When the murder of a call girl is a little too close to home HM the Queen needs to her detect,I’ve skills into action. The book is set in 1957 and we follow the Queen as she carries out her duties and wonders who she can trust,

With beautifully drawn characters and a few twists and turns a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Oh how fantastic, another wonderful book about our late Queen, and very well written, researched and managed by the author.
The previous books have been about Queen Elizabeth at what, for most people, would be retirement age. I did wonder whether these books would be able to continue (and hoped they could!), and this clever author has found the perfect way to do that - by setting this book, and hopefully more, at a younger age.
And it made a spellbinding difference, in that instead of a more grumpy (but lovable) Prince Philip, we have a younger (am I allowed to say hotter?) version. And a different Queen.
Of course, a new sidekick was needed, and we had that in the shape of a typist, who, like many women, had done marvellous things during the war, yet found herself demoted and ignored in civilian life.
A lot of this book made me reach for google to find out how close to truth the author was getting - she gives notes at the end of the book, but I couldn't wait for that! What amazing things get revealed!
I could rabbit on for a long time about this book, but I will leave it to the reader to find out just how brilliant it is.
Can I give ten stars??

Once again Her Majesty solves a murder whilst carrying on with her day job. I actually enjoyed the fact that this book is set more in the past than the first 2books were. There is something almost magical reading about Her Majesty as a younger woman instead of the older lady of state she was. I truly hope this series continues in this vein. This is a must read for anyone who likes a good mystery with a true historical figure.

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.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the publisher's blurb or the plot (if that's what you're looking for there are plenty of reviews like that out there!)

This is the third book I've read in S J Bennett's "Her Majesty Investigates" series, and it was just as enjoyable as the others! I love the idea of Her Majesty (now sadly our late Queen) unravelling mysteries behind the scenes, aided by various discreet sidekicks under her guidance.

This book is set in 1957, and includes lots of historical details blended seamlessly with fiction to make it a splendid read. By setting the novel in the past, SJB is able to include (and adapt where necessary) actual events that took place; I was fascinated to learn for instance that the Queen loved jazz and that Duke Ellington had composed a special suite of music for her following their meeting.

I really liked the new character of Joan McGraw, and was cheering for her throughout! Things were different in 1957, and Joan's "class" led to her being the victim of snobbery - not of course from Her Majesty, who appreciated Joan's intelligence and adaptability.

Looking forward to more in this fabulous series.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

I really enjoyed this! I've loved the Her Majesty Investigates series, and I actually think this was my favourite so far (possibly helped by the fact I'm re-watching the early series of The Crown so I was just picturing Claire Foy and Matt Smith!) The plot was entertaining, I enjoyed the little historical details slipped in - Bennett blends fact and fiction really well, and I just love the idea of the Queen investing crimes. The pace of the story is good and kept me intrigued (and guessing!) throughout.

If you are a fan of The Crown then you will love this story! Having read a previous book by this author I knew it was perfect for an easy, fun but quite informative read involving Her Majesty, the late Queen Elizabeth II and her newly acquired Personal Secretary Joan! There’s been a murder at the Dean of Bath’s London residence involving an Argentinian gangster and a prostitute. In addition important speeches and vital menu requirements relating to her Majesty go missing and Philip is being cagey about his whereabouts on the night of the murder and so the Queen isn’t quite sure who to turn to! Needless to say Joan comes up trumps and with the help of Her Majesty they both survive to fight another day! Not always 100% plausible but a great fun read just the same!

Brilliant! I love this series and this book is no different. I adore the idea of Queen Elizabeth as a detective.

This book takes us back to the 1950s and I think this adds another layer to it which is fabulous. I love the intertwining of history and fiction and enjoy the themes of women’s history.

A thoroughly enjoyable, funny tale of murder.

Another tweedy triumph for perspicacity in the palace and cogitation with the corgis! This fab 4th title in Bennett's HM the Queen investigates series takes us back to 1957, encompassing murder, heartbreak & intrigue, topped with a tiara! A couple are found murdered in an exclusive mews and the woman is wearing a stolen tiara. Likeable Inspector Darbishire gets nowhere fast in the investigation, and is even warned off. The Queen has to set her usual discreet investigations in motion, with the help of Joan McGraw, a stand in Assistant Private Secretary - not only a woman in very much a man's world, but also a little out of her league in the class systems operating in the offices of the Palace. But there are consequences for certain points HM wants to look into, and she's not sure she really wants to open that Pandora's box...
Going back to 1957 makes for some subject matter for Bennett to really get her teeth into, with prejudices abounding, and the Queen finding her feet in her roles as a televised monarch, wife and mother of her young family, at a time when she's feeling a bit vulnerable and wanting to do her best to serve her country and commonwealth, whilst also doing what is right for herself, her family and her people.
The writing is of the usual thoroughly enjoyable quality and content, and I found it especially moving and emotional as HM tries to walk a fine line between duty and her heart. I've yet to be remotely close in my own attempts to unravel the plots of these excellent books, but that's fine with me - it's like the best Christies - you don't have a chance of working it out, you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride! This series is firmly on my must-reads list - very highly recommended!
With thanks to Zaffre Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the book in advance.

Another visit to the crime solving monarch. The year is 1957 and 30 year old Queen Elizabeth has a busy year of state visits but something isn’t quite right and the Queen doesn’t know who she can trust, so when she meets secretary Joan McGraw she discovers a quick mind and she’s not one of the moustached men who advise her. With a murder in all of the papers and a link to the Queenshe sets out to steer inspector Darbishire to ‘whodunnit’. I really enjoy these books and going back to a younger Queen is a great idea , she is missed

I love this series where HM the Queen investigates crimes. This one is set in the 1950s, so the Queen is quite young compared to in the other books in the series, and there’s a different sidekick.

This is a cosy easy read with an intriguing double mystery (neither of which I guessed until they were revealed). I hope, despite the sad recent death of the Queen, the author finds a way to continue this series. I’m firmly a fan and I highly recommend this series.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Queen Elizabeth II is preparing for a busy few months with tours to Europe and North America coming up. It’s 1957 and she has only been “in the job” for a few years. Daily battles with the courtiers, who she inherited from her father, are commonplace and Elizabeth is struggling to work out who she can trust. It’s becoming clearer there is someone working against her.
When she meets Joan McGraw, it’s clear that the typist is just the person to help her. Together they work to solve the mystery of two people murdered in Chelsea. A crime that could be far too close to home for comfort, but if they do solve it they might also find out who is working against Her Majesty.
A lovely story of bonds formed in unlikely circumstances threaded with royal glitz and glamour.

Another superb book in this series. I’ve been hooked since the first one and this doesn’t disappoint.

As always, the characterisation is spot on. From the glimpses that we did see of the Queen in real life you can see those parts of her character in the book and for me, it’s easy to imagine that she could be a detective.

This book actually takes us back in time to when the Queen was relatively new on the throne. This allows us to see her navigating her way - still quite strong but in other ways, still learning rather than having found her true mettle.

This book essentially being a prequel means we get introduced to new characters, including Rosie’s predecessor. I really liked Joan.

I felt that the descriptions really set the scene of life in 1957. The plot is good and I didn’t guess who the murderer would be. All of the dialogue is believable too.

All in all a great book. I’ve been looking forward to it after reading the others & it didn’t disappoint. I really hope there are more.

Thanks to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed being back with the crime solving monarch. It felt right , that after the Queen's death, that in this installment we have gone back to the Queens younger years. The late 1950s are an interesting time of change within the UK and I enjoyed the blend of fact and fiction and the homage that Bennett plays to Agatha Christie in the setting of the murder. Joan was a great character and seeing how her relationship with the Queen and the stiff men that surround the monarch was a delight. I hadn't guessed the culprit but the clues had all been there. The crime was really well plotted and made perfect sense once all the clues came together. A delightful read and I look forward to reading more.

Another excellent book in a wonderful series which I think just gets better and better. The author writes in a sympathetic way about Queen Elizabeth with warmth and humour. The plot is interesting, full of great twists and turns and perfectly paced. The reader is swept along in Royal Life and the intriguing story.
The insight into royal life and relationships is thoughtful, plausible and respectful. There is just the right balance of mystery, murder and mirth. I really enjoy the portrayal of Philip and Elizabeth and of their relationship. And Queen Elizabeth’s relationship with her mother, sister and her many advisors. Joan steps in well to replace Rosie and the author skilfully makes her three dimensional, interesting and a character very much in her own right.

I think SJ Bennett has shown great skill and empathy in the writing of this book and I can’t wait for the next instalment. I would strongly recommend this book.

Having read the previous books in this series, I was intrigued to see where this one would take us. It’s set in 1957 when the Queen has been on the throne for 10 years, has 2 children and a Commonwealth that is becoming more unsettled, with several countries wanting their independence. After a few incidents in her schedule, the Queen comes to believe that someone close to her is deliberately causing mischief.

It can’t be easy to write a murder mystery with one of the main characters being the Queen but the author has given this book a really authentic feel, blended nicely with a murder investigation that has its own problems for the investigating officers, with essential information being withheld from them by the very people who should be helping them.

Joan McGraw is an interesting character and a perfect ally for the Queen. A down to earth character, she is promoted to Assistant Private Secretary against all objections from the Queens most senior advisors, mainly it seems for being working class and ‘not one of us’. 1957 was still a time when women’s jobs were always more menial, few women were in any of the top jobs, and they married were expected to stay at home.

I liked the relationship that developed between the Queen and Joan, it shows how difficult it must be to trust people around you who try to control what information you’re given, and never really knowing if they truly like you, or if it’s just your position of power that they’re interested in. I liked the descriptions of the Queens private life, mixed with real incidents and trips. I also liked the interweaving of several story lines, which were well written and held my interest all the way to the end. My only criticism is that a couple of times it did feel a bit confusing with who was who in a couple of places but it didn’t detract from the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A Death in Diamonds sees a bit of a change of direction for S.J. Bennett's series featuring the late Queen Elizabeth the Second. Previous books have been contemporary but the sad death of the Monarch has seen this episode go back in time to 1957.

There are 2 lines to the story,Palace intrigue where one of the Queen's senior staff appears to be trying to undermine and embarrass her on the international stage,and the murder of a prostitute and her apparent client,with the lady's body being posed and wearing a very expensive,and well-known, tiara within walking distance of Buckingham Palace.
Into this is thrust young Joan McGraw,an unlikely member of the Royal secretarial pool who finds herself the trusted ally of the Queen as she tries to solve both mysteries.

A story using the Queen as a kind of Crowned Miss Marple should really be awful,not to mention unbelievable but S.J.Bennett's books manage to be believable as well as entertaining.

This is a convincing tale with loads of snippets throughout to give a sense of time and place,this can be a bit clumsy at times but overall adds to the charm and I learned a few things I didn't know,not least that a seemingly somewhat unlikely part of the plot-line was based on fact. Mention of Prince Phillip's alleged extra marital dalliances also added to the sense of reality.

A great book in an excellent series. In lesser hands the whole concept could have been ludicrous, as it is the whole series is massively entertaining and highly believable.

I absolutely loved this. The setting was spot on, the insights into palace life fascinating and SJ Bennett manages to both portray the Queen as a human being while not pretending to know too much. It's a gorgeous book with a very decent mystery too

I absolutely loved this book. Given the Queen's death, I did wonder if there would be any more books so glad to see that with a bit of rewinding back in time, we got another book from the author. I really enjoyed it and enjoyed both the investigation part of it but at the same time about the inner goings at the Palace, something which has come out as time went on so glad to see it featured. Definitely a book to recommend!

With the death of the Queen, SJ Bennett goes back in time to 1957 with a vulnerable Queen facing change and challenges, and on a visit to Paris is confronted with the troubling knowledge that there is someone in the close knit 'moustached' circle, inherited from her father, ruthlessly intent on damaging her and her reputation. To her great relief, she is rescued from a problematic scenario by a typist, Joan McGraw, who is no ordinary woman, with experience of an 'interesting' war and has a photographic memory. When Joan is promoted to APS, for the Queen is badly in need of an ally, there are numerous obstacles Joan must negotiate, there is constant hostility directed at her as she does not have an aristocratic background, seen as simply not the right sort.

However, the Queen is adamant on keeping her, particularly with a high profile murder case in ruthwhich a escort, a beautiful young woman, is found dead in a mews house a mile from Buckingham Palace, wearing only silk underwear and a well known diamond tiara. An 'Argentinian' male is discovered with her, garrotted and pierced through the eye with a long, sharp implement. An anxious Queen needs help in a dangerous case which has personal implications for her, and she can only trust Joan to look into the high profile murders with the associated frenzied media coverage. The police investigation is strangely not led as expected by DCI Venables, but by DI Fred Venables and his not so helpful Sergeant Woolgar, encountering obstacle after obstacle.

Bennett blends fact and fiction as she immerses the reader in this historical period, where the Queen slowly adapts to changing circumstances and becomes more comfortable in a role she is to make her own and which gained her an army of admirers throughout her life. This is a complex, multilayered, and engaging mystery that I enjoyed, and it includes some well known people from the time, such as the helpful novelist, Daphne du Maurier, who visits Balmoral. A major highlight is the wonderful creation and development of the independently minded and determined Joan, who I hope will turn up in future books in the series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC