All the Queen's Men (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates, 3)

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During her inquiries, Rozie ventures into an underground tunnel system that connects royal palaces and learns of a 1980s scheme called the Breakages Business, which was carried out by some members of the Queen's staff.

Books — SJ Bennett Books — SJ Bennett

There’s much to hang onto in this cozy mystery with a twist of regalit, on the who dunnit level. The intricacies of Palace life, the Queen and her relationship with her dogs, particularly when pondering a situation is a Three Dog problem. I enjoyed the throwaway a lines about real people (Camilla’s charitable work with abused women and her being hysterical in a good way!) There are three mysteries put forward: a painting of the Queen's that has gone missing and found in the Navy's offices; a nasty series of poison pen letters that are making work life in the palace tense and unhappy; and the death of a housekeeper which is deemed an accident. But is it? Bennett braids all three together to give the reader (and the Queen) a great deal to think about. I listened to the audiobook narrated, once again, by Jane Copland and her familiar British accent added to my listening experience. As she begins to look into this, a body of a disliked housekeeper is found at the Palace's swimming pool, her ankle deeply cut, causing her to bleed to death. An accident, surely? But it's strange that her death happens as the Queen begins to look into the painting's disappearance and several of the female staff, including her trusted secretary, Rosie, receive nasty poison pen letters...

Publication Order of Her Majesty the Queen Investigates Books

All kinds of deceptions happened at Windsor Castle on the dinner night, including people conducting secret meetings and sexual liaisons. As the mystery unveils, Brodsky’s death is linked to two other people in England. It’s now up to the Queen to put all the pieces together and try to solve the crime. In the wake of the Brexit referendum that has divided a country and the US election between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump, the Queen just wants some peace and quiet. But, it looks like she's not going to get it as, when on a Royal visit to a Navy exhibitition, she sees a painting of the Royal Yacht Britannia on display. Her painting. And she gave no permission for its display. In fact, she thought it was misplaced in the mid-1980s.

Book Series In Order S.J. Bennett - Book Series In Order

I am so pleased that this second book is continuing the success of the first. After an auspicious beginning to a series, the fate of that series is in a precarious position with the publication of book two. The series has that delightful wit that infuses just the right kind of humor and entertainment. And, I have to retract or clarify part of my statement made in the beginning of the review, as I indicated that this book and this series was pure pleasure reading for me and not one of imparting important messages. That is misleading. Although the book was a pleasure read for me, there is lots of learning to be had here and beyond. From the Royal operations and Royal offices of the Palace to the Queen’s daily schedules to the Baroque art of Artemisia Geniteschi, an Italian 17th century painter. And, if you’re like myself and many other readers I know, you will go down all the rabbit holes of those subjects, some of which I’ve provided links below. Also, the poison pen notes bring up racism and misogyny, as does the choice of the artist Artemisia Geniteschi whose paintings are featured. And, as the Queen is the main character, there is the overriding issue of how older or “old” people are dismissed in their contributions to or understandings of situations. The Queen certainly puts the falsehood of old meaning useless to rest. The Windsor Knot is the debut in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series. Queen Elizabeth II is preparing to celebrate her 90th birthday and is looking forward to all the festivities. After hosting a dine and sleep party at Windsor Castle during spring, she wakes to the news that a guest was found dead. After it’s revealed that Brodsky has criticized Russian President Putin, authorities conclude that Queen’s staff were Russian agents paid to kill Brodsky. It’s found out that two of the Queen’s staff are connected to the Russians. The two are laid off for a while as further inquiries go on.The problems besetting the Palace, both architecturally and on the personal level appear steeped in believability. The Queen is disconcerted to spot one of her favourite paintings - and one that belongs to her - at an exhibition of maritime art in Portsmouth. The painting, which Phillip describes as “ghastly”, is of the retired Britannia yacht and once hung outside her bedroom. Positive it is the original she enlists Rozie to discover when it left her collection and why it has never been returned. This turns out to be anything but the simple task that it sounds but when the dead body of an unpopular elderly housekeeper is found beside the Palace swimming pool it slips down the priority list. With the jury out on whether the death of the housekeeper was an unfortunate accident or cold-blooded murder, rumours amongst the royal household staff go into overdrive. When the Queen asks Rozie about the victim and discovers that she was the target of a sustained campaign of poison pen letters it brings several concerning revelations to light, with the Queen discovering that there is a lot more going on below stairs than she could ever have imagined. Needless to say it gets extremely convoluted and I was no more invested in this string of crimes than those in the first book. The last time she saw it was hanging outside her bedroom door decades ago, and she can’t think of how and when it was stolen. Bennett had won several awards for some of her teenage books before she began writing adult crime novels. She also teaches and podcasts on writing.