Author: S, J. Bennett
Series: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates (Book 4)
Publication: BONNIER BOOKS (October 29, 2024)
Description: The royally brilliant fourth book in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates mystery series!
1957 - A young woman is found dead in a mews house a mile from Buckingham Palace, wearing only silk underwear and a a diamond tiara. An older man is discovered nearby, garrotted and pierced through the eye with a long, sharp implement.
According to the police, a high society card game was going on downstairs that night. One of the players surely committed the murders, but each of them can give the others an alibi.
When someone very close to her is implicated, the young Queen is drawn in to the investigation...
My Thoughts: The fourth book in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates goes back to the beginning. Set in 1957, Her Majesty is busy with overseas tours, a growing family, and courtiers who are left over from her father's reign. She has come to believe that one of those relics are trying to sabotage her reign.
Meanwhile, there has been a double murder with royal connections. A courtesan and a criminal were found brutally dead in a room in the rental of a cleric with ties to royalty. The inspector assigned by the police is trying but is being stonewalled at some higher levels of government.
In the palace, Her Majesty is trying to work around her courtiers by promoting a promising young woman from the typing pool into the ranks of her personal aides. Joan McGraw had a distinguished career during WWII until she blew things by outing her incompetent superior. Since then, she has been trying to make ends meet in the typing pool. When the Queen picks her out to help her investigate the murder and identify the traitor in the palace, Joan has a chance to use all those skills she learned.
The story was nicely complex. The characters were well-drawn. I liked the look into Buckingham Palace and the early days of Queen Elizabeth II's reign.
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