As a reader, you know that you will always read a novel if there is something present. For me, one of those things is a tiara. If you start a murder mystery by telling me a tiara is involved, I am there. And if it is a book in one of my favourite series, best of luck in trying to stop me. As I expected, this book was one of my favourite reads of 2024! (I read it in December of last year.) If you are looking for a must-read mystery, look no further- you need to read A Death in Diamonds by SJ Bennett!
A Death in Diamonds, SJ Bennett
1957 – A young woman is found dead in a mews house a mile from Buckingham Palace, wearing only silk underwear and a diamond tiara. An older man is discovered nearby, garrotted and pierced through the eye with a long, sharp implement.
According to the police, a high society card game was going on downstairs that night. One of the players surely committed the murders, but each of them can give the others an alibi.
When someone very close to her is implicated, the young Queen is drawn in to the investigation…
Why You Should Read This…
This series is one of my favourites of the last five years. A mystery series where Queen Elizabeth II solves crimes? Sign. Me. Up. I loved the first three books in the series, each had their own charm. However, this fourth book may just be my favourite. (You can read this one as a standalone with no issue but I highly recommend reading the whole series.) While the others are set in the 2010s, A Death in Diamonds is set in the 1950s. We have a young Elizabeth and Philip in Paris and London at a time when British society is changing rapidly, and it is fascinating to see the changes through their eyes.
I also love that this murder mystery poked around more in the aristocracy and the clergy. A lot of historical fiction set in the twentieth century focuses on the Windsor family but both of these groups had substantial standing in this period.
This is not a cosy mystery series in my opinion, and I love that. It means that there is a bit more meat to the mystery and slightly more character development! (That’s not a shot at cosies, either- I just don’t find myself reaching for them very often anymore.) Bennett fleshes out her story beyond the Royal Family and builds her world in Chelsea so well.
This is one of my favourite books of 2024! And will be out soon in North America! (Publishers: there is absolutely no reason for books to be published 6-12 months later in other regions.)
Extra note: I think that the UK cover (below) is a million times better than the North American cover. Why can’t we have covers like this??
Is A Death in Diamonds by SJ Bennett on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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