Heirs and Graces

By: Rhys Bowen

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Audie Award Finalist, Mystery, 2014

As 35th in line for the throne, Lady Georgiana Rannoch may not be the most sophisticated young woman, but she knows her table manners. It's forks on the left, knives on the right - not in His Majesty's back….

"Here I am thinking the education I received at my posh Swiss finishing school would never come in handy. And while it hasn't landed me a job, or a husband, it has convinced Her Majesty the Queen and the Dowager Duchess to enlist my help. I have been entrusted with grooming Jack Altringham - the Duke's newly discovered heir fresh from the Outback of Australia - for high society. The upside is I am to live in luxury at one of England's most gorgeous stately homes. But upon arrival at Kingsdowne Place, my dearest Darcy has been sent to fetch Jack, leaving me stuck in a manor full of miscreants…none of whom are too pleased with the discovery of my new ward. And no sooner has the lad been retrieved than the Duke announces he wants to choose his own heir. With the house in a hubbub over the news, Jack's hunting knife somehow finds its way into the Duke's back. Eyes fall, backs turn, and fingers point to the young heir. As if the rascal wasn't enough of a handful, now he's suspected of murder. Jack may be wild, but I'd bet the crown jewels it wasn't he who killed the Duke…."

©2013 Janet Quin-Harkin (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Great as usual

I love this series. I love the characters. The love story between Darcy & Georgi is both heartwarming and frustrating. I'm waiting and hoping for further development but I'm glad Darcy keeps showing up unexpectedly. The mystery plot in this one was interesting and the ending was not expected. The family is a hoot. What an interesting bunch of characters. I can see this one in the series continuing into the next. They all kind of do but maybe she'll add Jack as a new friend to keep in touch with. You can't go wrong by starting at the very beginning of this series and reading, or listening in this case, to this entire series. Enjoy!

Not the best in the series but still solid Spyness

Great narration as usual. The story was not my favorite in the series but still just as fun and engaging as ever.

Love it

I had to take a break from Audible because of money and this is the first book I bought when I came back. If you are familiar with the series, this story stays true to the pattern that sees Lady Georgie doing a favor of the queen and eventually finding a dead body. If you are unfamiliar, the main character is a very minor member of the royal family of England in between the world wars. She's penniless, unmarried, without prospects but very resourceful so the queen calls on her often for help. The characters are quirky without being too exaggerated. The scene is well set without it sounding like a history lesson. The tone is light without being too glib in the face of murder. Lady Georgie is a delightful person to spend time with and the reader can't be beat. This story has characters with many different accents, young and old. Each one is voiced distinctly. I took one point off because the basic outline of this book is very similar to the others.

Shocking ending!

Awesome with a shocking ending you will never believe. You will love this whole series.

An enjoyable distraction excluding awful Queenie

This was an enjoyable listen as I drove my dog to and from the vet for Chemotherapy. This was the first book that I did not figure out who the killer was until the dramatic reveal.

My only regret that is the dreadful Queenie has not improved her skills, is getting full of herself and I keep hoping she finds a poisoned scone. I am hoping that in the next book, which includes a ocean voyage, finds Queenie walking the plank or being washed overboard.

Very enjoyable

I love this series. it's fun, and always a good mystery with just enough suspense and some laughs. The narrator is terrific.

Ending a let down..

I enjoyed the style and pace of this story. This is the first book by this author I have read/heard. I enjoyed Katherine Kellgren's narration. Her voice fit the character. This is a predictable story. But, there are twists and turns along the way. The story is presented in such a way that several characters are potential murderers. The let down is the ending. It does not resolve how the mean Duke died. It is stated several times that the possible cause of death didn't actually kill him. Then the story ends in an unsatisfactory way. I was disappointed in it. There were all the potential suspects. The chosen suspects were not satisfactory. The ending was a let down. If I rated this story on the ending it would be 1 star. The plot and characters were good enough to make this 3 stars.

Always a fun read

I enjoyed this story but not quite as mych as some of the others. The narrator does a good job with the voices but the constant aristocratic accents got tiresome, as did their unpleasant personalities. Too many unlikeable characters. However that is the world the heroine lives in. Still and all, i love Rhys Bowen’s weiring. She captures the essence of the times and the people so well.

Fun Mystery

One of the best ones of the series. A great, funny, entertaining whodunnit mystery story.

Simpler and still exciting

This book doesn’t have all the back and forth danger but it’s still a great story. I enjoyed the new characters and location.