Murder Most Royal
SJ Bennett
298 pages
Zaffre
Published November 10, 2022 (in the UK)
Amazon | Goodreads
About the book:
A severed hand is found washed up on a beach next to the Queen’s estate at Sandringham.
Elizabeth has become quite accustomed to solving even the most complex of murders. And though she quickly identifies the 70-year-old victim, Edward St Cyr, from his signet ring, the search for his killer is not so straightforward.
St Cyr led an unconventional, often controversial life, making many enemies along the way in the quiet, rural world of North Norfolk, where everyone knows each other’s business.
But when a second man is found dead, and a prominent local woman is nearly killed in a hit-and-run, the mystery takes an even darker turn.
With the Christmas break coming to an end, the Queen and her trusted assistant Rozie must race to discover how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Or the next victim may be found even closer to home.
The third book (which can be read as a stand-alone), in the delightfully clever mystery series following the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2016 as she secretly solves crimes alongside her royal duties.
My Review
I just love this series and am so glad that they can continue since they are set in 2016. I think it was clever to come up with the idea to have so many deaths around the Queen and to pair her with a quirky aide to solve all these murders. The most unique amateur sleuth I’ve read about. I am always saying I would stop hanging around the person who had death following them, but she’s the Queen.
A great cozy series where the characterization is growing and serves as a great celebration of the Queen’s life. While making her fictional, Bennett has been very respectful in the Queen’s portrayal in all three books. Not being British, I cannot attest to the accuracy of anything in the book, but I loved the idea of how the royal family would spend the holidays.
The book was a quick read and I love that there were enough suspects to keep me guessing.
If you like cozy mysteries and want to read a plot you haven’t already seen, you need to pick up this series. It’ll charm you like it has charmed me.
About the authorS.J. Bennett holds a PhD in Italian Literature from the University of Cambridge and was a strategy consultant and startup manager before turning to writing. She has published ten books for teenagers, winning The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition in 2009 and the RoNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2017. The Windsor Knot is her first novel for adults. She lives in London.
You can find her at SJBennettBooks.com and on Twitter @sophiabennett and @SJBennettbooks
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