by Rhys Bowen
Part of Her Royal Spyness, book 17
First published 2023
Lady Georgiana Rannoch prepares for her debut as hostess at Eynsleigh estate while awaiting the birth of her first child. Her new Parisian chef Pierre has arrived, and Sir Hubert has returned from his latest expedition. Georgie throws an elegant dinner party to celebrate his homecoming and showcase Pierre's culinary skills. Among the guests sits Sir Mortimer Mordred, a renowned Gothic horror novelist who recently bought a nearby Elizabethan manor complete with a famous poison garden. The evening proves such a success that Sir Mortimer invites Georgie, her husband Darcy, and Pierre to his own upcoming celebration. At Sir Mortimer's party, guests tour his fascinating poison garden and laboratory before sitting down to an elaborate banquet. The same meal and dessert are served to everyone, yet several guests fall violently ill afterward. One guest dies, apparently killed by poisonous berries from the garden. Georgie faces a puzzling mystery: how could only certain people be poisoned when everyone ate identical food? With Pierre under suspicion and her own reputation at stake, she must identify the real killer before her baby arrives.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, thriller, cozy-mystery
Vibes: atmospheric, cozy, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family
Setting: Eynsleigh, Elizabethan Manor
Period: 20th-Century
292 pages · Hardcover · Berkley