the year of her ninetieth birthday, Queen Elizabeth II is hosting a dine and sleep at Windsor Castle. Amongst the celebrity guests including David Attenborough, is a Russian pianist, Maksim Brodsky. The pianist is quite the ladies’ man and very flirtatious. Even the Queen herself has a dance with him. The Queen virtually doesn’t do anything to solve the crime. She plays a passive role in the solving of this crime while the main investigation is done by the police and her secretary. This makes me kind of furious because this book is marketed as “The Queen investigates and solves a crime” and there wasn’t much of this in the book. I get it that the Queen is more of a secretive sleuth and doesn’t take credits but even so, there was no part where she actively took part in the investigation. She appears much more of a bystander.

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Tengo una tolerancia amplia para que me guste un "murder mystery", sobre todo uno tan ligero y "British" como este, pero la verdad es que el peloteo a la reina ha sido demasiado incluso para mí. Porque si en vez de Isabel II el personaje que lo mueve todo en las sombras fuera cualquier ancianita anónima o inventada, pues la novela me hubiera gustado mucho más. Pero todo el "All Hail the Queen" y el "Rule, Britannia!" se me ha atragantado un poquitín. I thought the author used known details of the Queen's life very effectively, corgis, horses, Prince Philip, and all. Bennett provides a plausible murder inside Windsor Castle after one of many social occasions held there. The victim is a young Russian man, involving MI6 in case of Russian government machinations. When the head of the investigation gets too focused on the members of the Queen's household, trying to find a Russian connection, Her Maj takes matters in hand to make sure justice is served. She was a much-loved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother of - let’s face it - a fairly dysfunctional family. She had vast estates, vast wealth and very little time to herself. She worked every day of the year except Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and was more widely travelled than almost anyone in her generation. Wherever she went, up to a million people would line the streets to see her. She was in the news a lot. The idea that Queen Elizabeth II is a super sleuth and loves a good puzzle of the criminal kind is quite out there and yet it works perfectly. MI5 and the police seem to think that the Queen is just an elderly woman who doesn’t know much, but they are very mistaken. The Queen sees and hears most things and knows far more than she ever lets on. For a murder-mystery, the book is quite humorous and did give me a good giggle in places, who would have thought the Queen had a sense of humour? Though Prince Philip was on form with his quips too. The writing style made it perfectly easy to visualise the Queen investigating in that it is quite formal. It also reads a little like a diary of her life as she still had to attend Royal engagements, meet people, talked about her family and horses, etc.

Overall, The Windsor Knot is a satisfying start to what I think will be a great cozy mystery series. All the Queen’s Men is the second book, and I can’t wait to see what puzzle the Queen will solve next. Um es auf den Punkt zu bringen, wäre mein Interesse an der Queen nicht so hoch, hätte ich das Buch abgebrochen, da ich die Aufklärung des Falles uninteressant fand. The narrator, Jane Copeland, is fantastic! Pitch, pace, power, accent(s), enthusiasm, and fluency were spot on. The narrator did this story justice, and brought life and authentic realism, making the listening experience even more enjoyable. I loved the idea that Queen Elizabeth, along with a close staff member and confidante, is trying to get to the bottom of a mysterious death at her beloved home, Windsor Castle. Since Her Majesty is an intelligent, well-read woman, it was quite satisfying to hear about her frustrations with one particular patronizing character; Besides the mystery, there are appearances by some political figures and members of the Royal Family that add to the feel of the story.

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This ingenious first book, that was the catalyst for a new crime series, captured Queen Elizabeth’s essence in all aspects. I loved how S. J. Bennett made this book so real, yet delightful and even funny. If I did not know better, I would have thought that Queen Elizabeth II was really talking and performing her royal duties throughout this book. The essence of the Queen was portrayed in every aspect. I loved The Windsor Knot and wait anxiously for the next book in this series. I highly recommend this book. Digamos que la novela tiene poca autocrítica en cuanto a la política exterior británica. Mucho meterse con Putin y China, pero luego no nombra otros países por el nombre, no sea que se enfaden. Además de ella, hay otro personaje que me ha encantado y es el rey consorte Felipe. La relación entre ellos es divertidísima, al estilo matrimoniadas a la inglesa. No se como sería en realidad pero es genial aterrizar a la realeza en la cotidianeidad.I find it difficult to call this story a "cozy mystery" since a murder is involved, but I do love that Queen Elizabeth is a modern-day Nancy Drew! I wouldn't be surprised if Her Majesty was aware of this particular book! The woman knew everything! Now with the investigation in full swing and her 90th Birthday Celebration about to happen, The Queen continues with her normal schedule of duties. Not a small fete for anyone. Anyone that is, except for Her Majesty The Queen! Her staff doesn't call her, 'The Boss', for nothing! Even though it wasn’t my cup of tea, I am certain that people who love cozy reads will truly enjoy this one. It’s a very relaxing story, and it’s quite interesting to dive in the Queen’s world, even just for a moment. There were some amazing facts about the monarchy as well, and I was surprised that I knew some of them, as I live near Windsor and Ascot.

SJ Bennett

After learning that Brodsky had criticized Russian President Putin, the authorities conclude that members of the Queen's staff were Russian sleeper agents put in place to murder Brodsky. Two of the Queen's employees are discovered to have tenuous connections to Russia, and they're furloughed while the Met and MI5 make further inquiries. I was actually very excited to read this book based on what the synopsis said. I love a good cozy mystery thriller. But unfortunately this book fell flat for me. Though I enjoyed some parts of the book, the majority of the book made me feel underwhelmed and lukewarm. I liked the royal setting of this story though. It was fascinating to see the Queen herself and the happenings in her castle. SJ Bennett was born in Yorkshire, England in 1966, and lives in London. An army child, she grew up travelling around the world. Her first novel was published when she was 42, after a varied career and lots of procrastination. She is the award-winning author of several books for children and teaches and podcasts about writing.The 1st in a new cozy series: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates, the book starts out with a death right at that the beginning, taking place right under the roof of Queen Elizabeth, at Windsor Castle. Tras todo esto deciros que la verdad es que si no hubiera estado en una LC creo que posiblemente lo hubiera abandonado. Está bien escrito y el personaje de la reina es genial, pero es tan lento…. Ya me ha pasado con alguna otra obra inglesa de este género “negro”. Bueno sobre el género deciros que aunque parece que es novela negra y tiene sus cosas de novela negra es más lo que se llama un “mistery cozy”. Es decir no hay escenas fuera de tono ni cruentas y el entorno es como muy adorable para haberse cometido un asesinato. Wow, just truly terrible. It’s basically HRH fan fiction, and it’s just absolute drivel. The entire thing is trite, from trying to make the death salacious enough people didn’t want to upset HRH’s sensibilities to the impending Obama visit. Just so bad, I honestly don’t have anything good to say about it. The Windsor Knot, the first book in her cozy mystery series, Her Majesty the Queen Investigates, puts a fun twist on the reign of Queen Elizabeth II by reimagining her as a behind-the-scenes sleuth within the walls of Windsor Castle. And when there is a mystery to solve, you can bet the Queen will not rest until the case is closed. AUDIO VERSION of The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett - Narration by Jane Copeland. YES!! This was absolutely lovely to listen to! So much fun!