see what's going on with them but don't socialize other than that。 。。。more
L Kate
，
So much fun， and a really good mystery。
The Hobbit
，
The 17th in Her Royal Spyness series is better plotted than most of the latest entries in the series。 Georgiana and Darcy are expecting their first child。 Her godfather Sir Hubert has returned from his latest expedition and wants to celebrate with a banquet。 Georgie's new French chef has just arrived in England and proves to be a wonderful cook。 Queenie is very present in this book which makes the story unpredictable nad exciting。 Queenie is not happy about being demoted in the kitchen， until sh The 17th in Her Royal Spyness series is better plotted than most of the latest entries in the series。 Georgiana and Darcy are expecting their first child。 Her godfather Sir Hubert has returned from his latest expedition and wants to celebrate with a banquet。 Georgie's new French chef has just arrived in England and proves to be a wonderful cook。 Queenie is very present in this book which makes the story unpredictable nad exciting。 Queenie is not happy about being demoted in the kitchen， until she meets the very handsome chef Pierre。 She agrees to make breakfast and help Pierre when he asks for it。 Of course， with Queenie all does not go smoothly， but she is improving。The banquet for Sir Hubert is a huge success thanks to Pierre's delicious dinner。 Georgie's neighbor Mortimer Mordred asks to borrow Pierre for a banquet he is giving。 Sir Mordred is an author of horror fiction; he lives in a dreary， dark， old house with a poison garden。 The food Pierre prepares is again very delicious， but several guests become sick with stomach aches and two die。 Pierre is arrested for poisoning the guests。 Georgie joins her sleuthing skills with those of another banquet guest， Agatha Christie， to prove Pierre's innocence and find the real murderer。 A satisfying solution that comes in the last two chapters。 。。。more
Marti Mynatt
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Fun books Fun read。 Good mystery。 Always enjoyable especially fun with Agatha Christie addition。 Looking forward to future adventures with the O'Maras。 Fun books Fun read。 Good mystery。 Always enjoyable especially fun with Agatha Christie addition。 Looking forward to future adventures with the O'Maras。 。。。more
Monique
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3。75 stars
AcidGirl
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Was really looking forward to this one， but was disappointed that it was very gosh and golly and cardboardy regulars without much longer arc development。 Sad， because there _are_ books in this series that flesh out the characters。 The Agatha Christie cameo was a bit much and some of the regular characters and the nationalism I could do without。 Also in my head， I was screaming for at least half of the book at Georgie who the murderer was and how they did it。 Plus， I don't think it was quite so o Was really looking forward to this one， but was disappointed that it was very gosh and golly and cardboardy regulars without much longer arc development。 Sad， because there _are_ books in this series that flesh out the characters。 The Agatha Christie cameo was a bit much and some of the regular characters and the nationalism I could do without。 Also in my head， I was screaming for at least half of the book at Georgie who the murderer was and how they did it。 Plus， I don't think it was quite so obvious to people in GB at the time what was going on in Germany and how it would end。。。 。。。more
Debbie
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2 1/2
The Nerdy Reader
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Good book。 Very enjoyable。 Can't wait for the next adventure。 Good book。 Very enjoyable。 Can't wait for the next adventure。 。。。more
Faye
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Georgie and Darcy are involved in another mystery， alongside a rather famous mystery writer， and others。 Who will solve the mystery？ Read and see！
Sue Rohde
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I've enjoyed the books I've read in this series。 Always a mystery to keep you guessing and a little bit of romance。 Clever story。 I've enjoyed the books I've read in this series。 Always a mystery to keep you guessing and a little bit of romance。 Clever story。 。。。more
Sue
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Delightful addition to the series！
Jenny
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Another wonderful book in this series。 I can't wait for the next one to come out。 Another wonderful book in this series。 I can't wait for the next one to come out。 。。。more
Kim
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Good cozy mystery series。 Liked the addition of Agatha Christie in the book。
Brenda
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A cozy set in the 1930's featuring Lady Georgie - for the 17th time！An accomplished novelist， Mortimer， hosts an open house and a banquet with Lady Georgina's new French chef， doing the cooking。 The estate features a poison garden and many are willing to pay to attend。 Agatha Christie （Mrs。 Mallowan） helps Georgie solve this case。 James Albert Darcy O'Mara makes his appearance。 Life is never simple for these characters。 A cozy set in the 1930's featuring Lady Georgie - for the 17th time！An accomplished novelist， Mortimer， hosts an open house and a banquet with Lady Georgina's new French chef， doing the cooking。 The estate features a poison garden and many are willing to pay to attend。 Agatha Christie （Mrs。 Mallowan） helps Georgie solve this case。 James Albert Darcy O'Mara makes his appearance。 Life is never simple for these characters。 。。。more
Sandy
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Not my favorite of the series but still a treat to spend time with Georgie and Darcy， even Queenie。 Their life will be changing！ Interesting use of Agatha Christie and her specialty。
Wendie Aurin
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Fabulous as always， but I did miss Belinda this time！
J。d。 Grove
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I love this series。 Always a great read， easy and fun。
Marianne
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Proof is in the pudding， loved it。 What can you not like by Rhys Bowen's books。 Kept you guessing who spoiled the pudding， but there was a twist。 Great reading。 Looking forward to the next book。 Proof is in the pudding， loved it。 What can you not like by Rhys Bowen's books。 Kept you guessing who spoiled the pudding， but there was a twist。 Great reading。 Looking forward to the next book。 。。。more
Kelly
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