WE THREE QUEENS (Her Royal Spyness #18) BY Rhys Bowen will be released on November 19, 2024, by Berkley.
Georgie and Darcy are settling into life as new parents, but their home life is anything but peaceful thanks to an invasion of unwanted houseguests. Their first houseguest is the infamous Wallis Simpson. Years ago, Georgie was tasked by the former King and Queen of England to spy on their son’s relationship with the American divorcée. Cousin David is now the King of England, and he’s determined to make Wallis his queen. While Parliament decides the fate of his personal relationship, the King sends Wallis to stay with his “favorite” cousin. Wallis does not like being stuck at some country estate and is making everyone miserable. Georgie’s easy-going half-brother, insufferable sister-in-law, and their two-children show up for an unexpected visit while they search for boarding schools for the children. Georgie’s narcissistic mother also pops in for a visit while her German boyfriend is meeting with important people in London. And then there’s Sir Hubert—Georgie’s former stepfather who owns the estate when she and Darcy live. Sir Hubert is usually off climbing mountains, but he’s back for a visit along with an American film crew. Wallis and the movie’s child star both disappear in what are probably unconnected events, and then one of the leading actresses is murdered. It’s up to Georgie and Darcy to investigate.
I’ve read all eighteen novels in the Royal Spyness series, and WE THREE QUEENS is not one of my favorites. The story was disjointed with multiple different plotlines—some of which loosely tied in together. There were a lot of mundane activities taking place to keep the plot lumbering along but did little to add to any of the three separate mysteries. The outcome to the disappearance of Wallis Simpson was easy to determine based on the historical timeline of her relationship with King Edward VIII. The child star’s “kidnapping” was also fairly obvious, but a good deal of the novel was spent looking for the child. The aftermath of the kidnapping was rather disappointing. The only real mystery in the novel was the murder of one of the leading actresses. The murder took place very late in the novel, was quickly solved without much of an investigation, and seemed more like an afterthought. It would have made more sense for the murder to take place earlier in the novel because it would have allowed for an extended investigation and would have added more drama to the separate disappearances of Wallis Simpson and the actress. It’s the slow buildup to the outbreak of World War II and the impending danger that Georgie’s mother faces if she remains in Germany that really keeps the overall story moving.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.