Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I first listened to the sample because the plot sounded good. I bought it (from Audible.com) because the narrator was excellent! I was not disappointed.

What do you do if you are a ROYAL but penniless? Your royal father is dead but your mother, a beautiful often married non-royal. Your maternal grandfather is an ex-bobbie. Your half brother is a ROYAL married to penny pincher who has little love for you and would like to get you married off as soon as possible.

Why you go off to London to the "family" house. With no money, no servants can be hired to lay fires or turn on the boiler for heating the water for the bath. Thank God for the grandfather who can teach!

Ok, lodging in hand and house tidied (by your hand). Next item is MONEY. You can't hire yourself out as a maid...what would the queen say! Besides, you don't really know how to do that job. But having open the family town house, you could do that and none would be the wiser...hopefully.

When dressed as a maid, you enter empty homes, get things readied for the family's return and leave. If someone enters unexpected, no one notices you if you keep your head down, do your work and get out after all, you are dressed as a maid.

This is how it starts.

There is the QUEEN who wants our heroine to do her a favor and spy on Cousin Dave and "that woman".

There is a ROYAL the family thinks would be a "good match" (doubtful).

Brother comes to town.

Strange things start to happen. Is she just more clumsy than normal or is someone trying to kill her?

A dead body is found in the bathtub.

Brother leaves town.

Who is the dead man? Why was he killed? Who did it? (Can't blame it on the butler, there is none.) Did Brother do it? Surely not!

There is still house party to go to to meet her "potential" husband, to watch Cousin David and Mrs. Simpson, while pondering who the murderer is (all suspects will be in attendance). All this will make it hard to enjoy the perks of being a royal when she is not only trying to ferret out a killer but avoid being the next victim!