Her Majesty the Queen Investigates

The first book in a highly original and delightfully clever crime series in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves crimes while carrying out her royal duties. It is the early spring of 2016 and Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle in advance of her 90th birthday celebrations. But the preparations are interrupted when a guest is found dead in one of the Castle bedrooms. The scene suggests the young Russian pianist strangled himself, but a badly tied knot leads MI5 to suspect foul play was involved. The Queen leaves the investigation to the professionals-until their suspicions point them in the wrong direction. Unhappy at the mishandling of the case and concerned for her staff's morale, the monarch decides to discreetly take matters into her own hands. With help from her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, a British Nigerian and recent officer in the Royal Horse Artillery, the Queen secretly begins making inquiries. As she carries out her royal duties with her usual aplomb, no one in the Royal Household, the government, or the public knows that the resolute Elizabeth will use her keen eye, quick mind, and steady nerve to bring a murderer to justice. SJ Bennett captures Queen Elizabeth's voice with skill, nuance, wit, and genuine charm in this imaginative and engaging mystery that portrays Her Majesty as she's rarely seen: kind yet worldly, decisive, shrewd, and most importantly a great judge of character.

Amateur detective Queen Elizabeth II is back in this hugely entertaining follow-up to The Windsor Knot, in which Her Majesty must determine how a missing painting is connected to the shocking death of a staff member inside Buckingham Palace. It's the height of summer 2016, and the Queen has put the sad business of the death of a young Russian at Windsor behind her. After all, she has pressing duties to attend to, such as meeting with the brand-new prime minister, keeping an eye on the tumultuous election in the States, and the smaller but perhaps more frustrating matter of locating a beloved painting that seems to have gone missing. She relies on her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodie, to make sure she's fully apprised of the goings on in the palace and help solve any issues that arise. Rozie holds Her Majesty in the highest esteem and does everything in her power not to disappoint "the Boss." But she has recently become aware of a spate of poison pen letters some of the staff have received, and though her first instinct is to inform the Queen, more senior members of the household assure her they have everything in hand. When one of the targets of the letters turns up dead in the pool house at Buckingham Palace, however, Rozie decides it's time to alert the Queen. After all, though the rest of the staff and public may not realize it, Elizabeth is the keenest sleuth among them. Sometimes, it takes a Queen's eye to see connections where no one else can.

Evidence that an aristocrat has gone missing and was possibly murdered, near Sandringham House sets Queen Elizabeth II on the path to discover unsavory family secrets and much more. Queen Elizabeth II is looking forward to a traditional Christmas gathering with her family in Sandringham when a shocking discovery interrupts holiday plans. A severed hand has been found, but even more unsettling, she recognizes the signet ring still attached to a finger. It belongs to a scion of the St Cyr family, her old friends from nearby Ladybridge Hall. Despite the personal connection, the Queen wants to leave the investigation to the police, that is, until newspapers drag her name into the matter. As reporters speculate about the proximity of the crime to the Crown and the police fail to investigate a suspicious accident on her doorstep, Elizabeth quietly begins to mull over the mystery herself. With help from her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, she delves into the interlocking layers of fact and fiction surrounding the high-profile case. Someone in the quiet county of Norfolk seems to have a secret worth killing for, and the Queen is determined to find out who and what that is, even if that means discovering that someone in her close circle is a murderer.