Murder Most Royal in the third in a series of books where Queen Elizabeth II acts as sleuth. Although there are two previous books, this can be read as a stand alone.
The Queen and her family are on their way to their traditional Christmas at Sandringham. A discovery of a hand found on the beach leads to the local constabulary investigating a possible death and may not have known where to start if it hadn't been for the Queen recognising a ring on the hand.
Given the Queen's age and her long knowledge of the local families in the area, she knows where to go to ask the right questions which ultimately solves the crime whilst cleverly making it look as though she hasn't solved it.
It's a preocular concept of very well known living (now deceased person) written in a fictional manor, but it works. There are traditions that are well documented such as Prince Phillip being a bit sweary mixed with fictional family life.
As the Queen has now passed away, we know that her crime solving skills have come to an end, but it might be possible with King Charles having his sleuth instincts like his mother..
Readers of cosy crimes such as The Thursday Night Master Club general fiction and mystery and thrillers
With thanks to #NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre for the ARC of #MurderMostRoyal

This is the third in the excellent series featuring the late Queen Elizabeth as an amateur sleuth a la Miss Marple.
I found it quite a poignant read coming so soon after her death but relished it wholeheartedly non the less.

Set in Sandringham over Christmas, a severed hand washes up on the beach nearby, found by the spirited sister of a royal stable hand, and is recognised by Her Majesty as belonging to the brother of a local aristocrat by his distinctive signet ring.

Rozie, the Queen’s personal assistant, is getting used to being the eyes and ears of the Monarch in investigating these mysteries, and has proved to be adept at pulling the wool over the eyes of not only her immediate superior at Court but also the investigating police force. She makes a very capable sidekick.

As with the first two books in the series this is nicely paced, and has a wonderful sense of the local countryside and community in Norfolk. There is a good smattering of Royal relatives thrown in, and I especially enjoyed Prince Philip’s contributions.

I really enjoyed reading this installment and am looking forward to the next.

Really enjoyed this book as it was a bit different to the norm. I liked the fact that a murder mystery was combined with the Queen being portrayed as a bit of a Miss Marple character.

Interesting story and a good read.

While it was terribly sad to read this knowing that both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have passed away I did find the 'mystery' in this book the best yet from Bennett.
Coming from Norfolk it was also refreshing to have a book that talks about the county in such an accurate way - and one that doesn't shy away from talking about the problems of living in a rural county.
I hope that there will be more books in this series despite the change in monarchy.

I love this series - it's such fun. This one was another easy read with a gentle murder mystery solved by the most unlikely of sleuths!

I didn't love this, plot-wise, somehow I didn't get into it. Maybe it was the timing, I listened to this quite soon after the Queen's death, which didn't really affect me, but maybe it affected how I experienced a story about her solving murders? I don't really know, I just know that I enjoyed The Windsor Knot, but just found this ok,

I'm still looking forward to reading 'A Three Dog Problem', but I just couldn't get into this one, despite really liking the Sandringham setting and Christmas timing at the beginning, The characters didn't really feel that alive to me, mentions of Harry and Philip felt a bit flat, but again, I'd seen them quite a lot in the media around the same time, so perhaps the suspension of disbelief was more tricky.

I'll probably give it another go at some point, and maybe revise this if I find I like it better, but it wasn't as entertaining to me as the first.

This is a standalone mystery, so can be read without having read the other two books first.

It was great to be back with Queen Elizabeth II (and a little surreal, given that she is no longer with us), and her APS Rozie as they consider what might have caused a human hand to wash up on a beach near Sandringham, where the Queen is spending Christmas.

I enjoyed the reduced scope of the mystery - rather than spread across months, the action takes place across several weeks, with fewer palace personnel involved. It's an intricately plotted story, and I confess that I did find it a little challenging to keep on top of the various characters introduced, though that might be my poor concentration skills! There are twists and turns, and the Queen and Rozie work well together to investigate where they can without raising suspicion. As ever, I loved the 'behind the scenes' elements of the story - what it might be like to spend Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham, a fly on the wall to the customs and rituals of the celebrations. Glad to have read it, and keen to see what the Queen and Rozie might get up to in the next story!

The Queen investigated. This is brill, a lovely and thoroughly engaging read. I love the relationship between the queen and Roxie. I honestly cannot wait to read the other books in the serious. The Queen arrives at sandringham and not long after a discovery is made which sets the Queen off on her investigations. Loved every minute.

I love this series where the Queen quietly investigates crimes with her aide Rozie, and this latest one was brilliant.

Murder Most Royal is set over Christmas at Sandringham which was a nice change. We got a glimpse into the royal Christmas, and the murder involved a member of the Queen's wider family.

I really had no idea where this was going. It kept me guessing until the final reveal. There were some real shocks at the end. I loved it.

Another mystery where our detective is the Queen. A very affectionate and respectful portrayal of the late Queen and her husband. It gives an insight into the Queen's life and is all very believable (apart from the crime-solving aspect) in the way she interacts with people. The crime may be slightly implausible but it is still a good read and I shall certainly be looking out for the next in the series.

I’ve been saving this one until Christmas 🥰

Have loved all of the Her Majesty Investigates series by @sophiabennett_writer and this one was even more poignant since the death of #queenelizabeth

I loved it and shed a tear at the end. Can’t wait to read A death in diamonds in 2024.

Christmas at Sandringham is going to be murder. A human hand and a bag of drugs are found washed up on a beach next to the Queen's estate at Sandringham. The Queen identifies the 70-year-old victim, Edward St Cyr, from his signet ring. But the search for his killer is not so straightforward. Suspects include the Queen's horse groom, a shady land agent, an aristocrat neighbour, as well as the victim's many cousins and relations. The investigation leads the Queen - and her trusted assistant, Rozie - to a local pigeon racing club, back to London, and to the ancient, moated Godwick Hall. But how do the seemingly disparate pieces of the puzzle fit together?

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Having read the first two SJ Bennett HM investigates books I was delighted to be approved for this one which I enjoyed just as much as the other two!

Recommended.

Absolutely loved this book , a different sort of book than I usually read but it was very good , loved the story , the references with the royal family and really good humour and still had the murder mystery from start to finish, so easy to read. Would really recommend this book.

Absolutely brilliant! Loved this from page 1 and couldn't put it down. - must now go & read the other two, but this does work so well even as a standalone. A completely joyous romp of a book and very well written. Very highly recommended

Thanks to S J Bennett, the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

The third book in the ‘Her Majesty The Queen Investigates’ series and yet another brilliant read. It’s a cosy Murder mystery, full of the expected drama and suspense, yet written in a familiar and funny way.

Really enjoyed the previous two novels in te series, loved the fact the queen is the one trying to solve the mysteries! Loved the funny bits too! A quick and easy read. Hopefully more to come.

The novels in this series are the embodiment of how imagine a cozy mystery featuring the Royal Family and the late Queen Elizabeth.
Another entertaining, compelling and engrossing mystery that kept me turning pages and guessing.
It's a bitter sweet read due as Queen Elizabeth passed in September but it's also a picture of woman who became a pop icon even if she was always as removed from pop as one can be
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Light hearted crime story. Set in 2017, the Queen has come to Sandringham for Christmas where her family will join her and Prince Philip. Then a hand is found on the beach wrapped in plastic. The police inform her Magesty, as a courtesy, and she recognises the ring on the hand as belong to her neighbour.
TheQueen and her staff set out to find out what happened.
The author depicts the Royal household in a positive way and has clearly studied royal life. She has captured the essence of the Norfolk coast and villages.

Another absolutely fabulous read and like the other books in the series this continues the backstory of more characters while being a new location (palace) and crime.
Lots of lovely Christmas traditions and royal gossip as well as a learning about pigeons.
Thank you for the opportunity to read to this book, I also listened to the audio version and had Samantha Bonds voice in my head as I read.

This was the first of this series of books that I’d read. It was quite strange reading it after her majesty had passed away but intriguing nevertheless. I could quite imagine her taking over a murder investigation. Being able to ask questions no one else could. A severed hand is found on a beach not far from Sandringham over the Christmas period. It’s soon identified from his signet ring. But then other deaths and a near miss hit and run happen. I loved her newish assistant Rozie who will go far. The supposed conversations with Elizabeth and Prince Phillip were a joy. I may just have to buy the others in the series