Sussex, 1936. In the 17th of Bowen’s Royal Spyness series, Georgie’s new French cook, Pierre, attracts the admiration and envy of various neighbors – most especially Sir Mortimer, the author of a popular series of pulp novels. Sir Mortimer plans to host a dinner party for charity at his grim, gothic mansion, which is famous for its poison garden. Georgie agrees to lend him her cook to cater the festivities. However, after the dinner, multiple guests fall seriously ill. Pierre is the main suspect, on account of his communist sympathies and nationality. Georgie, despite being heavily pregnant, does her best to prove his innocence.

This delightful cozy mystery progresses at a leisurely pace, with the poisoning occurring about a third of the way through. Thus we get a solid introduction to the characters and their various idiosyncrasies. I personally found Zou Zou, the fabulous old Russian princess who serves as a kind of gift-bearing fairy godmother to Georgie, particularly marvelous. While the prose itself doesn’t exactly gleam with eloquence, the cast of jolly old English stereotypes – from elderly butlers to idle Oxford undergraduates – is compellingly written. Their often highly individual speech patterns really help bring the story to life.

Agatha Christie makes an appearance, along with her famed archeologist husband, and is in fact key to solving the crime.

Lady Georgiana “Georgie” Rannoch and her husband Darcy O’Mara are expecting their first child. Though Georgie is a cousin to Kind Edward VIII and therefore connected to the royal family, the couple is distant enough that finances are tight. Georgie and Darcy live on her godfather’s estate in the English countryside. Their current struggle is dealing with the deeply unappetizing food cooked by Georgie’s former maid Queenie while they wait for their new chef Pierre to arrive. Once Pierre takes over the kitchen, Queenie stays on as his assistant (to some initial bumps in the road when Queenie won’t stop flirting with Pierre or accidentally throwing out his ingredients).

Georgie and Darcy are finally able to throw a dinner party, and Pierre wows their guests with his delectable cuisine. So much so that author Sir Mordred Mortimer asks Georgie if Pierre can cook for his fundraiser to raise money for orphans. Sir Mordred hosts the dinner party at his infamous estate. The house and gardens are beautiful, but the real draw is his famed poison garden—a garden filled with poisonous plants. Fitting for an author of gothic horror novels!

Sir Mordred’s party goes off without a hitch, but the next day several of the guests are sick. When one of the guests dies, the death is quickly traced back to some poisonous berries that were in the tarts at dinner. Suspicion quickly falls on Georgie’s chef, Pierre—he prepared the dinner the guests ate. Georgie is convinced Pierre wouldn’t poison the guests, but it may be up to her to find out who did (with a little help from fellow dinner guest and detective, Agatha Christie).

The Proof of the Pudding is a light and engaging historical mystery. The poison garden was a great setting to build a story around—it’s such a fascinating and dark hobby. Sir Mordred Mortimer is quickly revealed to be a bit much to handle for more than a dinner party. Still, the charity he is supporting is an admirable cause.

The interesting part of the mystery was piecing together why the two victims ended up as the victims, while most others experienced temporary symptoms of the poison. Since the poison was linked to berries in the tarts, there was a snag in the investigation because Georgie turned down her tart. It was then given to another guest, and that changed the order the tarts were served in. Does this mean that someone else was the intended victim? Thankfully Georgie has Agatha Christie (such a fun cameo in the book!) to assist her in using logic and reasoning to find killer and the motive.

It took a while into the book for the mystery to really kick off, but I found that it didn’t detract from the experience. The beginning was quite humorous—especially the dynamic between Pierre (who is talented but a bit of a diva) and Queenie. The mystery had plenty of space for leads to be explored and suspects to be cleared. Readers will find themselves enjoying the story from start to finish.

A great historical mystery with a fun premise and a delightful cameo!

Georgie and Darcy are preparing for the birth of their first child when they end up as guests at a party that includes Agatha Christie. When people end up dead they work together to solve it. ARC from NetGalley.

Georgie is at it again, somehow finding herself at the center of a murder investigation without even trying! Although she’s expecting a baby any minute that doesn’t stop our earnest sleuth from uncovering the truth when a guest is murdered at the house party of her mysterious neighbor! Of course she gets a little help from Darcy, and not too much trouble from Queenie, but her strongest ally is none other than THE Agatha Christie who forms a friendship with Her Royal Spyness! A fun, entertaining tale that makes sure all our beloved characters make an appearance and some new ones join the scene for some detective hijinks!

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

Lady Georgiana is awaiting both her first child and her first French chef, and hoping for a quiet time after her last adventure in Paris. Of course, that's not going to happen!

Georgie meets her new neighbor, a writer who's inherited a house that has had better days, an elderly staff, and two children who loathe him. A mention of Geirgie's French chef manages to turn itself into a plan for a charity dinner party, where among the attendees is the famous mystery writer Agatha Christie (golly!). All the pieces are in place for a whodunit romp--will Georgie be able to solve the mystery before the baby arrives?

The Proof of the Pudding is both an engaging mystery and an homage to Agatha Christie's Poirot works. If you're used to the pace and timing of the previous Lady Georgiana books will notice the path to the final denouement is different from what they're used to, But don't let that get in your way to a fun whodunit and exercising of Georgie's little grey cells!

Definitely recommended: four and one-half stars

Lady Georgianan Rannoch, a fictional cousin to the royal family in the 1930's seems to have gotten her heart's desire. She and her husband, Darcy, are awaiting their first child at the beautiful Eynsleigh estate belonging to her stepfather Sir Hubert. But even with all the joy on its way, darkness also appears with the war with Germany on the horizon and mystery of course follows Georgie wherever she goes.

This whodunnit, The Proof of the Pudding, surrounds her new chef, a Frenchman, who Georgie met in Paris and invited to be her cook at the estate, replacing the basic fare prepared by her former loyal, but clumsy lady's maid, Queenie. When a nearby gothic horror novel author asks to borrow her chef, Pierre, for a special charity dinner party, Georgie and Pierre agree, but all does not go as planed with several guests falling ill and two of them being fatally poisoned. Georgie must help discover whether their deaths were an accident or were there darker motivations?

Like many of the books in the charming Royal Spyness Mystery Series, the mystery is fun to unravel, but at time feels secondary to the humor between the charming, but proper Georgie and the fun unruly characters she often is surrounded by. I'm looking forward to the next entry where hopefully we will see what adventures Georgie and Darcy's new little one has them up to.

I look forward to the new book in this series every year. The Proof of the Pudding is book 17 in Her Royal Spyness series. You don't have to have read the previous books to enjoy this one.

Lady Georgiana is settling into her role as wife and Lady of the Manor and soon she will have a new role - Mother! In anticipation of the arrival of her first child, her godfather in whom house they live is returning and has requested a grand dinner party. Amongst the guests is murder mystery author who writes the most ghoulish of novels.

Due to the impending birth, The Proof of the Pudding is one of the more mild mysteries in the series. It is close to home and Georgie is never in great danger as she has been on a few of her adventures. But that doesn't mean it isn't entertaining.

I actually liked the slower pace of this novel. It might be why I was able to solve the mystery before the characters did.

Another nice touch was the appearance of Agatha Christie (she's not the ghoulish mystery author I mentioned above). I hadn't considered that she and Georgie would be contemporaries.

Overall, this is a fun mystery.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Sunday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/11/2-fun-mysteries-to-entertain-you.html

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a digital e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Hooray, Georgie is back for yet another delightful installment. She's thrilled to be hosting her very first house party to celebrate the return of Sir Hubert, back from his latest adventure, and to showcase her newest chef from Paris! One of her guests in turn invites her to this estate for an upcoming party AND to borrow her new chef. A murder occurs, but the bizzare twist: everyone at ALL of the same food! Georgie is in a race against the birth of her baby to solve this mystery. I love these books, they are fun, clever, and always have a surprise twist!

Another light and charming mystery about everyone's favorite distant royal relative and sleuth. This one was a little slow, but still a fun an diverting read. Can't wait to see the next adventure.

THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING by Rhys Bowen is number 17 in the series which features Lady Georgiana Rannoch. It is exciting that she and her husband are about to have a baby, but this mystery lacked suspense and the perpetuator and motive were fairly obvious from the start. Numerous guests attend a fancy dinner party and eat the same food, but a few become ill and more than one dies. In order to save the reputation of her chef, Georgie has to figure out how the murder occurred and greatly benefits from some brainstorming with none other than Agatha Christie herself (a fellow guest at the exclusive dinner). Fans of this long-running series will likely enjoy Georgie's increased confidence and triumph at entertaining with a French chef; many, however, may prefer other, more puzzling, cozy mysteries.

Another romp with Georgie and her cast of characters! I loved this 9ne, and 8 can't wait for the next If you live a period story, Downton Abbey, and a cozy mystery, then this is the story for you!

This is the 17th book in the Bibliophile Mysteries series, set in San Francisco and the Napa Valley. Brooklyn Wainwright is a book restorer who’s well known in her field. She’s married to Derek Stone, a former SAS member who runs his own security business. Just before Christmas, Brooklyn gets a call that sends them to a Scottish castle to watch their friends get married and solve a mystery of missing rare books.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Rhys Bowen continues her Royal Spyness mysteries with The Proof of the Pudding. Lady Georgiana Rannoch is living on a manor as a guest while she awaits the birth of her child. An invitation to a feast at a neighbors is complicated when her new French chef is asked to cook and people become ill. Two die. Agatha Christie and her husband are guests, The police suspect the chef but Georgina thinks not. Murder in 1936 England; lots of suspects. Whodunit?

Lady Georgie has hired a new chef from France, and he is a hit in the community. In fact, Georgie’s neighbor, Sir Mortimer Mordred, has hired him to provide the dinner at the end of the open house he is hosting to show off his poison garden. The next morning, a few of the guests are sick, and one dies. Could Georgie’s chef be a poisoner?

As is usual for this series, the book takes a while to set the story in motion, but once it does, I was hooked. Georgie gets a fun new sleuthing partner that I loved. The climax, while a little unconventional, works well for this book and answers all of our questions. It was great to see the series regulars again and see them continue to grow. Meanwhile, the new characters are great. We get some funny scenes and reminders of what was going on in Europe in the 1930’s. While the two are very different in tone, they are balanced perfect. I enjoyed this latest entry in the series, and fans will as well.

Love, love, love this series and the characters seem like old friends!

Georgie is expecting her first baby so is trying to get everything organized, including her new chef.
A famous author nearby asks to borrow him and show him his "poison" garden.

Of course there is a murder involved and the story takes off!! Fantastic!

I just love Georgie! Rhys Bowen has created such a wonderful character in her. She is the great granddaughter of Queen Victoria and 35th in line for the throne. In previous installments she has solved mysteries at the behest of the Queen herself! In this book, Georgie is solving a mystery of her own, with the assistance of the "Queen of Cozy Mysteries"! (If you know, you know 😉).
I enjoyed this book so much. It was well written and engaging. I didn't figure out who did it on my own either! I look forward to many more mysteries with Georgie and her growing family. ❤️
Thank you to Rhys Bowen, Berkley Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Another installment in the mystery-prone life of Georgianna Rannoch, 30-somethingth in line to the British throne does not disappoint. Georgie and Darcy have retired to her godfather's country estate to await the birth of their baby, but adventure can't stay away from them as a mysterious neighbor's dinner party ends in murder. With a poison garden, Queenie's questionable presence in the kitchen, and a surprise appearance from Agatha Christie, this book charmed from beginning to end. The mystery was clever, beloved characters played their expected parts, and Georgie continues to charm.

Oh this was a good one! I've been a long time fan of Georgie and have really been enjoying the more recent books where she's gotten a bit more capable and Queenie is in a bit of a smaller role. Georgie has hired a new chef - though Georgie being Georgie she didn't go about it in quite the usual way so references and things like that were never checked. Things are going well and Pierre is proving himself most capable in preparing amazing meals and avoiding Queenie. But things in Georgie's life can never stay peaceful for long and soon they are pulled into a murder investigation. Since Pierre is accused Georgie must get involved - mostly because she knows he's innocent with a touch of not wanting to have to hire a new chef.

There's a lot of setup before the investigation starts but it was never a slow read as we meet all the local characters as well as getting to know those in Georgie's household. I knew something bad was going to happen and couldn't wait to see just how everything transpired. And when it did I had a delightful surprise as Georgie has some help investigating from a fellow guest at the dinner party. I don't want to ruin the surprise of the mystery guest's identity but this appearance was well done and made my reading experience even better.

I did guess the who and the why but I enjoyed watching Georgie figure things out enough that it didn't bother me in the slightest. As a long time reader of the series I'm really enjoying seeing Georgie a bit more confident and sure of herself and I can't wait to see more of these characters. If you enjoy light historical mysteries this is such a fun series. You could jump in here with very few issues but like most series the better you know the characters the better the book is.

A Royal Spyness Mystery Book # 17

I started this series at this point and I assure you that in no way was I lost not knowing what had previously happened, Ms. Bowen does excellent work in introducing her characters and melting them smoothly into a new story. Although it may be great the read this series in order since snippets of the past does pop in from time to time.

Georgie is home awaiting the birth of her child, and to show off her new French chef, a party is set to celebrate Sir Hubert’s return from his last expedition. One of the guests is Gothic horror novelist Sir Mortimer Mordred who lives nearby wants to borrow Georgie’s chef for his own party. He loves to give his guesses a tour of his garden, then a banquet is served where several of the them suddenly became sick......everything points to Pierre the French chef but Georgie wants none of it and goes all out to defend him.....

This is amateur sleuth at its best. Clues come very slowly to stretch the suspense and it is done beautifully. At first I thought this drama was way to slow moving for my taste but lo and behold I got caught in the excitement and held captive till the murderer was known. Along the way we meet colourful characters, a mix of celebrities such as Agatha Christie and Laurence Olivier. The maid and house help played roles to a tee and were entertaining along the way. Not forgetting the dreadful sister in law. In my mind, I told her to buzz off many times but Georgie was graceful and tolerant....

I like the simple style and the active narration with lack of frills or posh words used by British Aristocracy and hard for some of us to comprehend. Most of all the detective work is sound and captivating and the story can move on with Georgie now a mother..... Till next time....what will Ms. Bowen come up with to give us another entertaining read...well-said and well-done.