Set in 2016, The Windsor Knot is a cosy murder mystery with Her Majesty the Queen as a crime-solving genius! After a dine and sleep event at Windsor Castle, a Russian pianist called Maksim Brodsky (24) is found dead, in a compromising position, in his room. At first, it's assumed that his death was accidental but the evidence seems to suggest otherwise.
With all kinds of theories flying about, the Queen subtly investigates the crime with the help of her assistant private secretary, 30-year-old Rosemary (Rozie) Oshodi, who does the groundwork and speaks to various people and makes enquiries. She is a former soldier in the Royal Horse Artillery and an ex-investment banker. She grew up in Peckham and Notting Hill and her family are from Nigeria originally.
The case gets more and more complicated and there are lots of different strands to it. I wasn't really sure how it was all going to be resolved. There were some interesting twists and turns, and some surprising reveals.
There are lots of different characters in the story and, at times, I got confused and had to look back to remember who was who.
The Queen was great and I loved her humorous interactions with Phillip and her wiliness, quick mind and the way she handled her staff. She was very cunning and shrewd at times and definitely didn't need to be shielded from the truth. A lot of people in the Queen's circle seem to underestimate her and it was amusing that she always seems to be a step ahead and is feeding them clues to help solve the murder.
I also really liked Rozie as she's clever, brave and adaptable. I believe this is going to be a series and I look forward to seeing how her character develops.
Overall, I enjoyed this entertaining and amusingly written cosy crime novel. It's engaging and a bit different from the norm and I liked the interactions between the Queen and others. There were also some nice little facts about the Royal family too – I had to look up the tasty-sounding chocolate biscuit cake to see how to make it!
With all kinds of theories flying about, the Queen subtly investigates the crime with the help of her assistant private secretary, 30-year-old Rosemary (Rozie) Oshodi, who does the groundwork and speaks to various people and makes enquiries. She is a former soldier in the Royal Horse Artillery and an ex-investment banker. She grew up in Peckham and Notting Hill and her family are from Nigeria originally.
The case gets more and more complicated and there are lots of different strands to it. I wasn't really sure how it was all going to be resolved. There were some interesting twists and turns, and some surprising reveals.
There are lots of different characters in the story and, at times, I got confused and had to look back to remember who was who.
The Queen was great and I loved her humorous interactions with Phillip and her wiliness, quick mind and the way she handled her staff. She was very cunning and shrewd at times and definitely didn't need to be shielded from the truth. A lot of people in the Queen's circle seem to underestimate her and it was amusing that she always seems to be a step ahead and is feeding them clues to help solve the murder.
I also really liked Rozie as she's clever, brave and adaptable. I believe this is going to be a series and I look forward to seeing how her character develops.
Overall, I enjoyed this entertaining and amusingly written cosy crime novel. It's engaging and a bit different from the norm and I liked the interactions between the Queen and others. There were also some nice little facts about the Royal family too – I had to look up the tasty-sounding chocolate biscuit cake to see how to make it!