The Queen Who Came in from the Cold: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates

Bennett (A Death in Diamonds) offers Anglophiles another exciting royal adventure as Queen Elizabeth II and her secretary Joan McGraw investigate a murder that morphs into something extra sinister. In 1961, Buckingham Palace is gearing up for a visit from President Kennedy, the Cold War simmers in the background, and Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, and their staff are preparing for a trip to Italy. They plan to take the royal train on an overnight journey to the royal yacht, and Princess Margaret has invited her haughty friend Sandra Pole along as her temporary lady-in-waiting. As the train rattles through the darkening evening, Sandra claims she sees through her window a dead man being tossed into a lake, leading Joan to put her sleuthing cap back on. She and the Queen—who quietly offers astute suggestions while a revolver-wielding Joan does most of the legwork—soon learn they have a connection to the deceased, and that his death is related to a vast political conspiracy. Folding traces of James Bond and George Smiley into a cozy mystery plot, Bennett strikes gold. It’s a fast and funny entertainment. Agent: Grainne Fox, UTA. (Nov.)