The morning after a dinner party at Windsor Castle, eighty-nine-year-old Queen Elizabeth is shocked to discover that one of her guests has been found murdered in his room, with a rope around his neck.
When the police begin to suspect her loyal servants, Her Majesty knows they are looking in the wrong place.
For the Queen has been living an extraordinary double life ever since her coronation. Away from the public eye, she has a brilliant knack for solving crimes.
With her household's happiness on the line, her secret must not get out. Can the Queen and her trusted secretary Rozie catch the killer, without getting caught themselves?
What a creative cosy crime story that you can easily fall in love with. I love the idea of the Queen taking on a secret detective role and solving crimes! Definitely a perfect blend of Miss Marple and The Crown!
I loved the way The Queen was portrayed and her relationship with Phillip was lovely. I really hope she managed to read a copy of this and enjoyed it as much as I did.
I look forward to reading the remaining books in the series.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A cute, cosy murder mystery you won't want to miss!

This isn't any just another cosy murder mystery this one features the bloomin' queen.

I adored the characters & the banter between them was first class.

I cannot wait to curl up with the next one.

An unexpected good read as I'm not a huge fan of the royals but the Queen is superbly and sympathetically depicted. Details of royal life are interesting and intriguing but I hate the whole hunt mentality. Not too fond of her side-kick... Some humility would go a long way. Might plump for the second installment.

All right, so the queen is solving murder mystery. I think that’s enough to read the book, not disappointed at all, loved to read and visualise the queen in this manner!! So cool!! Definitely worth reading.

I started reading this book with excitement as I really loved the premise. But as much as I loved the premise, I found it really hard to get too. I'm not sure whether it was the narration style, which 'head hopped' quite a bit and I found slightly off putting, or the fact that due to the nature of the subject there seemed to be some distance from the main character, I'm not sure. However, this is a shame as I really wanted to enjoy the story, but it just never quite engaged me.

You know what? Life is still a bit pants at the moment. We are still restricted to what we can do (it is June 2021 as I write this) and very little is making me feel good. Enter The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett. This cosy crime is a wonderful story which positions the Queen as a Sherlock Holmes-esque character solving crimes and then going to walk the corgis. It is truly a wonderful read.

SJ Bennett's mystery takes place at Windsor Castle after a soiree thrown by the queen. One of the quests is found murdered and the police try to solve the crime and keep the salacious gossip out of the papers. Little do they know that the Queen is a dab hand at solving mysteries. The race is on to see who will get to the crux of the murder first.

I really, really enjoyed The Windsor Knot. It was comforting and I finished it hoping against hope that the Queen has enjoyed a spot of crime solving during her years on the thrown. I think it would be truly wonderful.

The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett is available now.

For more information regarding SJ Bennett (@sophiabennett) please visit her Twitter page.

For more information regarding Zaffre (@ZaffreBooks) please visit www.bonnierbooks.co.uk.
For more information regarding Bonnier Books (@bonnierbooks_uk) please visit www.bonnierbooks.co.uk.

I love cute and cosy mysteries as much as the next classic crime fan but I tend to feel this was taking it a bit too far! I suspect that non-UK readers would enjoy this a lot more than I did, but at times it did feel as if it had slipped from fun into parody. I am perfectly happy to suspend my disbelief with fiction but this became hard to do.

I actually enjoyed the characterisation to some degree and the mystery was sort of fun, but it felt like a slog by the end.

The Windsor Knot was a nice, easy going read. For me, it didn’t have enough going on to get and keep me gripped.
It was quaintly enjoyable though, written well and had some good characters; Rozie and Sir Simon were my favourites.

I thoroughly enjoyed the cozy crime thriller. I loved the idea of the queen just casually solving mysteries as a side hustle to her normal duties as monarch. This is the start of a series and I will definitely read book 2 in the series. Perfect for fans of the Agatha Raisin series! A light, easy read.

THE WINDSOR KNOT is the first in a new series that features the Queen as a detective. It’s 2016 and the Queen is soon to celebrate her ninetieth birthday. Before that she holds a ‘dine and sleep’ (a real and regular event apparently) at Windsor Castle, her favourite residence. Included in the mix of the great and the good is a young and handsome Russian musician. Disaster strikes the next morning when his naked body is found in a wardrobe, “strung up like a Tory MP”; the verdict being accidental death. The Queen is not so sure and suspects foul play. Though she cannot be seen to investigate she assigns the legwork to her very capable assistant private secretary Rozie and uses her own position to gently manipulate the Government investigators in the right direction.

For all its outward appearance of being a ‘cosy’ read there is a bit more grit to it than that. As well as the manner of death, it also includes spying and drug-use as potential motives, but as this exchange between the Queen and Prince Philip shows, she’s unshockable:

“They forget. I’ve lived through a world war, that Ferguson girl and you in the Navy”

“And yet they think you’ll need smelling salts if they so much as hint at anything fruity. All they see is a little old lady in a hat.”

This is an enjoyable “country house” mystery with any wrongdoers having had to have been on the premises due to the tight security arrangements. The plot is quite complicated and revolves around a significant clue, one that the Queen can assist with explaining. If you watch ‘The Crown’ or are interested in the Royal Family, then that will give an added dimension.

I was extremely excited to read this as S.J. Bennett is better known as Sophia Bennett, one of my favourite YA authors, but under her new pen name she’s writing mysteries for adults in which the detective is the Queen! The Windsor Knot is mostly set at Windsor Castle, after an overnight guest dies and some think it is it was a suicide but the Queen suspects it was a murder. The story is mostly from the perspective of the Queen’s assistant private secretary, a younger woman who finds herself in this strange situation, secretly helping the Queen investigate a murder, acting as her eyes and ears a lot of the time! It’s a very interesting concept, I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to reading the second in the series!

I didn't really know what to expect when I first started this, if i'm being honest I only requested it since it sounded curious and it piqued my interest plus THE COVER LOOKS SO GOOD AND EYE CATCHING. It also seemed like it could be a lot of fun and also pretty bonkers considering the premise and i'm really pleased to tell you that I was right!

It was a really enjoyable murder mystery that I'd totally read again for a pick me up or just when i'm in the mood for a coy murder mystery, i mean a mystery solved by THE QUEEN? Who could say no? 🙈Though i loved that the Queen wasn't alone, along for the ride we have Rozie the queens personal secretary. Since the Queen can't do most of the main detective work since she's well THE QUEEN, it mainly falls down to Rozie and I think they really make a great queen!

What I really enjoyed about this whole novel though is the Queen herself, since I find sometimes when reading books about royalty or the monarchy or just Britishness in general you can either get two types of content, either brilliant books you can't put down, or a book that feels so cringe worthy you wipe it from your mind all together. I'm really pleased to say it's ended up being the former and I loved seeing this version of the Queen we see in the book! I loved how the police and MI5 thought of the Queen as this naive shockable old woman and instead she's bloody brilliant!

In conclusion, if you enjoy cosy mysteries and you're looking for a new one with a really interesting twist, then i'd totally pick this up when you have a moment! I really enjoyed it and hope you will too! I think it's getting a sequel (well, I hope so!) and i'm certainly planning to pick it up!

(3.5/4) Starts

This is a great crime read with a twist. When someone is found dead atWindsor Castle the Queen takes an interest in the case so with the help of Rozie Oshodi her assistant private secretary she tries to solve the murder before an international incident breaks. Rozie is a great contrast to the Queen she can fight, ride and go where the Queen can’t . A really enjoyable read, I hope there will be more to come.

I absolutely loved this book and in some ways it reminded me of Richard Osman's novel which I also read recently and adored.
The Queen as a amateur sleuth is a wonderful idea. It was funny and comforting which may sound very strange given that it involves a murder. I would definitely recommend it for a bit of light relief.

A trope that I am currently fond of is the fictionalization of real life people solving mysteries; I find these books entertaining to read. Such is the case for The Windsor Knot, in which we have Queen Elizabeth II conducting a murder investigation with the help of Rozie, the assistant of her private secretary. An unusual death occurred in the premises of the Windsor Castle, where a young man who was invited as performer, was found in a compromising position. In order to protect the Queen’s reputation, the investigation was conducted with the minimum information disseminated to the public. However, when the Queen thought that investigation wasn’t going in the right direction, she decided to make some enquiries of her own.

This was such a delightful read. It mashes in history and fiction, giving a voice to one of society’s most guarded personalities. I like how the character’s insightfulness comes across, and how she arms people’s perspective of her to her advantage. SJ Bennett wrote a fleshed out characters in the Queen and Rozie; I enjoyed their interactions in the book. Both characters were absolute fun to read. The mystery aspect was intriguing; the events weren’t surprising or thrilling but it does keep the story moving without spoiling the ending. Overall, a fine novel with well-written characters.

What a gripping and highly entertaining story. I read it in one afternoon unable to put it down.
It's a clever, well crated and well written story. It made me smile and I try to guess who was doing what but I had to wait for the final revelation.
Well rounded and likeable characters, a solid mystery full of twists and turns, an interesting background that mixes fictional and historical characters.
I had a lot of fun and hope to read other stories featuring HRM investigating.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

You will know from the premise if you’re going to enjoy this book. It’s the Queen, in 2016 dealing with a murder at Windsor Castle that the police and security services just aren’t going to solve.

With her plucky assistant private secretary she pulls the strings of an investigation to gather clues and interview experts.

The mystery is complex enough to hold interest, with red herrings and the potential for international intrigue. Philip is as blunt and amusing as you would hope, although, absent for most of the proceedings to allow the Queen character time to ruminate.

The Queens inner voice is the star, imagining how she would go about solving mysteries, but never revealing her involvement.

My favourite part was the hint at a bigger mythology, with all the previous Assistant Private Secretaries being in on the Queens activities and having their own little club - which will allow the author to set mysteries at any point in the Queen’s reign.

A little delight in difficult times.

Well, this was fun!

A cosy murder mystery (I get why people say "Imagine The Crown meets Miss Marple"), but I completely get why some readers won't like this as, at times, a tad too cosy.

We all think we know the Queen, right? We've seen her in her pastel outfits, on her long loved horses, with the family that she adores. But what about the other side of the Queen? When a guest at Windsor Castle turns up dead, it's up to good old Lizzy to nudge the police in the right direction, and get to the truth of what happened.

I loved the idea for this book, and was thrilled to be able to read an extract on Readers First. Those first few chapters were amazing - I loved the description of the setting, and the behind the scenes of Windsor Castle, I loved this imagination of the Queen, how she's sharp and funny, loyal and interested, and I was really looking forward to reading the rest of the novel.

There were some aspects of this book I really enjoyed all the way through, and that was mainly the characters. Most notable was the Queen herself, and I really think S.J. Bennett did a wonderful job of respecting the persona of the queen, while also giving her a joyous, mischieveous, quick witted and trustable (is that a word?) character.

Other characters I enjoyed reading were Rozie, formidable and fun, and Prince Philip, who I'm sure does have a cheeky side to him when he's around the Queen.

However, there were parts of this story that lacked for me. I felt the writing was either too heavily focused on the mystery element and not on the Queen, which for me was the selling point of this book, OR it was too focused on the Queen, and we lost any plot development or hook with the mystery. Unfortunately, the balance between these two wasn't great throughout the whole book, which was disappointing.

The mystery as a whole was lacking for me. I lost interest in it many times, because lost with connections and theories, and generally just wasn't feeling it.

So while I didn't love this book, it was a fun read and a really unique idea, and I just wish the outcome were more up my street. I have heard this will be a series with more stories about the Queen solving mysteries, but I don't think I'll be picking them up, sadly.

I absolutely love this story. The idea of a 90 year old queen being a bit of a private detective (with the help of a secretary)is fantastic. There is suspense, mystery and a lot of humour. I particularly enjoyed the input from Prince Philip, I could actually hear his voice as I was reading the book. I was thrilled that this is going to be the start of a substantial series and will be collecting all of them