I enjoyed this mystery book. This is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more. This is a well developed story that is creative and engaging. The characters bring mystery to a page turner. This is a story about Queen Elizabeth II who secretly solves mysteries. In this story she does her Queen duties and also tries to find a murderer. I really enjoyed the characters and what they bring to the story. They made the story realistic and engaging. I highly recommend this book.

Having grown up as a child just a few miles from Windsor Castle I would often wonder how the Queen spends her time. I imagined quite a few scenarios but as a detective never crossed my mind. . Yet I could not resist the premise of this book - the Queen of England, Elizabeth, has a secret life indeed. When a murder happens at the Castle and the investigation seems a little off, in rides the Queen and investigates( and solves) the case with the help of a couple of devoted staff. This is the first in a new series of cozy mysteries and will have great appeal to devotees of more gentle, and genteel, English mysteries.

A murder happens at Windsor Castle while everyone sleeps. The queen with discrete questioning and few trustworthy assistants help push the investigation in the right direction.

A fun mystery while learning a bit of how the queen really operates. Perfect for mystery and British loving readers.

Only drawback a bit difficult to keep to everyone straight.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

A delightful new twist to cozy mysteries, The Windsor Knot introduces us a new crime solver in the person of Queen Elizabeth! When one of her guests is found dead under unusual circumstances, and The Queen is unhappy with how the investigation is going, she secretly takes matters into her own hands.

Thank you to William Morrow Custom House and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

Thank you NetGalley for access to this book early! The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett is an original and creative work. It is the first in the series of mystery books involving Queen Elizabeth as a crime solver in disguise. During Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday, once of her guests is found dead with some unusual circumstances surrounding him. The Queen, who is unhappy with how the investigation is going and how it is effecting her staff, takes matters into her own hands.

This was a fun premise and would be great for anyone who loves a good murder mystery. Of course, if you have a love of the royals, then this read would be even more fun for you!

At Windsor Castle, the Queen was hosting a"dine and sleep" gathering with a number of guests who were entertained by a young Russian pianist, But in the morning he was discovered dead and in unusual circumstances. Not only were the police but MI5 called in to investigate with suggestions of suicide to espionage. The Queen wasn't satisfied and with the help of her assistant to the private secretary, went quietly about gathering information from her numerous contacts. When two young women were also found dead, then maybe these three had something in common.
A highly entertaining cozy mystery with the Queen of England as a "Miss Marple" figure. One who has been around a while and knows human nature. And as she gathers her facts, she quietly maneuvers them to the appropriate people so that they would be the ones to come to the correct conclusions.
Thank you Scene of the Crime, Harper Collins and Net Galley for the e-copy of "The Windsor Knot".

Queen Elizabeth II is an undercover detective? Well, why not? In this murder mystery by S.J. Bennett, QEII is spending time at her beloved Windsor Castle when a young Russian man, hired to play the piano at a “dine and sleep,” is found dead in his room at dawn. It seems Prince Charles and Camilla hosted a dinner party at the castle, after which everyone was invited to stay over. The victim is discovered in, shall we say, a compromising position, and at first his death could be construed as accidental or a suicide.

While Director Humphreys of MI5 is called in to investigate, the Queen has ideas of her own, and with the help of her new assistant, Rozie, the Queen is able drop hints and ask innocent questions, steering the unknowing detective to right conclusion. Of course, he has no clue that Her Majesty and Rozie have actually done all the leg work needed to solve the death, because he sees the Queen as a frail nonagenarian, who doesn’t understand the vagaries of the world she rules. While Humphreys believes the murdered man was the victim of Vladimir Putin and a spy within the Queen’s household, she takes a much more circumspect view of the situation and sends Rozie out to interview people and gather information without telling anyone her mission.

What makes this book a fun read are the references to individuals in the Royal Family and information about the inner workings of the royal palaces that become part of the story. Windsor Knot is an entertaining premise for a book, and I am assuming this will not be the last mystery Her Majesty solves?

Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Book Club Girl for this free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is available 3/9/21.

In S.J. Bennett's The Windsor Knot, a young and charismatic Russian musician is found dead at Windsor Castle after one of the Queen's well-known "dine and sleeps." At 89 years-old, in order to get the job done correctly, Queen Elizabeth II takes in upon herself to investigate what is clearly a murder at her favorite residence. When the Queen subtly brings in Rozie, her Assistant Personal Secretary, Rozie embarks on an investigative adventure for "The Boss" and learns that one of the Queen's greatest secrets might be her penchant for solving mysteries.

Queen Elizabeth II at 89 years old subtly investigating a murder at Windsor? Say no more. Like many, I have a love and fascination for the English royal family and jumped at the chance to read this novel. I found it charming and loved that the point-of-view bounced back and forth between a few characters. The story was an interesting mix of espionage, worldly intrigue, and royal life while still managing to seem quaint and respectable. Obviously I will not give anything away, but I had a hard time fully believing in the "whodunnit" because it felt a bit far-fetched. However, when you take into consideration that this is the Queen of England we are talking about, it becomes easier to believe that perhaps there is some deeper political intrigue happening. I loved the moments from Queen Elizabeth's point-of-view--her moments of solitary reflection about her life, the events she attends, the brief mentions of her family, and her sweet interactions with Prince Philip. She is described with such brightness and care I loved how much emphasis was put on about how much her staff and the community have so much respect and loyalty for her. The inclusion about the Obama visit to Windsor was wonderful and I loved that real-life aspects of their visit was reflected in this story and I could connect them with what I know about the visit of Michelle Obama's book Becoming.

Many of my favorite reads last year included main characters who were over 60 years old and this one is added to the niche list for me. I recommend this for those who like the Royal Family and mysteries! I will say, this one feels like a slow burn mystery but it definitely hooks you in and keeps you reading. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series!

3.5 stars. This was a well written, comfortable read. I think if I enjoyed and was interested in the Queen of England, I would have enjoyed the book more. However, all the details about Windsor and the Queen’s schedule were a bit boring for me. Enjoyed the mystery aspect, kept me guessing until the end.

A wonderful mystery with a Royal protagonist that you grow to love during the course of the book. Absolutely giving Agatha Christie’s vibes!

The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett, is a delightful romp through castles, royal parties, and the guest rooms where people tryst in secret and secrets sometimes lead to murder. Queen Elizabeth II, with the help of her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi seems to be the only one who can solve the mystery. The privilege of the queen to go anywhere and ask anything, and the tendency of the men investigating the case to overlook the intelligence and skills of two women give the amateur detectives an advantage that they use to get the job done.

I have always been intrigued by the British Monarchy and this murder mystery featuring Queen Elizabeth II didn’t disappoint. I read this after watching The Crown and all I heard were the voices from The Crown as I read the book. The Queen however in this novel was witty and insightful. I really enjoyed the way the author managed to give an inside peek at the Queen’s day to day business while she was secretly investigating suspects though her assistant Rozie. Rozie is a likable character - ambitious, gutsy and tough as nails. I look forward to the next installment.

This is such a fun book about Queen Elizabeth secretly solving crimes. I loved all of the details about the royal family and her fun personality. I alternated between reading and listening to the audio book and both were highly entertaining. I hope this becomes a series because I'd love to see what the Queen can take on next!

Thanks to William Morrow Custom House and NetGalley for a copy to view.

A light, slower-paced cozy mystery with a unique premise: the Queen of England solving mysteries behind the scenes with the help of her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie. The rapport and trust between the Queen and Rozie were enjoyable and the fictional behind the scenes look into the daily running of Windsor Castle was interesting. The multiple points of views often switched within paragraphs which was a bit distracting at first and the mystery progressed slowly until the final revelation. Thank you very much to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC.

I received this as a NetGalley Kindle download from the Book Club Girl Facebook group. It was a fun view into what fictionalized QE2 life would be. I mean, if QE2 was supposedly miffed about The Crown series; I wonder what she would think about this book!?

It's definitely worth the read, I'd say. Even if it weren't with QE2, I do like the way the mystery was solved.

You had me at Queen Elizabeth solves crimes! What a terrific concept!

She has guests at Windsor Castle for a dine and sleep and they had a wonderful evening. The next morning one of them is found dead. While the officials are doing their job trying to piece together what happened, Queen Elizabeth and her new assistant Rozie are also hard at work following clues. The Queen has been solving crimes since she was very young so she has a lot of experience and knows how to be discreet in getting the info they uncover into the officials hands to help them without them knowing it comes from her.

S.J. Bennett has completely and beautifully captured the Queen's voice! I felt like I was there and I can't wait to go back!

Thank you Book Club Girls and NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Windsor Knot. I enjoyed it very much!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC e-book in exchange for a fair review. I found this book to be charming and fun. I enjoyed seeing the world of Queen Elizabeth II through the eyes of her staff, especially her new 'side-kick' Rozie Oshodi, her Assistant Private Secretary. The premise is that the Queen is much more perceptive than those in charge of the murder investigation of the Russian pianist, Maksim Brodsky, who was strangled at Windsor Castle, so she begins her own side investigation with the help of Rozie. With the Queen's guidance and connections, Rozie's new job tasks now fall under the "other related duties' category. I enjoyed how SJ Bennett weaves in chats with Queen Elizabeth's husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, as they felt authentic and a nice part of fleshing out the Queen's fictional character. I've never been to England but it was fun to ride along through the countryside, Windsor Castle, and London with the characters. I cannot wait to read book 2 in the series. If you're obsessed with The Crown (and who isn't) then pick this book up and read it!

Such a fun, engaging cozy mystery! Although I found it a little slow to start, I stuck it out and glad I finished! The day to day activities of the queen were very interesting with a look into the private lives of the royals.

Well crumble my crumpets, that was cute and cozy!

Author S.J. Bennet has taken your standard, garden-variety, death-by-autoerotique-asphyxiation mystery and cranked it up a notch by having none other than Queen Elizabeth II play Nancy Drew to solve it. And what readers get are delightful exchanges like this one between Her Majesty and her hubs, Prince Philip:

“Lilibet, did you hear the man was nude?”
“Yes, actually, I did.”
“Strung up like a Tory MP. There’s a word for it. What is it? Auto-sex something?”
“Autoerotic asphyxiation,” the Queen said grimly. She had Googled it on her iPad.
“That’s the bugger.”

I mean, COME ON! If that doesn’t reel you in, how about this banter between them:

“Last thing you want is to be discovered in a royal palace with your goolies out.”
“Philip!”
“No, I mean it. No wonder everyone’s keeping it hush-hush. That, and protecting your fragile nerves.”
The Queen threw him a look. “They forget. I’ve lived through a world war, that Ferguson girl, and you in the navy.”

Zing!

If that didn’t at least give you a little chuckle or smirk, then stroll on by, this is not the book for you. It probably goes without saying that it helps if you're either a fan of the British Royal Family or cozy mysteries. (Or maybe it doesn’t because I just said it anyway???) As for me, I’m all-in on QEII and her clan, though I wouldn’t consider myself a whodunit mystery reader on the whole. Lilibet was the thread I needed to pull me through The Windsor Knot, and I sure had a heck of a lot of fun watching it unravel.

My thanks to the author and William Morrow for my gifted advanced copy to read and review via NetGalley. The Windsor Knot is slated for US publication in March 2021.

A light and charming addition to the mystery canon, featuring the most British detective one can think of—her maj Queen Elizabeth II. Aided by a very capable assistant who can go around asking the sticky questions, QEII uses her lifelong skills of restraint, conversation, and observation to crack the case of a murder in one’s own house. Recommended for the royalist in one’s life.