The Queen Who Came In From the Cold by S.J. Bennett

The brand new murder mystery from S.J. Bennett, starring the Queen, is out now. Thanks to Keighley_Reads for her brilliant review!

I’ve been patiently waiting (though Katy may not agree!) for this book to arrive at Tea Leaves & Reads so I could finally read and review it. I love this author, and with every new release I feel even more invested. I read this one in just a couple of days, it was impossible to put down! Cosy crime + the Royal Family = perfect weekend reading.

The story offers a fascinating glimpse into life aboard HMY Britannia and the Royal Train. Though entirely fictional, the book is peppered with real historical details that the author weaves cleverly into the plot.

The Queen That Came In From The Cold is set in 1961 (a little before my time), yet I felt completely immersed in the politics and royal happenings of the era. I always end up learning so much from these books.

I adored the Queen’s relationship with her Assistant Private Secretary, Joan. Their secret schemes, and the way they manage to make the men think the ideas were theirs, always make me laugh.

This installment is full of the twists, turns, and second guessing I’ve come to expect and love from the series. I was hooked from page one.

I love to imagine that the Queen truly had this passion for investigation, and the author’s rich characterisation of the whole royal family makes it surprisingly easy to believe while reading.

Another brilliant book from SJ Bennett, roll on 2026 for the next instalment! A tantalising snippet awaits at the end of this one.

With thanks to Zaffre Books for a reading copy of this book.

About the Book

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.

About The Author

SJ Bennett is the author of the international mystery series featuring Queen Elizabeth II as a secret solver of crimes.

She has written over a dozen novels for both adults and children, and her award-winning books have been optioned for TV and translated into over 20 languages. She lives in London, where she writes in a shed at the bottom of her garden.

Sophia’s podcast for as-yet unpublished writers – Prepublished – is available via her website. It features interviews with Sophie Hannah, Justine Picardie, Jenny Colgan, Sara Collins and many more.