The Windsor Knot-S.J. Bennett

Book: The Windsor Knot
Authors: S.J. Bennett
Publisher: Zaffre (An Imprint of Bonnier Books UK)

The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett is the story of a murder of a guest that takes place in the Windsor Castle and the victim is discovered the morning after the Queen’s dinner party, with a rope around his neck. The Police and the MI5 begin to investigate, and the servants are the first to be suspected, but The Queen has other thoughts, for the servants are fiercely loyal, and because she has lived an  extraordinary double life ever since her coronation. Away from the public eye, she has a brilliant knack for solving crimes. As the Queen, she has a responsibility to protect her family as well as her image, and so this secret must never get out, but would The Queen, along with her secretary Rozie be able to catch the killer, without getting themselves entangled?

The plot of the story is quite innovative, and well plotted. The idea of Queen Elizabeth II being an investigator is refreshing and paves the way for an interesting series of stories to evolve. The storyline is well-told, with focus on details and vivid descriptions of people and events, along with reference to real life events and people, adding the touch of realism to the plot. The mystery is well shrouded, and the layers are well hidden as to unravel only when the time is right. However, there are places where the story becomes a bit stretched out and boring, especially the parts which are not very related to the murder mystery. While the plot does focus on solving the murder, there are places where the digression is quite apparent, specially when talking about horses etc. While these are important from the perspective of setting the stage, I believe some of the scenes could have been shortened. The climax is very well done, and the way the nudges have been used and implemented is commendable.

Coming to the characters, I loved the way the author has created a set of characters that have a proper back story to them. Be it Rozie, or Sir Simon, each of them has been explained in detail, and the motivation for them to be a part of this plot. Even the other characters such as Vadim who might seem to be just fillers, turn out to be interesting ones. Bennett also creates an interesting character of the Queen by showcasing a fictional side of her that is very intriguing.

Overall, the book is a recommendation for anyone who loves a good mystery thriller and would like to see The Queen investigating a murder. The book scores a 4.19/5 for me.

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