Rhys was her Welsh grandfather’s name. Janet Quin-Harkin, born in Bath, England, borrowed it in the 1990s when she turned from teen romance to murder. As Rhys Bowen she has since written three series of mysteries and ten historical novels. Her books have sold close to 10 million copies in more than 30 languages. Below you will find every book in order, her life story, the newest releases and our review.
Who Is Rhys Bowen? The Author Born Janet Quin-Harkin
She was born in England, in Bath, on 24 September 1941, and graduated from London University in 1963. She worked for the BBC in London, then moved to Sydney and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She also taught drama and dance. In 1967 she married John Quin-Harkin, a fellow British expat, and moved to San Francisco in the United States. They have four children. Today she divides her time between Marin County in California and a winter home in Arizona.
As a child she spent time with relatives in Wales, and those visits shaped her first mystery series. Before Rhys Bowen, she wrote children’s and teen romance novels under her real name. Her picture books started in 1976, and in 1981 she wrote one of the first six Bantam Sweet Dreams titles for young adult readers. Her website describes her as a bestseller on The New York Times list. Her hobbies are travel, singing, hiking, painting and the Celtic harp.
Rhys Bowen Books in Order: Every Series in Publication Order
Each series stands on its own. Read every series in publication order, because the main characters’ lives move on from book to book. The Welsh books came first (1997), then Molly (2001), Georgie (2007) and the stand-alones (2017).
Royal Spyness Mysteries (19 Novels, Book 20 Due)
The Royal Spyness mystery series follows Lady Georgiana Rannoch, 34th in line to the British throne and flat broke in 1932 London. Her full name is Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, and she is an unlikely sleuth. Her love interest is Darcy O’Mara. The author calls these her lighter, funnier books, with gentle fun at the expense of the class system. Berkley publishes them.
- Her Royal Spyness (2007)
- A Royal Pain (2008)
- Royal Flush (2009)
- Royal Blood (2010)
- Naughty in Nice (2011)
- The Twelve Clues of Christmas (2012)
- 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)
- Peril in Paris (2022)
- The Proof of the Pudding (2023)
- We Three Queens (2024)
- From Cradle to Grave (2025)
Book 20, To Crown It All, is due on 17 November 2026.
Molly Murphy Mysteries (22 Novels)
Molly flees Ireland after killing a man in self-defence and arrives in New York through Ellis Island. There she becomes a private investigator. From book 18 the author writes the series together with her daughter, Clare Broyles.
- Murphy’s Law (2001)
- Death of Riley (2002)
- For the Love of Mike (2003)
- In Like Flynn (2005)
- 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)
- Hush Now, Don’t You Cry (2012)
- The Family Way (2013)
- 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, with Clare Broyles (2022)
- All That Is Hidden, with Clare Broyles (2023)
- In Sunshine or in Shadow, with Clare Broyles (2024)
- Silent as the Grave, with Clare Broyles (2025)
- Vanished in the Crowd, with Clare Broyles (2026)
Book 23, A Whiff of Scandal, is due in March 2027. Three short stories, among them the Irish prequel “The Amersham Rubies”, sit outside the numbering.
Constable Evans Mysteries (10 Novels, Complete)
Constable Evan Evans, a young policeman, leaves the city for Llanfair, a village in the Snowdonia mountains of North Wales. The series ended with book 10.
- 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)
Stand-Alone Novels by Rhys Bowen (10 Books)
Her stand-alones are historical novels, most of them set in or around the Second World War. Lake Union publishes them.
- In Farleigh Field (2017)
- The Tuscan Child (2018)
- The Victory Garden (2019)
- Above the Bay of Angels (2020)
- The Venice Sketchbook (2021)
- Where the Sky Begins (2022)
- The Paris Assignment (2023)
- The Rose Arbor (2024)
- Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure (2025)
- The Castle in the Glen (2026)
Royal Spyness Series Reading Order: Lady Georgiana and Masked Ball at Broxley Manor
Start with Her Royal Spyness and read on in order. Georgie’s money troubles, her family’s castle in Scotland and her romance with Darcy all build from one book to the next. The short prequel story Masked Ball at Broxley Manor (2012) sits outside the numbering. The newest is book 19, From Cradle to Grave. The next, book 20, To Crown It All, is set at the 1937 coronation.
What Are the Molly Murphy and Constable Evans Series About?
Molly’s books are historical mysteries set in early 1900s New York City. She is an Irish immigrant who works as a private detective and later marries police captain Daniel Sullivan. The later books move through 1902 and 1904 to the 1906 earthquake and the 1909 Hudson-Fulton celebration. The author describes them as complex, many-layered stories with a strong sense of place and period. Her personal life moves on through the series, so read them in order. In book 23 she opens her own detective agency.
Evan’s series is gentler and set in rural Wales. Evan lives in a village with a barmaid called Betsy, two rival ministers and a sergeant named Watkins. His girlfriend Bronwen is his wife by book 10. Evan’s Gate was nominated for the Edgar Award. Joffe Books has reissued the series in the United Kingdom.
Most Popular Books by Rhys Bowen: Her Agatha Award Winners
The author calls Royal Spyness very popular, and the awards back her up. Three of its novels, Naughty in Nice, Queen of Hearts and The Last Mrs. Summers, won the Agatha Award for best historical novel. The first Molly book, Murphy’s Law, won the Agatha for best novel. The fifth Agatha went to In Farleigh Field, her first stand-alone, which was also a number one Kindle bestseller.
She has two Anthony Awards: for the Molly novel For the Love of Mike and for the short story “Doppelganger”. Oh Danny Boy won the Macavity Award. Her website says The Tuscan Child sold over half a million copies, and The Venice Sketchbook was an Edgar nominee.
Latest Book and New Releases: The Castle in the Glen and the Next Royal Spyness
Her newest book is The Castle in the Glen, a stand-alone set on the Isle of Skye, published by Lake Union on 4 August 2026. Earlier this year Minotaur published the 22nd Molly mystery, Vanished in the Crowd, on 10 March.
Two more books are announced. To Crown It All, Royal Spyness book 20, is due from Berkley on 17 November 2026. It follows book 19, which came out a year earlier. The 23rd Molly book, A Whiff of Scandal, is due in March 2027.
Where to Start With Rhys Bowen
For a light, funny read, start with Her Royal Spyness. For a historical mystery with more weight, start with Murphy’s Law. If you like village life in a small Welsh community, start with Evans Above. Our Her Royal Spyness review covers Georgie’s first case and tells you what to expect from the series.
Books by Rhys Bowen Reviewed on This Site
Similar Authors: More Historical and British Cozy Mystery Series
For the classic English mystery of Georgie’s era, read Agatha Christie. For English village humour, try M.C. Beaton. Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs and Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce are two more English sleuths from the past. Our historical cozy mysteries and British cozy mysteries pages list many more.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rhys Bowen
How many books has Rhys Bowen written?
We count 61 novels under this name: 19 Royal Spyness, 22 Molly Murphy, 10 Constable Evans and 10 stand-alones. Five of the Molly books are co-written with Clare Broyles. Under her real name she wrote many more books for children and teens.
Is Rhys Bowen her real name?
No. Rhys Bowen is the pen name of Janet Quin-Harkin. She took her Welsh grandfather’s name when she began writing mysteries.
Do you have to read Rhys Bowen’s series in order?
Yes, if you can. The characters’ lives develop from book to book, especially Georgie and Darcy or Molly and Daniel. The three series do not depend on each other, so you can start with any of them.
Is Rhys Bowen a cozy mystery author?
The Royal Spyness books come closest to the genre: light, funny and set among the upper classes of 1930s England. The Welsh books are village mysteries, too. The Molly books and the stand-alones are more serious historical fiction.
Are Mrs. Jeffries, Hidden Norfolk and Elizabeth Bowen connected to Rhys Bowen?
No. The Mrs. Jeffries Victorian mysteries are by Emily Brightwell, with more than 40 books. Hidden Norfolk is a crime series by J M Dalgliesh, and it starts with One Lost Soul. Elizabeth Bowen was an Anglo-Irish literary novelist, no relation, best known for The Death of the Heart and The Heat of the Day.