The Windsor Knot is the promising first book of the "Her Majesty the Queen Investigates" series by S.J. Bennett. The imagined thoughts and conversations of Queen Elizabeth and the members of her household and staff are a delight, while the Assistant Private Secretary with whom the Queen shares her confidence is a powerhouse. The combination of elderly monarch of the British Empire and her accomplished British Nigerian aide is one the mystery world didn't know it needed until now. Bordering on cozy, even reluctant mystery readers will find this story accessible. In the audio version, experienced narrator Jane Copland does a steadfast and pleasant reading.

Pros: This is a charming book with such a fun concept—Queen Elizabeth II secretly solving crimes. It looks like this is the first book in what will be a series called Her Majesty the Queen Investigates!

Cons: I can’t think of any specific cons. Although no great work of fiction, this book seems to do just what it set out to do.

Three stars on the Goodreads scale but would be 3.5 if I could give half stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the audio version of this book!

I was so excited when I heard about this book! Two things I love would be combined, the royal family and mysteries! I was not disappointed with the novel! I could totally image the awesome and seemingly fearless queen solving the crime! Her assistant/secretary is another strong, female character who, like the queen, is intelligent and tough! I can see so much room for growth and development of characters in future stories! I can wait to see where these characters lead readers on the future!

I have truly been on a roll with Harper Audio and the books they have sent me to review via Netgalley. Their production is always spot on and the narrators are incredibly talented. However, The Windsor Knot fell short for me. And to be fair, it could that this type of cozy mystery was just not right for my reading mood at the time. However, I am blaming the plot.

The Queen is secretly solving a murder that happened at the palace after a party she hosted. A young man dies under unique circumstances and the Queen has to steer the investigation without letting the police know she is really solving the mystery.

The writing was meh. The characters are cold and aloof in a way that I would imagine most are when working with the Queen. But mostly, I just didn't care. I didn't care if the case was solved-or by who. I didn't care if the book had resolve. I'm not sure if the disconnect for me was that the book really didn't develop the murder victim enough to create roots for the story but it all felt rather cold for it to be a "cozy mystery".

I liked the voice of the woman reading this story, she brought the story to life as I listened to the audio version of this book. I particularly thought she did a perfect job with the Queen’s tone and voice. The pace of this story was good, not too confusing and kept me interested. I believe it may be the first in a series and would like to read or listen to the next one!

Thanks to Harper Audio and Netgalley for an advanced audiobook copy of The Windsor Knot.

The Windsor Knot was a fun mystery where Queen Elizabeth as the one solving the mystery. It's as fun as it sounds. Who would have guessed the 90 year old Queen was solving mysteries!

The narrator was only ok, though. It kept my interest, but the beginning was a bit slow. I wish they would have more inflection and differentiated the characters a bit more.

A quirky little romp with the Queen, The Windsor Knot kept me guessing until the very end. I enjoyed the narrator's voice, but would've liked more differentiation between characters. Overall, I liked it and will definitely read on through more investigations with Her Majesty and Rosie.

The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett, the debut book of the coming series, Her Majesty the Queen Investigates.
Audiobook version is narrated by Jane Copeland.

****Coming March 9th 2021****


Windsor Castle is being readied for the Queen's 90th birthday celebration, but Prince Charles asks to host a party,(to include overnight guests), so that he can solicit funds from some Russians for a project dear to his heart. Disaster blooms overnight---the guest pianist is found dead in his room. The mystery begins!
Queen Elizabeth II enjoys unraveling a mystery and she dives right in. I love this premise. The Queen makes the list of inquiries and enlists the help of her new Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, to do the leg work. Rosie uses her considerable skills to help unearth the truth.

The plausible plot moves at a good pace with humor, twists, action, and bits of wisdom from the Queen. I thought it was well written and entertaining. The narrator, Jane Copeland, was a perfect fit for this story. Her accent and pacing married well with the story.

Thank you #NetGalley#WindsorKnot#HarperAudio for the Advanced Reader Copy to listen to. I am giving my honest, voluntary review---I always review books I enjoy so that my friends and others can enjoy them, too.

The Windsor Knot tells a delightful tale of a royal mystery.
The queen is not just a trophy of the monarchy and this story continues to prove it. A woman wise beyond anything we can comprehend, yet still dismissed either as a woman or an old geezer or worse, just a royal who knows nothing about the real world.
Join Queen Elizabeth II, as she navigates an unsolved murder from the sidelines and continues to put pieces together faster than the members of MI6 on the case. Never underestimate a woman!

This story was an easy, light, wonderful read with fun ties to real life and a realistic thoughts in the areas of fiction. A book you can pass along to any neighbor or friend and a fun trope through the royal life!

My thanks to William Morrow, and Harper Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions found in this review are my own and impartial.

This narration really didn't work for me, and I didn't make it all the way through. The narrative felt very stodgy and uninteresting, and I couldn't get involved in the story at all. I wish the narrator could have brought the story to life more in a more active way.

The Queen seems to be a bit bored so that when one of the guest at Windsor Castle is found murdered, the Queen takes it upon herself to conduct her own investigation. (She doesn't seem to feel that Scotland Yard is moving fast enough.) Using the services of her junior private secretary, the Queen directs the gathering of information, contacting experts in different fields as well as conducting interviews.

This was so much fun! The queen takes on a delightfully conspiratorial personality and shows an intelligence that isn't normally allowed.

The narrator, Jane Copland, was very good at voice differentiations so that the listener was able easily to tell what character was talking.

I'd love to hear another!

Delightful, fun, witty, and undeniably British. The Windsor Knot is perfect for those that love the Crown, murder mysteries, and strong female leads. Think Murder on the Orient Express but set in Windsor Castle.

One thing that I learned from watching the Crown (and the subsequent rabbit holes of fact checking and historical context), is that the Crown has a policy of non-interference. So when there is a murder and the police and MI5 are going down a path that Her Majesty believes to be incorrect, she sets about her own investigation. With the help of her staff, the Boss not only uncovers what is going on, but why. Then, in the most subtle way, she does not interfere, but yet plants seeds that change the course of the investigation.

I loved how plausible and real this felt - well researched, strong understanding of protocols, and minute details that perfectly set the stage.

I read this book via audiobook, and the narration adds a subtle layer of innuendo - a read 'hmmm' and head 'hmmm,' can be two very different 'hmmms'.

The Windsor Knot was a very cute book. We follow the Queen of England and her staff as she solves a mystery of someone who was killed in her Windsor Castle.
I admit that you do need to let the book help you distance from reality because reading real living people as fictional characters is a bit odd. I felt like this wasn't as weird with the Queen for me, Either because I am from the US and am not used to paying that much attention to the actual human that is the Queen of England, or because the Queen is already so frequently fictionalized. What was very weird to me was the chapter with Barack and Michelle Obama, I had a hard time separating that in my head, but it did not ruin the book for me as it already feels a bit lighthearted and whimsical so it clearly isn't taking itself deadly seriously.
Outside of that though, I felt like this book was a very fun mystery. I think it bridges the gap well between older style detective novels and cozy mysteries. It borrows a little from each of them without being as serious as a detective novel or as over the top as a cozy mystery. I do think that the mystery maybe could have been a little more impactful. The way it was written did make it so I didn't have this big aha moment at any point or a moment of surprise at the end which is something I usually want in a mystery novel. But I really enjoyed the tone of this book and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, lighthearted mystery read.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another reason to get excited for 2021! This murder mystery/British royalty combo will not disappoint!

Queen Elizabeth is just shy of her ninetieth birthday when a Russian pianist is found murdered at Windsor Castle. At first, it is believed to have been an accident but upon further investigation - by Queen Elizabeth, herself - the scene appears to suggest foul play. Unbeknownst to everyone other than her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, Queen Elizabeth makes it her mission to uncover the truth and find the murderer.  

This book was not what I was expecting. It was so much fun and felt like an adult version of Nancy Drew. 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

So I must admit when I saw this as an advance copy audiobook I only briefly browsed the description before requesting. I saw the plot had something to do with a lady detective and there was a murder in the Queen's castle. So I was a little thrown when I started reading it and the basic plot is the queen solves murders, I had assumed so other detective would come in to solve it and serve up some girl power in the process. Although I immediately wanted to discredit the plausibility of this plot, I remembered I had read The President is missing in the past year so immediately started comparing the two. Having read both of them, this book does a way better job of setting up a leader who solves crimes without their country knowing about it. I liked the way they set up a network of characters to help along the way, with their own strengths to bring to the table. And there was still plenty of girl power to go around! Overall this was a fun premise with lots of mystery and intrigue!
The audiobook was great, the narrator did a really good job of accents and changing tone so you could tell its a different character, without that voice sounding like it was mocking somebody.
I received a free advance audiobook from netgalley for my honest opinion.

Royal murder mystery filled with character and humor.

I don't usually reach for "royal" fiction, but The Windsor Knot hit it out of the park for me. The mystery in it simply so good and realistic, but at the same absolutely outlandish. The plot is concerned with a murder-slash-sex game gone wrong resulting in the death of a Russian pianist Maksim Brodsky; the man is found with a rope around his neck the morning after Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday party at Windsor Castle.

The craziest part: not only is the police investigating this death, but also the Queen herself, who turns out to be quite skilled in murder investigations. YES, you read that right - Queen Elizabeth II is a sleuth. And she's quite funny, too.

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and absolutely loved. The narration is really well done and made me even more invested in the story - which on its own is already a breath of fresh air. I was glued to my headphones during my long walks, which I purposely made longer. I loved it!

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This isn’t the type of book I would usually pick up. But once I heard the concept of the Queen of England solving murders I was in! Set a few years earlier it was such fun not only seeing a usually day as the queen but how she might actually have the time and means to solve crime.

The book was such fun. It was immersive and interesting. Not only did the author give you a realistic taste of who the queen was but also the act of solving crime. I mean she’s not sneaking out of Buckingham Palace late at night looking for clues. Though that would have been fun.

We also meet Rosie who helps the Queen in her quest to find justice. Rosie is the perfect companion and it was great getting to see her perspective of it all. I mean even she was shocked about what the queen was doing.

The author mentioned other Royals without name dropping or going overboard. All in all a great read. I gave it 4 stars and highly recommend. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an excellent job.

“There was a murderer on the loose at Windsor Castle. Or, at least, there had been last night.”

“We are never safe, no matter how many furs and diamonds we wrap ourselves in.”

A Russian pianist is found dead in his guest room at Windsor Castle, the morning after a fabulous soirée hosted by Queen Elizabeth. Initially presumed to be the victim of a suicide (or perhaps a sex game gone wrong), British intelligence forces conclude that the dead man was the target of a political assassination, ordered by Vladimir Putin. Her Royal Majesty, however, is unconvinced.

This well-researched tale offers an incredibly believable peek inside the affairs of the royal family, their staff, and the people/agencies surrounding them. S.J. Bennett has done her homework! I’ll admit that it almost felt too intimate, knowing that many of the characters portrayed (namely Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip) are real people, who are still alive today, and may or may not agree with their portrayals. The Windsor Knot doesn’t just toe the line between a standard novel and fanfiction; it soars across it with a flying leap.

But the premise, plot, and storytelling remain captivating, and I found myself eagerly searching for clues along with the Queen and her private secretary Rozie, wondering if I’d correctly guessed the mystery of the pianist’s death. I was surprised to find that Rozie did more of the actual sleuthing, which I suppose makes sense, given the constraints of the queen’s royal position, but it was an entertaining read nevertheless.

If your reading taste gravitates toward mysteries, thrillers, or anything “royal,” pre-order a copy of The Windsor Knot - it’s a great addition to any royally-minded bookshelf!

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A huge thank-you to S.J. Bennett, William Morrow, Harper Audio, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Thanks to NetGalley and Wm Morrow for providing an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think this book is possibly not "for me," despite its being oh-so-British, for one, and for two, its being a mystery in the ultimate manor home. I'm not sure if it's the dry intonations of the narrator (she's very good; however, there's just a lack of emotion that is very Queenly, but doesn't do much to make me feel like the Queen is a real person with human feelings), or just my general irritation with BRF in general, but this one left me rather cold. Perhaps I've been watching The Crown too much and it's affecting my appreciation for upper crust Britannia. The notion that the Queen could feel particularly disturbed over a murder in her palace (beyond distress over the PR debacle aspect of it), let alone *solve* the mystery, beggars belief.

I'm sure there is an audience for this mystery novel; I am equally sure that I am not it.

I'm hooked. I will buy however many books come next in this series (I hope it's a lot more).

I randomly ran across this book and was immediately drawn in by its premise. I mean, the Queen of England, at 89, solving mysteries? What's not to love? It sounds a little wacky, but once you get into the book and fully on board with the premise, it's just so utterly darn charming. If you're wondering how she solves he crime while being, you know, queen, I'll go ahead and say she's the brainpower but not the manpower. And I'm a little bit obsessed with Rosie, her ex-military, ex-banker, WOC bad@$$ assistant. I also thought the crime was extremely clever, fun to piece together, and not at all predictable. The writer deserves major props for such an original story, and I'm sure significant plot mapping efforts!

It took me a bit to get used to the storytelling style--it's omniscient, which wasn't what I was expecting. I thought we'd either get first or third POV with insight into the Queen's thoughts, but instead it's third person POV but we're hopping in and out of everyone's heads. I struggled with this in the beginning, but really got used to it and ended up loving it after a short bit.

I listened to this one on audio, and the narrator was wonderful. An absolutely delightful British accent that didn't put me to sleep (and a wonderful impersonation of Prince Philip lol). I'm more of a visual person, so it was a struggle for me to remember all the character's names without seeing them written down, but I'm still extremely glad I did the audio and would highly recommend it.

This was one of my favorite mystery reads this year!

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio, and William Marrow for my free advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

5 stars - 10/10