Britannia which was gifted to her some decades earlier by Australian artist Vernon Hooker. And, soon after the paintings disappearance has been discovered, the body of a staff member is found beside the Palace swimming pool. And so begins this delightfully charming double plotted mystery.
With her nation seemingly divided over the result of the Brexit referendum, Her Majesty is now awaiting the outcome of the long and drawn-out US Presidential election result. And, as if all this post-Brexit referendum \ presidential election turmoil wasn’t enough for a Queen to concern herself with; it turns out there are more immediate concerns closer to home. Buckingham Palace requires major, expensive, upgrade works done. The wiring is substandard, pipes are leaking and problems are springing up everywhere!! (pun, a happy coincidence). But the Queen's woes don't end there, as she has just noticed that a painting that once hung outside her bedroom is now no longer there. The issue for the Queen is that she cannot remember giving any authorisations to move it. And yet, all of these things prove to be the least of her worries when, a staff member is found dead beside the palace swimming pool.
The Queen tasks her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, with finding out how the painting made its way out of the royal collection and into the hands of the Admiralty, where it now hangs on display in a Royal Navy exhibition in Portsmouth.
Meanwhile, back at the pool….. In an effort to improve his overall fitness, Sir Simon decides on an early morning swim. Whilst he was prepared for the water to be cold, he wasn't prepared, at all, for finding the blood-soaked body of Cynthia Harris in the pool area. The long-time housekeeper, and a favourite of the Queen, Cynthia Harris was a rather unpopular member of the royal household amongst its staff. It appeared as though Mrs Harris slipped and fell; and during the fall punctured an artery near her ankle. Death occurred rather quickly afterwards. Talk about a Royal nightmare! The authorities are quick to determine that Mrs Harris' death was a tragic accident, but QEII is not so sure. She has had a feeling that something wasn’t quite right in the palace for a while now. Sometimes, it takes a Queen’s eye to see what no one else can.
A Three Dog Problem is an admirable follow on from The Windsor Knot. It's a fast-paced plot which is liberally littered with red-herrings and a dash of palace conspiracy. Bennett does well to pull off this pretty outlandish double mystery, and as usual, QEII comes out on top. Whilst your initial impressions of a monarch might not include solving crimes; this reigning monarch has a wonderful array of sleuthing abilities!
Best Supporting Female Role: Ex-Soldier, and the Queen's APS, Rozie Oshodi.
Best Supporting Male Role: cheekily outspoken, tongue-in-cheek Prince Philip whose lines and parts are always scene-stealers.
Best Supporting Four Legged Role: Candy, Vulcan. Woof. Woof.
Let's all cheer 'Long Live the Queen!'
With her nation seemingly divided over the result of the Brexit referendum, Her Majesty is now awaiting the outcome of the long and drawn-out US Presidential election result. And, as if all this post-Brexit referendum \ presidential election turmoil wasn’t enough for a Queen to concern herself with; it turns out there are more immediate concerns closer to home. Buckingham Palace requires major, expensive, upgrade works done. The wiring is substandard, pipes are leaking and problems are springing up everywhere!! (pun, a happy coincidence). But the Queen's woes don't end there, as she has just noticed that a painting that once hung outside her bedroom is now no longer there. The issue for the Queen is that she cannot remember giving any authorisations to move it. And yet, all of these things prove to be the least of her worries when, a staff member is found dead beside the palace swimming pool.
The Queen tasks her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, with finding out how the painting made its way out of the royal collection and into the hands of the Admiralty, where it now hangs on display in a Royal Navy exhibition in Portsmouth.
Meanwhile, back at the pool….. In an effort to improve his overall fitness, Sir Simon decides on an early morning swim. Whilst he was prepared for the water to be cold, he wasn't prepared, at all, for finding the blood-soaked body of Cynthia Harris in the pool area. The long-time housekeeper, and a favourite of the Queen, Cynthia Harris was a rather unpopular member of the royal household amongst its staff. It appeared as though Mrs Harris slipped and fell; and during the fall punctured an artery near her ankle. Death occurred rather quickly afterwards. Talk about a Royal nightmare! The authorities are quick to determine that Mrs Harris' death was a tragic accident, but QEII is not so sure. She has had a feeling that something wasn’t quite right in the palace for a while now. Sometimes, it takes a Queen’s eye to see what no one else can.
A Three Dog Problem is an admirable follow on from The Windsor Knot. It's a fast-paced plot which is liberally littered with red-herrings and a dash of palace conspiracy. Bennett does well to pull off this pretty outlandish double mystery, and as usual, QEII comes out on top. Whilst your initial impressions of a monarch might not include solving crimes; this reigning monarch has a wonderful array of sleuthing abilities!
Best Supporting Female Role: Ex-Soldier, and the Queen's APS, Rozie Oshodi.
Best Supporting Male Role: cheekily outspoken, tongue-in-cheek Prince Philip whose lines and parts are always scene-stealers.
Best Supporting Four Legged Role: Candy, Vulcan. Woof. Woof.
Let's all cheer 'Long Live the Queen!'