• The Twelve Clues of Christmas

  • By: Rhys Bowen
  • Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
  • Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (6,035 ratings)

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The Twelve Clues of Christmas  By  cover art

The Twelve Clues of Christmas

By: Rhys Bowen
Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
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Publisher's summary

Audie Award Winner, Solo Narration - Female, 2014

She may be 35th in line for the throne, but Lady Georgiana Rannoch cannot wait to ring in the new year—before a Christmas killer wrings another neck…

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me—well, actually, my true love, Darcy O’Mara, is spending a feliz navidad tramping around South America. Meanwhile, Mummy is holed up in a tiny village called Tiddleton-under-Lovey with that droll Noel Coward! And I’m snowed in at Castle Rannoch with my bumbling brother, Binky, and sourpuss sister-in-law, Fig. So it’s a miracle when I contrive to land a position as hostess to a posh holiday party in Tiddleton. The village is like something out of A Christmas Carol! But no sooner have I arrived than a neighborhood nuisance, a fellow named Freddie falls out of a tree, dead…. Dickensian, indeed.

Freddie’s merely a stocking stuffer. On my second day in town, another so-called accident turns up another mincemeat pie—and yet another on my third. The village is buzzing that a recent prison break could have something to do with it… that, or a long-standing witch’s curse. I’m not so sure. But after Darcy shows up beneath the mistletoe, anything could be possible in this wicked wonderland.

©2012 Janet Quin- Harkin (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Katherine Kellgren performs an impressive range of accents: Irish brogue, high-pitched Cockney, fussy American, West Country burr, and more. Kellgren triumphs as Georgi, who is 34th in line to the throne, giving her a refined accent contrasted with down-to-earth sensibilities. Due to the author's light touch and Kellgren's humorous delivery, the many Yuletide deaths in this cozy do not become macabre. The listener just marvels at the mounting 'accidents' amid the bountiful Christmas cheer." ( AudioFile)
Audie Award Winner, Solo Narration - Female, 2014

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What listeners say about The Twelve Clues of Christmas

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

It was a great Christmas Who-Done-It!

Read from November 20 to 24, 2012

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
Christmas Rating: Just plain fun!

First thought when finished: Rhys Bowen hit it out of the park with The Twelve Clues of Christmas. It was a great Christmas Who-Done-It!

Just my thoughts: The Twelve Clues of Christmas was a jolly good time! 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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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

What ho, old bean!

If you could sum up The Twelve Clues of Christmas in three words, what would they be?

Lighthearted, Smart, Whodunnit

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not on the edge of my seat, no. It was a good murder mystery without too much predictability. It was an utter pleasure to listen to and to follow Lady Georgie on yet another adventure. If there can be charming murder mysteries, this is definitely one.

What does Katherine Kellgren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Katherine Kellgren is one of my favorite narrators of all time - she does voices and accents and dialects beautifully. It feels like an entire cast is acting out the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laughed. MANY times.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another Great Lady Georgie Mystery

Lady Georgiana Rannoch escapes the horrid fate of spending Christmas with her step-sister's family at Castle Rannoch by attending a house party in a quaint English village instead as a Royal Family entertainer for the house guests. But as soon as she arrives, people start dying in strange accidents and she shortly begins to suspect that these accidents are really murders. Accompanied by the dashing Darcy O'Mara, Georgie sets out to solve these murders and uncovers the twelve clues to these murders. Clever and witty, with a dash of romance, Rhys Bowen weaves old English Christmas traditions and centuries-long superstitions with pre-WWII England and all of its social class upheaval to create a magical Christmas mystery that is sure to entertain. Fantastically performed by Katherine Kellgren, I quickly lost myself in the story. A Must-Listen Mystery for this Christmas season!

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such fun to listen to

This is such a fun series to enjoy. Sometimes kind of silly but always interesting. The series wouldn't be the same without the great narration of Katherine Kellgren. Looking forward to the next one.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Tradition English Christmas gone haywire

Once again, Lady Georgie is stuck at Castle Rannock with her miserly sister-in-law, Fig, making her life miserable and Christmas is just around the corner. So, why not take a job on a country estate in Devon, make a little money and get far, far away from Scotland? All is fine until local people start dying. But are these deaths accidents or murder?
Once again, Darcy is on hand to lend his simmering sensuality to mix and he does distract Georgie quite a bit as she goes about trying to figure out what's going on.
This is one of my favorites in the series. I just love Lady G's spunk and how wonderfully English these books always are. And there are always several laugh out loud incidents in any of the Royal Spyness books.
I loved this reader's ability to capture personalities so well with her intonations.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A Royal Joy!

Why do I love this series? Well it's amusing on several levels. Perhaps my favorite take is the dramatic contrast in the main character's status as a Royal with her poor economic situation. She always sleeps in mansions and palaces, but they never seem to be heated. She has a personal maid, but she is a walking disaster. I could go on and on.

The mysteries are clever, but always overshadowed by the hilarious situations we find our heroine in. Her wit, compassion, passion, patience and yes, her manners, make her one of the most irresistible characters I've ever encountered in literature.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fun listen over the holidays

You know, these books won't make you smarter. But, they're great entertainment. Especially fun to listen to this one and have it end on New Year's Day in the book and in real life. Once again, the narration is fabulous.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Ah, Georgie, you've done it again!

I won't bother to report on the storyline, as you can read about it in the descriptions of others. Instead, I'll report on the entertainment value, as I see it. Rhys Bowen writes fun, lively mysteries that move quickly and offer the listener/reader a glimpse into 1920's in England. Descriptions of conditions, clothing, food, and ambiance are so vivid the listener can almost feel as if he/she was in the midst of it all. Narration by Ms. Kellgren is perfect, slipping from one dialect to another with ease, male and female characters clearly articulated with emotion and liveliness. I have listened to so many Bowen books that I hear the first sentence and feel "ahhh, she's back".
So, would I recommend it? Yes, because, for me, it's pure entertainment.
Specifically, this book is paced well, with rich characters that would never appear in reading as colorfully as they are when read by Ms Kellgren. I want more!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Georgie's Back and She's Gonna Be In Trouble!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It a fun listen, with a few surprises even the ones you see coming are welcome.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Twelve Clues of Christmas?

Singing?

Which scene was your favorite?

One word Queenie

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

that would be telling, but it was most welcome.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love this series

Was so happy to see that Rhys Bowen had added another novel. Lived up to expectations.

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5 people found this helpful