SERIES: reviews from Royal Spyness, Number One Ladies Detective Agency, Neopolitan Quartet

I'm keeping up to date on a few ongoing series, both of which are the coziest I happen to read, but are so much fun. 

Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen (ebook)
book #12

Everything's coming up Georgie. Our poor (literally) heroine is about to marry Darcy, who is somewhere gallivanting around the world, needs to find a place for them to live after the wedding. Because she is a kind person overall, karma finds her a great situation, but being mistress of this estate is more difficult than Georgie would like. What is going on with the servants?

Georgie, her mum, her grandad, and Queenie are all together - awesome times. This was a great 1930s English tale with a bit of a mystery, but lots of character interactions. 

The Colors of All the Cattle by Alexander McCall Smith, 228 pages,  book # 19

Precious Ramotswe is somewhat bullied into running for local council and the business is asked to look into an old hit and run incident. Not much more happens in this delightful zen story but I don't read this for the stellar mystery plotting. 

One thing I am enjoying is the development of Charlie's character. It's been a long time, 19 books, but the wayward apprentice, part-time detective is possibly growing up. McCall Smith gives us a little more look into his life, instead of just being a stock foil for Grace to pick on. 

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrente, 418 pages,  part 3 of the Neopolitan quartet

I found this story a little uneven as Lila and Lena are both married and having children in this book. The unrest in Italy between the fascists and the communists, the feminist awakening of our heroines in the 1970s as they struggle with their roles was slow, but ultimately, the friendship between the two and their relationships with their old neighbourhood gang keep the story moving along. 

I am looking forward to the last book, The Lost Child.