Author: SJ Bennett
Series: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates (Book 3)
Publication: William Morrow (September 26, 2023)
Description: "One imagines Christmas at the royal family’s country house at Sandringham Estate bustling with drama, but Bennett’s version raises the stakes... Bennett charmingly portrays relationships between royal family members." —Washington Post
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 in this new installment of the series the New York Times Book Review calls “sheer entertainment.”
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.
My Thoughts: It is 2016 and the ninety-year-old queen is spending Christmas in Sandringham with her family. The holidays begin inauspiciously when both Her Majesty and Prince Philip come down with colds and the flu. It gets even worse when a girl finds a hand on a beach near the royal residence and the Queen recognizes the signet ring on the hand's finger.
Her Majesty calls on her Assistant Personal Secretary Rozie Oshodi to investigate what happened to Ned St. Cyr. The St. Cyrs have long been close to the Royal Family and Her Majesty recalls many happy times with them over the years though they have been seen less frequently in royal circles since the older generation of St. Cyrs passed away.
Adding to the disappearance of Ned is a hit-and-run accident which gravely injured Judy Raspberry who is a long-time neighbor and the treasurer of the local Women's Institute. She might have been investigating odd occurrences on the same beach where the hand was found. Adding also is the suicide of one of St. Cyr's elderly tenants which takes away one of Her Majesty's sources of information about long held secrets.
I enjoyed this fictional look inside the Royal Family. I liked the way the Queen inserts herself into the investigation while maintaining her distance. I liked the look back at the political events of 2016 with both Brexit and Trump taking place in the background of the Royal's Christmas.
Rozie Oshodi is a great character too with her loyalty to the Queen and skills as an investigator.
Favorite Quote:
"You look lovely now," Sophie said gamely. You could always rely on Sophie to say the right thing, even if in the teeth of the evidence.
I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.
Sounds intriguing especially with Her Majesty’s involvement.
ReplyDelete