Review: Oh Danny Boy by Rhys Bowen

I was in need of some quick reads, and so went back to my 'roots' and read a few quick mysteries. Rhys Bowen has three series that are favorites of mine: Constable Evan Evans, Molly Murphy, and Lady Georgiana. I think I would classify these series 'cozy mysteries' (if I truly knew what that genre name meant!). I will review Oh Danny Boy of the Molly Murphy series here. Click to read my review of A Royal Pain from the Her Royal Spyness series.


Oh Danny Boy is the 5th in the Molly Murphy series by Rhys Bowen. It's 1902, Molly Murphy is a recent immigrant to the United States from Ireland, living in New York City in the early . Her arrival in the US, her family background, friends she makes are all parts of the first four books. I highly recommend reading these in order as I believe it will make the books more enjoyable. As a result of choices in the first books, Molly is a female private investigator at a time when women didn't have any rights or decent jobs.

In this book, Molly has to investigate why her friend, police captain Daniel Sullivan has been jailed for taking bribes. She knows he's innocent but does not have a clue how to go about figuring out what happened. Her investigations take her through some mangy parts of the city, including talking with the head of one of the biggest gangs - he's also the one who supposedly is in cahoots with Daniel. She meets and partners up with a police matron - a female officer who is the first woman to get assigned anything besides caring for female prisoners.

Molly goes through the days with personal turmoil over Daniel beyond what is involved with this 'case'. And she gets involved in some of Daniel's investigations - maybe one of those is why he was framed.

There is the predictable chase at the end with the real criminal at the end, but until it started, I did not know who 'did it'. I enjoy this series because Molly is such a great character in a time when women were not allowed to be leaders publicly. As an investigator, she is out there in the man's world finding answers, making changes. I can easily imagine her there, with her emotions and choices being very real to me.

The series starts with Murphy's Law. I recommend them for light, fun mysteries.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Review: A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen

I was in need of some quick reads, and so went back to my 'roots' and read a few quick mysteries. Rhys Bowen has three series that are favorites of mine: Constable Evan Evans, Molly Murphy, and Lady Georgiana. I think I would classify these series 'cozy mysteries' (if I truly knew what that genre name meant!). I will review A Royal Pain here and then Oh Danny Boy of the Molly Murphy series next.

A Royal Pain is the second and latest in the Lady Georgiana (actually it's Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, cousin of King George V of England) "Her Royal Spyness" series. Lady Georgiana, aka Georgie, is a member of the royal family in the 1930's. She's 34th in line for the throne.

Georgie's brother, Binky, was left practically penniless after their father's fortune was lost due to the stock market crash and various other 'incidents' of their father's own making. As a result, Georgie, who doesn't want to live in the country with her brother and his 'not-so-nice' wife, lives in their London home. But, gasp! She has no servants, any money, nor any income. And the queen is forever asking for Georgie's help in matching up her son, the heir to the throne, with someone other than his American, married, older mistress.

This book has the queen asking Georgie to house and escort a visiting princess. This princess is quite a handful, being 18 and just recently left the convent where she was schooled. Georgie and the princess find several dead bodies along their adventures, which leads the police to not be very friendly, as you can imagine. As Georgie and her friends work to solve the mysteries - or maybe work to stay away but they keep cropping up - you are engaged in the drama and the fun.

The story is told from Georgie's point of view, so we get to hear her thoughts on her relatives, the times, and how she views herself. I find myself laughing out loud at her antics and how she seems to continually get herself involved, against her own wishes. Her friends and family are quite lovable, as is Georgie.

This book, as was the first one Her Royal Spyness, is a light, quick read with good characters. While some of the characters or situations are a bit predictable, the majority of the book is quite fun, unique and a good story. If you are looking for a light, 'not alot of thinking' series, this would be a good choice.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars