The Queen Who Came in from the Cold

Her Majesty the Queen Investigates, Book 5

By: S. J. Bennett

Narrated by: Samantha Bond

THE UTTERLY BRILLIANT FIFTH BOOK IN THE HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN INVESTIGATES MYSTERY SERIES

It's 1961 and the Queen is planning her state visit to Italy aboard Britannia. But before she goes, an unreliable witness claims to have seen a brutal murder from the royal train. Did it really happen, and could the victim be a missing friend of Princess Margaret's new husband, Tony Armstrong Jones?

The Queen and her assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, get to work on their second joint investigation, little imagining that this time it will take them all the way to Venice in a tale of spies, lies and Cold War skulduggery.

©2025 S. J. Bennett (P)2025 Bonnier Books UK

Needs a younger reader

The story is OK but the reader has such an elderly and distinctive voice that it is hard to distinguish among the characters, and it is quite jarring when she narrates the voices of much younger characters. In this performance (set in the 1960's) the Queen sounds like she's 80 if she's a day and the young protagonist sounds just as old. Another reviewer described it as a "smoker's voice." It is certainly distinctive. The narrator's voice is fine for the descriptive story text, but I found it quite jarring when the characters are actually speaking. The series needs a different reader, IMO.

another good one

I was skeptical when I read the description of the first book but I'm so glad I overcame my skepticism. This third book did not disappoint. keep 'em coming please!

Masterpiece

What a corker! Brilliant historical fiction with so many, many, MANY interwoven elements! This book kept me up past my bedtime, every time I weren’t back to it. The chess like precision of the writing made it such a treat to read.

The narrator did such a fantastic job with all kinds of voices for so many characters, even those with Italian & Russian accents.

Absolutely fabulous!

These novels exceed expectations. Fascinating characters engaged in complex stories which feel like a peek behind the royal curtains. And the writing! Unmatched!
!

Excellent plot, writing & narration

A very pleasant and engaging listen. I also appreciate the author’s historical fact explanation at the end.