Murder Most Royal

SJ Bennett Zaffre, £14.99

Now that Queen Elizabeth II is no longer with us, SJ Bennett’s latest murder mystery makes for poignant reading.

A severed hand with a signet ring is washed up on a Norfolk beach and the Queen identifies it as belonging to aristocrat Ned St Cyr.

After leading a wild life, he became an environmentalist, annoying nearby landowners by rewilding his estate.

Then, a stash of drugs wash up on the same beach, and local WI member Judy Raspberry is the victim of a hit-and-run crash. Judy has been investigating the Norfolk drug scene and the three events may be connected.

The Queen enlists Rozie Oshodi, her Assistant Private Secretary, to canvas villagers, while Her Majesty pays surprise visits to local landowners.

Between them, they tease out the mystery in this amusing, affectionate portrait of the shrewd monarch.