This novel was obviously published after the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, although in the acknowledgements Bennett reveals that she handed in the proofs on the day that the Queen passed. Her obvious affection for the Royals, the English countryside, the gardens, the history and the traditions shines throughout the book. She humanizes the Royal family, showing them to be normal people who are part of a famous family.
ASP Rozie Oshodi, inspired creation that she is, gets less page time in this outing than in the previous two installments. Her Maj gets to do more of her own sleuthing here, although Rozie has several important assignments. In her delicate, diplomatic way, the Queen gathers the information needed to reach the proper conclusion and then makes the necessary suggestions and hints to lead the police to them too.
Naturally, continuing the series after the monarch's death is a ticklish business. By peeking ahead, I have learned that Bennett goes back in time, to 1957. In this way, she has a much younger Royal protagonist and a great deal more runway for future investigations. I'll be interested to see what she does with both things.
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