We Three Queens: A Royal Spyness Mystery

In Bowen’s thin if enjoyable 18th adventure for Lady Georgiana “Georgie” Rannoch (after The Proof of the Pudding), Georgie tries to help King Edward out of a jam. The year is 1936, and Edward (“David” to Georgie, his somewhat distant cousin) has fallen madly in love with American socialite Wallis Simpson and plans to marry her. Knowing the announcement will cause a media storm, he’s asked Georgie to put Wallis up at the country estate where she’s staying. Soon after Ms. Simpson arrives, Georgie’s overbearing sister turns up with her entire family, set on scouting boarding schools for her son. Then Sir Hubert, the actual owner of the estate, returns from California with a troupe of Hollywood actors in tow, having given them permission to shoot a film about Henry VIII on-site. The ballooning group’s shenanigans keep the action churning until a murder occurs at the book’s 11th hour, which Georgie ties up swiftly. The plotting lacks tension, even by Bowen’s laid-back standards, but as an amusing glimpse at the upper crust of pre-war British society, this has its charms. Devoted series fans will enjoy themselves. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Nov.)