Rhys Bowen Books in Order
Explore all Rhys Bowen books in order, with quick summaries, series guides, and where-to-start tips for her mysteries and historical novels.
Last updated: June 30, 2026
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Publication Order
180 books
Peter Penny's Dance
by Rhys Bowen
1976
A picture book built around Peter Penny and a small, memorable adventure. It has the simple, rhythmic feel of an early read-aloud favorite.
Benjamin's Balloon
by Rhys Bowen
1978
Benjamin's balloon carries him up and away into adventure. It is a classic picture-book premise, light, imaginative, and easy to love.
Septimus Bean and His Amazing Machine
by Rhys Bowen
1980
Septimus Bean has built an astonishing machine, but nobody quite knows what it is for. The fun is in the invention, the whimsy, and the discovery.
Magic Growing Powder
by Rhys Bowen
1981
Two swindlers promise short King Max a magical way to grow taller. His clever daughter sees through the trick and steps in to save both her father and the kingdom.
California Girl
by Rhys Bowen
1983
A California setting gives this teen romance some sun and freedom, but the real story is still about identity, attraction, and where a girl fits in.
Daydreamer
by Rhys Bowen
1983
A girl who spends a lot of time in her head has to deal with what happens when real life interrupts the fantasy. Gentle romance meets self-discovery.
Helpful Hattie
by Rhys Bowen
1983
Hattie means well, but being helpful can create its own kind of trouble. This is a simple children's story about energy, good intentions, and learning by doing.
Love Match
by Rhys Bowen
1983
A seemingly perfect pairing turns out to be less straightforward than anyone hoped. The match matters, but so does what the heroine learns about herself.
Ten-Boy Summer
by Rhys Bowen
1983
A summer full of boys sounds like chaos waiting to happen, and the book knows it. Flirty, funny, and knowingly dramatic.
Exchange of Hearts
by Rhys Bowen
1984
A swap in perspective, or in place, shakes up a teen romance and makes everyone reconsider what they thought they wanted. Light and heartfelt.
Ghost of a Chance
by Rhys Bowen
1984
A playful title hints at romance with a teasing edge of mystery. The story turns on hopes that may be foolish, and feelings that turn out not to be.
Lovebirds
by Rhys Bowen
1984
This YA romance looks at what happens when attraction becomes visible to everybody else. Sweetness and social embarrassment go hand in hand.
The Two of Us
by Rhys Bowen
1984
A relationship between two young people is tested by the usual mix of expectation, timing, and misunderstanding. Intimate, direct, and very teen.
Tommy Loves Tina
by Rhys Bowen
1984
A straightforward teen romance about what happens when liking someone becomes everybody else's business. Sweetness and awkwardness arrive together.
Winner Take All
by Rhys Bowen
1984
Competition sharpens every feeling in this YA romance. When winning starts to matter too much, friendships and crushes both get messy.
101 Ways to Meet Mr. Right
by Rhys Bowen
1985
A playful setup for a romance about schemes, hopes, and the gap between advice and reality. Finding the right boy is clearly not as easy as a list.
Follow That Boy
by Rhys Bowen
1985
A crush turns into a chase, literal or emotional, and the pursuit proves more revealing than the goal. Fast, funny, and a little exasperated.
The Great Boy Chase
by Rhys Bowen
1985
The title tells the story's mood: energetic, comic, and centered on pursuit. Boys may be the goal, but friendship and self-respect keep complicating the chase.
Best Friends Forever
by Rhys Bowen
1986
Promises of forever friendship are tested by the usual mix of crushes, jealousy, and change. It is a warm look at how hard it can be to stay close while growing up.
Growing Pains
by Rhys Bowen
1986
Teen life gets more complicated as ordinary mistakes start carrying bigger consequences. The story is about awkward change, bruised feelings, and learning on the fly.
My Secret Love
by Rhys Bowen
1986
Keeping feelings hidden only works for so long. This is a straightforward teen romance about private crushes becoming impossible to ignore.
Old Friends, New Friends
by Rhys Bowen
1986
Shifting loyalties and new faces test a group that thought it already knew where everyone stood. Friendship proves as tricky as romance.
Out of Love
by Rhys Bowen
1986
A breakup, or the fear of one, forces a teen heroine to rethink what love really means. It is a clean, direct story about hurt feelings and growing up.
The Graduates
by Rhys Bowen
1986
Graduation should feel like a finish line, but for these teens it opens up questions about friendship, future plans, and first love. Everyone is changing, ready or not.
The Trouble with Toni
by Rhys Bowen
1986
Toni's latest problem pulls friends and feelings into a familiar teenage mess. What starts small quickly becomes the kind of drama that feels huge at school.
Wanted: Date for Saturday Night
by Rhys Bowen
1986
A teen girl goes looking for the perfect date and discovers that a plan on paper is never the same as real life. Fast, light, and full of social pressure.
Write Every Day
by Rhys Bowen
1986
A practical, encouraging guide built to help young writers get words on the page. The emphasis is on habit, confidence, and actually doing the work.
Dear Cousin
by Rhys Bowen
1987
Family ties bring fresh complications when a cousin enters the picture. Letters, secrets, and rivalry all push the story along.
Double Take
by Rhys Bowen
1987
First impressions prove unreliable when a teen relationship gets a second look. What seemed settled becomes much less clear.
Flip Side
by Rhys Bowen
1987
A teen heroine gets to see the other side of a situation and finds it far less simple than she expected. Romance and perspective shift together.
Make Me a Star
by Rhys Bowen
1987
A taste of attention and ambition sends one teen toward the spotlight. The real challenge is working out what, and who, is worth chasing.
Never Say Goodbye
by Rhys Bowen
1987
A relationship faces the ache of parting and the hope that endings may not be final. The tone is more bittersweet than breezy.
Nothing in Common
by Rhys Bowen
1987
Two people who seem completely mismatched are forced to spend time together and discover things are not so obvious after all. It is a classic teen setup with warmth.
Surf's Up
by Rhys Bowen
1987
Sun, surf, and teenage possibility make this a breezy romance with just enough drama underneath. A fun setting does not make feelings any simpler.
The Last Dance
by Rhys Bowen
1987
One final school event becomes a backdrop for big feelings and hard goodbyes. It is a tender teen story about endings that do not feel neat.
Trading Places
by Rhys Bowen
1987
A switch in roles gives two girls a new view of each other's lives. What sounds fun at first quickly gets more personal and complicated.
Tug of War
by Rhys Bowen
1987
Pulled between different loyalties, a teen heroine has to decide who and what she will fight for. The emotional push and pull is the whole point.
Two Girls, One Boy
by Rhys Bowen
1987
The triangle in the title tells you everything that matters. Two friends and one boy are enough to turn ordinary feelings into full-scale drama.
Big Sister
by Rhys Bowen
1988
Being the older sister is not always an honor, especially when love and family expectations start colliding. This one leans into responsibility and resentment.
Blind Date
by Rhys Bowen
1988
A supposedly simple setup for romance goes sideways in all the expected ways. The awkwardness is half the fun.
Campus Cousins
by Rhys Bowen
1988
College dreams and family connections bring two cousins into the same orbit. New independence comes with plenty of emotional spillover.
Dream Come True
by Rhys Bowen
1988
A long-held wish finally seems possible, and that is when the real complications start. It is a light teen story about hope meeting reality.
Home Sweet Home
by Rhys Bowen
1988
Home is supposed to be comforting, but change has a way of making even familiar places feel new. Family and romance both complicate the picture.
It's My Turn
by Rhys Bowen
1988
After feeling sidelined, a teen girl decides she wants her shot at happiness and attention. What follows is part wish fulfillment, part lesson in what matters.
Out in the Cold
by Rhys Bowen
1988
A teen heroine suddenly feels left out, overlooked, or shut out, and the hurt shows. It is a quick story about loneliness and finding a way back in.
At Your Service
by Rhys Bowen
1989
Working at the Heartbreak Cafe teaches Debbie that service jobs come with pride, pressure, and plenty of emotional mess. Romance is no easier than taking orders.
Catch of the Day
by Rhys Bowen
1989
The Heartbreak Cafe crew deal with shifting loyalties, mixed signals, and another round of summer romance. Debbie has to decide what is real and what only looks good at first glance.
Having a Ball
by Rhys Bowen
1989
A big social occasion promises glamour and delivers stress, embarrassment, and maybe a little romance. Bowen knew how to make teen events feel huge.
Just Desserts
by Rhys Bowen
1989
Debbie and the Heartbreak Cafe crew face more upheaval as work, romance, and community tensions all heat up. The final payoff is anything but neat.
Madam Sarah
by Rhys Bowen
1989
An enigmatic woman stands at the center of this dramatic story, where image, mystery, and hard choices all matter. The title figure gives the book its pull.
No Experience Required
by Rhys Bowen
1989
When her parents split up, spoiled Debbie Lesley has to get a job at the Heartbreak Cafe. There she clashes with Joe, a tough coworker who is not impressed by her old life.
One Step Too Far
by Rhys Bowen
1989
A single decision pushes a teen situation past safe territory and into real consequences. This is a story about limits, mistakes, and what comes after.
Roadtrip
by Rhys Bowen
1989
A trip away from home turns into a rolling mix of friendship tests, attraction, and bad timing. Time on the road speeds everything up.
The Main Attraction
by Rhys Bowen
1989
Life at the Heartbreak Cafe gets more complicated as Debbie tries to balance work, family change, and the people pulling at her heart. The beachside drama keeps building.
Love to Go
by Rhys Bowen
1990
Fast food, fast feelings, and a changing future keep the Heartbreak Cafe gang on edge. Debbie learns love is not nearly as easy to package as a takeout order.
Summer Heat
by Rhys Bowen
1990
Hot weather, high emotions, and a summer romance create exactly the kind of pressure the title promises. Quick, direct, and full of teen feeling.
Boy Trouble for Tess and Ali
by Rhys Bowen
1991
Back at the beach, Tess risks straining her friendship with Ali when she starts falling for Ali's older brother. Summer suddenly feels much less simple.
Fool's Gold
by Rhys Bowen
1991
A teen romance about chasing something that looks perfect and learning it may not be what it seemed. The emotional lesson lands with a light touch.
Homecoming Dance
by Rhys Bowen
1991
A big school dance brings excitement, nerves, and the kind of social pressure that can make one evening feel like everything. Teen emotions run high from start to finish.
New Year's Eve
by Rhys Bowen
1991
A holiday countdown gives this YA story its ticking-clock energy. New beginnings sound great, but romance and friendship make the night much messier.
Starring Tess and Ali
by Rhys Bowen
1991
Ali expects a dull summer at the beach until spirited Tess moves in next door. Their new friendship is exciting, messy, and more complicated than either girl expected.
Tess and Ali and the Teeny Bikini
by Rhys Bowen
1991
Another summer at Rose Bay brings a boy-crazy new influence and fresh pressure on Tess and Ali. A little beachside fun threatens to pull their friendship off course.
Tess and Ali, Going on Fifteen
by Rhys Bowen
1991
On their final shared summer at the beach, Tess and Ali have to face how much growing up can change a friendship. It is a tender story about the edge between childhood and something older.
Billy and Ben
by Rhys Bowen
1992
A younger-reader story about two boys and the friendship, trouble, or adventure that grows between them. It is written for quick, accessible reading.
Graduation Day
by Rhys Bowen
1992
As school ends, the future suddenly feels real. This is a quick YA story about endings, beginnings, and the emotions packed into one milestone day.
My Phantom Love
by Rhys Bowen
1992
Romance gets a teasingly mysterious edge when the object of affection is hard to pin down. The title promises longing, confusion, and a little fantasy.
Night of the Prom
by Rhys Bowen
1992
Prom night should be glamorous, but teenage plans have a way of unraveling. Bowen turns one big social event into a story of nerves, hopes, and hurt feelings.
On My Own
by Rhys Bowen
1992
A teen heroine is pushed toward independence and has to work out who she is without leaning on everyone else. Growing up is the real love story here.
Amazing Grace
by Rhys Bowen
1993
Grace finds herself in the middle of a story about feelings, self-discovery, and the gap between how life should go and how it really does. Warm and readable.
The Secrets of Lake Success
by Rhys Bowen
1993
A young adult story built around a new setting, buried secrets, and the uneasy thrill of not quite knowing whom to trust. Summer freedom comes with emotional complications.
Trade Winds
by Rhys Bowen
1993
A change of scene stirs up romance, uncertainty, and the sense that life could shift course at any moment. It is a breezy YA story with an undercurrent of change.
Getting Personal
by Rhys Bowen
1994
A relationship that should stay simple becomes much more complicated once real feelings get involved. It is built on closeness, misunderstanding, and romantic risk.
Ginger's First Kiss
by Rhys Bowen
1994
Ginger and her friends launch the Boyfriend Club with big plans, makeovers, and high school hopes. Of course, first kisses and first expectations rarely go the way anyone imagines.
Ginger's New Crush
by Rhys Bowen
1994
Just when Ginger thinks she has learned a little about boys, a new crush scrambles everything again. Friendship advice and real feelings do not always match.
Karen's Perfect Match
by Rhys Bowen
1994
Practical Karen tries to deal with romance on her own carefully planned terms. The result is a sweet, awkward look at crushes colliding with real life.
Queen Justine
by Rhys Bowen
1994
Justine likes attention and usually expects to get it. In the search for a boyfriend, though, popularity may not help as much as she thinks.
Roni's Dream Boy
by Rhys Bowen
1994
Roni thinks she knows exactly what her perfect boyfriend should be like. Real life, and real friendship, prove a lot messier than daydreams.
Roni's Two-Boy Trouble
by Rhys Bowen
1994
Roni finds one boy complicated enough, so two is a recipe for disaster. The Boyfriend Club has plenty to say, but she still has to choose for herself.
The Apartment
by Rhys Bowen
1994
A new living situation opens the door to romance, secrets, and the uneasy excitement of change. The apartment itself becomes the hinge of the story.
The Sutcliffe Diamonds
by Rhys Bowen
1994
Family, money, and a valuable inheritance push the tension in this fast YA drama. The glittering title hints at how much trouble wealth can cause.
Dear Karen
by Rhys Bowen
1995
Karen's sensible voice is put to the test when romance and friendship questions get personal. Advice is easy to give, much harder to live by.
Forever Friday
by Rhys Bowen
1995
One especially important Friday stretches out into a story about anticipation, plans, and all the ways young friendships can wobble. It is brisk and playful.
Four's a Crowd
by Rhys Bowen
1995
Adding one more person to the mix is enough to upset the balance of a close group. Friendships are tested in familiar middle-school fashion.
Friday Night Fright
by Rhys Bowen
1995
A scary evening, or what feels like one, pushes a group of kids into comic panic. It is a light read built on suspense without real darkness.
Justine's Baby-Sitting Nightmare
by Rhys Bowen
1995
Justine takes on a baby-sitting job and gets far more chaos than she expected. It is a light, fast story about responsibility, embarrassment, and growing up.
Karen's Lessons in Love
by Rhys Bowen
1995
Karen approaches romance like a problem to solve, then discovers feelings do not follow tidy rules. It is a gentle, funny look at learning as you go.
No More Boys
by Rhys Bowen
1995
After one too many romantic messes, the girls swear off boy trouble. That vow is about as stable as you'd expect at fourteen.
Roni's Sweet Fifteen
by Rhys Bowen
1995
A big birthday should be pure fun, but Roni's celebration comes with all the usual high school complications. Family expectations and romantic hopes collide fast.
Sleepover Madness
by Rhys Bowen
1995
A simple sleepover turns into a chain of small disasters, hurt feelings, and laughs. It is quick, younger-skewing friendship drama with lots of energy.
The Boy Next Door
by Rhys Bowen
1995
A teen romance in which the familiar boy nearby starts to look a lot more interesting, and a lot more complicated. Friendship, attraction, and awkward timing do the rest.
The Boyfriend Wars
by Rhys Bowen
1995
The club's friendships are tested when crushes and misunderstandings turn into open competition. Suddenly the girls are not just chasing boys, they are battling over them.
Cool in School
by Rhys Bowen
1996
Tia gets invited to a party by the coolest guy around, but getting there means persuading Tamera to help. One night out suddenly feels worth a lifetime of grounding.
Homegirl on the Range
by Rhys Bowen
1996
A change of scene gives Tia and Tamera new adventures and new chances to embarrass themselves. Even far from home, sisterly chaos follows them.
One Crazy Christmas
by Rhys Bowen
1996
The holidays should bring family fun, but Tia and Tamera are never that lucky. One festive season turns into a comic mess of plans, pressure, and twin confusion.
Secret Valentine
by Rhys Bowen
1996
Mystery notes and romantic guesses make Valentine's Day more stressful than sweet. The fun comes from not knowing who means what.
Toe-Shoe Trouble
by Rhys Bowen
1996
A dance or performance problem throws everything off balance. The book mixes ambition, embarrassment, and friendship in an age-appropriate way.
Who Do You Love?
by Rhys Bowen
1996
A young heroine has to sort out what she really wants from love rather than what everyone expects. It is a straightforward, emotional teen romance.
You Read My Mind
by Rhys Bowen
1996
Twin intuition, school drama, and boy trouble make life extra complicated for Tia and Tamera. The sisters have to work out whether they really understand each other after all.
All Rapped Up
by Rhys Bowen
1997
Music, school, and the sisters' very different personalities collide in another quick, funny adventure. One plan too many threatens to leave both twins embarrassed.
Evans Above
by Rhys Bowen
1997
Constable Evan Evans trades city policing for a quiet Welsh village, then finds two hikers murdered on a mountain trail. Small-town gossip, rivalries, and old grudges make the case anything but simple.
Flamingo Revenge
by Rhys Bowen
1997
Stephanie and her friends battle the Flamingoes again, this time over the future of the pool club. Rivalries, crushes, and one last chance to win make the stakes feel huge.
Fun, Sun, and Flamingoes
by Rhys Bowen
1997
Sunshine, school politics, and the dreaded Flamingoes make life complicated for Stephanie. It is a brisk middle-school story full of rivalry, friendship, and crush trouble.
He's All That
by Rhys Bowen
1997
A new romance and a familiar case of mixed-up identities send Tia and Tamera into another tangle of school and family drama. Twin life keeps the stakes twice as high.
Star Quality
by Rhys Bowen
1997
A brush with fame puts Tia and Tamera in the spotlight and tests how well they can handle attention. Stardom turns out to be more trouble than glamour.
Summer Daze
by Rhys Bowen
1997
Summer jobs go wrong, so Tia and Tamera end up as junior counselors at camp. Romance, rivalry, and one lifeguard make the season anything but restful.
Evan Help Us
by Rhys Bowen
1998
An archaeological discovery sets two Welsh villages at odds, and the excitement turns deadly when money and local pride get involved. Evan has to untangle greed, ambition, and a murder before the feud gets worse.
Evanly Choirs
by Rhys Bowen
1999
Evan joins the local male choir just as a famous tenor returns home and stirs up old trouble. When the singer hints that his memoirs will expose secrets, murder follows close behind.
Love Potion
by Rhys Bowen
1999
A crush gets a mischievous twist in this light romance about trying to control love and learning you really cannot. Fun, fast, and a little chaotic.
The King and I
by Rhys Bowen
1999
A royal or theatrical fantasy brushes up against ordinary teen life in this playful, romance-leaning story. The title promises glamour, but the emotions stay personal.
Torn Apart
by Rhys Bowen
1999
Crushes, misunderstandings, and divided loyalties pull a teen relationship to the breaking point. The story leans into the ache of feeling split in two directions at once.
Evan and Elle
by Rhys Bowen
2000
A glamorous French restaurant opens in Llanfair, then a string of fires ends with a body in the ruins. Evan follows the trail from Wales to France in search of a killer.
Seal of the Confessional
by Rhys Bowen
2000
A crime and a sacred silence collide in this tense short mystery. The title promise is clear: what is heard in confidence may carry a terrible cost.
Evan Can Wait
by Rhys Bowen
2001
A documentary crew arrives to raise a World War II bomber from a Welsh lake, and old wounds come with it. When one filmmaker turns up dead, Evan finds the past is anything but buried.
Kiss and Lie
by Rhys Bowen
2001
A kiss sets off a chain of lies that grows harder to control with every chapter. This YA story leans into secrets, guilt, and romantic confusion.
Murphy's Law
by Rhys Bowen
2001
After killing a man in self-defense, Molly Murphy flees Ireland for America and lands on Ellis Island under suspicion. When another man is murdered there, she becomes the obvious suspect and must save herself.
Secrets
by Rhys Bowen
2001
Private truths and public appearances collide in a teen story where what is hidden matters most. The tension comes from who will speak first.
Death of Riley
by Rhys Bowen
2002
Trying to start over in New York, Molly apprentices herself to a private investigator. When her mentor's office becomes a crime scene, she is pulled into a dangerous case of her own.
Evans to Betsy
by Rhys Bowen
2002
Barmaid Betsy is dazzled by a New Age center and its promises of hidden powers. When the center's director vanishes, her dreams may hold clues, but they may also put her in terrible danger.
Doppelganger
by Rhys Bowen
2003
A sharp, unsettling short mystery in which a disturbing double turns an ordinary situation into something far more dangerous. Identity and deception are at the heart of it.
Evan Only Knows
by Rhys Bowen
2003
Visiting his mother in Swansea, Evan learns the man convicted of killing his father is accused of murder again. Against his own instincts and loyalties, he starts to believe the young man may be innocent.
For the Love of Mike
by Rhys Bowen
2003
Molly juggles runaway girls, cheating husbands, and sweatshop secrets, then a body in the East River drags her into the city's criminal underworld. It is more perilous than any routine job should be.
Evan's Gate
by Rhys Bowen
2004
Renovating a mountain cottage should mark a new start for Evan and Bronwen, until he uncovers a child's skeleton in the yard. The old death soon seems tied to a girl missing in the present.
Evan Blessed
by Rhys Bowen
2005
A missing hiker leads Evan to a hidden bunker and the sense that a clever predator is at work. When his own fiancee disappears, the case turns frighteningly personal.
In Like Flynn
by Rhys Bowen
2005
Molly goes undercover at a senator's mansion to expose fake spiritualists, only to find an old kidnapping case may hold darker truths. The séance atmosphere is eerie, and murder is close behind.
Evanly Bodies
by Rhys Bowen
2006
A teenage girl vanishes after her family arranges a marriage for her, while Evan also hunts a killer targeting local men. The two mysteries collide in a tense and dangerous investigation.
Oh Danny Boy
by Rhys Bowen
2006
Molly wants distance from Daniel Sullivan until he is jailed and accused of taking bribes. Clearing his name means stepping into a case tied to a brutal serial killer.
Her Royal Spyness
by Rhys Bowen
2007
Flat broke and far down the line of succession, Lady Georgiana escapes to London to make her own way. Then a man winds up dead in her bathtub, and Georgie has to clear her name fast.
In Dublin's Fair City
by Rhys Bowen
2007
A chance to return to Ireland becomes complicated when Molly boards a liner and finds a famous actress missing, then another passenger dead. So much for a quiet crossing home.
A Royal Pain
by Rhys Bowen
2008
Georgie is ordered to chaperone a Bavarian princess and steer her toward the Prince of Wales. Between maid work, shoplifting scandals, and a body in a bookshop, the plan falls apart quickly.
Tell Me, Pretty Maiden
by Rhys Bowen
2008
Snowed under with work, Molly thinks she may finally need help, then she finds a speechless young woman collapsed in Central Park. Everyone else wants the woman locked away, but Molly suspects a bigger story.
In a Gilded Cage
by Rhys Bowen
2009
After a suffrage protest lands her in jail, Molly takes on two private cases among educated young women and wealthy families. A suspicious death pushes her toward some very dangerous men.
Royal Flush
by Rhys Bowen
2009
Sent back to Castle Rannoch, Georgie must keep a royal guest from seducing the Prince of Wales. A secret mission at Balmoral adds danger, scandal, and the threat of murder.
Royal Blood
by Rhys Bowen
2010
Georgie is dispatched to a wedding in Transylvania, where the atmosphere is creepy even before a guest is poisoned. Saving the celebration means solving the crime before panic takes over.
The Last Illusion
by Rhys Bowen
2010
When a stage illusion goes horribly wrong before Harry Houdini can perform, Molly is drawn into the dangerous world of vaudeville magic. Someone may be using tricks to hide a very real crime.
Bless the Bride
by Rhys Bowen
2011
With her wedding to Daniel close at hand, Molly promises to give up detective work, then promptly takes one last case. A missing Chinese bride leads her into a troubling and tightly controlled world.
Naughty in Nice
by Rhys Bowen
2011
On the French Riviera, Georgie hunts for the Queen's stolen snuff box and ends up modeling for Coco Chanel. Then a necklace disappears and murder crashes the catwalk.
The Amersham Rubies
by Rhys Bowen
2011
Before America, Molly is a sharp young woman in Ireland helping at a grand house party. When a priceless ruby necklace disappears, she finds herself solving her very first mystery.
Hush Now, Don't You Cry
by Rhys Bowen
2012
Molly and Daniel's honeymoon at a Newport estate turns sour when their host is found dead below the cliffs. Molly tries to stay out of it, but the chase begins anyway.
Masked Ball at Broxley Manor
by Rhys Bowen
2012
At a masked Halloween ball, young Georgie meets a foreign prince she expected to dread and finds him unexpectedly charming. Then her rescuer vanishes, and the whole glittering evening turns strange.
The Twelve Clues of Christmas
by Rhys Bowen
2012
A cozy village Christmas job turns grim when one death is followed by another, and then another. Georgie starts to suspect someone is arranging deadly accidents in the snow.
Heirs and Graces
by Rhys Bowen
2013
Georgie is asked to polish an uncouth new heir fresh from Australia, only to arrive at a house full of hostile relatives. When the duke is murdered, the young heir becomes the obvious suspect.
The Face in the Mirror
by Rhys Bowen
2013
Newly married and bored by domestic life, Molly attends a suffragist meeting and meets a woman who claims to live in a haunted house. It is just the kind of mystery she cannot resist.
The Family Way
by Rhys Bowen
2013
Pregnant and meant to be resting, Molly stumbles onto a missing servant case at the same time babies are being kidnapped across New York. She cannot stop digging, even when Daniel sends her away for safety.
City of Darkness and Light
by Rhys Bowen
2014
After violence at home shatters Molly's new family life, she travels to Paris with baby Liam. There she finds her friends missing and a murder waiting in the City of Light.
Dreamwalker
by Rhys Bowen
2014
After her mother's death, California girl Addy is sent to a strange Welsh boarding school and discovers a hallway into another world. Soon she learns her vivid dreams are a dangerous power.
Queen of Hearts
by Rhys Bowen
2014
A transatlantic trip meant to support Georgie's mother through a Reno divorce turns into a Hollywood mystery. Jewel theft, movie people, and a sudden murder make the voyage anything but restful.
Through the Window
by Rhys Bowen
2014
Confined to bed after Liam's birth, Molly starts watching the street from her window. What she sees across the way soon stirs her old detective instincts.
Away in a Manger
by Rhys Bowen
2015
At Christmas, Molly and Bridie try to help a ragged girl singing in the street and discover two children with good manners, bad circumstances, and a missing mother. The trail leads high into New York society.
Malice at the Palace
by Rhys Bowen
2015
Georgie is assigned to Princess Marina's side ahead of a royal wedding and told to keep scandal at bay. Then one of the groom's supposed mistresses is murdered.
The Edge of Dreams
by Rhys Bowen
2015
A train crash, taunting notes, and a killer with no obvious pattern leave Daniel baffled. Molly's strange dreams may hold the clue they need, if she can decipher them in time.
Crowned and Dangerous
by Rhys Bowen
2016
Georgie's hopes for a quick marriage to Darcy are derailed when his father is arrested for murder in Ireland. Proving his innocence means walking into family tensions and old resentments.
Time of Fog and Fire
by Rhys Bowen
2016
Daniel vanishes into secret work, and a glimpse of him in San Francisco tells Molly he is in trouble. She sets off cross-country with Liam into danger she can barely guess.
In Farleigh Field
by Rhys Bowen
2017
A dead parachutist lands on a country estate in wartime England, and suspicions quickly turn to espionage. Family loyalties, Bletchley secrets, and looming betrayal drive the story.
On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service
by Rhys Bowen
2017
An Italian house party gives Georgie the chance to help a friend and quietly stop a royal scandal. Too bad the hostess hates her, Darcy is undercover, and trouble is brewing everywhere.
The Ghost of Christmas Past
by Rhys Bowen
2017
Hoping for a peaceful Christmas, Molly instead lands in a house haunted by the disappearance of a little girl ten years earlier. Then, on Christmas Eve, the missing child seems to come home.
Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding
by Rhys Bowen
2018
Before Georgie can marry Darcy, she has to inspect the country estate where they might live. Sabotage, bad staff, and what looks like an attempt on her life suggest someone wants her gone.
The Tuscan Child
by Rhys Bowen
2018
Years after her father's death, Joanna travels to Tuscany to uncover the truth behind his wartime past. What she finds is a love story shadowed by betrayal and long-kept secrets.
What Child Is This
by Rhys Bowen
2018
During the London Blitz, a grieving couple find shelter in a seemingly abandoned mansion on Christmas night. There, in the dark, they encounter an unexpected act of grace.
Love and Death Among the Cheetahs
by Rhys Bowen
2019
Georgie's honeymoon in Kenya should be romantic, but Darcy is on a secret mission and the Happy Valley set is a mess of affairs and lies. When a local lord dies, the case looks far from accidental.
The Victory Garden
by Rhys Bowen
2019
During World War I, Emily Bryce throws herself into war work and finds love, grief, and hard choices on a Devon estate. Old journals and healing herbs shape the life she must rebuild.
Above the Bay of Angels
by Rhys Bowen
2020
After a dying stranger hands her a letter, Bella seizes the chance to work in Queen Victoria's kitchens and escape her old life. Then blackmail and a suspected poisoning threaten everything.
The Last Mrs. Summers
by Rhys Bowen
2020
A trip to Cornwall with Belinda leads Georgie into a tense house full of bad history and worse secrets. When murder strikes, Belinda becomes the prime suspect.
God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen
by Rhys Bowen
2021
Christmas at Sandringham sounds festive until Georgie learns the Queen expects her to spy. A string of suspicious deaths makes the holiday gathering downright dangerous.
The Venice Sketchbook
by Rhys Bowen
2021
A bequest sends Caroline to Venice to scatter her great-aunt's ashes and unlock the past. The story that emerges is one of art, war, love, and an old secret still waiting to be set right.
Peril in Paris
by Rhys Bowen
2022
Pregnant and restless, Georgie heads to Paris to visit Belinda and ends up helping Darcy with a dangerous errand. Soon she is chasing a killer while Europe edges toward war.
Where the Sky Begins
by Rhys Bowen
2022
After the Blitz destroys her life in London, Josie Banks starts over in the countryside and builds a small tea shop. New love and an old husband make her fragile peace hard to keep.
Wild Irish Rose
by Rhys Bowen
2022
Back on Ellis Island to help new arrivals, Molly is shaken when a murder suspect turns out to be her dead ringer. The case echoes her own past and feels strangely fated.
All That Is Hidden
by Rhys Bowen
2023
When Daniel suddenly announces a move to Fifth Avenue and a run for sheriff on the Tammany ticket, Molly knows something is wrong. Politics, wealth, and lies make this a dangerous mystery.
The Paris Assignment
by Rhys Bowen
2023
Separated from her husband by war and devastated by loss, Madeleine returns to occupied France to aid the resistance. Her mission is fueled by grief, courage, and the hope of justice.
The Proof of the Pudding
by Rhys Bowen
2023
Georgie's first house party at Eynsleigh should be a triumph, until a dinner at a nearby manor ends in apparent poisoning. She has to protect her chef and her reputation before the baby arrives.
In Sunshine or in Shadow
by Rhys Bowen
2024
Typhoid sends Molly north for the summer, where boredom quickly gives way to a body in the Catskills. Family visits, artists, and old tensions make for a lively and dangerous holiday.
The Rose Arbor
by Rhys Bowen
2024
A missing girl in 1968 leads Liz Houghton toward an abandoned village and a mystery reaching back to the Blitz. The past feels uncomfortably close from the start.
We Three Queens
by Rhys Bowen
2024
With a newborn at home and Wallis Simpson hidden on the estate, Georgie already has enough to manage. Then a film crew starts shooting on the grounds, and one of its stars is murdered.
From Cradle to Grave
by Rhys Bowen
2025
While hunting for a suitable nanny, Georgie notices a string of mysterious deaths among young men around London. The cases seem unrelated, until she fears Darcy may be next.
Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure
by Rhys Bowen
2025
After her husband asks for a divorce, Ellie Endicott heads for the South of France with two unlikely companions. What begins as escape becomes friendship, reinvention, and the start of war.
Silent as the Grave
by Rhys Bowen
2025
Bridie lands a role in one of the new motion pictures, and Molly is soon worrying about more than stage fright. Deadly accidents on set suggest sabotage, and she goes undercover to find out why.
The Castle in the Glen
by Rhys Bowen
2026
A ghostwriter researching a mystery novel on the Isle of Skye discovers it is based on a real unsolved crime. A powerful family would prefer the truth stay buried.
To Crown It All
by Rhys Bowen
2026
As the coronation of King George VI approaches, Georgie suspects her mother is sending a hidden plea for help from dangerous company. When a German count is murdered, the duchess becomes the obvious suspect.
Vanished in the Crowd
by Rhys Bowen
2026
During New York's 1909 Hudson-Fulton celebrations, Molly takes a case involving a missing scientist and some secretive Vassar women. When a parade turns deadly, her loyalties are split on every side.
A Whiff of Scandal
by Rhys Bowen
2027
Molly Murphy Sullivan faces another historical mystery in which gossip, reputation, and one dangerous secret threaten to become something far deadlier than talk.
Where should I start?
If you want cozy Welsh village mysteries: Evans Above → Evan Help Us → Evanly Choirs
If you want an immigrant sleuth in old New York: Murphy's Law → Death of Riley → For the Love of Mike
If you want witty royal capers: Her Royal Spyness → A Royal Pain → Royal Flush
If you want sweeping historical standalones: In Farleigh Field → The Tuscan Child → The Venice Sketchbook → The Rose Arbor
Author bio
Rhys Bowen was born in Bath, England, and grew up with strong ties to both England and Wales, a mix that shows up all through her fiction. She studied at the University of London, then started out not in publishing but in broadcasting, working in drama at the BBC.
That early TV work seems to have suited her.
While working on a play she didn't much like, she decided she could write a better one herself. It was a bold move, and an important one. That script was produced, and it helped set her on the road toward a writing life. She later lived in Australia and worked there in broadcasting too, before eventually settling in the United States after marrying John Quin-Harkin.
For years she wrote children's and young adult books under her married name, Janet Quin-Harkin. She was hugely productive, turning out picture books, teen romances, and series fiction at a fast clip. That long apprenticeship mattered. It taught her how to keep pages moving, how to build character quickly, and how to write with the kind of clarity that makes a story easy to fall into.
Places matter in her books.
When she turned to adult mysteries, she drew on the landscapes and histories she knew best. Evans Above, the first Evan Evans novel, takes readers to a Welsh village in Snowdonia, where small-town humor sits right beside murder. Then came Murphy's Law, which introduced Molly Murphy, an Irish immigrant trying to build a life in early twentieth-century New York. That series gave Bowen room to explore Ellis Island, political corruption, class, family, and the rough energy of a changing city.
Molly quickly became one of her signature characters. Smart, impulsive, and hard to keep out of trouble, she is the kind of sleuth who pulls readers along because she feels fully alive on the page. Later books in the series widen Molly's world even more, taking her from New York to Newport, Paris, San Francisco, and beyond. In more recent installments, Bowen has written the series with her daughter Clare Broyles.
Her other major heroine, Lady Georgiana Rannoch of Her Royal Spyness, lets Bowen lean into a lighter, funnier side. Georgie is a minor royal in 1930s Britain, high-born, broke, and constantly getting mixed up in murders, scandals, and royal errands. The books are breezy, sharp, and affectionate about British class absurdities without ever losing their mystery plot.
Bowen also reached a wide audience with standalones such as In Farleigh Field, The Tuscan Child, and The Venice Sketchbook. These novels keep her gift for atmosphere and historical detail, but they trade the recurring sleuth for larger family stories, wartime secrets, and emotional reckonings that unfold across different timelines.
Today she divides her time between California and Arizona. When she is not writing, she has spoken about loving travel, hiking, painting, singing, playing the Celtic harp, and spoiling her grandchildren. It all fits the books somehow: the curiosity, the warmth, the sense that history is made of real people with messy lives.
That human touch is what makes readers stay.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.






































































































































































































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