very enjoyable

The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: mystery

Review: This book is just plain enjoyable.  Fans of British royalty will enjoy it.  Fans of mysteries will enjoy it.  I certainly enjoyed it.  Bennett's take on the royal voice is spot-on (at least if The Crown is a reliable source) and one never tires of feeling like one is inside the Queen's head as she ponders the mystery of who killed a young Russian pianist right in Windsor Castle.

Of course Her Majesty can't track down leads on her own, so she relies on Rosie Oshodi, her Assistant Private Secretary, to do the leg-work.  Rosie is as discreet and sdubtle as the Queen could wish while she makes inquiries on Her Majesty's behalf, but Rosie doesn't quite have the intuitiveness, or the long view of history, that allows the Queen to make connections and follow threads to the real killer.

Bennett's writing is very smooth.  The narrative gets a little slowed down in places as the mystery takes a back seat to the majestic trappings, but one can hardly complain about a fictional, but very authentic-feeling, glimpse into the royal lives.  Bennett also switches perspectives from one paragraph to the next as elegantly as any author I've ever read.  There's a little more bite than traditional "cozy" mysteries, but more than enough for mystery-lovers of all stripes.  As the first in a planned series, I'll definitely be trying to get my hands on the next installment.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

better and better

Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Genre: historical fiction

Review: In my review of Winston Churchill's Secretary, the first of the Maggie Hope books, I said that the series showed promise as MacNeal settled into her talents as a writer.  With this second installment, MacNeal is certainly starting to live up to that promise.  Although some of the language is still a bit clunky (and there are far too many mentions of birds), the story itself flows much more smoothly than it did in the first book and MacNeal takes fewer shortcuts to get her characters in and out of situations.

Newly installed with MI-5, Maggie Hope is placed at Windsor Castle at Christmas in 1940.  Posing as Princess Elizabeth's math tutor, she is really there to ferret out a possible plot against the future queen's life.  Descriptions of life at Windsor Castle during this period are well-done, and glimpses of historical personages are clearly well-researched.  Once again, MacNeal does an excellent job bringing to life a fascinating aspect of Britain during WWII, while at the same time allowing Maggie to grow as a character and as a spy.  I look forward to reading more!

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.