The "Her Majesty the Queen Investigates" series by author S.J. Bennett is a delightful collection of novels that blend the charm of the British royalty with the intrigue of a Cozy Mystery, in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves crimes while carrying out her royal duties.
For the Queen has been living an extraordinary double life ever since her teenage years as “Lilibet.” Away from the public eye and unbeknownst to her closest friends and advisers, she has the most brilliant skill for solving crimes. With help from her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, a British Nigerian officer recently appointed to the Royal Horse Artillery, the Queen discreetly begins making inquiries. As she carries out her royal duties with her usual aplomb, no one in the Royal Household, the government, or the public knows that the resolute Elizabeth won’t hesitate to use her keen eye, quick mind, and steady nerve to bring a murderer to justice.
Current titles in the series are:
- The Windsor Knot (2020): When a guest is found murdered at Windsor Castle, the Queen decides to discreetly investigate. Alongside her trusted confidante and secret investigator, Rozie Oshodi, Queen Elizabeth embarks on a journey to uncover the truth behind the crime while navigating the complexities of royal life.
- A Three Dog Problem (2021): In the second installment, Queen Elizabeth finds herself embroiled in yet another mystery. This time, her beloved corgis discover a dead body during a stroll on the grounds of Sandringham Estate. With her faithful companion Rozie by her side, the Queen dives into a web of secrets and intrigue, uncovering unexpected connections and untangling the threads of a complex case.
- Murder Most Royal (2022): In the third book, Queen Elizabeth is preparing for the Christmas holidays at Buckingham Palace. A severed hand is found washed up on a beach next to the Queen's estate at Sandringham. Elizabeth has become quite accustomed to solving even the most complex of murders. And though she quickly identifies the 70-year-old victim, Edward St Cyr, from his signet ring, the search for his killer is not so straightforward.
The series provides examples of:
- Affectionate Nickname: As in real life, Phillip frequently calls his wife "Cabbage".
- Age-Gap Romance:
- In The Windsor Knot, the night Maksim died, it was revealed he was having sex with Meredith, a woman who was fifty-seven to his twenty-something. Meredith would tell Rosie that neither of them had planned it, having just met that night but after having a passionate tango
- Murder Most Royal has the seventy year old Ned St Cyr being engaged to a woman who was almost the same age as his adult children.
- Amateur Sleuth: Queen Elizabeth has been solving crimes since she was a teenager without any police training, subtly prompting or nudging the authorities into the right direction as she investigates without them being any wiser that she was involved.
- Busman's Holiday: In Murder Most Royal, the Queen and her family go to Sandringham for Christmas, only for a severed hand to be found washed up on the beach near the estate.
- Cool Old Lady: The Queen, naturally
- Happily Married: Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth
- Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Downplayed but the Queen relies a lot on Rosie for the more physical work of interviewing suspects/witnesses and gathering information. Justified as the Queen is in her 90s and also to keep the police and others from realizing the Queen is investigating.
- Little Old Lady Investigates
- Old Cop, Young Cop: The Queen and Rosie have this dynamic. Queen Elizabeth has been secretly solving crimes well before Rosie was even born.
- You Remind Me of X: Queen Elizabeth initially wasn't sure why the murder victim's death in The Windsor Knot bothered her so much until she noticed that the young man has some physical resemblance to her husband Philip when he was younger and thus also reminded the Queen of the days when she was young and carefree like the young man.
