A Death in Diamonds

Bennett’s series fourth (after Murder Most Royal) cleverly combines the queen’s investigations with a police procedural. In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II goes to Paris, where several troubling incidents convince her that one of her advisors is not to be trusted. When a man and a woman are murdered, and the crime scene seems to be staged and involves a stolen tiara, the queen takes an interest. In order to investigate both situations, she needs to recruit someone to be her legs. Recalling that typist Joan McGraw has a photographic memory, Elizabeth enlists her. While the queen applies her knowledge of history and the current political situation to her analysis of the situations, Joan’s investigation crosses paths with MI5. The queen’s network helps Joan to find answers when the Metropolitan Police seem stymied, but the legwork also puts Joan in danger. The scenes involving Elizabeth’s family—Philip, the queen mother, and Princess Margaret—add even more personality.