This is such an interesting series! The concept that the Queen of England gets involved in solving mysteries in partnership with select staff is pretty fantastic. Here, we jump back in time to 1957, with a young Queen and a different staff, but the result is another fascinating murder investigation. The police are baffled by this double murder—and to be honest, I was too. There are a lot of characters, and many suspects. It did take me a while to really get into the story and be able to keep everyone straight. The Queen is, as always, perceptive and thoughtful, and the author’s ability to present her view from inside the palace is what sets this series apart. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

We adored these charming books. They are a lovely respectful but highly amusing tribute to our Late Queen. We look forward to the next book coming next February. Love them !

Having some knowledge and history of the Royal family I really enjoyed this book because I felt a certain intimacy with the Queen. The author does a terrific job giving the Queen humanity. Like the rest of us she has a job to do, a marriage and family to nourish. As the female head of state in 1957 she was surrounded by men who thought they knew better. She had to manage her courtiers, some with her best interests at heart and some who didn’t. She always needed to be on her toes and fortunately she was dedicated to serving her country. This story finds her in a situation of sabotage and in the middle of a murder investigation. Fortunately, she recognizes a kindred spirit in Joan (previously SOP), who she trusts to help her deal with and solve multiple state and personal problems. I also enjoyed the banter between her and Prince Phillip. Through dedicated to her he was always struggling to find some independence.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the concept of this - the Queen investigates a crime! The time period is portrayed realistically, and the events outside of the crime are all based on actual history. The author clearly put a lot of time and effort into her research. My favorite aspect of the story, though, was the Queen's new employee, an assistant private secretary, Joan, who quickly becomes a valued confidant. Her story and history, based on actual women of the time, were the most interesting part of the book, in my opinion.

That said, unfortunately, I didn't find the mystery itself that interesting. I realize Queen Elizabeth can't be physically running around the city solving crimes, but I'd expected her to be more involved in the sleuthing than she actually is. This is the fourth book in the series, but the series was new to me. That wasn't a problem at all - a reader can easily pick up the series here - but I'd be curious to see the Queen's role in the other mysteries. Without Joan acting as her "woman on the ground" so to speak, the Queen doesn't do a whole lot here. Not sure how it's handled in the other books. In a series about the Queen, I expected the Queen's chapters to be the ones I most looked forward to, but instead I was more drawn in by Joan's and the police inspector's sections.

Overall, this was a light cozy mystery, with the added hook of the Queen's involvement, but it didn't engage me enough for me to seek out the other books in the series. However, if you're a huge fan of Britain and/or the royal family, I'd say you should raise this review by one star for yourself.

#ADeathInDiamonds
By: S. J. Bennett

An engrossing read. A series of sabotages against the queen occur. A speech is mysteriously lost before she addresses a Paris audience. Her cosmetics are tampered with. Traitors exist among the queen's closest advisors. A young woman, an escort to peers and the elite is murdered while wearing a priceless diamond tiara purchased by a Lord. Suspicions lead to Buckingham Palace when the queen learns her husband, Prince Phillip lied to her about his whereabouts the night the murder occurred. The queen, a mother with young children jockeying her many roles engages a plucky young typist she trusts to help her find the murderer. A well-crafted mystery with many turns and twists.

I received A Death In Diamonds from #NetGalley# in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and publisher.

Another delightful addition to the sleuthing Her Majesty series. Enjoy the author's notes about the goings on during the time period for the book.

This book, the fourth in the series, acts as a prequel to the other books in the series. The action takes place in 1957 England, when Queen Elizabeth begins to discreetly investigate a murder that may be connected to the Palace and the Royal Family. A fun but slightly meandering read that comes together (more or less completely) in the end. The behind-the-scenes glimpses of the queen's life, schedule, and role are well done. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC.

I'm so happy there's a new book in this series.

I really liked this novel, which has the Queen at the centre of another mystery. Her relationship with her young assistant was formal, but also fun and personal.

I found the look into how the monarchy is run and the office politics very interesting. The whole thing was a very enjoyable and light read.

I love this series which has Queen Elizabeth II as the instigator of investigations into mysterious murders, using her proxies as the actual sleuths. While the fourth in the series, its easily read as a standalone. This time, it’s 1957, with the young queen and her consort navigating the post-WWII era and all of the ‘men in moustaches’ who try and guide their every move.
The Queen is surprised when a prominent clergyman’s London rental contains two dead bodies that were obviously not a murder-suicide. She’s dismayed to also realize that someone on her staff is trying to actively sabotage her efforts in soft diplomacy with their allies on foreign visits. Not sure how to proceed, the Queen’s pleased to discover, on her personal staff, a perceptive young woman who appears to have WWII experience that offers unexpected skills the Queen can utilize. Now, to set the conditions where the young woman can do the sleuthing and still keep things from blowing up into an international incident!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of S. J. Bennett's 'A Death in Diamonds.'

I always enjoy stepping into the world of Her Majesty The Queen in S. J. Bennett's series. The story is light, well researched, and engaging. In this instalment, set in 1957 instead of 2016 like the previous novels, two bodies are discovered in a small tenement where assignations are known to take place. The murder grabs headlines as the young lady is found laid out on the bed like Snow White wearing lingerie and an incredibly expensive tiara, and the man on the floor beside her has a knife plunged in his eye. Running alongside the murder storyline, the Queen is involved in an investigation of her own as she fears someone within her household is trying to derail her foreign engagements using nefarious means. With the help of her new assistant personal secretary Joan, the Queen sets out to unearth the snake in her house while also following along with the police investigation as she discovers someone close to her could be implicated in the murder.

I really enjoyed this fictional novel with Queen Elizabeth 2 at the center of a mystery. Her relationship with her young sleuthing assistant was firmal, yet fun and personal.

The glimpses into the administrative side of “ managing the monarchy” were interesting, as was the office politics. The mystery itself was secondary to the setting for me, but the book proved a very pleasant light read.

I’m delighted there’s another installment of the Her Majesty The Queen Investigates series! This one is set in the 1950s, so the cast of characters is slightly different (no Rozie :( ), But as with the other books in this series, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The definition of a cozy mystery!

A Death in Diamonds is the fourth book in this series, although it can be perfectly enjoyed as a standalone. This book takes us back to 1958 when Queen Elizabeth was a young woman as she tries to solve a murder mystery. The scene of the crime is a club Prince Philip frequents which isn't great news for the world's favourite monarch. Moreover, Elizabeth is suspicious of her staff and suspects someone is trying to sabottage...

What a fun read this was!!

A delightful and compelling read. The characters are fully drawn and the historical background is fascinating.

A Death in Diamonds is SJ Bennett's fourth book in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates mystery series, but with a new twist. The first three featured Queen Elizabeth II in 2016,when she was ninety, while this is the first of a new trilogy set in post-war 1957, when the Queen was 30 years old with two young children at home.

As in the earlier books, the Queen takes it upon herself to work quietly behind the scenes to solve murders that affect her or her family. She must be circumspect because of her unique position and royal duties, so in each timeline she presses her Assistant Private Secretary into service in her investigations. Fortunately, she is as ably assisted in 1957 by Joan McGraw as she was by Rozie Oshodi in the books set in 2016.

Two brutal murders take place in Chelsea at a men's club that Prince Philip has been known to frequent. At the same time, the Queen is worried that one or more of her closest functionaries may be trying to sabotage her travels to other countries to spread the goodwill and support of the United Kingdom

As with the earlier timeline, the author has researched the major world events of the day extensively and incorporated them into the plot. A few surprising real-life figures appear briefly in this book, including an iconic author and a popular band leader who add to the charm of the book. I must admit that I initially struggled to keep up with the details of the story, as they and the characters are plentiful. Fortunately, the author sums up the action every so often, which helped me stay the course. The characters of the Queen and Joan McGraw are beautifully portrayed and engaging, and many of the supporting characters stand out in either positive or negative ways . . . or both! As in the previous books, the author's writing style shines, making each character memorable and weaving a story that is exciting, entertaining, and engrossing, leaving the reader craving for more.

My thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

My Thoughts /

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, publisher Crooked Lane Books, and author S.J. Bennett, for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Publication date is currently set for January 21, 2025.

[cue fanfare music] Hear ye, hear ye! All subjects of the kingdom! The fourth book in the series Her Majesty the Queen Investigates is about to begin!

After reading and enjoying the previous three books in this series, there was no question surrounding whether or not I’d read this one - it was a given. I must confess I jumped on this one like fleas on a dog, not even stopping to read the synopsis. Had I possessed even the slightest amount of patience, it would have prevented that first chapter shock [and believe me, it felt like I’d just jumped into an ice bath] where I realised that ‘everything old is new again’.

Because, unlike all three previous books in this series, which were all set in 2016; A Death in Diamonds is set in 1957, nearly 60 years earlier.

So no more Sir Simon Holcroft, the Queen’s Private Secretary or Captain Rozie Oshodie (assistant private secretary); instead we are introduced to the OG crew. QE II’s “men in moustaches”: Sir Hugh Masson; Major Miles Urquhart and Jeremy Radnor-Milne; who, together with new APS Joan McGraw form the Queen’s OG group of four.

If I’m being honest (hand on heart here) my first instincts are to not embrace change - I was looking forward to reconnecting with old friends; but I VERY quickly fell in love with the young Queen (I mean, who wouldn’t!) and her newly appointed super-sleuth, APS Joan McGraw. In this instalment, the author explores the Queen in her early days as reigning monarch with the wider world still very much recovering from the fallout of the second world war.

Expertly blending fact and fiction, Bennett soon wins the reader over as we are quickly immersed in the early life of the young reigning monarch. The young Queen is still adapting to her change in circumstance and Bennett shows the reader how Lilibet embraces change and makes the role her own. It’s easy to see why the public admires her so.

A beautiful young woman, is found dead in a mews house a mile from Buckingham Palace, wearing only silk underwear and a diamond tiara. Alongside her is the body of a male, garrotted and pierced through the eye with a long, sharp implement. It’s a gruesome scene. The Queen soon discovers the murders have very personal implication for her - things she would not want made public. The police investigation is led by DI Fred Venables (who is DCI Venables in our earlier stories) and the not so likeable Sergeant Woolgar. The police don’t seem to be gaining any traction on the case, so she decides to take matters into her own hands, taking new APS Joan into her confidences. Joan, initially bewildered by this most unexpected turn of events, takes to her new sleuthing duties like a duck to water. Feeling buoyed by the Queen’s confidence in her and enjoying the chance to keep secrets from the ‘men in moustaches’, Joan looks into the circumstances of the murder.

Together the Queen and Joan connect all the pieces of the puzzle and then lay all the credit into the lap of DI Venables - who (I had to laugh) is not altogether sure how he managed it!

This is such a fun series to read, and after a somewhat inauspicious start, I’m totally on board with the new setting and crew.

Moral of the story? Don’t be Angela, be the Queen - embrace change!

“God Save the Queen.”

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Crooked Lane Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

#ADeathinDiamonds #NetGalley

loved the concept of this book, historical fiction is a genre out of my comfort zone but this felt more like cozy mystery read. Only concern is: where on earth is the police 😭
if you exclude that thought, it was fun and I really enjoyed the Royal aspect of it


<i>Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

Another enjoyable mystery in the series, this time set in post-war England and featuring Rozie's predecessor.

The fourth book in this fun series takes us back in time to 1958, when a young Queen Elizabeth solves her first murder with the help of her assistant personal secretary, Joan McGraw. The queen is drawn into this mystery because it appears that her husband Prince Phillip was at or near the scene, but uses Elizabeth as his alibi. The police appear to be stumped so the queen sends her APS out to make discreet inquiries on her behalf.

At the same time it has become clear to Elizabeth that someone in her private office is attempting to sabotage her official visits abroad and Joan is also needed to investigate.

This series is a delight. Real historical events are nearly combined with inner workings of palace life, and the Elizabeth that emerges is intelligent, witty, and engaging. I am so glad that it has found a new US publisher and I look forward to the next in the series. Escapism at its best!