When a man dies at Windsor Castle after a “Dine and Sleep” in the company of the Queen, Her Majesty takes it personally and decides to find out exactly what happened. A young Russian man, a piano player, had been invited at the behest of wealthy Russian friends of Charles. Maksim Brodsky was found strangled in his wardrobe, strung up to look like a suicide or an unfortunate accidental death. But the nature of some of the knots make the police think that it was actually murder.
The Queen is disturbed to think that a murder would happen in her favorite home, so she begins to ask the police and security services what had happened to Brodsky. They tell her that they think he was assassinated, under orders of Putin. But she doesn’t believe that there is a Russian sleeper spy somewhere in her employ at the castle, so she outs to find out what she can on her own. Being the Monarch, she can’t go around asking potential suspects where they were or trying to find motives for the attack. But she does have staff members that she can ask to help her with her investigation.
The Queen’s assistant private secretary Rozie Oshodi is particularly willing and able to move about making quiet inquiries with those who had been at the Dine and Sleep, and with friends of Brodsky. She is also able to get messages to other friends of the Queen who may have a piece of the puzzle that Her Majesty is trying to put together.
While the Queen goes about her daily business at Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace, getting ready for her birthday and visits from other world leaders or family, she gathers up tidbits of information from all the various sources around her. But when Rozie comes to her with the news of another death as well as two separate attacks in London (one against Rozie herself) that could all be connected to Brodsky’s murder, the Queen knows that time is running out. She needs to figure out what happened that night before anyone else is hurt.
The Windsor Knot is a clever murder mystery filled with political intrigue and an insider’s view of the English monarchy around 2116. Author S.J. Bennett drops readers into the world of Windsor Castle and makes you feel like you are a fly on the wall of Queen Elizabeth’s home. She perfectly captures the voice of the royals, and adds humor and humanity while watching the most surprising amateur detective solve a complex crime that has the police and Security Service stumped.
I really enjoyed The Windsor Knot. I am an anglophile, and I loved feeling like I was inside the walls of Windsor Castle, watching as the Queen went about her tasks and seeing how she pieced together the solution, and then how she went on and lead the professional investigators to the right solution without them realizing who was really in charge. The Queen Elizabeth in these pages is determined, clever, intelligent, and gracious, just as I would expect her to be in real life. This one is lots of fun!
Narrator Jane Copland has a tall order, bringing the Queen’s voice to life, but she does it beautifully. The pitch and tone are just right, and the tone for Rozie is perfect as well. I thought this was extremely enjoyable to listen to. I will say that listening does make it more difficult to keep up with all the characters at times, with all the potential political intrigue with Russia and China, so that takes some concentration, but it’s worth it. Copland brings this story to life and makes it a truly unique experience. Quite!
Egalleys for The Windsor Knot were provided by William Morrow through NetGalley, but I bought the audiobook myself through Audible.
