by Terrance McArthur

Georgie is 35th in line to the throne of England, pregnant, and living with her husband in the manor owned by her globe-exploring godfather/former stepfather. It’s past time for her to begin entertaining as hostess, but she now has hired a real French chef…whose cooking she has never tasted… in The Proof of the Pudding, a Her Royal Spyness mystery by Rhys Bowen.

One guest (a flamboyant writer of ghastly-ghostly-Gothic mysteries) is so impressed by the chef’s abilities shown at a small dinner welcoming the return of Georgie’s godfather, he requests the loan of the Frenchman for his own charity dinner party after tours of his new home and its garden of poison plants. A bout of food poisoning among the diners proves fatal, and Georgie must defend the innocence of her employee.

The French chef says he is a communist—could he be out to kill off the rich and powerful? The writer’s old chef feels he is being replaced—would he poison his own boss? The writer insults and mistreats his grown children—are they seeking revenge?

Georgie strikes up a friendship with Mrs. Mallowan, one of the deadly dinner’s guests. She is the wife of an archaeologist and writes mystery novels. She is better known as Agatha Christie (The Her Royal Spyness series has frequently included figures of the 1930s, including members of the Royal Family. It was only a matter of time before Georgie met the Queen of Crime Fiction). Georgie and Agatha compare notes and theories as they lead the reader to the satisfying conclusion. Several elements of the mystery echo the Miss Marple story A Murder Is Announced. Is The Proof of the Pudding inspired by—or a tribute to—Dame Agatha? Or could Georgie be the inspiration for…. No, that would require a time machine and…. forget I even brought up the subject.

Bowen crafts a clever conundrum for the cozy-craving, continuing characters close to our hearts—clever Georgie, hunky hubbie Darcy, terrible maid, decent (but pedestrian) cook Queenie, mountain-climbing Sir Hubert, glamorous Zou-Zou, and more.

A new Royal Spyness mystery is always a cause for rejoicing among Rhys Bowen fans, and The Proof of the Pudding is a great pre-Christmas treat.

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Terrance V. Mc Arthur worked for the Fresno County Public Library for three decades. He is retired, but not retiring. A storyteller, puppeteer, writer, actor, magician, basketmaker, and all-around interesting person, his goal is to make life more unusual for everyone he meets.

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