A Death in Diamonds

What a delightful, smartly written whodunit, full of humor and wit. To that, add the inner workings of Windsor Castle. Definitely a fun read for any Anglophile and/or armchair sleuth.

It is the spring of 1957 and Queen Elizabeth II is in Paris on a visit of state. Someone within her inner circle appears to be attempting to sabotage her at every turn. She knows not whom she can trust. All of her immediate advisors, she inherited from her father. Could one or more of them have it in for her? Typist Joan McGraw is tapped to fill the Queen's Assistant Private Secretary position while the current holder of the post is away. Joan is a bit too good for the other advisors and has somehow ruffled their feathers. The Queen soon comes to rely on show more Joan and finds her most trustworthy. Meanwhile, there's been a double murder of a foreign industrialist and his high-end escort. The Queen is particularly keen on finding out more about those details as there appears to be some involvement by someone close to her at court. With direction from the Queen and some deductions of her own, Joan becomes the Queens eyes and ears on both situations. Together, they make a formidable team and work out all the kinks in the subversive goings on.

I thoroughly enjoyed author S. J. Bennett's writing style. She drew on the news of the day to help frame the story. Her knowledge of the royal inner workings, was deftly displayed and humorously described. The scene descriptions are interesting and aid the reader's imagination. All in all, this was a most enjoyable read.

I am grateful to publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: January 21, 2025
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 979-8892420907 show less

Looking back at my reviews for the previous three books in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series, I can see that on each occasion I said the book I was reviewing was my favourite of them all. I'm about to say exactly the same thing about book four, A Death in Diamonds, which I thought was an absolutely brilliant read.

It's possible that what I loved most of all is the fact that this book took me back to 1957 and the beginning of The Queen's (fictional) crime-solving with her Assistant Private Secretary, who in this case is Joan McGraw. I enjoyed the historical elements, the younger Queen and her 'men with moustaches', the stuffy courtiers that Prince Philip disliked so much. The Queen enlists Joan's help to find out who murdered show more a man and a woman in a mews house in Chelsea, a crime in which the Queen has a vested interest in solving.

The story combines large chunks of fact with smaller chunks of fiction, weaving them together to make for a really charming read that was a true joy to pick up and delve back into. The murder mystery itself is very well-plotted and investigated by DI Fred Darbishire which enables us to see it from a more conventional viewpoint. He has no idea how much his strings are being pulled by the monarch!

It was wonderful to read S.J. Bennett's meticulously researched version of the young Queen and her family, and to follow her on trips to France and the USA. This series has a Miss Marple feel to it but the royal element makes it not only stand out from the rest but also particularly up my street. I know the author has a rich supply of possible further storylines from the Queen's long reign, and I hope that it's not the last we've seen of the younger monarch. I'm excited for more in this captivating series - long may it continue. show less

This is the fourth in the series (number five will be published in February 2025), and while I enjoyed them all, they just keep getting better. I’m sure the premise has been done before (the queen, or another royal, solves murder mysteries) but the engaging writing style and realistic portrayal of the Queen gives these books page-turning status. This one in particular was fun because it takes place in the 1950s, when Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip are much younger, and their children Anne and Charles are just eight and ten years old!

As author S.J. Bennett points out in her author’s letter, “All the events in the books are based on fact. The Queen really did travel to all those places, really was presented with the Mona Lisa show more in an impromptu display, and really did have a friendship with Daphne du Maurier.” Although Bennett invents a lot, facts are woven with fiction to create an enjoyable mystery including the behind-the-scenes life of Queen Elizabeth.

Bennett also writes “It may be book four, but "A Death in Diamonds" is part of the origin story of my fictional sleuth. It’s not the first time Eliabeth has solved a crime, but it’s the first time she’s recruited an assistant private secretary to help her.” And her assistant, Joan McGraw, is an unassuming ex-Bletchley Park code breaker, so she’s skilled at investigating and being the eyes and ears for the Queen. Plus she’s a likeable character.

What I especially appreciate about this series is the sophisticated perspective - the Queen is portrayed respectfully, and the book is written as a serious mystery, not light-hearted or silly like some cozies that try my patience.

The author hints that Elizabeth has been solving mysteries since childhood. So that is a clue that readers can look forward to more stories from the Queen’s past. I’m one of those who can’t wait for #5, "The Queen Who Came in From The Cold." show less

I received a free ebook copy of this book in LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program, in exchange for an honest review.

This little mystery was FUN! Apparently this is book #4 in a mystery series which features Queen Elizabeth II as a solver-of-crimes. I wasn't fsmiliar at all with this series, but this taste sent me to my local public library to put the first three on hold! What could be more entertaining than the notion of a young queen besting her fussy 'men in moustaches' (press secretaries and advisors) and solving a crime or two? Written with warm feelings for a woman who many of us think of as having been stuffy and priggish, and illuminating the burdens and expectations that made her come across that way. Fictional account, yes, show more but with bits of historic truths to set the stage. Great literature, no. But well written and great fun, definitely yes. show less

Set in 1957, at a time when the cold war is heating up, the empire has begun to crumbled and relations with America are strained following spy scandals and leaked secrets, the Queen is the one person who can mend international broken fences and the one person certain internal groups are looking to derail. Melding historical fact with a compelling (fictional) murder mystery, the young Queen is portrayed in a sympathetic light as strong, sensitive and intelligent. She has gathered around her ‘men in mustaches’, as Prince Philip has characterized them, protocol-bound private secretaries that we hope are not plotting against her.
The mystery begins with a couple found dead in a mews house a mile from Buckingham Palace, the woman wearing show more a diamond tiara and the man garrotted and stabbed through the eye. It escalates to high society and the morally questionable behavior of many of the highest placed men in that society. The Queen steps in at the point someone close to her is implicated in the deaths.
The book is evenly divided between the efforts of the police, represented by a sympathetic DI Darbishire, and the Queen herself who must do her own undercover investigation. To facilitate this, and secretly bypass her unhelpful staff, she takes on Joan McGraw a typist with an interesting past who becomes her Assistant Private Secretary. Weaving in memorable moments from the past with a believable murder mystery, this book is a complete delight!

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Another escape read: the fourth in S.J. Bennett's series of books that feature Queen Elizabeth II as the sleuth. This one, A Death in Diamonds, is set early in her reign, has her investigating a double murder. One of the victims, a young woman of dubious background, is wearing a diamond tiara belonging to a wealthy man and his wife. Even as Elizabeth and her assistant pursue the case, it seems that someone is sabotaging the Queen herself. Easy, fun and Phillip gets a better treatment than he may have deserved.

I love a good cozy mystery and A Death in Diamonds definitely scratched that itch for me. Although it doesn't precisely fit in that (sub)genre, it never felt frenetic or too high stakes to me and I genuinely enjoyed all the characters. Bonus points for mentioning architectural details and real locations that had me looking at absolutely gorgeous photos online for reference.
This is my first read out of the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates and now I'm going to be compelled to go back and read the first three books, reread this one, and keep up with yet another series because I found it so enjoyable.
Although it won't make it up to the ranks of my favorite books ever, I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend the series to anyone who show more enjoys a light mystery for a cozy night on the couch with some tea, a soft blanket and a snuggly pet. show less