The Windsor Knot
By SJ Bennett
Audiobook read by Jane Copland
William Morrow and Harper Audio
Pub date: 3/9/2021

This book has an interesting premise: The Queen of England, Elizabeth II, solves a crime that occurs in her castle with the help of her assistant, Rozie Oshodi. The Queen, of course, investigates secretly since no one can know what she is up to, or it would be seen as interfering. And, as it turns out, she is good at this, and it isn’t her first time. From what I understand, this is the first book in a series.

I liked this book overall because of the unique concept, but I found the mystery and the lengthy wrap-up a bit underwhelming. The narrator, Jane Copland, is good, but there were times when I was unclear which character was speaking, and that was a bit tricky. Also, I was wondering what the Queen would think about this book. Did the publishers send her an ARC? (Just kidding!)

SJ Bennett seems to have a lot respect for HM (Her Majesty) and writes her as caring, thoughtful, and smart monarch, but with recent media events, such as the most recent season of The Crown and the March 7th Oprah interview with Harry and Megan, I can’t help but wonder if people will be turned off by the positive image that Bennett paints here. I am neutral when it comes to the Royal Family, so I didn’t have strong reactions either way on the Queen’s portrayal in this book, but I think it will be interesting to see others’ reactions.

3 out 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Harper Audio for the ARC Audiobook.

I loved reviewing the digital version of The Windsor Knot. The narrator was posh and very fitting to the storyline. This book was so good! I loved how realistic this historical fiction novel was. Who doesn’t love a story about the royals? The Windsor Knot adds in a murder mystery and the Queen is a ‘detective’. I hope the rumor is true and more SJ Bennett books are coming!

The Windsor Knot is a rollicking good murder mystery starring Queen Elizabeth. It begins as the Queen has a small gathering with guests who stay overnight in Windsor Castle, in the buildup to her 90th birthday party. Unfortunately one of the guests turns up dead, and while MI5 is in charge of the official investigation, the Queen can't help doing a little discreet snooping on the side. I'm not sure how the actual Queen would feel about this story but I thought it was a positive representation of her and harmless good fun. From what little I know about her it seemed consistent with her character, especially her practical, thoughtful side that enjoys the simple things in life like a brisk walk, her corgis, and horseback riding. Jane Copland's narration in the audiobook was perfect, I loved the accents which really added to the ambience and the whole story was thoroughly entertaining!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for allowing me to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I call this a "cozy mystery". I listened to the audiobook version of this book and enjoyed it quite a bit ! I think the narrator did the book justice!

This book takes place in Windsor Castle in 2016. There is a MURDER (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?) and Her Majesty THE QUEEN is on the case to figure out WHO DUN IT. First of all, I LOVE the fact that the then 80-something Queen is a detective (unofficial) in this situation. LIKE WHAT FUN. All in all, loved this book, the plot, the characters, and kept me on my toes because I couldn't guess "who dun it". I'm excited to read the next book in the series!

[all opinions are my own] I had so much fun listening to this book! The premise is wonderful and the audiobook narrator gets an A+ from me. I'm curious to see where this series goes.

This book is entertaining, mysterious, full of twists and turns, and is such a clever mystery! Whenever I listened to "The Windsor Knot", I was whisked away to England, put on my sleuthing hat, and found myself listening into the early hours of the morning to see Who-Dun-It.

This is the first book in SJ Bennett's "Her Majesty the Queen Investigates" series, and I hope there will be many more! SJ Bennett's storytelling is simply spectacular. She truly knows how to bring a story to life, and you can picture each moment. Each of her characters has a distinct personality, voice, and you feel as if you get to know each and every one. I could also really envision the various locations throughout. Moreover, Ms. Bennett seamlessly brings together real people and fictional people as her characters, and it is brilliantly done.

This book surrounds a murder mystery that occurs at Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth II decides that she will help to solve the mystery as she does not believe that those assigned to the case are on the correct path. I do not want to spoil anything in this review...so I will simply say what ensues will have you hooked from the first page to the last.

Moreover, Jane Copeland does an absolutely incredible job narrating this story! She truly makes the words and story jump off of the page as the reader is listening, and I really enjoyed her narration! Everything from her tone, pacing, various inflections, etc., really help to distinguish the characters from one another, and just...WOW!

If you enjoy Mysteries, I highly recommend this book! It is very full of twists and turns. There are definitely clues throughout, and the puzzle pieces come together as everything is revealed in exactly the moment it needs to be.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the audiobook advanced review copy of this book, it is very good! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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Abbey and a modern Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock played by the Queen herself.

The twists and turns of the mystery are enough to keep you in, but the lively and quietly clever way in which the Queen is brought to life? A treat to read while still being within the realm of reality, the Queen is only able to conduct her investigation through polite inquiries and court-approved meetings.

I also loved the "peek behind the curtain" view of life working for the Royal Family, told from the perspective of a new assistant who finds herself turned into Watson.

Oh my gosh this was so much fun!! Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries and The Crown. As an Anglophile, I loved reading about the Queen and her mystery-solving escapades. The audiobook was well done as well! I look forward to more in this series.

This was a unique and cleverly-written mystery, and it added such a fun twist to the genre! It reminded me of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple books...except in this book, the amateur detective is none other than the Queen of England herself. This story is perfect for anyone who appreciates a bit of politics in their mysteries.

This felt like a really low-anxiety Louise Penny novel - a great break from the world at large. It's a bit of a stretch in my brain to imagine the Queen as a detective, but with her unparalleled time on the throne I wouldn't be surprised if she helped other less competent people solve mysteries. The initial death in the novel reminded me of Downton Abbey - the Turkish gentleman - but only slightly less scandalous.

In the early spring of 2016, Queen Elizabeth hosts a “Dine and Sleep” at Windsor Castle, inviting ting a number of people with Russian connections (Charles wanted to gain some investor money from this bunch) including a young Russian pianist. As the guests are enjoying breakfast the next morning, the pianist is found in his room strangled from solo sex act and dressed in a purple dressing gown. Yet, the poorly tied knot leads investigators to suspect foul play. They begin asking the Royal Household’s most loyal servants, which Queen Elizabeth knows is the wrong direction. She decides to take matters into her own hands, which she has been doing secretly ever since she was a teenager. Why does she investigate crimes secretly? Well she cannot be seen to be interfering or second guessing Gavin Humphreys, the new director general of the Security Service. Instead, she uses the people closest to her, such as her assistant private secretary Rozie, to answer questions and conduct interviews. Then, she slowly feeds the information to the investigations. In the end, they think they figure it out themselves. THE WINDSOR KNOT perfectly captures Queen Elizabeth’s voice and demeanor. I seriously felt like the character from THE CROWN jumped off the screen and into this book. I loved how the story switched from detective work to the castle’s everyday: prep for her 90th birthday, breakfast with her husband, thinking about her grandchildren, a visit from the Obamas. The only character I couldn’t stand was Gavin Humphreys. He was a pompous idiot! I hated when the narrative went to his point of view because he was so condescending towards Her Majesty but it is artfully done and when you get to the end, you understand why. Overall, a very enjoyable read! I’m excited to read the next one in the series.

The start of a new series, the Windsor Knot was a very entertaining audiobook.

After a party at Windsor Castle, the Queen discovers one of her guests, a young Russian pianist, has been found dead. Various clues lead to suggestions of suicide or a sexual game gone wrong, but when the investigations seem to be heading along the wrong lines, the Queen engages her trusted secretary Rozie to investigate for her.

A very clever and creative book, the plot shows the Queen continuing her royal duties, while all along she is uncovering clues and helping the police to reach the correct conclusion.

The narrator, Jane Copeland, did a very nice job of capturing the 'voice' of the Queen.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more in the series.

Having Queen Elizabeth be the detective is a cute set up for a fun, lightweight mystery. Fans of The Crown and cozy mysteries should love this mashup between the two.

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 -both were highly entertaining and I really enjoyed the narrator.

I hope this becomes a series because I'd love to see what the Queen can take on next!

Thanks to Harper Audio and NetGalley for a copy to view.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced eAudiobook of this title.
The narrator sounded like an older posh English lady which fit the idea of the book being the Queen is a secret sleuth, except the story is told by her at all. The story mostly follows her assistant around while she does some poking about to get information for the Queen. The narrator made the story terribly uninteresting because of her monotone. The story didn't have any clues to help you try and solve the case so in the end it didn't have any "aha!" moment. The concept sounded fun but the execution was not.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me listen to this title. I really enjoyed the Queen being an amateur sleuth!! Something really different and fun. I do hope this is going to be a series.

S.J. Bennett has written a delightful book, which is not how I would normally describe a murder mystery. She gives us an intimate, inside look at how Queen Elizabeth II’s household works and a very human portrait of the Queen herself. The Queen has hosted a “Dine and Sleep” event at Windsor Castle. Late at night, a talented Russian pianist and dancer is murdered. The story takes place in 2016, shortly before the Queen’s 90th birthday and she shows that she is totally “with it”, no matter her advanced age. She delights in her horses and her dogs, sure, but she asks very insightful questions about the sad event at Windsor Castle. Much of the investigative footwork is done by her Assistant Personal Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, who is a very resourceful young woman. The idea behind this series is that the Queen has been solving mysteries for many years, but always keeping herself behind the scenes. She has keen observation skills indeed. In this story, she manages to make the official investigators think all her good ideas are actually theirs! The audiobook is narrated beautifully by Jane Copland.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Full of intrigue and investigation of a murder with Queen Elizabeth along for the assist. What's not to love?! The main characters are endearing and the audio was a delightful escape. Four enthusiastic stars.

Such a fun book to listen! I liked the narrator, the British accent made it all the more believable. The Windsor Knot was an interesting twist on a mystery and involving Queen Elizabeth and her Corgi’s was a genius idea. I highly recommend this book.

**i received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.