Darcy is still as dashing and charming as ever, and everytime he's on the scene, I grow just a tad bit jealous of Georgie for hooking him. They haven't been around much, so they hadn't been getting on my nerves. Georgie's common grandfather, and her aristocratic brother and sister-in-law all made reappearances, and I was happy to see them. Queenie still needs to disappear for good, but Belinda won back some of my sympathy. The one note side characters that have been annoying me for a while, actually improved in this book, but not by much. Malice at the Palace may be the ninth book in an ongoing series, but it's my last. I've highlighted her in a Favorite Fictional Character post, and I truly want her to be happy with Darcy, but as of tonight, I'm doomed to never find out if that wish comes true. It's with a heavy heart that I'm writing this review. But as the case unfolds - and my beau, Darcy, turns up in the most unlikely of places, as always- our investigation brings us precariously close to the Prince himself.

But things truly get complicated when one of his supposed mistresses is murdered.

George is known for his many affairs with women as well as men - including the great songwriter Noel Coward. The king's youngest son, George, is to wed Princess Marina of Greece, and I shall be her companion, showing her the best of London - and dispelling any rumors about George's libertine history. Caught between my high birth and empty purse, I am relieved to receive a new assignment from the queen.

Malice at the Palace by Rhys Bowen