One thing I would love to know - is the Queen aware of this book and what does she think of it? !
This is delightful. I suppose one might put it into the genre of cosy crime? Although the crimes themselves are grisly the treatment and the involvement of our glorious Monarch is just so unique. The author has done some detailed and rigorous research into royal palace protocols. I surmise, too, that she must have studied Queen Elizabeth in some depth because the characterisation is so complete. It was very easy to picture the events in this book. I suspect that may in part be due to the fact that the royal family have such high visibility on the media. But I enjoyed the author’s imaginings of the relationship between the Queen and Prince Phillip.
If you remove the fact that the Queen is a central character and look at it from the crime point of view it’s well plotted and the final denouement ties up all the ends. It’s an easy straightforward read. Well paced. It’s not a twisty, turny crime story, it’s more in the spirit of the golden age of crime classics where thinking is required on the part of the reader, and the characters in the story.
But of course the real highpoint is the fact that the Queen does a most wonderful Miss Marple impression! The observance of royal protocols and the Queen’s role within the hierarchy of her own household, in the media and with the public is so well illustrated by the events in the book. Never more than at the end. The conclusion, where the Queen allows somebody to believe that they have solved the crime without realising that actually it was her Majesty who did it, is most amusing. I enjoyed the way the Queen came across as such a warm, compassionate, highly intelligent person, in touch with the real world in spite of her privileged existence.
And back to my original question. Is the Queen aware of this book and what does she think of it? You know, I rather think she would like it.
My thanks to Readers First for a copy of this most enjoyable novel.
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