When THE QUEEN solves the case.

4, 1st in crime series, queen E

Delightfully droll, with plenty of British tongue-in-cheek humour and a possibly plausible plot, The Windsor Knot is an homage, not to the Monarchy, but to the Monarch. “She glows.” Also, I laughed out loud several times, a rare and wonderful thing.

The Queen of England as an amateur sleuth is a welcome change from the usual cozy mystery. HM is presented exactly like I assume she is - upbeat, cleaver and very present in world and local events. The murder is well plotted and ingenious.

Written before the infamous Harry & Meaghan interview, the book represents how HM balances privilege & duty. Her interactions with Prince Philip are priceless!.

Meet the Queen of England, amateur detective, or “Miss Marple with a Crown” as the Daily Mail said. The first in a series of what I would call a “cozy castle mystery.” Cozy mysteries are not my cup of tea in mystery books, but despite no depth in character development it was still an engaging story as the Queen unravels the mysterious death of a visiting Russian dancer. I am giving it 4 stars for cozy mystery lovers, 3 stars for the rest of us.

Thanks to Book Club Girl Early Read Program & HarperCollins Publisher for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This book was as intriguing as the description: Queen Elizabeth II solves a (multiple) murder mystery while continuing her official duties in 2016, just as she is about to celebrate her 90th birthday. Working surreptitiously with Rozie Oshodi, her newly hired personal secretary, who does the queen's investigative leg work, Her Majesty figures out the solution and subtly feeds her conclusions to the official police working on the case. So she never gets the credit for solving the murders, but of course doesn't need the praise - she's the queen, after all!

While the first murder occurs soon after the book begins, the novel takes a while to pick up speed. But stay with it because it's a worthwhile read with lots of clues and suspects, and the author capably wraps up the lose ends. I appreciate how she includes a touching and thoughtful ending demonstrating the queen's human kindness.

What I especially liked was the sophisticated perspective - the queen is portrayed respectfully and the book is written as a contemporary mystery, not light-hearted or silly. This novel included references to President & Mrs. Obama, Putin, Prince Phillip (QEII's husband) and other political figures as well as political issues of the time, which made it a realistic read.

A murder has taken place at Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth II has been enjoying her Easter holidays there when a young Russian pianist, Maxsim Brodsky, is found dead in his room after a Dine and Sleep. Her staff and the authorities jump immediately into action. From her conference with the powers that be, QE II is concerned that they are going down the wrong path entirely. It is time for the queen to enlist the new assistant secretary, Rozie Oshodi, into assisting her in redirection. It should really not be a surprise that a woman who has remained on the throne since 1953 would have the detective and diplomacy skills to unravel this mystery. Miss Marple could not have done a better job. This new series is so engaging and I love the hints of past mysteries solved as well as the promise of future successes for the Elizabeth/Rozie team. I am intrigued by the possibilities of going both back in time and forward from 2016. Narrator Jane Copeland strikes the perfect notes with her narration of the audiobook. I found the conversations between Queen Elizabeth and husband Philip were such a brilliant vehicle for showing us her most authentic version of herself.