Her Majesty the Queen Investigates #6
To read this book, I had to violate one of my “rules” – no circuses, no ships, no fairs (state or world). This is one of my favorite series, however, so I was forced to make an exception. Along with Allison Montclair, Bennett writes one of the smartest, most tightly plotted series around. If you love the golden age schematic but welcome an update, these are the books for you. Set on the Royal Yacht in 1966, we follow the Queen’s tour of the Caribbean. As always the central character is the Queen’s personal assistant, Joan McGraw, but also as always, when a dead body crops up, it’s the united efforts of the Queen and Joan that solve the crime.
These are slyly feminist books. The Queen is surrounded by mansplainers – including Prince Philip – and Joan, a highly placed and successful woman, is viewed by staff as a bit unapproachable and cold. The Queen has a personal assistant as well as security detail who like to think they solve the crimes that pop up, but they are wrong, as the Queen gently and subtly guides them to a solution after she has figured everything out.
The body in question is that of a glamorous young woman, Pamela, who was sensational to look at and extremely bold. She had been driving Joan a bit crazy but Joan is all in when it comes to searching for the reason behind her death, an apparent overdose. Joan and the Queen aren’t so sure it’s that simple and of course they are correct.
What’s so strong about these books are not just the settings – and this one, aboard the Royal Yacht, is a delight – but the way the Queen’s household functions, with the Queen’s day and schedule broken up into 5 minute increments. Elizabeth as portrayed by Bennett is dutiful and intelligent with a wicked sense of humor. She and Joan have a wonderful partnership which involves mutual trust and appreciation of the other’s intelligence. It’s a lovely portrayal of friendship.
The other part that’s really strong are the mysteries themselves. The one in this novel is quite complex and though Bennett never leaves the reader behind, you still might not quite be catching up with the intelligence of her plot. There are red herrings, an array of suspects, and an incorrect solution before the Queen gently supplies the correct one, one which has been fairly laid out, clues and all. These are “cozy” in the way Agatha Christie is cozy – there’s a high body count, and there are some dark undertones though the ultimate tone of the story is lighter and more hopeful, which slides it into cozy territory. Bennett is still writing about the loss of a child, drug use, and racism, but it’s organically integrated into the plot.
I’ve been telling people since the first book to try this series, especially if traditional detection is your favorite type of story. The Queen is technically an amateur detective, but she has some world class support. She can go wherever she wants to, and where she can’t be seen, there’s Joan. These books really could not be better. — Robin Agnew