Read really well by Samantha Bond of course, but despite that I failed to engage with this mystery.

What I liked, I thought it was a great decision by the author to take the series back to the beginning of Elizabeth's reign. The time period, a time of transition after the second World War is really interesting, and the rise of a princess to queen, at a time when society was back to putting women in their place after they'd had so many different options and roles in wartime Britain remains such a fascinating juxtaposition. One woman in the most powerful role in the country at a time of horrendous misogyny and pervasive male chauvinism, like the queen is 'other', above 'normal women', S.J.Bennett still gives the queen a sense of humanity.

Having said that, despite the queen putting the pieces together, she remains 'The Queen' and so is limited in what she can actually do, so very little investigating is done by the queen herself, I think this results in a lot of discussion and delegation in an attempt to maintain a sense of realism in how involved the queen could be, and as a consequence loses pace and plot as information is fed back to the queen.

I found myself zoning out and missing parts of the sub-plot, as the queen's efforts to fit into her new role are undermined, and just lost interest in general quite a bit.

Good as a background listen, and fans of the series will like this new perspective from the queen's early years, but I don't remember much about it.

Thank You, NetGalley for giving me the opportunity of reading this book.

A Death in Diamonds by S.J. Bennett is a cosy crime mystery with characters you will love to get to know.

It is one of those books you would finish reading in a day or two.

It's nothing exceptional but keeps you engaged nonetheless.

So, definitely worth your while.

I wasn’t sure where the author was going to take the series but I enjoyed going back to the beginning of the Queen’s reign and the introduction of Joan, especially as I like that era. I love the warmth of these books and didn’t guess the murderer.

DNFed after 12%.
When I requested this book on NetGalley, I somehow skipped the part where it wrote that it's part of a series. I just really like cozy mysteries, and this sounded interesting. When I realized that it was a series, I bought the first book to read before this. This book is set before the first 3 books, so maybe that was unnecessary, but I did not know it. I was not obsessed with the first book. The concept was fun, and I liked how the mystery was resolved (and how the queen solved it), but it was so boring. The characters were unlikeable in my opinion. I thought that the queen would investigate everything, but we got a small portion from her perspective. Yes, she was behind every action, but everybody else investigated. I had different expectations for this book.
So when I needed to pick up this book, I was not interested so much. I wanted to give it a chance, but in the end, I think the beginning of this book was worse than the first one. The mystery was not interesting at that point, also, I did not like the time jump. There were so many new characters, and I just was not interested in it. I read the first book physically, and after that, the audiobook did not work for me. I was not able to listen to it. This book just did not work for me, so I DNFed it very quickly.

It was wonderful to step back in time, I was was unsure how this would work as i have really enjoyed the previous 3 books and this was a big leap leaving Rozie and finding Joan especially as the narrator was the same, however it was ok. Joan was wonderful and I can’t wait for more.

This is a review for the audio version of the book.

This is the fourth in a series and although I have the first one in book form I haven’t read it yet but will certainly go back and read it. You do not need to have read the others.

A woman is found dead wearing a tiara and an older man close by, who has obviously been stabbed. In the house where the bodies were found a high society card game took place that evening and all are suspects. The Queen investigates the case as she knows some of the people involved. She also has to deal with a plot against her to discredit her coming from within her household and she is assisted in her investigations by Joan who was in the typing pool but is promoted by the Queen.

I thought the narrator of the book was very good and certainly suited the book.

A really fun thriller, the cover art is perfect and matches the vibe of the book brilliantly. Looking forward to more from this writer already. The plot and twists were a well executed and it was an enjoyable listen

I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to listen to a DRC of this book.
The narrator is excellent, she gives voice to quite a large cast of characters very well. The differentiation of voices and accents is very good and there is particular attention to the intonation of the "real life" characters.
This is the 4th book in this series, but it definitely works as a standalone and I did not feel disadvantaged by not having read the previous 3 books.
The murder mystery element of the book is well developed and kept my interest until the revelation.
The book is set in the late 1950's and the author does a good job of reflecting the prevailing attitudes and concerns of the time.
I really enjoyed the added bonus of both the author's note and the author interview at the end of the book.
I will definitely be reading the other books in this series and recommending this book to friends who enjoy "cosy crime".

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

The fourth instalment of the ‘Her Majesty Investigates’ series does not disappoint. A joy from start to finish. The first book in the series to be set in the past, ‘A Death in Diamonds’ presents a young and slightly more self-conscious version of Queen Elizabeth II than we have previously met. The new characters who are introduced are well written and develop well throughout the book. Bennett expertly weaves elements of truth and history with fiction making the events seem completely plausible as truth.

The suspense and mystery was well maintained with the reader being left guessing about the identity of the murderer right up until the moment the Queen herself realises it.

As always this was brilliantly narrated and a real pleasure to listen to. I look forward to the next instalment which the post book interview reveals will also be set in the past a few years later.

Death in Diamonds is book 4 in the series Queen Elizabeth Investigates. This is the first I have read of this series and enjoyed the cosy crime feel, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. A woman is murdered in Chelsea and a man is discovered, also murdered, nearby. When the Queen is made aware of the crime and how she may be affected, she becomes involved in the search for the killer. Her involvement must, of course, be covert and she enlists the help of the very capable Joan McGraw. At the end of the story there is an interesting interview with the author where she explains different aspects of her writing and how she enjoys mixing fact with fiction. Samantha Bond is the perfect narrator of this audio book and makes it very easy to visualise the Queen in her role as investigator. Thank you to Net Galley for an audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

Samantha Bond is a perfect narrator for this book!!! Her voice carries the right amount of queenly debonair but at the same time is not grating or difficult to follow.. It fits perfectly the story of a young Queen solving a murder case with the help of her new sidekick, Joan McGraw.

The story is full of men in moustaches and their sexist behaviours which can grate with the contemporary reader, something one can expect from the period novel, but it conveys a certain charm of the bygone era as well, which many will find charming. The story itself drags a bit, as we also deal with some domestic issues surrounding both main characters, there are some well documented historical events, some real characters and the sub plot which I hope will continue in the next book. As in this book we go back to 1957, the series will hopefully continue for a while. I am definitely waiting for the next instalment.

In the fourth book of the series, we move back in time to 1957, and young Queen Elizabeth. The murder of a call girl and her presumed client in a mews house rented by a bishop comes to the Queens attention and she begins to investigate. She is also aware of a plot within the palace to undermined her both at home and on foreign visits and we are introduced to the wonderful Joan McGraw, who becomes the Queens eyes and ears in areas that she cannot visit. I once again loved this book and the detailed research that must have been done in order to write it. The details and mood of the time are caught just right. The narrator Samantha Bond was once again extraordinary and gets the tone and voices of the characters perfectly. It was a delight to listen to. Although the fourth in the series, this can be listened to as a standalone and I I am looking forward to the next in the series. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to listen to an advance to copy this novel.

A Death in Diamonds sees a return of the Queen investigating a mystery from behind the scenes. Where as the previous novels in the series are set more recently, this one goes back to the earlier days of her reign, trying to juggle the complexities of being a mother of young children and a wife as well as the sovereign.

The author cleverly weaves in actual historical events, even down to the outfits worn which makes the story very believable. She writes the characters very well, so you really feel like these could be documented events.

Although I have read one of the previous books in this series, I don’t feel that this is necessary, and you could read this one as a standalone or as a starting point for the series.

I wasn’t sure at first if I would enjoy this book as much as the previous one I’d read, as it was historical and the more contemporary one dealt with the royal family as I knew them. However I ended up really getting into the story. I really liked the character of Joan, and her chemistry with the Queen. The plot was compelling and the resolution felt very satisfying.

The narrator was excellent and I think she is the prefect choice for this series.

I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys the cosier side of crime.

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.

My thanks to Bonnier Books U.K. Audio Zaffre for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘A Death in Diamonds’ by S.J. Bennett. The audiobook is narrated by Samantha Bond.

This is Book 4 in Bennett’s Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series of cosy mysteries. I have read and enjoyed all of the earlier books.

While the first three books in the series were roughly contemporary set in 2016-17, here S.J. Bennett moves backwards in time to 1957. She also introduces a new assistant to the Queen - Joan McGraw, a former Bletchley codebreaker. Joan comes to the position as a temporary replacement for the Queen’s assistant private secretary, who has taken leave.

The mystery involves the murder of a young woman in a Chelsea mews house. She was found clad only in silk undies and wearing a valuable diamond tiara. An older man is also discovered nearby, garrotted and pierced through the eye with a long, sharp implement.

So why does the young Queen discreetly involve herself with the investigation? According to the police, a high society card game was held at the property that night. One of the players surely had committed the murders, though each of them can give the others an alibi. When someone very close to the young Queen is implicated, she is drawn into the investigation, utilising Joan’s discreet assistance.

S.J. Bennett weaves in a number of historical figures and events into the narrative. I was impressed throughout with Bennett’s attention to period detail. This felt a slightly darker whodunnit than the previous books.

With respect to the audiobook edition, Samantha Bond again proved an excellent narrator handling the various characters and their accents with confidence bringing the novel vividly to life.

The audiobook concludes with an interview with the author in which she discusses changing the setting the novel to the past and her plans for the next book, due for publication in 2025, that will be set in 1961 and is titled ‘The Queen Who Came in From the Cold’. The print edition includes a sneak preview of this upcoming title. I can hardly wait!

Overall, I was impressed by ‘A Death in Diamonds’ and am enthusiastically recommending it.

I had the pleasure of reading and listening to this on audio, 12 hours and 45 minutes long, narrated by the wonderfully able Samantha Bond, I love her narration, it is just perfect for this Queen as sleuth series. With the death of the Queen, SJ Bennett goes back in time to 1957 with a vulnerable Queen facing change and challenges, and on a visit to Paris is confronted with the troubling knowledge that there is someone in the close knit 'moustached' circle, inherited from her father, ruthlessly intent on damaging her and her reputation. To her great relief, she is rescued from a problematic scenario by a typist, Joan McGraw, who is no ordinary woman, with experience of an 'interesting' war and has a photographic memory. When Joan is promoted to APS, for the Queen is badly in need of an ally, there are numerous obstacles Joan must negotiate, there is constant hostility directed at her as she does not have an aristocratic background, seen as simply not the right sort.

However, the Queen is adamant on keeping her, particularly with a high profile murder case in ruthwhich a escort, a beautiful young woman, is found dead in a mews house a mile from Buckingham Palace, wearing only silk underwear and a well known diamond tiara. An 'Argentinian' male is discovered with her, garrotted and pierced through the eye with a long, sharp implement. An anxious Queen needs help in a dangerous case which has personal implications for her, and she can only trust Joan to look into the high profile murders with the associated frenzied media coverage. The police investigation is strangely not led as expected by DCI Venables, but by DI Fred Venables and his not so helpful Sergeant Woolgar, encountering obstacle after obstacle.

Bennett blends fact and fiction as she immerses the reader in this historical period, where the Queen slowly adapts to changing circumstances and becomes more comfortable in a role she is to make her own and which gained her an army of admirers throughout her life. This is a complex, multilayered, and engaging mystery that I enjoyed, and it includes some well known people from the time, such as the helpful novelist, Daphne du Maurier, who visits Balmoral. A major highlight is the wonderful creation and development of the independently minded and determined Joan, who I hope will turn up in future books in the series. I can recommend both the book and the terrific audio! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC and ALC.

An instant five star book. This series is incredibly. So well written and engaging.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

This is the second book I’ve listened to in this series and to my surprise, I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m not a huge fan of cosy murder mystery and I’m by no means a monarchist so this title wouldn’t normally be on my list. However, it’s so well written and in the audio version, the narration brings each character to life in a totally plausible way.

I love the Duke of Edinburgh with his short, often acerbic interventions. The Queen is equally believable and it takes a quantum leap to create a persona on paper ( or ear) which is so far from reality but remains convincing. I found it amusing, very much a social slice of the times with manners, protocols and conventions very apparent. The premise is, in a way, preposterous. But it works. It’s gentle but with insight and I fair romped through this with belief suspended. A neat plot, convincingly delivered.

I'm a huge fan of this series. I was worried it would come ro an end after the passing of Queen Elizabeth but SJ Bennett has done it again.
Set in 1957 it paints a colourful picture of life at the Palace in the lead up to the Royal visit to the USA.
A must for cozy crime fans with an interest in the monarchy.
Thank you to Netgally for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook in return for a fair and honest review.