This series featuring Queen Elizabeth working behind the scenes while her brave aide hunted down clues to various murder mysteries, has been so much fun, but I’d wondered how much more the author would do now that the Queen has died. It seems that she made the clever switch to a young Queen Elizabeth in 1957 closer to the beginning of her reign. She is still working behind the scenes to put together the information that her new aide, Joan McGraw, chases down. Using the viewpoints of the Queen, Joan, and the police detective investigating the dramatic murder of a young woman and the suspicious man who had booked her for the evening, the book traces through the mystery at a fast pace. The murder is interspersed with the Queen’s life and family only a few years after she’s taken the throne.

Joan is really the true heroine of the story as she has to deal with the upper-class prejudices of the “men with moustaches” who serve as the Queen’s top aides. She has the background of having served as a codebreaker during the war, but having lost her place through no fault of her own. She’s still working hard more than a decade later when the Queen recognizes her talents.

I think I enjoyed this book the most of the series. If you enjoyed The Crown and like mysteries, this is a must-read.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Murder, Intrigue and innuendo fill this slightly stilted mystery. In fairness, with the late Queen being the sleuth you would have to expect a certain standoffishness. HRR obviously can’t operate without the constraints of being a Royal. So brava to S.J. Bennet who orchestrates and moves through the mire with finesse. The story was interesting and well plotted but the innuendo was sublime.

If you have any Anglophile tendencies and interest in the young Queen Elizabeth you may be interested in how this book explores the people and events that surrounded her in the 1950’s. Many thanks to Crooked Lane and NetGalley for a copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

So far, I have been a fan of this series… a comfortable cozy mystery.

I was excited that the author changed it up a bit in this book, by setting it further back in time when queen Elizabeth was 31 years old. I enjoyed the new side characters as well. The characters were well written and there is a lovely sense of humor.

Clever and cozy from start to finish.

This is a very enjoyable series. Queen Elizabeth is treated with respect, and a healthy dose of irreverence. This episode is set in the early years of her reign, and she is still developing her relationships with her staff and her balance between the requirements of state and her personal interests and desires. I'm hoping for a return of characters from the earlier novels. I miss Rozie and Simon!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love this series and its excellence has continued. This volume was published in the UK last year, and thanks to a change of publishers, readers in the US have had to wait until now to get their hands on this one. While this series on its face sounds a bit silly it is the complete opposite – smart plots, great characters, humor. The premise: the Queen has a private Secretary who helps her with undercover investigations. She has access to all kinds of things, of course, but there also things the Queen should not be concerning herself with. As portrayed by Bennett, she loves solving puzzles, and her private secretary can be her eyes and ears out in the world.

In the present day (though a few years in the past) her secretary is a London born Nigerian woman named Rozie Oshodi. The two women share a kind of mind meld bond – they think the same way and work well together. In this new book, Bennett takes the Queen back to 1957. She’s a young married woman and she’s in need of a confidant who is not an old man with a mustache. She finds her unlikely pairing in Joan McGraw, a secretary at the palace and an ex-code breaker who worked at Bletchley Park during the war. Joan has received an unexpected promotion thanks to the pregnancy of the woman ahead of her and despite reservations of the part of the men in the office, she’s grudgingly appointed the Queen’s Private Secretary.

Bennett, like many another excellent plotter (Allison Montclair and E.J. Copperman spring to mind) is great at the hook. The one in this book: a prostitute is found murdered in the mews house of a high up clergyman (he uses the house for card games), wearing nothing but a tiara, with her – ahem – client found stabbed and strangled to death on the floor next to her. The tiara is a rarity owned by Lord Seymour to be presented to his wife on her 40th birthday. The mystery is how it appeared on the head of a dead prostitute.

The tiara was something special – the Queen Mother (to Princess Margaret’s annoyance) muses about how she wanted to buy the lovely piece for Margaret but decided not to. The tiara captures the Queen Mother’s imagination, but the Queen’s imagination is captured by the location of the murder as well as the oddness of the two bodies being found with no one on a densely packed street claiming to have heard anything. The Queen’s worries are multiple, as Prince Philip had vanished for a time on the same night and in the same general area.

I love these books for many reasons but two of them are: I simply love the Queen and enjoy reading about her. And I love stories of any kind about process – from The West Wing to many a police novel. These books provide an insight into the process of running a huge place like Buckingham Palace. (If you are a fan of The Crown, as I am, some of the incidents in this book are covered in season 2.) I also like Bennett’s presentation of the woman who dutifully served her country for over 70 years. Backstage, as presented here, she’s intelligent and slightly humble. She keeps her sleuthing machinations in the background, letting the men around her take the credit. I’m sad to say things haven’t changed all that much in the books set in the present though Rozie has a bit more freedom than Joan does. These books are absolutely delectable.

Thank you to @netgalley and @CrookedLane Books for this ARC. Another Her Majesty The Queen Investigates that she writes so well. Though there will be a total of 5 in the series, each book can be read alone. There has been a murder in a house close to the palace. The woman, an escort was killed with her "date" but she was found wearing a real diamond tiara. How can an escort afford this and why were they both killed? The Queen, through her private secretary is on the case. #ADeathinDiamonds #SJBennett #CrookedLaneBooks #Jan2025

A Death in Diamonds is the fourth book in SJ Bennett's Her Majesty The Queen Investigates series. The Second World War has ended and the Queen is undertaking multiple diplomatic trips. A young woman and older man are found dead less than a mile from Buckingham Palace. Police suspect someone in London society may be responsible. Lilibet begins investigating and enlists her new assistant private secretary, Joan, to help her.

The previous books in the series have been set in modern time. I thought it was interesting to move back in time to the 1950's and it seems the next book will be the same. I will miss Captain Rozie Oshodie and Sir Simon Holcroft from the previous three books but loved the addition of Joan. She is a fun and smart assistant to the Queen that doesn't shy away from danger. I also enjoyed experiencing Lilibet as a younger woman. This is just a really solid cozy mystery series. The plots are always interesting and layered. I always get excited when I see a new book is coming out and look forward to continuing with this series in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The fourth book in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates goes back to the beginning. Set in 1957, Her Majesty is busy with overseas tours, a growing family, and courtiers who are left over from her father's reign. She has come to believe that one of those relics are trying to sabotage her reign.

Meanwhile, there has been a double murder with royal connections. A courtesan and a criminal were found brutally dead in a room in the rental of a cleric with ties to royalty. The inspector assigned by the police is trying but is being stonewalled at some higher levels of government.

In the palace, Her Majesty is trying to work around her courtiers by promoting a promising young woman from the typing pool into the ranks of her personal aides. Joan McGraw had a distinguished career during WWII until she blew things by outing her incompetent superior. Since then, she has been trying to make ends meet in the typing pool. When the Queen picks her out to help her investigate the murder and identify the traitor in the palace, Joan has a chance to use all those skills she learned.

The story was nicely complex. The time period was well-illustrated. The characters were well-drawn. I liked the look into Buckingham Palace and the early days of Queen Elizabeth II's reign.

A Death in Diamonds is the fourth book in this wonderful historical series featuring Queen Elizabeth as a crime solver. The previous novels take place in present times when Queen Elizabeth is quite old. The fun of A Death in Diamonds is that we are there in 1957 as a freshly crowned Queen Elizabeth is shown as a newly married wife, mother and queen adjusting to her role as Monarch. A crime takes place that involves people quite close to the Queen and as the very intelligent woman we knew her to be she gets involved in solving the crime. Obviously she needs to do this from behind the scene so she enlists a bright private secretary to help her. Joan McGraw becomes the first of several woman who will play this role over the years and it was fun to remember that she was referred to in the previous books as the woman who started this working friendship with the queen. I always learn so much about history reading Ms Bennett's books and recommend reading the author's notes as she lists many interesting books she used for research that sound worth reading. I highly recommend this series and suggest you put all four books on your TBR stack.

A Death in Diamonds, another entry in the Her Majesty series, takes us back to 1957 and the first Assistant Private Secretary to the Queen who helps her investigate crimes discreetly. Going back in time, we are introduced to new characters in her office and a less confident Queen with two children. I loved the character of Joan and the impact of WWII on many in the book. Like the other books with Rosie, Joan does come investigating on her own for the Queen while also providing information to the Met to solve the case. A well-plotted story, I enjoyed the postwar setting and learning about the behind the scenes of the British Monarchy and UK politics at this time. Looking forward to more in this series and hopefully, Bennett introduces us to more of the Queen's assistant private secretaries throughout her reign!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Death In Diamonds is the debut of a new series featuring a young Queen Elizabeth II. It's set in 1957 and Elizabeth has been Queen for five years. Her schedule includes lots of travel to many countries and she begins to suspect someone is trying to undermine her visit to France. First, she's served oysters at the formal dinner when the chefs had been told she didn't eat them - then her copy of speech disappears. Upon returning to London other incidents(including 2 murders) reinforce her suspicions that the saboteur is someone on the palace staff. The Queen needs inside eyes and ears to find the guilty party. When she meets Joan McGraw, former code-breaker, she knows she's found a trustworthy spy.
The young Queen is a sympathetic and sensitive character. Joan is a smart, brave and no-nonsense accomplice. This title is a great start for the new series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

Fun and enjoyable! This entire series would be excellent for a week away in a cabin with a roaring fire and engaging mysteries involving her majesty to keep you warm.
Loved it!

S.J. Bennett's "A Death in Diamonds" offers a refreshing twist on the classic whodunit, seamlessly blending historical fiction with a cozy mystery. Set against the backdrop of a young Queen Elizabeth II's reign, this novel provides a unique glimpse into the challenges faced by a female monarch in a male-dominated world.

The story's heart lies in its dual narrative: a gripping murder investigation and a behind-the-scenes look at the delicate balance of power within the royal household. Bennett skillfully weaves these threads together, creating a tapestry of intrigue that keeps readers engaged from start to finish.

Joan, the Queen's loyal staff member, emerges as a compelling character. Her unwavering dedication to uncovering the truth behind the murders and the attempts to sabotage the Queen makes her a character readers can't help but root for.

Bennett's portrayal of the relationships between Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, and the royal staff adds depth to the narrative. These interactions offer a humanizing perspective on the monarchy, making the characters relatable despite their extraordinary circumstances.

"A Death in Diamonds" is a perfect companion for those seeking a cozy mystery with a regal twist. It's an ideal read for a quiet afternoon with a cup of tea, offering both entertainment and a fascinating peek into the early years of Queen Elizabeth's reign. This novel will appeal to fans of historical fiction and mystery alike, proving that even royalty can have a hand in solving crimes.

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for my free book for review.

This is a new series to me, but I honestly thought this was a standalone novel. I will be going back to read the previous three.

I loved this version of Queen Elizabeth. I love that, while it shows her grappling with her duty as monarch as well as a mother and wife, there is also the element of her being a woman. She wants to know what is going on with her husband, with her children, but doesn’t forget that she must be on her guard as Queen.

I hope Joan continues into the next novel. I found her to be the most compelling character of the story. The true historical components are well researched. There’s so many more that I hope the author includes.

Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

I was curious how this fourth book in the series would go, being released after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. With Bennett's decision to set it in 1957, we get to see her fictional version of a younger Elizabeth - a good choice.

A Death in Diamonds by SJ Bennett is the fourth in the fantastic Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series. Light with dollops of wit and intelligence, this novel is based on true events involving Queen Elizabeth II. Several influential people of the time are mentioned such as Eisenhauers, P. G. Wodehouse and other Royal Family members. What fun to catch glimpses into their imagined (and real) lives!

It is 1957 and Elizabeth II knows her history, thanks to her lineage and importance it plays in the world. Together with travels and general knowledge, she is half of a dynamic female sleuthing duo. Ex-codebreaker Joan, the Queen's personal secretary, makes up the other half. Their skills and knowhow are convenient, especially when murder is committed in Chelsea. But there is much more meat to the story, too. Bobo, the Queen's dresser, is on hand to relay snippets of gossip and whisperings. Hijinx and adventures are lively and the pace is quick.

Glorious descriptions including fashion of the era, food, dogs, the Artemis Club, SOE agents and royalty are wonderfully present. The afternotes describe links to Agatha Christie and Daphne du Maurier, amongst my most beloved authors of all time. The writing is smart and refreshing, pairing perfectly with an afternoon hot chocolate.

My sincere thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this engaging novel. It hit me in the right spots at the right time.

A Death in Diamonds is the latest book in the “Her Majesty the Queen Investigates” series. I would describe it as cozy Royal historical fiction.

In keeping with the theme of the earlier books in the series, through the help of her closest and most trusted staff the Queen discreetly investigates 2 murders which are not quite what it seems.

What I enjoy most about this book and the other books in this series is that they are intelligently written, keep you engaged, and feel true to the character of Queen Elizabeth. At times you can feel a little lost in the details, but it does pull all together.

People who love cozy mysteries and love the English monarchy will enjoy this book and series.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for provided this books to me through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

This is the fourth in a series. I somehow missed the other three and will have to go back to read them. In this book Queen Elizabeth has two ongoing mysteries. Two bodies have been found and she is afraid she has given a false alibi to someone close to her. Was he involved and how? The second involves those working closely with her. Someone is sabotaging her personal appearances as she attempts to mend relations with various countries. She brings aboard Joan as a personal secretary to help flush out the culprit. This is an engaging cozy mystery with some familiar faces. Very enjoyable.
Thanks to #NetGalley#ADeathInDiamonds#CrookedLaneBooks for the EARC.

In this fourth book in one of my favorite series, Bennett does something surprising- she goes back to the late 1950's and writes a kind of origin story where Queen Elizabeth just starts investigating crimes in her early reign. Bennett sticks with all her wonderful queen details and writes what feels like such an accurate portrayal of Elizabeth, Margaret, Philip, and head members of her household that you have to wonder if any of it was actually fictionalized. I loved the thematic touches of the Queen doubting herself and being patronized by all the men around her. I loved the foil of her secretary that was very intelligent and interesting.

This book is lovely, and everyone should read it. If you're afraid to jump into this series midway, this would be a great place to start since it is a kind of prequel. Initially I had heard that it was only releasing in England, so I was very grateful to receive this one. I love Bennett's writing and think she is brilliant in fictionalizing such a famous person but also playing against some of the stereotypes.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

This was a very enjoyable whodunit. There are multiple plot threads happening at the same time, and readers don't know if and how they're connected. Queen Elizabeth is drawn just as you'd imagine her to be in her youth, and in a delightful and positive way.

The beginning felt slow, and it took me time to figure out who everyone was. There are three main secretaries to the queen, and I kept on mixing them up. The addition of Joan, a new secretary, was refreshing. She's an excellent character who helps the queen find the culprit. There are lots of clues and red herrings, and it was a drop confusing for the first half. But I eventually caught up.

Toward the end, something happens and the queen realizes it's all so obvious and puts it all together. I did not see it coming at all, but I agree - it was brilliantly handled.

I highly recommend this for historical fiction and mystery readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and S.J. Bennett for an advanced copy for review.