A Three Dog Problem: The Queen investigates a murder at Buckingham Palace

Product Information

The Queen tasks her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, with finding out how the painting made its way out of the royal collection and into the hands of the Admiralty, where it now hangs on display in a Royal Navy exhibition in Portsmouth. The Breakages Business was about spiriting away and selling royal belongings that wouldn't be missed, like small gifts, plates, rugs, old draperies, half-used candles, tins of food, and so on - small things whose absence wouldn't be noticed. Then a body is found in the Palace swimming pool and suddenly there are two mysteries to unravel - and the Queen and Rozie have to battle to do so before a murderer strikes again. There are three mysteries put forward: a painting of the Queen's that has gone missing and found in the Navy's offices; a nasty series of poison pen letters that are making work life in the palace tense and unhappy; and the death of a housekeeper which is deemed an accident. But is it? Bennett braids all three together to give the reader (and the Queen) a great deal to think about. It's annoying as I can't figure it out and I think I am going to continue with this series. I have plans to read book 3 when it comes out next year, so why do I feel the way I do with Three Dog Problem?

A Three Dog Problem by S.J. Bennett | Goodreads

Het mysterie zit sterk in elkaar en terwijl je gedurende het boek ook nog wat leert over het beheer van de koninklijke kunstcollectie en de verschillende afdelingen binnen het paleis, moet je goed blijven opletten om alle uitgezette lijntjes te kunnen volgen, totdat ze mooi bij elkaar komen. Hoewel het tempo soms wat inzakt en het eerste boek iets meer humor bevatte, zijn er genoeg wendingen, persoonlijke noten en mysterieuze gebeurtenissen om het verhaal interessant te houden en dit is erg vermakelijke, goed uitgewerkte cosy crime. Een aanrader binnen dit genre!

Summary

During her inquiries, Rozie ventures into an underground tunnel system that connects royal palaces and learns of a 1980s scheme called the Breakages Business, which was carried out by some members of the Queen's staff. Sometimes you read a book that just captures your imagination and makes you smile in such a way you can't stop thinking about it. You tell everyone you speak to about it. You buy people copies as gifts. A Three Dog Problem is an admirable follow on from The Windsor Knot. It's a fast-paced plot which is liberally littered with red-herrings and a dash of palace conspiracy. Bennett does well to pull off this pretty outlandish double mystery, and as usual, QEII comes out on top. Whilst your initial impressions of a monarch might not include solving crimes; this reigning monarch has a wonderful array of sleuthing abilities! Agatha Christie meets The Crown in A THREE DOG PROBLEM, the much-anticipated second book in the 'Her Majesty The Queen Investigates' mystery series by SJ Bennett - for fans of The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, Agatha Christie and M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin. About This Edition ISBN: It’s a place of glamour and danger. It houses a lot of the Queen’s (now the King’s) world-class art collection, but needs blast-proof curtains at the windows to catch the glass in case of bombs. It’s guarded by some of the most iconic soldiers in the world, in their scarlet tunics and bearskin hats, but in 1982 a man called Michael Fagan managed to get inside and talk to the Queen in her bedroom for several minutes until she was rescued. You may have seen that visit fictionalised in The Crown. The River Tyburn flows underneath the palace and there are rumours of tunnels that link it to nearby St James’s and Whitehall underground. So it’s an excellent place to set a murder mystery.

A Three Dog Problem: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates, Book 2

Except, of course, she's the Queen, so her solving crimes that have left the brightest and best of her police force and secret services baffled might leave them feeling somewhat undermined and incapable.

On top of all that, the Queen has seen her personal painting of the royal yacht Britannia, given to her by the artist in 1963, in an exhibit of maritime art in Portsmouth. Prior to Portsmouth, Her Majesty had last seen the painting decades ago, hanging outside her bedroom door, and she has no idea how or when it left her possession.

A Three Dog Problem By SJ Bennett | Used | 9781838774820 A Three Dog Problem By SJ Bennett | Used | 9781838774820

Along the way, there are some tragic accidents and poison-pen letters keep turning up. Are the two things related? Are these more than accidents? What secrets has Rozie been stirring up? Things are quite tense in the household staff as a refurbishment campaign is coming up.I was taken with The Windsor Knot earlier this year and put a hold on this second book quite soon after finishing it. Others have obviously also been charmed by S.J. Bennett's version of HRH Queen Elizabeth II, as I had to wait quite a while to get my turn at it. It is the Queen who presses the investigation and senses that something more fundamental may be amiss.

Top 10 cosy crime novels | Crime fiction | The Guardian

Can these books be called cosy? Penny explores dark political themes and some of the books read like thrillers, but there is an essential goodness to the community in the fictional Canadian town of the title, and the warm and loving relationships that hold Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, his family and friends together. Her deft touch in capturing those bonds is a balm for any soul battered by the relentless news of what keeps us apart. They also feature good poetry and good food. Cynthia Harris, the murder victim, had received some of the poison pen letters, along with the high-ranking Keeper of the Privy Purse’s secretary and at least one other. Rozie starts receiving the letters, too, ones that are racist and sexist, trying to get her to leave her job. The Keeper’s secretary does leave her job and leaves London. Mrs. Harris is murdered. Rozie doesn’t desire to leave her job or be murdered, so she must persevere in the face of these scare tactics and keep investigating for the Queen to find out who is behind them. The letters, the Queen’s painting, and the nefarious profiteering scheme appear to be connected, but proof is needed. There are suspects, but without the proof, the evidence, of their wrongdoings, it is unwise to approach them and tip the Queen’s hand. Artemisia Geniteschi is the 17th century artist whose paintings are featured in one of the mysteries of A Three Dog Problem. In a book where the two main characters are strong, resourceful women I don’t think the choice of this artist was in any way random. She was certainly ahead of her time in what women were allowed to accomplish, and her story is as exceptional as her paintings. It all shows and, while undoubtedly not getting to work in the Palace was a wrench for Bennett, the Palace's loss is most definitely readers' gain.

About SJ Bennett

The second book in this series, once again, features Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II secretly solving crimes with the assistance of her Assistant Private Secretary Rozie Oshodi.