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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Best of the series so far. Authentic 1950s setting, well researched, enjoyable plot. Overall, a very enjoyable read.
Honestly, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous books. Having said that, I do still love the idea of the Queen investigating murders!
This one is set in the 1950's with a new set of characters that aren't in the present day stories. It did take time to learn who everyone was and which nicknames they also went by. I did love Joan though - she made such a good partner in crime for Her Majesty. I didn't guess the murderer - that was surprising but I loved the resolution for it.
Overall, an enjoyable cosy murder mystery. I'm curious to know where the next book will go.
This one is set in the 1950's with a new set of characters that aren't in the present day stories. It did take time to learn who everyone was and which nicknames they also went by. I did love Joan though - she made such a good partner in crime for Her Majesty. I didn't guess the murderer - that was surprising but I loved the resolution for it.
Overall, an enjoyable cosy murder mystery. I'm curious to know where the next book will go.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you to net galley and the author for the arc copy of this audiobook. This is 4th book in the series was okay but it’s not my favourite one. Someone of the language and dialogue in this book shouldn’t of been into the book as some of the words the author used to describe the women victim wasn’t needed they could of used better words then tart or tramp. The characters in this book were so well written and I really liked the main character who worked along side the queen as she made the book more interesting and intriguing. They was a full characters that I didn’t really like or get on with but they was needed in the book to make it work and they made it more believable. They way the killer was brought to justice by the queen was done really well and done so intelligently well as I really didn’t expect the killer to be who it was at all I expected someone totally different but the ending shocked me and has made me want to carry on with the series. I can’t wait to see what the queen gets up to next and what murder she solves
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Having read the previous novels in this series I was anxious and excited in equal measure. SJ Bennett shook it up by setting this novel in 1957 so none of the cast bar the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were the same. I liked the inclusion of Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother as it kept the mystery quite light when it got quite dark. Instead of Rozie, the Queen's regular detective on staff, we were introduced to Joan McGraw, who I must admit it took me a minute to warm up to due to loving Rozie so much in the previous books but who by the end of the book I really loved. The mystery itself was quite interesting in and of itself including a deputy secretary to the Queen plotting with an sleazy underground group, call girls, nazi collaborators, and Mi5 trailing members of the Royal family. This was enjoyable but the denouement of the mystery was wrapped up out of nowhere ie the Queen just seemed to pluck the solution from nowhere, where as in the other books she had to work for the pay off a bit more. Still a solid novel in this series but maybe not my favourite.
funny
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.75*
While I know I haven't given this book a perfect score, I did go through it in one go. To say I love these books is not an understatement. The first 3 in the series was set in contemporary time, but this one went back to the 1950s. It took a while to get used to the new cast of characters, almost as if reading a completely new series, it also takes sometime to really enjoy these new people. There are a huge cast of characters, comparatively. Which can be exacerbated by them using 2 different names, ie the Duke of Maidstone is also called Bunny and can be referred to either way depending which character is speaking. I also got the men in moustaches confused as to which was which, it was OK when their name was mentioned along with the job title, but just by one of them I inevitably got confused. AND one of the plots was to discover who amongst them was conspiring against the Queen. These confusions ( which could maybe be checked easier in a paper copy) lessened my enjoyment of the book, to lower to the current level.
While I know I haven't given this book a perfect score, I did go through it in one go. To say I love these books is not an understatement. The first 3 in the series was set in contemporary time, but this one went back to the 1950s. It took a while to get used to the new cast of characters, almost as if reading a completely new series, it also takes sometime to really enjoy these new people. There are a huge cast of characters, comparatively. Which can be exacerbated by them using 2 different names, ie the Duke of Maidstone is also called Bunny and can be referred to either way depending which character is speaking. I also got the men in moustaches confused as to which was which, it was OK when their name was mentioned along with the job title, but just by one of them I inevitably got confused. AND one of the plots was to discover who amongst them was conspiring against the Queen. These confusions ( which could maybe be checked easier in a paper copy) lessened my enjoyment of the book, to lower to the current level.
adventurous
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I do love these cosy crime books, this being the 4th in the Queen Elizabeth investigates series, which throws it back in time to 1957, a clever way to continue the series after the monarchs death.
As with all of these books, the Queen gets involved in a murder investigation and the twists and turns always leave me guessing.
I loved the addition of Joan as a side kick and I'm hoping she will appear in book 5 when it releases next year.
As with all of these books, the Queen gets involved in a murder investigation and the twists and turns always leave me guessing.
I loved the addition of Joan as a side kick and I'm hoping she will appear in book 5 when it releases next year.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated