Royal Gambit, Daniel OMalley
Royal Gambit, Daniel OMalley
List: $38.99 | Sale: $27.30
Club: $19.49

Royal Gambit
A Novel

Author: Daniel O'Malley

Narrator: Moira Quirk

Unabridged: 16 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/15/2025


Synopsis

From the brilliant and hilarious author of The Rook, a delightful new supernatural adventure: When the heir to the British throne suddenly dies under mysterious circumstances, Checquy operative and reluctant aristocrat Alix is assigned to be lady-in-waiting/personal bodyguard to the new Crown Princess, and must navigate the halls of power and privilege while investigating the supernatural murder of the Prince of Wales.
 
Alexandra "Alix" Dennis-Palmer-Hudson-Gilmore-Garnsey, the twelfth Lady Mondegreen, has never had any control of her life. Her supernatural 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, Alix has been coached to befriend Princess Louise, second in line to the throne, but despite all machinations, the two have never been close. Now an adult and a full Pawn of the Checquy, Alix is a skilled investigator unravelling supernatural manifestations for the security of the nation.
 
Everything changes when Louise's brother, the Prince of Wales, dies abruptly, and all signs point to an unnatural assassination. To protect Louise, the new and unwilling 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.

About Daniel O'Malley

Dan O'Malley 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, Australia. He now works for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, writing press releases for government investigations of plane crashes and runaway boats.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mara on July 20, 2025

This is the best book in the series since the iconic OG installment. Though the pacing sags a bit in the middle & I personally was not into all the royal talk, this had a really compelling main character and a fantasy police procedural plot that kept things moving. The ending was intriguing in terms......more

Goodreads review by Miranda on June 21, 2025

The Rook was one of the first unnecessarily gross and very weird urban fantasy reads and it opened my eyes to the genre. I was, therefore, delighted to be given the opportunity to read and review the latest entry in the Chequy files series. As this is book four in the series, let's go in order. If y......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca on July 24, 2025

When the heir to the British throne suddenly dies under mysterious circumstances, Checquy operative and reluctant aristocrat Alix is assigned to be lady-in-waiting/personal bodyguard to the new Crown Princess, and must navigate the halls of power and privilege while investigating the supernatural mu......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on July 22, 2025

I was very excited to learn months ago that Daniel O'Malley had written another book from The Checquy Files, after having stumbled on The Rook years ago in the library. Other than a not-particularly good television series came from that it was difficult to finding more of his work but managed to fin......more

Goodreads review by Karen on May 08, 2025

A great return to the Checquy - the supernatural bureaucracy takes on the royal family! A pawn has been embedded in the orbit of the royals since the discovery of her powers, only to find herself at the center of the action when the heir to the throne is found dead, and supernatural murder is suspec......more