S.J. Bennett's smart, witty fourth mystery featuring Queen Elizabeth II, A Death in Diamonds, takes readers back to 1957, when the queen helps solve a double murder that may be linked to a high-level sabotage plot.
The queen is navigating the shift from World War II-era militarism to tentative Cold War diplomacy and rising to the challenges of being a young monarch and mother. She is advised by many of her father's old courtiers, though she suspects some of them are more invested in their own success than in hers. When a double murder is discovered in a Chelsea flat--with the female victim wearing an expensive tiara--Elizabeth finds herself serving as the alibi for someone in her inner circle. Unsure whom she can trust (other than her beloved corgis), the queen enlists Joan McGraw, a former Bletchley Park codebreaker, to ask discreet questions and serve as her ally in the palace.
Bennett (Murder Most Royal) captures the nuances of 1950s Great Britain, a country finally free of wartime privations but beset by shifting political realities. Debates about imperialism, the role of the monarchy, and the capability of women in leadership roles evoke parallels to the 21st century. Joan, who proves a trusted adviser to the queen, must learn to handle tricky power dynamics in the palace, while keeping a low profile as she investigates. Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth travels on a state visit to the U.S. and Canada, where she handles official business alongside her sleuthing.
Well plotted and insightful, Bennett's narrative is a treat for Anglophiles and mystery lovers. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams