Member Reviews
I loved the Windsor Knot and couldn't wait to read A Three Dog Problem. I can say I enjoyed it but it was less gripping and fascinating than the first one.
I was glad to meet again Rozie and The Queen, I found the story enjoyable but also a bit too complex.
There's some serious issues like racism and it takes a bit before the plot becomes gripping.
It's an enjoyable and entertaining story, I look forward to reading the next book.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I loved this book, even more than book one The Windsor Knot! It was one of those ‘just one more chapter’ books, where I just had to keep reading as I was enjoying myself so much.
It’s set in 2016, just after the Brexit Referendum, so there were references to Brexit, and Theresa May being the new Prime Minster, which seems such a long time ago now. Most of the action took place at Buckingham Palace this time rather than Windsor in the last book.
Rozie was sent on various endeavours for the Queen, just like in the last book and there were some fab scenes with the different encounters she has in the course of her ‘investigation’ for her Majesty. The actual mystery wasn’t as complicated as the first book, but it did involve a few different people and different departments at the Palace. It wasn’t just about a missing painting, but got quite a bit darker as Rozie uncovered much more than she expected.
I highly recommend this book especially if you enjoy cosy mysteries or books connected to the Royal Family.
Loved loved loved!
I adore these books and so wish that it was real rather than a work of fiction. This was just as enjoyable as the first book, a puzzling mystery and The Queen as the anonymous super sleuth!
More please!!
I loved the first book in this series The Windsor Knot, so was delighted to be given a copy to read the second book in the series. As with some sequels, for me, this was missing some of the sparkle of the first.
I adore Rozie and the way the Queen is written is humorous and intelligent (perhaps with one exception, mentioned below) and you really always feel you are getting a deep insight into the way people work, think and feel in the palaces. I will read a third novel as and when it becomes available, but I also note, whilst I highly recommended TWK, I'm ambivalent as to whether I would recommend this novel.
The writing here is great. I was reading another book simultaneously and this far outstripped the other author in terms of writing style. However, there were things that rubbed me the wrong way in this book. First, It's convoluted. There are so many plots here: poison pen letters, missing art, a murder. Missing art and a murder would have been sufficient, or the poison pen and a murder ... but the three things? Well, that was my Three Dog Problem. The Queen was also written as being unusually dim when it came to artists such as Frida Kahlo and Artemisia Gentileschi. There was also one particular scene with a character called Dr Jennifer Sutherland and there was nothing I could see that we learn from this character that couldn't be picked up on a quick Wiki search. The final point that rubbed was one that is intentionally there: that the men in power take the credit where it isn't due. Just maddening!
There are a number of typographical errors in the book, which I imagine will be fixed prior to publication.
All in all, a quick, well-written read. I'll give the next book a go with fingers crossed that we see more of Rozie.
Another excellent adventure for the queen and Rozie to investigate and solve.
I love Rozie and how strong she is. And how even when things scare her (which is natural) she still strives ahead and shows her true strength.
I also enjoyed the dynamic between Sir James, Sir Simon and Rozie in this book. It showed a different relationship this time.
It’s is surprising how many crimes happen around the queen. And that she is so adamant about solving them. She even withheld information from the police.
Very good ending. Excellent how she manages to keep a straight face when faced with her own discoveries.
Queen Elizabeth II has asked her trusted assistant Rozie to see if she can trace a treasured painting that seems to have been “mislaid”. Rozie begins her investigations but seems to have hit a dead end. Determined not to let “the boss” down she keeps digging. However things are about to get a lot more complicated when a member of the Buckingham Palace staff is found dead by the palace swimming pool. The initial feeling is that it was a tragic accident. However when Her Majesty finds out about it she can’t help wondering if there is more to it.
Some of the Palace staff are receiving poison pen letters and the general harmony of the place is disrupted, everyone is feeling tense and although the police are investigating the Queen is also making enquiries in her own quiet, subtle way.
This is the second in a series of “Her Majesty Investigates” books and I enjoyed it just as much as the first. I love the idea of the Queen being a sleuth on the quiet and her good humour and experience with people stands her in good stead to do this.
Obviously HM is the star but Rozie is an amazing character and I really enjoyed finding out more about Sir Simon and others. How fact and fiction are weaved together to create a believable backdrop is brilliant. I can’t wait for the 3rd installment!
A Three Dog Problem is the second novel to feature Queen Elizabeth II in an covert investigative capacity and picks up in the wake of the divisive Brexit referendum with a new Prime Minister in Theresa May and a contentious US election on the horizon. In common with the first book it is the Queen’s Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, who goes out and asks questions and discreetly reports back. Whilst I didn’t think the first book was hugely compelling I found it gently entertaining and felt Bennett did an excellent job with her characterisation of the Queen. However with the novelty factor of the first book absent and far fewer moments of wit and humour this second book struggled to hold my attention. This wasn’t helped by the fact that there are several threads to the mystery (a missing painting, a suspected murder, poison pen letters targeted at multiple people and the long-standing problem of Palace items being spirited away on the sly), making it difficult to do justice to any one of them.
The Queen is disconcerted to spot one of her favourite paintings - and one that belongs to her - at an exhibition of maritime art in Portsmouth. The painting, which Phillip describes as “ghastly”, is of the retired Britannia yacht and once hung outside her bedroom. Positive it is the original she enlists Rozie to discover when it left her collection and why it has never been returned. This turns out to be anything but the simple task that it sounds but when the dead body of an unpopular elderly housekeeper is found beside the Palace swimming pool it slips down the priority list. With the jury out on whether the death of the housekeeper was an unfortunate accident or cold-blooded murder, rumours amongst the royal household staff go into overdrive. When the Queen asks Rozie about the victim and discovers that she was the target of a sustained campaign of poison pen letters it brings several concerning revelations to light, with the Queen discovering that there is a lot more going on below stairs than she could ever have imagined. Needless to say it gets extremely convoluted and I was no more invested in this string of crimes than those in the first book.
Whilst I enjoyed meeting Rozie Oshodi again and this second book is well-paced and easily readable, I found it all a bit mundane from start to finish. There are far fewer highlights (topical jokes, humorous exchanges between the Queen and Prince Phillip) and as with most cosy crime, the mystery is really only an opportunity to showcase the cast and given one of the two main protagonists is royalty and the setting it Buckingham Palace, it limits the extent of plausible embellishment. Once again there is a large secondary cast of very dispensable and forgettable characters who make fleeting appearances and don’t make much of an impression. Readers who enjoyed the first book will no doubt enjoy this second book too, but sadly my journey with the Queen and Rozie stops here.
I loved the first book and the second one didn't disappoint at all. The characters were just as wonderful as the first and it was great to see more from Sir Simon and Rozzy and learn more about their home life. The drama was done well and I thought that it was all planned out well and everything made sense in the end. The writing was great and I was hooked from the beginning in this. I can't wait for the next book in the series and see where the Queen, Rozzy, and Sir Simon end up next.
I love this series, the idea of the Queen as a part time detective doesn’t get old. What is more the fact that she quietly solves the mystery while allowing others to believe they did is just perfect.
I adore the relationship between the queen and Prince Philip and the love and fun that is seen between them. The way real time events are also referred to is brilliant and adds to the relevance of the stories.
A murder mystery that will keep you smiling.
I absolutely love this series of books with the Queen and her assistant Rozie solving crimes around the Palace. I really enjoyed seeing how this particular mystery came together - it kept me guessing until the end.
In this sequel to the “Windsor Knot”, the Queen and her assistant, Rozie, investigate a missing painting and the murder of a senior housekeeper at Buckingham Palace.
I absolutely loved the first book in the series but this one did not have quite the same impact on me. I don’t know if it was that it was no longer an original idea or that there was a lot of extraneous detail and an over complicated plot but I did not enjoy it nearly as much. There was a lot to be investigated and the final revelations, when they came, were not that exciting or unexpected.
I still liked the character of Rozie; her bravery and her intelligence shone out and the sections featuring her were compelling to read.
The Queen was also well described with many touches of humour as she described her life in the palace. There was also sadness when her relationship with Prince Philip was portrayed as I was reading the book in the year that he had passed away. The Queen also suffers the loss of a cousin and one of her dogs which adds to the more sombre tone of this book.
Despite my reservations I will definitely look out for the next book in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc.
It was a pleasure to be back with Rozie, Sir Simon and the Queen again for the latest mystery at Buckingham Palace. I found with this book as I did with The Windsor Knot it to be such an easy, cosy read. I can vividly hear the Queen and Phillip's voices in my head, the quips at Harry and his new girlfriend and wanting the media to leave them alone and the mentioning of Kate(Catherine) and the great-grandchildren. There is just such a warmth and comfort to the writing style and story telling, albeit be a couple murders along the way that I just devour these books. As always the characters are interesting and well developed.
I really hope there will be more to come. I can't stop recommending them to family and friends.
Disclosure: Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
Not sure what happened to my first review.
I was really pleased to read another Queen investigates book. When the Queen sees a painting on a royal visit which belongs to her she inadvertently sets off a chain of events that puts Rozie in danger. A great book and a touching tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh. Would make an ideal Christmas gift
In the wake of the referendum which has divided the nation, the last thing the Queen needs is any more problems to deal with. But when a painting given to the Queen years ago turns up at the Royal Navy Exhibition, she knows there is something going on and is determined to get to the bottom of it.
As her able assistant Rozie starts to ask questions it seems that more than a small painting is at stake and it’s not long before the first body is found.
Now its up her to Her Majesty to uncover the truth, all the while juggling her duties, her family and the reputation of her great nation.
This is the second book in the Queen investigates as I think these books are a true delight.
First of all the plot is nicely twisted and complicated without being too far-fetched and ridiculous.
The attention to detail without forcing you to read horrific scenes of death or racist slanders make it such a cosy mystery that I think this book would actually appeal to all ages. It puts me in mind of Agatha Christie, its gentle without ever becoming dull.
However my favourite part of these books are the characters. As much as I love Rozie and her stalwart devotion to the Queen, it is the monarch herself who is the shiny star.
She comes across as so smart and capable but with understanding of her own limitations as well as those around her. I liked the little nods to an impish personality and her affectionate relationship with her husband (This takes place before his passing). She has endless compassion and insight where others saw only the surface of a person.
I think, as someone who has only a passing knowledge of the intricacies of the royal household it might have been nice to have a family tree or guide to who’s who is the front of the book.
I would have liked to have a list of servants or maybe even a map of the palace and locations.
In addition the title harkens to Sherlock Holmes “A three Pipe problem,” so I think “A three pup problem” would have been a better title, but that's just because I love alliteration.
Other than that I found this such a great read, it was hard to put down and genuinely left me smiling at the end.
Well worth a read.
I received a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books.
This is the second book in the ‘Her Majesty the Queen Investigates’ series.
I loved the first book and was stoked to be approved for this arc! There’s something about the thought of the Queen solving murders that I love!
I found this to be such an entertaining read. A fantastic addition to the series!
It, however, was not as engrossing as the first book. Some of it felt a bit long winded in the details. I think it’s because there were possibly too many mysteries to solve rather than there just being the 1 story to follow.
That being said, I am looking forward to book 3!
I read the first one in this series and I absolutely loved The Windsor Knot and have been waiting and waiting for the sequel. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for approving me. More sleuthing with her Majesty. Amazing books and can’t wait for more stories.
In A Three Dog Problem the Madge notices that’s a much loved but rather ugly painting of hers has gone missing and Rozzy is tasked with finding out where it’s got to. Once Rozzy starts to dig however and mess of worms turns up and the Palaces reputation is at stake. Again.
This was enjoyable enough I like the insights in to the weird and wonderful workings of the Palace and the day to day running of the monarchy. The story itself is also engaging but my main annoyance is the same as with the first one. The only time these books come alive is when it’s centred on Rozzy, who remains ace. This book places focus more on the Queen herself and I have a problem with this because she is a real living person and the writer is second guessing her thoughts and feelings so it never rings true whereas with Rozzy who is entirely fictional we are free to believe what ever we like she is wholly the writers creation and as such we can invest wholly in her and her actions. I would prefer it if the Queen were a ‘M’ like figure winding Rozzy up and letting her go. Sigh.
Royal Gallivanting….
Coming hot on the heels of ‘The Windsor Knot’ is the next engaging mystery for the Queen and another bout of Royal gallivanting. With a staff member stiff beside the Royal pool can the amateur sleuthing Queen get to the bottom of the mystery this time? Joyously entertaining. Delightful reading.
The second book in this fantastic series. I absolutely loved it and the characters just keep getting better, although the queen is someone we have all admired for decades. This is a series where I go out and buy the hard copy, because I want to be able to read the stories again. There is such a feel good factor, despite the fact that they are crime novels.
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series, I had high hopes for this book, however I'm afraid they were slightly dashed. I found it to be a bit long winded, with extra details that weren't pertenant to the story, but just served to bore the reader. If you enjoyed the first book you'll likely still find this interesting, but just be warned it's not as absorbing as the first book was