The idea seems a bit ridiculous to begin with, but it turns out to be a wonderfully cosy murder mystery set in a Royal castle. Miss Marple eat your heart out, our queenie has been a keen investigator for even longer than her but is much more secretive about it. It's hard not to draw comparisons to Agatha Christie with the shrewd way Her Majesty goes about investigating, while not actually seeming like she is, she has her trusted people who do all the leg work for her, while she points them in the directions she needs. Then when the time comes she manages to get the information to the trusted authorities in such a way that they think they have solved the crime themselves.
It's a fun insight into life in the palaces, and the supporting cast who keep everything running the background. The Duke is a pure joy with his sense of humour and plain bluntness, i wish he featured a bit more. I look forward to the next in this series, of which there is a brief few pages at the end to whet the appetite. And a long running series it could be, although this one features the monarch around her current age it hints that she has been a bit of a secret sleuth for most of her life, so there is plenty of history to mine for future volumes.
It's a fun insight into life in the palaces, and the supporting cast who keep everything running the background. The Duke is a pure joy with his sense of humour and plain bluntness, i wish he featured a bit more. I look forward to the next in this series, of which there is a brief few pages at the end to whet the appetite. And a long running series it could be, although this one features the monarch around her current age it hints that she has been a bit of a secret sleuth for most of her life, so there is plenty of history to mine for future volumes.