Her Majesty The Queen Investigates- when a book cover is adorned with these words and carries the title of The Windsor Knot then its natural to pique anyone’s curiosity. And, indeed this book should be very much appreciated for quelling that curiosity.

The story begins on a fateful evening in the spring when the royal court is taking a breather between festivities. The location is no other than the famous Windsor Castle and there is a special event organised for the Queen’s inner circle. It’s simply called Dine and Sleep. The invited group is an eclectic mix of people drawn from different backgrounds. As the even’t name suggests, the focus is on having a sumptuous dinner followed by a night halt in the castle’s guest quarters.

Like the other events in the Queen’s diary, this one is also meticulously planned in advance and vetted by security services. Still, there is a surprise inclusion of a pianist on the eleventh hour upon the insistence of one the prominent guest. This mysterious guest is the one who is found dead the next morning with a knot of scarf around his neck.

Although looking like an accidental suicidal case but smelling some foul play, the secret service begins their under-the-radar investigation of this entire matter. Their suspects involve everyone from trusted valets to the foreign dictators. But is their investigation going in the right direction?

So thinks the Queen and begins with her own hush-hush investigation. With her position comes certain limitations and thus she has to coordinate this entire process with the help of her trusted staff members. These include one of her ex-security personnel, her long time friend and her newly joined Assistant Private Secretary. It is quite delightful to read the way this entire investigative operation is orchestrated by the sovereign. Going beyond her official duties but still using the powerful charm of it, she is successful in solving three interlinked murder mysteries quite splendidly.

Aside the aforementioned murder investigations, the book is very heartwarming to read for throwing a positive light on the inner workings and routine life of the HTMQ. The readers are bound to appreciate all the hard work and dedication put in by her majesty at her age. Her bonding with Prince Philip and their lovely partnership keeping her steady in such hectic lives is certainly a highlight of this book.

So whether you are a royalist or not, as a reader you are definitely going to enjoy this murder mystery. It’s a delightful book with very novel concept and still manages to amuse its readers with a fantastic story line without boring to bits by putting an octogenarian ‘detective’ at its helm. Surely a recommended reading experience.