Enjoyable cozy mystery featuring Her Majesty as an amateur sleuth. The author did a good job of getting into the perspective of the "unknowable" Queen, as people she meets are in awe of her yet underestimate her years of experience. Prince Philip is the only other royal with a speaking part, though others appear in the background.

The mystery involved a bit of international intrigue, with clues the Queen was in a unique position to recognize. Her assistant private secretary, a young woman of Nigerian descent, does most of the legwork, and is one of a long line of staff who have helped the Queen solve crimes - leaving open the possibilty for the series to go back in time at some point.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy and the Library Journal Day of Dialog for featuring the author and her book.

Lots of fun and great for anyone who likes riyals, cozy mysteries or British mysteries. The Queen as an amateur sleuth is a fun idea and Bennett runs with it from start to finish. Not exactly the deepest, most complicated mystery, but all-in-all, satisfying and entertaining.

When things don't add up at Windsor Palace, Queen Elizabeth investigates. This is a charming first book in a series where the Queen solves mysteries.

The Windsor Knot is the first in a projected series of books featuring Queen Elizabeth II as the detective solving a murder mystery. this book is set in 2016, as the Queen celebrates her 90th birthday. There is plenty of local color as she carries out her duties. At one point the Obama's come to visit to help her celebrate.

The author clearly knows a lot about how the Queen lives, and fits the story into her daily life. She is of course limited in what she can do so an Assistant is provided -- the newly hired Assistant Personal Secretary is a brilliant and beautiful young woman whose parents moved to London from Nigeria. The Queen has also developed some other resources, including a retired policeman who can do some investigating for her.

Elizabeth is shown is a very positive light. She's intelligent, knowledgeable, and has a profound understanding of human nature based on her many years on the throne. Many of the men around her treat her like a silly old lady, and she uses their attitude to push them in the direction she hopes they will go. She is also a kind and sensitive person, and treats the murder victim and all others involved with generosity.

The book is engaging and fun.

This is a clever and fun book. I love the concept of the queen of England solving crimes without anyone knowing about it except her personal secretary. A imaginative new mystery book with contemporary characters. Bennett certainly gives you a different view of the Queen. A true romp through Windsor Castle. This plot deals with the death of a Russian pianist and the police head off in the wrong direction believing that Russia and Putin was behind the murder. The Queen secretly starts her own investigation and through her maneuvers steers the police in the right direction.

Let me start this review by saying that neither mysteries nor the British royal family are my usual interests. I'm aware of them, I occasionally read them or pay attention past the headlines, but that's about it. So I'm not the best to speak on the quality of the plot compared to the rest of the genre, nor the accuracy of the Queen and Prince Philip (the only members given much attention). I can, however, say that this was a fun read. In this series, Queen Elizabeth has been solving mysteries since she was a girl, often with the help of her Assistant Private Secretary. Now as her 90th birthday approaches, the Queen finds herself on the case again, this time with a brand new APS.

I found this book to be a lovely escape. The diverse cast of characters is well written and differentiated, and the dialog flows well. I found the wrapping up of the murder case itself to be a little murky, but as stated above, this is not my usual genre, and it may be crystal clear to others. Overall I would definitely recommend this book, and I look forward to reading future volumes in the series.

The Windsor Knot will be available from Galesburg Public Library when it is published in March of 2021. Thank you to William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

This review originally posted at Books You Can Die in the Middle Of: https://lookgoodifyoudie.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-windsor-knot-novel-by-sj-bennett.html

This was a fun read! Who knew that Queen Elizabeth had been solving mysteries around the palace for years with the aid of her assistant private secretaries! But this she does when a young Russian pianist is murdered right inside Windsor Castle. The author has imagined what the Queen's life must be like on a daily basis and lets us in for a look. I enjoyed her relationship with Prince Philip, the loyalty her staff has for her and the loyalty she has for them. I hope there are more in this series and I thank you for the Advanced Reading Copy.