A honeymoon in Kenya is a surprise for Lady Georgiana Rannoch, granddaughter of Queen Victoria and thirty-fourth in line for the throne, after she marries Darcy O'Mara in 1935. He announces the plan after several postnuptial days on a houseboat on the Thames, and Georgie is suspicious that this is a trip for more than pleasure. She's right: while the Queen asks Georgie to keep an eye on the Prince of Wales in Africa, so that he doesn't run off with Mrs. Simpson, Darcy is tasked with finding a jewel thief and more. Soon after the couple arrives in Happy Valley where the upper-class English residents are devoted to drink, drugs, and bed-hopping a prominent member of the community, thrice-married Lord Cheriton, makes a pass at Georgie. Days later Georgie and Darcy decline the activities at one of Lady Idina Sackville's infamous parties and leave early, only to come upon Cheriton's partially eaten body off the road near his car. Then someone begins threatening the couple's safety as they prepare for a safari. An appealing addition to the Royal Spyness mystery series, with hints of the political upheavals that lie ahead.--Michele Leber Copyright 2019 Booklist

Exotic animals, unbridled sex, and murder provide all the necessaries for a perfect honeymoon.Lady Georgiana Rannoch (Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding, 2018, etc.) may no longer be 35th in line to the throne, but she's finally Mrs. Darcy O'Mara. Although she and Darcy return to Rannoch House to go through wedding presents, Darcy promises her an exotic honeymoon, and when the queen offers them the use of Balmoral at a garden party, he announces that they're going instead to Kenya. They fly with Rowena Hartley, a mean girl at Georgie's school, and her brother, Rupert, both on a visit to their father, who wants to see the children he's ignored for years now that he's become Lord Cheriton. An even worse fellow passenger is Mrs. Simpson, who plans to spend time with the Prince of Wales. Georgie has always suspected that Darcy's some kind of spy, and she's uneasy that the trip's been arranged by government official Freddie Blanchford but eager to stay with Diddy Ruocco in the infamous Happy Valley, where they meet lots of aristocrats who live in high style. Darcy admits that he's on the trail of a jewel thief, but Georgie suspects he's holding back a bigger secret. When they dine with Lord Cheriton, aka Bwana Hartley, he makes a hard pass at Georgie and displays his short temper and Nazi sympathies. Invited to one of Lady Idina's wild overnight parties, they realize that the couples spend all night changing partners. A shocked Georgie spends a restless night alone with Darcy until they sneak out early in the morning only to discover Bwana's car in the middle of the road and his partly eaten body nearby. From that point on, the beauties of Kenya take a back seat to sleuthing, which disturbs someone enough to bait wild animals to kill them.Bowen provides more social commentary than usual in this lighthearted series, revealing the careless bigotry and racism of the aristocratic Brits in Kenya, and the tale is all the better for it. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

After a short honeymoon on a houseboat, Lady Georgiana's new husband, Darcy O'Mara, surprises her with a trip to Kenya and finally admits he's going on assignment to catch a jewel thief. Georgie suspects there's more to it than that but doesn't push the issue immediately. The newlyweds head for Happy Valley, where the upper-class English live close enough together to party with drinks, drugs, and wife-swapping. Georgie is angry when she's propositioned. She stops Lord Cheriton's loutish behavior yet is still shocked when she and Darcy sneak out of the party and find the man murdered along the road. Almost everyone had a reason to want him dead, but Georgie is the one who discovers the truth. VERDICT As in the award-winning author's 11th in the series, On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service, Bowen takes a serious turn, focusing on the depraved lifestyle of the English in Kenya and foreshadowing World War II while including a safari and air travel. Fans who read the books for the light humor may be disappointed, but those who appreciate Bowen's knowledge of the pre- and postwar years, as in In Farleigh Field, will be receptive to the atmospheric historical details. [See Prepub Alert, 2/4/19.]--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Set in 1935, bestseller Bowen's disappointing 13th Royal Spyness mystery (after 2018's Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding) finds Lady Georgiana Rannoch, a distant relative of the royal family, finally married to Darcy O'Mara, who performs shadowy work on behalf of the British government. After an enjoyable honeymoon in England, Darcy reveals plans to extend the post-wedding celebration in Kenya, where he has been asked, as he admits on arrival, to find the jewel thief responsible for "several daring and spectacular burglaries in London" targeting high society. The community of expats provides a pool of suspects. Darcy's investigation takes a more serious turn when he and Georgiana come across a body that has been mauled by wild animals, which he believes is that of a murder victim. Much of the humor in previous volumes originated with Georgiana's inept and clumsy maid, Queenie, who remains offstage. As in her Molly Murphy series, Bowen struggles to transition her lead into married life without detracting from what made that lead memorable. Fans will hope for a return to form next time. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.