Book Club “The Twelve Clues of Christmas”
For December, we wanted a Christmas mystery and opted for a historical one. We chose a book from the Royal Spyness series that follows Lady Georgianna Rannoch in 1930s England, and looked forward to this festive read.
Book
The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen
Description:
In the sixth mystery in the New York Times bestselling Royal Spyness series, Lady Georgiana Rannoch cannot wait to ring in the New Year—before a Christmas killer wrings another neck…
Scotland, 1933. While her true love, Darcy O’Mara, is spending his feliz navidad tramping around South America and her mother is holed up in a tiny village called Tiddleton-under-Lovey with droll playwright Noel Coward, Georgie is quite literally stuck at Castle Rannoch thanks to a snowstorm.
It seems like a Christmas miracle when she manages to land a position as hostess to a posh holiday party in Tiddleton. The village should be like something out of A Christmas Carol, but as soon as she arrives things take a deadly turn when a neighborhood nuisance falls out of a tree. On her second day, another so-called accident results in a death—and there’s yet another on her third, making Georgie wonder if there's something wicked happening in this winter wonderland...
Club
Snack suggestions:
You might not want to go full out serving geese, but anything that is reminiscent of a classic English Christmas feast would make for a jolly good time.
The good news - this book includes recipes! If you want to bake for your book club, these included recipes will make your gathering feel like it is part of the Tiddleton-Under-Lovey party.
You can also serve any favorite holiday sweets for festive fun.
We had mince pie for the first time at our meeting!
Check out Cozy Crimes’ book club questions that can be used for any mystery.
Here are our questions targeted to The Twelve Clues of Christmas:
1. Have you read any other books in the Royal Spyness series? How did reading other books or jumping into this holiday book first affect your reading? Would you read others in the series?
2. As a historical mystery, how much did the 1930s time period influence what happened in the book?
3. When did you begin to suspect there was more to the “accidents” in town? When you did you discover the link between them?
4. What was your impression of Lady Georgianna as a character and a sleuth? How did she react to difficult circumstances?
5. Who was your favorite character that Georgie interacted with during the book?
6. Who was most helpful in solving the case?
7. What was your favorite part of the holiday traditions and festivities within the book?
8. Are you rooting for the romance between Lady Georgianna and Darcy O’Mara? What obstacles stand in their way?
9. Which murder did you find most intriguing?
10. What did you think of the ending? Did everyone get their just desserts?
