TP Fielden (pen name for Christopher Wilson http://www.christopherwilson.info/) is the author of 7 novels and 8 biographies. Stealing the Crown was published in 2020, and it is the first in his Guy Harford Mystery series. It is the 24th book I completed reading in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to some violence, I categorize this novel as PG. During the Blitz of 1941, Major Edgar Brampton is found shot dead in his office at Buckingham Palace. While the authorities say the death was suicide, Brampton’s co-worker Guy Hartford has doubts. He had only been working there for a few weeks before the tragedy. In the resulting environment of rumors and conspiracy theories circulating within the Palace staff Hartford begins his investigation.

He soon finds himself in unusual company for his inquiries. He meets the attractive East End burglar Rodie Carr. He also is supported by postman Rupert Hardacre. A man with a questionable past. Their investigation is hampered as there is no apparent motive for Brampton’s death.

I enjoyed the 9+ hours I spent reading this 316-page WWII period mystery. I enjoy mysteries set in this period. This one is full of political intrigue and suspense. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4.4 (rounded to 4) out of 5.

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Enjoyable characters in this WW2 Buckingham Palace spy story, though I admit I didn’t quite follow all the connections between all the characters and the whole Gloucester/Windsor/Kent thing… but an enjoyable enough story introducing the series.

I think I had an ARC of this that’s way overdue, but also bought a copy on Kindle… so apologies to NetGalley and the publishers for the late review, but I did also buy it!

T P Fielden is the author of the Miss Dimont mysteries, that I’ve written about here before, but the author is also a biographer and royal commentator and this uses his knowledge about the royals during the Second World War as part of a murder mystery that sees a painter who has ended up with a job at Buckingham Palace investigating the death of another staff member. It’s a pacey and enjoyable read and in one of those serendipitous moments you some times find, mentioned Camp Siegfried in it, just a couple of weeks after I’d been to see a play set at the camp – which was for American-German Nazis (or at least nazi sympathisers). There’s a second book in the series which I will keep an eye out for

I found this book really difficult to "get on with" - and hence didn't get further than the third chapter. Sorry!

This is the first book in a new series featuring Guy Harford. Guy was living a quiet life in Tangiers when he was forced to return to London in the days before World War II. He is an artist, but somehow he ends up working in Buckingham Palace. Guy is a very interesting character. He fumbles through trying to figure out if his office mate has been killed and then who killed his office mate.
In addition to Guy, the characters of Rodie Carr and Rupert Hardacre are brilliant. Rodie is a burglar and helps Guy to no end. Rupert works in the Palace too but somehow it seems he might be a spy.
The details about Buckingham Palace and its inner workings are well described. The author has written royal biographies. His knowledge of the royal family and places shows.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy. I gave this three and a half stars. I think it is a solid start to a new series.

A fun and funny WWII-adjacent spy-ish novel that examines life in Buckingham palace in wartime, and all the intricacies and absurdities that go along with it.

At its heart this is a murder mystery, with a spy plot on the side that ties into the narrative. After causing an international incident in Tangiers, protagonist Guy is assigned an office and a set of duties at the palace that include picking up an exiled king’s laundry, caring for a royal parrot named Charlotte, and investigating a suspicious death.

Alongside Guy are Rodie, a consummate criminal, and Rupe, the most well-connected “post office worker” of all time. The three team up, buddy-comedy style, to solve the mystery with which Guy has been tasked and perhaps a few others along the way.

Though the solve isn’t really anything exceptional, it fits the story and isn’t really what matters in this one. This is a fun and capery book that’s more about the ride than the solve, and Fielden does a lovely job of giving us a realistic portrait of the Palace in wartime while still keeping the tone light and fun.

Eagerly looking forward to the sequel.

I didn’t get on with this one it failed to hold my interest from the start which meant I gave up fairly quickly unfortunately

This was a fun, easy to read mystery.
Set in Buckingham Palace, the story is full of twists and turns. The book is well written, full of wit, and really captures the readers attention throughout.

When a Palace courtier is found shot in his office things must be taken care of, a death at the Palace is just not acceptable. At first the story is that Major Brampton took his own life but suspicions begin to eat at his fellow courtier, Guy Harford. With a list of suspects a mile long Guy is determined to uncover the truth as to what happened to Brampton but realizes that his own life may be in danger. In order to get the job done he joins forces with his roommate, Rupert, as well as known burglar, Rodie Carr. The trio must make quick work of their investigation to discover Brampton's real fate and ultimately protect the King. Set during WWII, "Stealing the Crown" is a great historical fiction crime read. Keeping track of the cast of characters might be a challenge as there are a number of real life and fictional names dropped throughout this book. I loved Rodie and could see a spin-off based on her character alone. Anya Taylor-Joy would need to play her in the movie. Author TP Fielden is the penname of Palace biographer Christopher Wilson who has a number of royal stories under his belt. If you are looking for a good who-done-it read without the typical graphic details that usually go hand in hand with this genre then be sure to add "Stealing the Crown" to your TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

this book was not what i was expecting it to be. so it was kinda weird and kinda funky and kinda fun. so if that sounds like your gig, then grab it and read it today!

This book is a great fun murder mystery that had me guessing right up to the end
Guy works in Buckingham Palace and is tasked with investigating the death of his colleague Ed, he does this with the help of his flat mate Rupert and clever London thief Rodie
I really enjoyed this book, it’s set in WW2 and looks at a different perspective than any other books I have read. I will admit that it took time for me to remember all the characters but there was a handy list at the beginning that helped with that! I will admit that I did struggle with Guy at times but with the help of Rodie and Rupert the story came together and balanced Guy out so I ended up quite liking him
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a mystery story that looks at the secret side of war and a twist that you won’t see coming

It was a fun read. It has everything, mystery & intrigue. Will keep you hooked. This book helps widen your perspective about the world war 2 from a UK view. A lead character is found dead, and another protagonist faces a situation where he has to determine whether it was a murder or a suicide. Tricky, but very very interesting, I was lucky to receive the arc from NetGalley and the Author. You are in for a treat. Enjoy!

Finally able to get this to download so I could read it. And I was very glad I could. Nice story about England during the war. History interspersed with fiction. I love reading stories about the Royal family especially like this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book for review.
This is the start of a new mystery series following a chap called Guy Harford, who is a courtier at Buckingham Palace. The mystery revolves around the body of a fellow courtier found shot in his offices at the aforementioned Buckingham Palace. Was he murdered, was it suicide, how do we stop this controversy from getting into the public knowledge? These are all things Guy undertakes to find out. I found him a bit of an odd mixture of something like Lord Peter Whimsey and Bertie Wooster, as no-one actually expects his polite but ineffectual bumbling investigations to be successful. I often had to suspend my belief during this book, but I did enjoy it and will probably pick up the next in the series when it’s released.

This was so much fun! I had so much fun with this. Espionage and mystery shenanigans in Buckingham Palace during WWII, well, that's simply delightful imho. Our main character is endearingly (your mileage may vary) confused about everything and I felt that the wary, transactional relationships he initially had with Rodie and Rupe developed neatly into proper friendships, but surely the star of the show here is the setting. Stealing the Crown brings to life the minutiae and madness of being a low-level courtier in Buckingham Palace with light, bright narration and a string of dry witticisms. I don't want to overreach my authority on this because it is basically none, but the narration felt really solidly historical to me even as it was slangy and casual and witty, and that's a tough thing to pull off!

The story itself feels very episodic even as it all purported to be an investigation of the same suspected murder, with Guy sort of running around and meeting new people for information and then going off armed with this to seek out even newer folks. He's in way over his head and forces around him are constantly disposing of clues and then pointing him in new directions, and the combination means that it would probably be an exercise in futility to try and solve the mystery as you read. I did not mind this because I was in it for the setting and atmosphere; I probably would not recommend a mystery fan to read this for the mystery. This is not a knock on the book! It merely has different priorities and happily these lined up with my own soft delight areas for an enjoyable experience. Many thanks to NetGalley & Amazon Publishing UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Any time a book as a Cast of Characters at the beginning, it's a warning to me. The setting and plot in this book were interesting enough. However, there were too many characters to keep track of, and many had nicknames, in that English upper class way, and I could not keep track. I kept losing interest and then coming back later, which only increased my confusion. I think this was a great premise and well-researched but needed a bit more editing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is set in World War II at Buckingham Palace. We follow a royal courtier and get to see how he solves a murder and who really is in charge. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this book and it kept me guessing. I also enjoyed the characters and there was plenty of room open for sequels so the reader can get to know Guy and Rhodie better.

Sorry this book is not my cup of tea. I have a few friends who will love this book and I will recommend it to them. This book is very Agatha Christie like and I enjoy that style sometimes, but unfortunately not on this occasion.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I really enjoyed this book, though the jump to various minor characters' POV got confusing sometimes, particularly the women in Guy's life.

Guy Harford is a great character in the vein of reluctant heroes. All he wants to do is be left alone in his studio in Tangier to paint, but the events of World War II drag him into the conflict. When the book opens, something bad has gone down in Tangier, and Guy's blamed for it. The Foreign Office pull him back to London and install him in a minor role at Buckingham Palace.

From there, a clever plot arises beginning with the curious death of Guy's office mate. And what's his flatmate's role in all this intrigue-- he just works for the post office, doesn't he? American wealth makes a splash and the woman who would be Guy's love interest deserves a whole book of her own. Looking forward to more in this series!

Stealing the Crown
*𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝟴/𝟮𝟱/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬
While I am continuing to post my regular content, the BLM movement is still going on. Please keep referring to my story and linktree to find ways to help out.✊🏻‼️
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What a bummer to have two netgalley reviews in a row that were extremely disappointing. Let’s chat.😊
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Stealing the Crown follows Guy Harford who works in Buckingham Palace in 1941, when his co worker Edgar Brampton is found dead in his office. War is brewing outside the palace, and as the local police rule the death a suicide, it’s up to Guy to prove them wrong.😨
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This was just..bland, boring, dry, and not for me. I feel like this definitely has an audience, but I don’t think that I am that audience. Even though I love cozies, and am obsessed with historical dramas, this ran totally flat. I also really like Agatha Christie, which leads me to think that the writing was my main issue, and that I just couldn’t connect with it. Thinking on the positive, I think that other people might enjoy this novel, and hoping that it’s a ‘me,’ thing.😁
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What’s the last book you read that just wasn’t for you? Let me know!💋
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Dm me to talk about all things book or writing related! I’ll be looking forward to it! —Em😌

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