Spotlight on: From Cradle to Grave by Rhys Bowen

#FromCradletoGrave #NetGalley

About the Book

Lady Georgiana “Georgie” Rannoch is just like any other new mother, balancing responsibilities of being 34th in line for the British throne and solving the shocking deaths of several young men, in this new Royal Spyness novel from the queen of historical mystery, Rhys Bowen.

Georgie may be figuring out what it means to be a new mother but she does know one thing for sure: she absolutely despises the strict nanny who was foisted upon her by her meddlesome sister-in-law. In search of a new nanny, Georgie travels to London to see her old friend ZouZou  only to find her about to depart for a funeral, after the unexpected death of a young man in her social circle. It quickly becomes clear there’s more than one mysterious death around town, when another friend reveals he’s also just returned from the funeral of a school friend, who seemingly died in a boating accident. But when word arrives that the son of family friend has also died tragically and unexpectedly, Georgie is certain it can’t be a coincidence. Yet the victims don’t seem to have any connection to one another.

     ZouZou shares Georgie’s suspicions that the deaths were not an accident and begs Georgie to solve the case. As Georgie delves deeper, she can’t help worrying that her own husband, Darcy, may be next. It seems likely there is a serial killer at work and Darcy fits the bill to be their next victim. Will Georgie solve the murders before it’s too late for Darcy, and manage to find the perfect nanny all at the same time?

About the Author

Rhys Bowen, a New York Times bestselling author, has been nominated for every major award in mystery writing, including the Edgar®, and has won many, including both the Agatha and Anthony awards. She is also the author of the Molly Murphy Mysteries, set in turn-of-the-century New York, and the Constable Evans Mysteries, set in Wales, as well as two international bestselling stand-alone novels. She was born in England and now divides her time between Northern California and Arizona.

How it starts:

From the publisher

Chapter 1

Saturday, February 20, 1937

Eynsleigh Manor, Sussex, England

Dear Diary: It’s been a strange start to this year, watching my cousin David, the former king, sneak away from England to join Mrs. Simpson in France, having renounced his throne for her. I do hope he realizes what he’s given up. I really hope he is happy. I don’t think she will be. This isn’t what she wanted at all. She had set her sights on being queen. How silly. Anyway we have a new king and queen on the throne and I think they’ll do jolly well. They are a really decent couple, and their daughters are dear little girls. I’m really fond of them.

I’ve been lax with keeping up with this diary this year as not too much has happened in my life that is worth writing about. I’ve been at home taking care of my baby son, watching him grow and enjoying his every new move. Darcy has been going up to London to work or seeing to the running of the farm. Sir Hubert is away again. Granddad is back in Essex. All is quiet and peaceful.

10:30 a.m. I should never have written this!

This story began when I looked out of the blue bedroom window at the front of the house on a brisk morning to see an ancient taxicab coming up the driveway. As I watched, it disgorged a tall elderly woman. She looked around with an expression so haughty and disapproving that I concluded she had to be at least a Russian grand duchess, maybe sent to us by my friend Zou Zou, who was more formally known as the Princess Zamanska. I hastily patted my hair into place and smoothed down my skirt, and hurried down the stairs to greet her myself.

I opened the front door just as she was about to knock.

“Hello,” I said.

The expression became even more disapproving. “Are all the servants in this house allowed to be so familiar with arriving guests and to be dressed in such an inappropriate manner?” she asked in a voice that could cut glass. “I wish to speak to Lady Georgiana. Please go and inform her that I have arrived.”

I noticed that she was wearing a gray cape over a gray skirt with a gray pillbox hat on her head, matching her gray hair and gray face. Only the eyes were a darker shade of steel. Golly, I thought. Was I supposed to know she was coming? Had Darcy or one of the servants forgotten to pass along a message that a person of considerable importance was about to land on my doorstep?

“I am Lady Georgiana,” I said. “Please do come in.”

At this she raised an eyebrow. “Your sister-in-law, her grace, the duchess, told me that this was a lax household, but I had no idea that the lady of the house had to open her own front door.”

“I just happened to see the cab draw up from the upstairs window, so I came down to greet you,” I said. “So you know Fig, do you?”

“Her grace, Hilda, Duchess of Rannoch? Yes. I am familiar with her. A wonderful woman. Salt of the earth.”

Anyone who could describe Fig as a wonderful woman was immediately suspect in my view. “And may one know your name?”

The eyebrow arched again. “You mean you were not expecting me? Your sister-in-law, her grace, the duchess, told me she was going to write to you announcing my arrival. Clearly the post office is not what it was, or maybe storms in Scotland have stranded the postal van again. I am your new nanny. Nanny Hardbottle.”

I think my jaw dropped open and somehow I was unable to close it.

She was frowning at me now.

“But there must be some mistake. I didn’t request, I mean, I had not hired . . .”

“Precisely,” she said. “Her grace told me that you had been without a proper nanny since the birth of the child and it was about time you had one. So she took it upon herself to save you the trouble, and as luck would have it, she learned that the last of the Aubrey-Fulton sons has just gone off to a military academy and that I would now be free.”

I still couldn’t make my mouth work to say anything.

My thoughts:

Kudos to Rhys Bowen for her ability to keep the series fresh and entertaining. It is hard to believe that this is the 19th book to feature Georgie and those around her.

This time what I enjoyed most was simply spending time with the characters. It was very entertaining to follow Georgie as she interacted with her sister-in-law Fig and with the (awful) nanny that Fig foisted upon her.

Watching Georgie as a mother was sweet. In a time when women were expected to leave their children in the hands of others, Georgie wanted closeness with her son.

Regular characters are all here from Queenie to ZouZou, to Georgie’s husband and others. Old readers will be delighted to see them again and new readers will quickly know who is who.

They mystery centers on the deaths of a number of young heirs who die too soon and often while doing their favorite activities. What is going on? Are the deaths connected? Will Georgie figure things out? (Readers know the answer but will still enjoy watching what happens).

This book (and series) will appeal to those who enjoy lighthearted, historical, British mysteries. Long may Bowen keep writing about these characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this title and to Berkley for the blog tour opportunity. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 18 November 2025