Author Rhys Bowen is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 books as of now, and she isn’t showing any signs of slowing down her writing anytime soon. And because she has so many books, across multiple book series, I put together this list of all Rhys Bowen books in order so you can read them in chronological order.
Reading Rhys Bowen’s books in chronological order is definitely the best way to enjoy the different series that she writes.

Contents
- What Genre Is Rhys Bowen?
- Rhys Bowen Books in Order – Constable Evans Series
- Rhys Bowen Books in Order – Molly Murphy Series
- Rhys Bowen Books In Order – Royal Spyness Series
- Rhys Bowen Books In Order – Royal Spyness Series
- Do You Have To Read Her Royal Spyness In Order?
- Rhys Bowen Books In Order – Standalone Novels
- Rhys Bowen Books In Order – Conclusion
- Related Posts:
What Genre Is Rhys Bowen?
Rhys Bowen writes historical fiction and historical fiction mysteries.
Rhys Bowen is actually a pseudonym for Janet Quin-Harken, a British author born in Bath, England who wrote children’s and young adult books until the mid-1990s when she decided to create the pseudonym of Rhys Bowen and write historical fiction and historical mysteries.
She writes both standalone novels along with several book series. I’m going to show you the best reading order of her books so that you can get the most enjoyment out of them.
Rhys Bowen Books in Order – Constable Evans Series
The Constable Evans series was the first mystery series written by Rhys Bowen. The last book published in this series was in 2006, so I think she’s finished with this one!
These books are set in the mountains of North Wales in a cozy little village called Llanfair and the main character is Constable Evan Evans. Constable Evans is the only constable in this village filled with unforgettable characters, so when the occasional mystery happens in Llanfair, it falls to Constable Evans to solve it.
You can’t help but be completely charmed by the characters in this series, and the titles themselves are charmingly unique as well.
- Evans Above – 1997
- Evan Help Us – 1998
- Evanly Choirs – 1999
- Evan and Elle – 2000
- Evan Can Wait – 2001
- Evans to Betsy – 2002
- Evan Only Knows – 2003
- Evan’s Gate – 2004
- Evan Blessed – 2005
- Evanly Bodies – 2006
Rhys Bowen Books in Order – Molly Murphy Series
The second book series written by Rhys Bowen is the Molly Murphy series, and she won Agatha and Anthony Awards for this one. This is a cozy historical mystery series set in early 20th century New York, and as of now, this is an ongoing series that Rhys is still adding new books to.
As you might have guessed by the name of this series, the main character here is none other than Molly Murphy!
Molly Murphy is a spirited Irish redhead who always seems to find trouble. And after finding the worst trouble of all, Molly is forced to leave Ireland and strike out on her own – across the big pond in New York (with the police following right behind her).
So far, this is a great historical mystery series, and Rhys Bowen seems to be collaborating with her daughter Clare Broyles on the latest books added to this series. Perhaps Clare Broyles will be following in her mother’s footsteps and starting some interesting series of her own!
Here’s the publication order of the Rhys Bowen Molly Murphy series, including three short stories that she wrote to accompany this series. The Amersham Rubies short story was written in 2011 but is actually a prequel to the series.
- Murphy’s Law – 2001
- Death of Riley – 2002
- For the Love of Mike – 2003
- In Like Flynn – 2004
- Oh Danny Boy – 2006
- In Dublin’s Fair City – 2007
- Tell Me, Pretty Maiden – 2008
- In A Gilded Cage – 2009
- The Last Illusion – 2010
- Bless the Bride – 2011
- The Amersham Rubies – 2011 (Prequel Short Story)
- Hush Now, Don’t You Cry – 2012
- The Face In The Mirror – 2013 (Short Story)
- The Family Way – 2013
- Through the Window – 2014 (Short Story)
- City of Darkness and Light – 2014
- The Edge of Dreams – 2015
- Away In A Manger – 2015
- Time of Fog and Fire – 2016
- The Ghost of Christmas Past – 2017
- Wild Irish Rose – 2022
- All That Is Hidden – 2023
Rhys Bowen Books In Order – Royal Spyness Series
The Royal Spyness series, also sometimes referred to as the Lady Georgie series is the third historical mystery series written by Rhys Bowen.
This series is set in England during the 1930s, and the main character is Lady Georgiana Rannoch. More specifically, she is Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, 34th in line for the English throne, and believe it or not, Lady Georgiana (or Georgie to her friends) is flat broke.
Georgiana is a cousin to King George V and occasionally has to do some sleuthing for Her Majesty the Queen. Unfortunately, things don’t always go smoothly and things can become quite complicated very quickly.
The comical things that happen as poor, flatter broke than a pancake Lady Georgiana tries to maneuver life in general along with her royal sleuthing will have you laughing out loud.
My personal introduction to author Rhys Bowen was through the first Royal Spyness mystery, and I promptly finished the first book, acquired all the rest immediately, and read them one after the other.
Lady Georgie just stays in your heart. I love her!
Rhys Bowen Books In Order – Royal Spyness Series
- Her Royal Spyness – 2007
- A Royal Pain – 2008
- Royal Flush – 2009
- Royal Blood – 2010
- Naughty In Nice – 2011
- The Twelve Clues At Christmas – 2012
- Masked Ball At Broxley Manor – 2012 (Prequel Novella)
- Heirs and Graces – 2013
- Queen of Hearts – 2014
- Malice At The Palace – 2015
- Crowned and Dangerous – 2016
- On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service – 2017
- Four Funerals and Maybe A Wedding – 2018
- Love and Death Among the Cheetahs – 2019
- The Last Mrs. Summers – 2020
- God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen – 2021
- Peris In Paris – 2022
Do You Have To Read Her Royal Spyness In Order?
Yes, the best way to read this particular series is in the order I’ve listed above.
The story and plot lines are all connected and you should definitely read them in chronological order to get the most out of the series.
Rhys Bowen Books In Order – Standalone Novels
In 2017 Rhys Bowen started writing some standalone historical fiction books in addition to her book series.
While it’s best to read the above book series in the order I’ve listed above, it doesn’t really matter what order you read the standalone books because they are not connected in any way.
- In Farleigh Field – 2017
- The Tuscan Child – 2018
- What Child Is This – 2018 (Christmas Story)
- The Victory Garden – 2019
- Above the Bay of Angels – 2020
- The Venice Sketchbook – 2021
- Where the Sky Begins – 2022
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Rhys Bowen Books In Order – Conclusion
If you like historical fiction, especially WWII-era historical fiction, you’ll definitely enjoy the Rhys Bowen standalone novels.
And if you love cozy mysteries and historical mysteries, I highly recommend the historical fiction mystery series that Rhys Bowen writes. All three of them are excellent, and Rhys is still adding new books to both the Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness series. And if you like a little humor in your mystery, start with the Royal Spyness books! Lady Georgie is sassy, fun, and hilarious 🙂
For more stuff in this genre, feel free to head over here to explore more historical fiction.
Related Posts:
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- Review: The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis
- Kristin Hannah Books In Order (A Complete List)
- Review: The French Gift by Kirsty Manning
- Review: The Last Daughter of York by Nicola Cornick
- Review: City of Time and Magic by Paula Brackston
- Review: The London House by Katherine Reay
- Review: The Duchess by Wendy Holden
- Historical Fiction – Ultimate Guide To Escaping Into the Past
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