The Windsor Knot Review

 

The Windsor Knot 

By: S. J. Bennett 

Released: March 9th, 2021

Pages: 288

My Rating: 1/5 

Goodreads Synopsis: 

It is the early spring of 2016 and Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle in advance of her 90th birthday celebrations. But the preparations are interrupted when a guest is found dead in one of the castle bedrooms. The scene suggests the young Russian pianist strangled himself, but a badly tied knot leads MI5to suspect foul play was involved. The Queen leaves the investigation to the professionals - until their suspicions point them in the wrong direction.  

Unhappy at the mishandling of the case and concerned for her staff's morale, the monarch decided to discreetly take matters into her own hands. With help from her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, a British Nigerian and recent officer in the Royal Horse Artillery, the Queen secretly begins making inquiries. As she carries out her royal duties with her usual aplomb, no on in the Royal Household, the government, pr the public knows that the resolute Elizabeth will use her keen eye, quick mind, and steady nerve to bring a murderer to justice.  

SJ Bennett captures Queen Elizabeth's voice with skill, nuance, wit, and genuine charm in this imaginative and engaging mystery that portrays Her Majesty as she's rarely seen: kind yet worldly, decisive, shrewd, and most importantly a great judge of character.  

My Review:

I'll try to be gentle with this, but I did not like this book. At all. I am severely disappointed because I loved how the synopsis made this book sound. I thought it was going to be as if The Crown and Nancy Drew had a baby but this was nothing of the sort. It was bland at best and put me to sleep multiple times. I found it to be very drawn out and in the end I could have cared less about who done it because it built zero connection with any of the characters. It also turns out that what would have made the book fun, The Queen solving the mystery, is completely downplayed in the end due to the "politics" of things.

I am not trying to be mean here but this is one of the most disappointing books I've read this year. I thought (multiple times) about DNF'ing this one but in the end decided to muddle through it because it was only 288 pages and now I feel as if I wasted an entire Sunday by continuing on with it. The part that singes the most is that this had such good potential! Like I said, I thought the synopsis sounded so fun, a murder mystery with the royal family, count me in! But it left me feeling so lackluster and just bored.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? I would love to hear what you think especially if you have a different opinion on it! What is one book that you thought you would love based on the synopsis but just ended up hating? Or better yet, what is a super popular book that you just loathe? (PS if you say Catcher in the Rye, I will be slightly heartbroken).

Catch you later, 

Molly