Bennett has royal connections through her father, has done extensive on and off-the-record interviews with ex-staff members of the palaces she writes about and, most intriguingly of all, once interviewed for Rozie's job as APS to the Queen. Can these books be called cosy? Penny explores dark political themes and some of the books read like thrillers, but there is an essential goodness to the community in the fictional Canadian town of the title, and the warm and loving relationships that hold Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, his family and friends together. Her deft touch in capturing those bonds is a balm for any soul battered by the relentless news of what keeps us apart. They also feature good poetry and good food. I read this book completely for pleasure, and that is such a lovely way to experience a book. Not that I’m adverse to books that impart important messages. I just sometimes need a read that entertains me and that’s it. A Three Dog Problem (All the Queen’s Men in the U.S.) is the essence of an entertaining read. Oh, there’s crime and murder and evil going on, but we know that the Queen, in her calm and methodical manner, will get to the bottom of it with her discreet, capable Assistant Private Secretary Rozie Oshodi. There’s lots of drama, and the twists and turns are more complex than in The Windsor Knott, but I found the multiple threads in A Three Dog Problem easy to follow and well brought together by the end. There are quite a few names to keep up with, but I didn’t find it disrupting to my reading. And, knowing that a case will be solved in no way takes away from the thrill of events leading up to that solution. Once again, the Queen involves Rozie in her investigative process, much to Rozie's delight. She genuinely likes her Boss and is even willing to help arrange things so that, once again, the senior men in the household are convinced that they figured it all out. That takes a generosity that I don't think I have, to let someone else take credit for your ideas and footwork. Along the way, there are some tragic accidents and poison-pen letters keep turning up. Are the two things related? Are these more than accidents? What secrets has Rozie been stirring up? Things are quite tense in the household staff as a refurbishment campaign is coming up.

A Three Dog Problem By SJ Bennett | Used | 9781838774820 A Three Dog Problem By SJ Bennett | Used | 9781838774820

Also, I wanted to include a link to The Royal Collection Trust, which is such a big part of A Three Dog Problem/All the Queen’s Men. Prince Phillip mentions in the book that there are over 7,000 paintings in the royal collection, and as you explore this link, you can see how much more there is besides that. They and my mum-in-law should look away now but it's fair to say with A Three Dog Problem out today, I know what's heading to the top of my Christmas shopping list.Then a body is found in the Palace swimming pool and suddenly there are two mysteries to unravel - and the Queen and Rozie have to battle to do so before a murderer strikes again. Chronologically the story is reasonably up to date makes me wonder where to next for the series. Yet despite all the wonderful, gossipy insights, I found this second in the series not quite as strong as the first. All the Queen's Men doesn't have the revelations of the origin story in The Windsor Knot (2020) which had the extra charm of revealing the REAL Her Majesty's Secret Service, but I can't begrudge that. If anything, S.J. Bennett crafted an even more elaborate story here and again manages to fashion an ending where the Queen maneuvers her somewhat slower witted Palace staff chiefs, managers and police into thinking that they solved the crime on her behalf, when it was actually her hints and prodding that got them there.

A Three Dog Problem - S.J. Bennett | Readers First A Three Dog Problem - S.J. Bennett | Readers First

The Queen with the help of her Assistant Private Secretary Rozie Oshodi investigates the mystery behind the painting's disappearance which leads to the discovery of the Breakages Business. Threatening letters start arriving anonymously targeting the Palace staff. With the death of the housekeeper, the issue escalates and the Queen once again sets out to find the murderer. All the Queen's Men" by S.J. Bennett is the second book in the series 'Her Majesty the Queen Investigates'! Drie maanden voor deze gebeurtenis zag de Queen één van haar favoriete schilderijen namelijk hangen op een tentoonstelling van maritieme kunst. Een ontdekking waar zij op zijn zachtst gezegd niet verheugd over was en ze wil haar schilderij terug, want het is haar zeer dierbaar. Ze gaf haar assistent-secretaris Rozie de opdracht om uit te zoeken hoe het schilderij daar was terechtgekomen en ervoor te zorgen dat het terugkwam waar het hoorde. Dat was echter makkelijker gezegd dan gedaan, want volgens het ministerie van Defensie is er sprake van een misverstand en móéten er twee versies van de Britannia bestaan. Maar de Queen herkent haar eigendommen toch zeker wel?But when Rozie receives a threatening anonymous letter, Elizabeth knows dark forces are at work - and far too close to home. After all, though the staff and public may not realise it, she is the keenest sleuth among them. Sometimes, it takes a Queen's eye to see connections where no one else can . . . It’s a place of glamour and danger. It houses a lot of the Queen’s (now the King’s) world-class art collection, but needs blast-proof curtains at the windows to catch the glass in case of bombs. It’s guarded by some of the most iconic soldiers in the world, in their scarlet tunics and bearskin hats, but in 1982 a man called Michael Fagan managed to get inside and talk to the Queen in her bedroom for several minutes until she was rescued. You may have seen that visit fictionalised in The Crown. The River Tyburn flows underneath the palace and there are rumours of tunnels that link it to nearby St James’s and Whitehall underground. So it’s an excellent place to set a murder mystery. The problems besetting the Palace, both architecturally and on the personal level appear steeped in believability.

A Three Dog Problem: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates, Book 2

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: The Ultimate Guide to Celebrating Christmas with the Best Drinks Books On The Shelves Elizabeth II has had the feeling that something isn’t quite right in the palace for a while now and the two incidents seem to prove that her deductions are once again correct, but what’s she going to think when someone finally dares to tell her about the poison pen letters that have been circulating among palace staff?Best Supporting Male Role: cheekily outspoken, tongue-in-cheek Prince Philip whose lines and parts are always scene-stealers. It just reminds you of the simple joy of reading a really good book that transports you into another world and makes you see something in a way you've never seen it before. Agatha Christie meets The Crown in A THREE DOG PROBLEM , the much-anticipated second book in the 'Her Majesty The Queen Investigates' mystery series by SJ Bennett - for fans of The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, Agatha Christie and M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin. Something is broken in the palace and it’s up to the Queen and her private secretary, Rozie Oshodi to fix it.

A Three Dog Problem by S.J. Bennett | Goodreads

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. Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher, Mrs Bradley, Nancy Drew and Queen Elizabeth II. While this formidable bunch of women might not commonly be grouped together, they are all united by one particular attribute: they’re all exceptionally talented and prolific amateur sleuths. Yet, although the myriad cases solved by the first four are well known to crime fiction fans, the investigative exploits of the Queen largely passed unnoticed before SJ Bennett decided to chronicle them in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series, which began with The Windsor Knot. And in a development that made for a very happy winter weekend curled under a blanket with a glass of Baileys, the sequel A Three Dog Problem has been released in time for Christmas - presumably because, having been sold to publishers in 14 countries and the subject of a seven-figure bidding war in the US, Zaffre Books know they're onto a very good thing.Just 24 hours later I was done and wishing I wasn't because I wanted to read it again for the first time. A staff member has been found dead beside the palace swimming pool. A favorite painting that hung outside QEII's bedroom door is missing. And now anonymous and threatening letters are mysteriously being distributed in the palace. It is the Queen who presses the investigation and senses that something more fundamental may be amiss. She writes about the Queen and her wider family with clear affection and warmth and an in-depth knowledge and research of Palace life that shines through every scene.