When Queen Elizabeth II goes to Paris in 1957, a couple troubling incidents arise which convince her that one of her closed circle of advisors is not to be trusted. Then, when the murder of a man and woman in what appeared to be a staged situation involves a stolen tiara, the Queen takes an interest. In order to investigate both situations, she needs to recruit someone to be her legs. When Elizabeth realizes a typist, Joan McGraw, has a photographic memory, she enlists her as an ally. While Queen Elizabeth applies her knowledge of history and the current political situation to her analysis of the situations, Joan finds her investigation crossing paths with MI-5. The Queen's network allows Joan to find answers when the Metropolitan Police seem stymied, but the legwork also puts Joan in danger.

The fourth in the series (after Murder Most Royal) cleverly combines the Queen's investigations with a police procedural.The scenes involving the Queen's family, including Philip, the Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret, add personality. The new book is the most polished in an intriguing series that features Queen Elizabeth, her recruited female assistants, historical figures, actual events, and crimes. Anglophiles and fans of historical mysteries should enjoy the series.

A Death in Diamonds is another page turner in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates.

I love this series, always a good mystery, its fun to watch the Queen investigate the latest and I learn about history as I read.

It's 1957 and while in Paris the Queen has an intuition that someone in her inner circle is out to sabotage her and Prince Phillip.

Joan McGaw is a typist on staff and when the Queen meets her, she realizes that in Jane she has an ally .

Joan does the footwork, its dangerous and secrecy must prevail.

S.J. Bennet makes this series fun but informative and I would certainly want the Queen investigating on my behalf.

After the final page I find myself eagerly awaiting the next mystery the Queen will come across.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the privilege of reading and reviewing A Death in Diamonds.

DEFINITE recommend
4.0 stars

This is just a lovely mystery series - a cozy mystery series with minimal gore which I prefer.

The main character is Queen Elizabeth, but this book is based in 1957 when she was a young monarch. The other three books in the series take place in her much older years.

The Queen solving mysteries is just lovely to me. She was intelligent and intuitive so "mystery solver" works for me. I also think that she would have loved this series.

Please read Books 1-3 first to enjoy this book. You could read it as a stand-alone, but it will be a better experience with the previous three books.

Published/posted dates with links:
• Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5387213634; published 10/17/2024
• Books by Dorothea - https://booksbydorothea.blogspot.com/2024/10/review-death-in-diamonds-ebook.html; published 10/17/2024

Queen Elizabeth II a secret sleuth? Who knew? When her 1957 state visit to France is sabotaged, and two mysterious murders occur back in London, the Queen begins a stealthy investigation.. Not knowing who to trust, the Queen is aided in her quest for clues by a young, sensible staffer who knows how to get information. Will the Queen solve the crimes before more harm occurs? Find out in this clever murder mystery with lots of insider royal info.

I LOVE THIS SERIES!! It is just so much fun and with this fourth book, we get to know the Queen in her early 30s, solving the mystery of a double murder. We are introduced to Joan, her tenacious and brilliant personal secretary who has her own history in supporting her country in WWII and is now getting her feet under her in a new world. I love that the author intertwines fictional storylines with history. We get a glimpse of what it might have been like between the royals (theoretically). These books are joy in book form.

Joan is bright and has more skills than anyone notices - until Queen Elizabeth does and enlists her help to go where the queen cannot and look into several puzzling problems. A great read.

Queen Elizabeth as a detective, an interesting premise, but the book took too long to develop. I liked the character of Joan and her desire to solve the mystery, but there was too much monarchy nonsense.

QEII does it again! By observing, thinking deeply, and nudging her assistant to seek information, the Queen solves yet another mystery. This one is close to home - a young woman is found dead a mile from Buckingham Palace.

This is the fourth in the series and it does not disappoint. I enjoy the gentle insights into the life of the Queen and how she copes with the constant demands on her time. Never to be underestimated, she shows herself in this fiction story to be realistic, shrewd and very clever.

Such a fun read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #ADeathinDiamonds. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I have loved this series since book one. Current-era Queen Elizabeth works behind the scenes to solve crimes - yes, please and thank you! When the Queen passed away, I was afraid that was the end of the series. But God save the Queen, Bennett has just moved back in time to when the Queen first leaned into her crime solving tendencies. Hope restored that there will be more books to come!

This mystery was the most straight-forward of the 4 books and it still kept me guessing. I enjoyed the jump back to 1957. It was early in Elizabeth's rule and you can see the Queen's personality and spark come thru. This book was a perfect "prequel" in my opinion.

I have been a big fan of this series, and the new entry does not disappoint! SJ Bennett writes in such an engaging way. Many times I would tell myself "I'll just read a page or two," and the next thing you know, an hour has gone by. That, to me, is the sign of a very talented author. As always, the palace details are pitch perfect. I appreciated how this book goes back in time to an earlier time in the queen's reign. Smart idea and very well executed. Joan is another great "helper" character much like Roz (sp) in the other books. The mystery itself is very satisfying. In short, I continue to be charmed by this wonderful series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

I've been reading the series since book 1 and I was very much looking forward to that new installment because of the time change. The plot is set in the 50s, the beginning of her reign, and the author did a fair job rendering the retro atmosphere. However, I wasn't convinced by the actual investigation. Book 4 was less compelling than the previous ones. Uneven pace, some cluttered parts that could've been cut. Not my favourite book in the series. But I will definitely keep on reading the series. Looking forward to the next one.

PS: it would be wonderful if, for future ARCs, you could directly provide an Epub instead of a PDF for Kindle readers. It would make navigating the file much more user friendly! Many thanks in advance! :)

amateur-sleuth, 1950s, historical-figures, historical-mystery, historical-places-events, historical-setting, history-and-culture, series, British-royalty, murder, murder-investigation, international-crime-and-mystery, cozy-mystery, sabotage, banter, personal-assistant*****

Since the active Queen of England is far too public a figure to be seen sleuthing, she has her personal assistant to follow her directives and gather information. When a highly visible young woman wearing a very pricey diamond tiara is murdered and the bling disappears the problems begin to surface. Several alibis seem to have been modified from the truth and the foreign office pokes its nose into police business making the investigations even harder. It's a quick and entertaining read.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley.
#HerMajestyTheQueenInvestigatesBK4 #NotAbledTTS Pub Date Jan 21, 2025

A young Queen Elizabeth, supported by Joan a member of the Palace staff, dig deep and run their investigation into a murder, alongside that of the Metropolitan Police. An intriguing blend of murder, espionage and treason. High ranking Palace staff sit at the front of the investigation and when Joan is offered accommodation closer to her workplace, MI5 are brought into the mix. The author even manages to include characters such as Duke Ellington, Daphne du Maurier, Harold Wilson and others. The story takes to Royal Palaces in the UK and State visits to Europe and America.

As with SJ Bennett’s earlier novels, the reader is given the opportunity to solve the mysteries as we travel through the clues, but I have yet to do so before the Queen has her final say. An enjoyable read and a confirmed fan of this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Bonnier Books for this advance copy. (Previously reviewed 26-Jan-2024)

This is the fourth book in a series, but it is the first one I've read, and I had no trouble at all getting into it and understanding the characters. I'm inspired to go back and read the first three. It was a great blend of historical fiction and cozy mystery -- Queen Elizabeth II is the sleuth, and the time period is shortly after World War II. The author does a great job of bringing the post-war world to life, along with all the characters. The mystery is just intriguing enough to inspire you to puzzle things out. Great book, I look forward to recommending it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
5 out of 5, Engaging, well written and the research really shows. I literally couldn't put it down!
I was delighted to find a new title in S.J. Bennett's wonderful series about Queen Elizabeth (II).
In this book we see the Queen in 1957 as a young mother still trying to adjust to the demands of a very public life. It's a really interesting time as recovery from WWII is flowing into prosperity, new technologies and new challenges for the Queen.
This is also the first time that she picks a 'special assistant'; Joan is a great character, and someone who can investigate discreetly on the ground in London.
Between them, they try to determine who's attempting to mess up the Queen's public appearances and diplomatic visits.
There's a great balance between seeing the lives of these two very different women who are both trying to make their way in a very male-dominated society.
This book could easily be read 'out of order' from the rest of the series - although I'm hoping that the author will continue with at least one more book in this time period. It's easy to see that lots of research went into making this book super realistic.
Recommend to fans of 'modern' historical fiction, and light espionage.

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.