Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Berkley Hardcover (2012), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 320 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Mystery. HTML:In the sixth mystery in the New York Times bestselling Royal Spyness series, Lady Georgiana Rannoch cannot wait to ring in the New Year�before a Christmas killer wrings another neck� Scotland, 1933. While her true love, Darcy O�Mara, is spending his feliz navidad tramping around South America and her mother is holed up in a tiny village called Tiddleton-under-Lovey with droll playwright Noel Coward, Georgie is quite literally stuck at Castle Rannoch thanks to a snowstorm. It seems like a Christmas miracle when she manages to land a position as hostess to a posh holiday party in Tiddleton. The village should be like something out of A Christmas Carol, but as soon as she arrives things take a deadly turn when a neighborhood nuisance falls out of a tree. On her second day, another so-called accident results in a death�and there�s yet another on her third, making Georgie wonder if there's something wicked happening in this winter wonderland... Includes an English Christmas companion, full of holiday recipes, games, and more!.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member thehistorychic
Listened for FUN!
Part of my 25 Christmas Reads for 2012
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.50
Character Rating 4.50
Audio Rating (not part of the overall rating): 4.50
Part of my 25 Books for the Holiday 2012
How did the book put me in the holiday spirit: The Twelve Clues of Christmas was a jolly good
What I thought of the Characters/Story:Rhys Bowen hit it out of the park with The Twelve Clues of Christmas. It was a great Christmas Who-Done-It! I had a blast while listening and was thrilled to delve back into her royal spyness. This is one fun series for those that like amateur sleuth stories. Check it out when you get a chance! These have a small carry over story but I think they can be read out of order or as standalones.
About the audio: Narrated by Katherine Kellgren and she did a bang up job! Her voices were spot on, the pacing was fantastic, and the reading was delightful.
Final thought: I recommend the Royal Spyness series to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!
Part of my 25 Christmas Reads for 2012
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.50
Character Rating 4.50
Audio Rating (not part of the overall rating): 4.50
Part of my 25 Books for the Holiday 2012
How did the book put me in the holiday spirit: The Twelve Clues of Christmas was a jolly good
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time! There were sprinkles of an old Dickens Christmas with caroling, games, and tree trimmings. The setting was perfect for a little holiday mystery.What I thought of the Characters/Story:Rhys Bowen hit it out of the park with The Twelve Clues of Christmas. It was a great Christmas Who-Done-It! I had a blast while listening and was thrilled to delve back into her royal spyness. This is one fun series for those that like amateur sleuth stories. Check it out when you get a chance! These have a small carry over story but I think they can be read out of order or as standalones.
About the audio: Narrated by Katherine Kellgren and she did a bang up job! Her voices were spot on, the pacing was fantastic, and the reading was delightful.
Final thought: I recommend the Royal Spyness series to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!
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LibraryThing member KateBond
I cannot say enough about the quality of this series in audiobook form. Katherine Kellgren does a brilliant job of voicing an enormous range of characters, and each character has a different weird accent, be it Irish, French, Scottish, English, Australian, Russian... and she does it all just
The ensemble of characters is the reason I keep coming back to this series time and again (the mysteries tend to be dumb and obvious). There are homosexual characters, there are women who sleep around but aren't shamed for it, there are people of all social classes, and each is treated with respect--and Georgie, the narrator, manages to be both a wide-eyed innocent AND non-judgmental. Simultaneously.
Really, really lovely. I cannot recommend this series of audiobooks highly enough.
(I cannot speak to the quality of the actual books themselves, as my opinion is completely tied to Kellgren's readings.)
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flawlessly. And her male voices, especially that of Darcy O'Mara, the series's romantic hero, are especially good. Normally when a woman voices a dude's voice, particularly if he's supposed to be a hot dude, I cringe a bit with empathic humiliation. Not the case here.The ensemble of characters is the reason I keep coming back to this series time and again (the mysteries tend to be dumb and obvious). There are homosexual characters, there are women who sleep around but aren't shamed for it, there are people of all social classes, and each is treated with respect--and Georgie, the narrator, manages to be both a wide-eyed innocent AND non-judgmental. Simultaneously.
Really, really lovely. I cannot recommend this series of audiobooks highly enough.
(I cannot speak to the quality of the actual books themselves, as my opinion is completely tied to Kellgren's readings.)
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LibraryThing member TheLibraryhag
Georgie is facing a miserable Christmas with her family when an opportunity to help hostess a Christmas house party comes her way. A chance to get away from the family and make some money? Georgie signs on right away. The party is in a private home on the outskirts of a picture perfect English
This series is so much fun. I am never disappointed by Georgie and her antics. I really liked that her mother and grandfather were in this one. Of course Darcy is there and Georgie's supernaturally inept maid, Queenie. If you don't know who the people are, shame on you. Run right out and read Her Royal Spyness!!!
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village where it so happens her mother, is spending the holiday with Noel Coward, of all people. But Georgie has barely arrived before the first in a series of daily deaths has occurred. (Color me shocked). As the bodies pile up, Georgie is more and more convinced that these are not accidents of cunningly planned murders. But what is the motive?This series is so much fun. I am never disappointed by Georgie and her antics. I really liked that her mother and grandfather were in this one. Of course Darcy is there and Georgie's supernaturally inept maid, Queenie. If you don't know who the people are, shame on you. Run right out and read Her Royal Spyness!!!
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LibraryThing member Kathy89
The iimpoverished Lady Georgiana accepts a paying job as a hostess for an old fashioned Christmas at an estate in Devonshire. Needless to say villagers start dying one a day for the 12 days of Christmas. Georgie, her boyfriend Darcy and the local chief inspector try to solve the murders while
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Georgie is organizing things for the guests to do for the Lady of the Manor. Her grandfather, mother and Noel Coward are staying nearby to help make Georgie's Christmas happy. Fun holiday read with lots of descriptions of food and games in what we believe an old-fashioned country house Christmas was like. Reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member readafew
The Twelve Clues of Christmas has introduced me to a great mystery storyteller! I haven’t read any Rhys Bowen before, but I am glad I’ve rectified that situation. The Twelve Clues is the 6th book in the ‘A Royal Spyness Mystery’ series.
Lady Georgiana Rannoch, 35th in line to the British
As luck would have it, Georgie finds an ad in a magazine looking for a hostess for an old fashioned Christmas house party. She applies and she is accepted immediately. Hurrah! Christmas is saved, and best of all it is in the same sleepy little town that her mother and grandfather will spending Christmas in as well. Things are looking up!
When Georgie gets to the manor the local police are just leaving. Turns out the neighbor accidentally shot himself climbing a pear tree, supposedly to play a prank on her hosts. The next morning she hears about a local man who fell off a bridge on his way home from the pub. Before the first guests are to arrive one of the old ladies next door dies when the gas is left on in her room without being lit. It’s starting to look like the local ‘Luvy Curse’ is at work. Or is it?
Georgie is a wonderful protagonist. I enjoyed reading this book immensely. I would put this well into the cozy mysteries, and if you like English mysteries especially like Agatha Christie I can’t imagine you wouldn’t like these. The mystery was very well done and I was partially thrown off on the who, so I can’t complain there. Excellent read in my opinion.
Lady Georgiana Rannoch, 35th in line to the British
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throne, is staying in her ancestral castle for the Christmas season in Scotland. After her father’s death, it now belongs to her brother, along with the rest of the diminished family fortune. Her brother, his wife and child and his mother-in-law are all there with her and the rest of her sister-in-laws family will be arriving any day. It is not looking like a very Merry Christmas for Georgie this year. As luck would have it, Georgie finds an ad in a magazine looking for a hostess for an old fashioned Christmas house party. She applies and she is accepted immediately. Hurrah! Christmas is saved, and best of all it is in the same sleepy little town that her mother and grandfather will spending Christmas in as well. Things are looking up!
When Georgie gets to the manor the local police are just leaving. Turns out the neighbor accidentally shot himself climbing a pear tree, supposedly to play a prank on her hosts. The next morning she hears about a local man who fell off a bridge on his way home from the pub. Before the first guests are to arrive one of the old ladies next door dies when the gas is left on in her room without being lit. It’s starting to look like the local ‘Luvy Curse’ is at work. Or is it?
Georgie is a wonderful protagonist. I enjoyed reading this book immensely. I would put this well into the cozy mysteries, and if you like English mysteries especially like Agatha Christie I can’t imagine you wouldn’t like these. The mystery was very well done and I was partially thrown off on the who, so I can’t complain there. Excellent read in my opinion.
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LibraryThing member delphimo
As much as I am loath to admit, I enjoy reading this series. At times, I feel the effort is ridiculous. Some of the characters are entirely out of proportion, and could only exist in a work of fiction. Can royalty really be down-to-earth and not snobbish? Georgie shows the readers a different side
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of the "royals". In all the previous novels, Bowen hints at the coming events of Hitler and that divorced/married American. The story is simple with very loose strains of class divisions. Yes, I must admit that I was slow to discovering the "twelve clues of Christmas", but this theme was very subtle. Overall, a great way to spend an afternoon. Show Less
LibraryThing member dd196406
Fun installment of the series about Lady Georgiana. Delightful characters in a quirky English village. Fun holiday novel.
LibraryThing member thehistorychic
Listened for FUN!
Part of my 25 Christmas Reads for 2012
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.50
Character Rating 4.50
Audio Rating (not part of the overall rating): 4.50
Part of my 25 Books for the Holiday 2012
How did the book put me in the holiday spirit: The Twelve Clues of Christmas was a jolly good
What I thought of the Characters/Story:Rhys Bowen hit it out of the park with The Twelve Clues of Christmas. It was a great Christmas Who-Done-It! I had a blast while listening and was thrilled to delve back into her royal spyness. This is one fun series for those that like amateur sleuth stories. Check it out when you get a chance! These have a small carry over story but I think they can be read out of order or as standalones.
About the audio: Narrated by Katherine Kellgren and she did a bang up job! Her voices were spot on, the pacing was fantastic, and the reading was delightful.
Final thought: I recommend the Royal Spyness series to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!
Part of my 25 Christmas Reads for 2012
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.50
Character Rating 4.50
Audio Rating (not part of the overall rating): 4.50
Part of my 25 Books for the Holiday 2012
How did the book put me in the holiday spirit: The Twelve Clues of Christmas was a jolly good
Show More
time! There were sprinkles of an old Dickens Christmas with caroling, games, and tree trimmings. The setting was perfect for a little holiday mystery.What I thought of the Characters/Story:Rhys Bowen hit it out of the park with The Twelve Clues of Christmas. It was a great Christmas Who-Done-It! I had a blast while listening and was thrilled to delve back into her royal spyness. This is one fun series for those that like amateur sleuth stories. Check it out when you get a chance! These have a small carry over story but I think they can be read out of order or as standalones.
About the audio: Narrated by Katherine Kellgren and she did a bang up job! Her voices were spot on, the pacing was fantastic, and the reading was delightful.
Final thought: I recommend the Royal Spyness series to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!
Show Less
LibraryThing member jamespurcell
Deaths are rampant in Tiddleton under Lovey during the Yule season. Can they be connected? Enter Georgianna, the 35th heir errant to the throne. Not since '"And Then There Were None" have so many passed to support a mystery plot.
LibraryThing member bookappeal
Lady Georgiana Rannoch cannot stomach the thought of spending the holidays with her brother and dreary sister-in-law in frigid Scotland. Being nearly penniless, she doesn't have many options until she reads an advertisement asking for a royal hostess in a little town called Tiddleton-under-Lovey.
Georgie tries to puzzle out the connection, in between enjoying luscious meals, entertaining the house guests, and fretting about her troublesome attraction to a man she cannot marry. Fun, British (and royal!) cozy with appealing descriptions of old English Christmas customs. Includes recipes and instructions for games.
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Another resourceful Lady has planned an authentic English Christmas for paying guests in the quaint town. Georgie is thrilled with the arrangements except for the death of the next door neighbor. And another fatal accident the next day. And the next. The local constable, even with the help of Georgie's more experienced father, can find no connection between the daily victims. Recently-escaped convicts seem the most likely candidates but the evidence suggests they've long since left town and headed for London. Georgie tries to puzzle out the connection, in between enjoying luscious meals, entertaining the house guests, and fretting about her troublesome attraction to a man she cannot marry. Fun, British (and royal!) cozy with appealing descriptions of old English Christmas customs. Includes recipes and instructions for games.
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LibraryThing member librarian1204
Read it during the month of December. Read it if you have always wanted to be part of an English country Christmas.
Expect no more.
Expect no more.
LibraryThing member ktleyed
Georgie is getting paid to be at a house party in the country, and as soon as she arrives before Christmas, local townspeople are dying, one a day from some sort accident or illness. Everyone thinks it's a coincidence, but Georgie is convinced someone is diabolically killing them off one by one.
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Not as good as some of the others in the series, but I enjoyed it on audiobook, and Darcy is conveniently on hand as well - with some new developments in their relationship. Mother, Gran and ... Noel Coward are nearby too. I thought the way she fit the murders in with a well known Christmas Carol was very clever! Show Less
LibraryThing member auntieknickers
A very enjoyable Christmas 'read' that I didn't finish till after the New Year. I recently saw where Rhys Bowen said that she felt she had found the perfect reader for her Lady Georgiana series in Katherine Kellgren, and I would definitely agree. Each character's voice and accent is different so
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there is never confusion about who's speaking. I've read the first two books in this series but skipped ahead to have a Christmas mystery to listen to during the season. That wasn't a problem. The setting of 1930s England (before the death of George V and the subsequent drama, though I expect and hope those will turn up in subsequent books) is well-drawn, there is plenty of humor, and yet murder is not taken lightly. I felt a little foolish when Georgie discovered the link among all the crimes, but that means it was a good mystery. Recommended for Anglophiles and lovers of humorous mysteries with a bit of romance. Show Less
LibraryThing member pife43
Always seeking a good book to read during the holidays, I came across this book and placed it in my rather large stack of potentials. One by one, i returned the other books and this novel by Rhys Bowen remained. This is my first time reading her.
I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. Its a light mystery
There is no strong focus on gory details, no deep seated psychological abnormalities that twist the readers spirit and soul, but simply a daily event that eventually becomes apparent to our heroine.
The heroine is likeable and fun to get to know, as is her inept servant. There are several characters in the story, but the authors talent makes it not a chore to recall or place each person, while maintaining a simplicity and authentic charm that reinforced my love of Christmas Mysteries.
I will certainly seek out another novel by Ms. Bowen, and will suggest her to my friends as a writer who spins a believable, charming, and suspenseful yarn with such ease that she makes it impossible to accept mediocrity again.
Thank you Rhys. And well done!
I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. Its a light mystery
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that took me to another time period, one that does not include all of the modern "conveniences" that are overtaking our world and unfortunately, our spirits too. The novel is set in an ideal town where Christmas is celebrated in an old fashioned manner for the sake of 'guests'. The town begins to suffer a murder, or a near attempt at murder, every day during the Christmas season. There is no strong focus on gory details, no deep seated psychological abnormalities that twist the readers spirit and soul, but simply a daily event that eventually becomes apparent to our heroine.
The heroine is likeable and fun to get to know, as is her inept servant. There are several characters in the story, but the authors talent makes it not a chore to recall or place each person, while maintaining a simplicity and authentic charm that reinforced my love of Christmas Mysteries.
I will certainly seek out another novel by Ms. Bowen, and will suggest her to my friends as a writer who spins a believable, charming, and suspenseful yarn with such ease that she makes it impossible to accept mediocrity again.
Thank you Rhys. And well done!
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LibraryThing member mountie9
My god how I love listening to this series. Katherine Kellgren is positively brilliant at bringing to life each and every one of Rhys Bowen`s richly developed characters. The mysteries themselves really aren`t what draws me to this series, it is definitely the characters. This time around Georgie
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heads out to a picturesque little town and as usual there is a wonderful mix of quirky characters, yummy sounding British food, witty banter and of course MURDER. And this installment has plenty of murder. A wickedly good listen as always - even had a a hard time figuring out who done it this time around. Show Less
LibraryThing member murderbydeath
*Loved* this book! The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I guessed the bad guy from the beginning. But the plot is so clever, and so unique (for cozies, IMO) that it didn't detract at all from my enjoyment of the book. It was just so fun to read I didn't want to put it down.
Lots of
This series just keeps getting better and better and I can't wait for the next one!
Lots of
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great characters and I was happy to see less of Fig and her awful family this time around. Georgie seems to be coming into her own and I love "meeting" all the people she meets. Her mom is becoming more likeable, and I love Darcy! This series just keeps getting better and better and I can't wait for the next one!
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LibraryThing member yoder
The Twelve Clues Of Christmas is the 6th book in the Royal Spyness series.
Things couldn't look bleaker for Lady Georgiana Rannoch, thirty fourth in line for throne. The cold winds are blowing across the moors, she over hears her sister in law, Fig, being told by Figs mother she just has to find
So when things seemed the darkest, she sees at advertisement for a job to assist a hostess with a large Christmas party that Lady Hawse-Gorzley is having. The best thing of all is that the home is in Tiddleton-under-Lovey, the same quaint village that her mother will be staying in with Noel Coward.
As Georgiana is arriving at Lady Hawse-Gorzley home, the local constables are just leaving and she begins to second guess herself. The neighbor has fallen out of a tree and has died from a gunshot wound. Soon the a spinster in town is found dead, a local jeweler is robbed, telephone operator dies in a fire and a local butcher dies delivering the Christmas goose to Lady H-G home. there are a couple more, too, none of which appear to be murders, but then this is a lot of deaths for a small village. The constables want to lay the blame on the recent escaped convicts from the Dartmoor prison break. Georgiana and Darcy don't believe so. So they, with the help of Georgiana's granddad they start to put the clues together track down the killer.
It's always a joy to spend time with Lady Georgiana and this book is no exception. Rhys has very skillfully woven a bit of Christmas' past into this story.
Things couldn't look bleaker for Lady Georgiana Rannoch, thirty fourth in line for throne. The cold winds are blowing across the moors, she over hears her sister in law, Fig, being told by Figs mother she just has to find
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somebody to marry Georgiana and take her off the family's hands. Fig's sister and her family will also be spending the holiday at Rannoch. Georgiana had spent some time in Nice with these obnoxious people. And the worse thing of all is that Georgiana is completely without funds.So when things seemed the darkest, she sees at advertisement for a job to assist a hostess with a large Christmas party that Lady Hawse-Gorzley is having. The best thing of all is that the home is in Tiddleton-under-Lovey, the same quaint village that her mother will be staying in with Noel Coward.
As Georgiana is arriving at Lady Hawse-Gorzley home, the local constables are just leaving and she begins to second guess herself. The neighbor has fallen out of a tree and has died from a gunshot wound. Soon the a spinster in town is found dead, a local jeweler is robbed, telephone operator dies in a fire and a local butcher dies delivering the Christmas goose to Lady H-G home. there are a couple more, too, none of which appear to be murders, but then this is a lot of deaths for a small village. The constables want to lay the blame on the recent escaped convicts from the Dartmoor prison break. Georgiana and Darcy don't believe so. So they, with the help of Georgiana's granddad they start to put the clues together track down the killer.
It's always a joy to spend time with Lady Georgiana and this book is no exception. Rhys has very skillfully woven a bit of Christmas' past into this story.
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LibraryThing member etxgardener
Georgiana is one again at loose ends for Christmas. spending it babysitting her sister-in-law's relatives at Castle Rannoch is out of the question, but she has no money to go anywhere else. o when she stumbles upon an advertisement looking for a "young lady of breeding" to help entertain house
Of course, bodies have to start showing up and they do almost immediately - 12 of them in all (Get it?) The plot & the sleuthing are mostly preposterous, but the descriptions of old-time British Christmas customs and food (with recipes in the back of the book) makes this a fun piece of holiday fluff. And as an added Christmas present, it looks like things are coming to a happy conclusion for Georgiana and Darcy's relationship. A fun, quick read for when you don't want to think too much.
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guests in a charming village in Dorset, she jumps at the chance. The house guests turn out to be paying guests, but the hostess is a charming woman, the food & accommodations are lovely and isn't it just wonderful that this charming woman is Georgie's love Darcy's aunt? Plus it turns out that Georgie's mother is staying in the village with Noel Coward who is writing a play for her and her grandfather is also on hand with his lady friend as servants of all work for her mother's establishment.Of course, bodies have to start showing up and they do almost immediately - 12 of them in all (Get it?) The plot & the sleuthing are mostly preposterous, but the descriptions of old-time British Christmas customs and food (with recipes in the back of the book) makes this a fun piece of holiday fluff. And as an added Christmas present, it looks like things are coming to a happy conclusion for Georgiana and Darcy's relationship. A fun, quick read for when you don't want to think too much.
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LibraryThing member 4leschats
When a hostessing job opens up for the holidays, Georgie sees an opportunity to avoid staying at Castle Rannoch with Fig and family while actually being close to her mother, grandfather, and even Darcy. However, the daily deaths begin to take a toll on the festivities until Georgie sees the pattern
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that cracks the mystery. In the meantime, Georgie and Darcy continue their dance of gentrified love and poverty. Show Less
LibraryThing member infjsarah
This was readable enough but completely daft. It was clever how the murders matched the Christmas theme. But I was a bit MEH at the end so I won't be reading any more of this series.
LibraryThing member EmpressReece
I loved this Xmas story at Rannoch Castle- tons of fun!
LibraryThing member leslie.98
Surprisingly good mystery which kept me guessing despite the clue of the title! It has been a while since I have read any of this series and I found this one was less silly than I had remembered.
LibraryThing member SusanKrzywicki
There were an awful lot of bodies in this one. It felt slightly cruel.
LibraryThing member delphimo
I have enjoyed the beginning of the holiday season by reading many Christmas novels, and The Twelve Clues of Christmas presents a wonderful English country holiday. Lady Georgiana ventures to a quaint village to spend Christmas close to where her mother and Noel Coward are working on a play. Her
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grandfather and his girlfriend also join the excursion as help for Noel Coward. Unfortunately, death enters the joyous season daily and Georgie and Darcy hasten to find answers. Rhys Bowen does an excellent job in describing the various customs and events of the season, and all the delicious food. The twelve days of Christmas theme briefly appears in the final chapters. Show Less
LibraryThing member phyllis2779
I enjoyed this book a lot. Very clever mystery and interesting characters. I just wish I had read it in the proper order of the series. Some of the later relationship things were spoiled in this book by reading out of order. Oh well.
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 2014)
Agatha Award (Nominee — Historical Novel — 2012)
Lefty Award (Nominee — 2013)
Language
Original publication date
2012-11-06
Physical description
320 p.; 9.1 inches
ISBN
0425252787 / 9780425252789