Royal Gambit - (Rook Files) by Daniel O'Malley (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A delightful and hilarious supernatural adventure featuring a lady-in-waiting who must keep the court safe from murder, from the author of The Rook.

Alexandra Dennis-Palmer-Hudson-Gilmore-Garnsey (call me "Alix"), the twelfth Lady Mondegreen, has never had any control of her life. Her ability to shatter bones with a touch made her the automatic property of the Checquy, the secret British government agency that deals with the supernatural. Her aristocratic ancestry made Alix the perfect asset for the Checquy to deploy close to the royal family. Since childhood, she has been coached to befriend Princess Louise, second in line to the throne, but the two have never been close. Now, Alix is a skilled operative who investigates unexplained phenomena for the security of the nation.

Everything changes when Louise's brother, the Prince of Wales, dies abruptly and all signs point to an assassination by preternatural means. To protect Louise, the new heir apparent, Alix is assigned to be her lady-in-waiting. Thrust into the limelight overnight--both in the everyday world and in the underground world of the Checquy--Alix must juggle her responsibilities and her loyalties as she attempts to unravel the murder, keep Louise safe, and learn how to smile graciously while eerie threats loom around every corner.

Review Quotes

"Royal Gambit is a strong entry...moving the Checquy's operations into a new sphere while also maintaining the balance of absurd everyday occurrences that make these books so fun to read. No matter where I'm at, or who the protagonist is, these books can always make me smile."--Reactor Magazine

"A fast-paced adventure with a captivating mystery that keeps you laughing...Royal Gambit is a perfect summer read."--Cosmic Circus

"A fun, elevated beach read for those who enjoy their mystery novels with supernatural leanings and a dry British sense of humor."--Associated Press

"A smart fantasy thriller that deftly mingles the paranormal with the bureaucratic and mundane...Clever, complex, and fast-paced, this fantasy thriller's greatest strength is the imaginatively crafted world in which events take place. Everything is possible here in the alternative universe O'Malley creates, including characters who routinely defy all empirical laws by turning into trees and stegosauruses and unusual modes of death involving energetically implanted brain cubes."--Kirkus Reviews

"An entertaining blend of fantasy and humor...As always, O'Malley imbues his imagined world with realistic details and finds plentiful humor in the clash of the supernatural and the bureaucratic...Series fans will be delighted."--Publishers Weekly

"Deliciously inventive...a gripping and fun mix of British politics, royal shenanigans, and supernatural murder mystery."--Town & Country

"Thrilling, entertaining, witty, and jawdroppingly original...O'Malley's world-building is astonishing: he's created a version of our world that is simultaneously wildly different and comfortably familiar, and he's populated it with characters who, even with unusual powers, are abundantly human...for anyone who enjoys a good supernatural fantasy, Royal Gambit is required reading."--Booklist

About the Author

Daniel O'Malley was born and raised in Canberra, Australia. He graduated from Michigan State University and earned a master's degree in medieval history from Ohio State University. He then returned to his childhood home, where he now works full-time as a writer. He is the author of the Checquy novels, The Rook, Stiletto, and Blitz, the first of which won an Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and became a television miniseries.