S.J. Bennett, "The Queen Who Came in from the Cold" (Crooked Lane Books, 2025)

Dec 12, 2025

S.J. Bennett, author of the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series, discusses her latest novel, *The Queen Who Came In from the Cold*. She reveals how the idea of Queen Elizabeth II as an amateur detective emerged from her love of writing. Bennett highlights the charming balance of mystery and royal duties while exploring themes of female support in a male-dominated environment. The conversation touches on the Queen's ethical dilemmas, her relationship with Prince Philip, and the delightful humanizing elements in her stories, like corgis.

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ANECDOTE

Eureka Moment For The Series

S.J. Bennett describes how the idea for the series came in a single evening when she realized Elizabeth II could be a brilliant detective.
She immediately saw the settings and plots unfold, which launched the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates books.

ADVICE

Use Others' Wins To Leap Forward

Bennett credits reading about J.K. Rowling's early success for giving her courage to quit and write full-time.
Use others' publishing stories as motivation to take the leap into writing or creative work.

ANECDOTE

Rosie Ashodi’s Origin Story

Bennett created Rosie Ashodi as the Queen's sidekick inspired by Archie Goodwin and a student she taught.
Rosie is a former army captain of Nigerian descent who provides mobility, curiosity, and practical action the Queen cannot show publicly.

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Amateur detectives come in many forms. Owning a bookstore or a bakery, running a charming country inn, working in a library—even owning a cat or a dog—puts a character into the category of potential sleuth. But few creators of amateur detectives can top S.J. Bennett, whose Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series turns Queen Elizabeth II herself into a solver of crimes. Today we are discussing The Queen Who Came in from the Cold (Crooked Lane Books, 2025)

The first three books take place in 2016, when the queen is ninety years old. Even these days, those don’t qualify as historical fiction. But they set the tone of the series, which is at once respectful and warm, even charming. The mysteries are challenging, the queen’s role believable, and the family relationships well portrayed.

Certain constraints on the queen also appear here. For example, she can solve mysteries, but she can’t be seen to solve them, because she is the queen. Similarly, she relies for help on other women, who serve as her private secretaries (a job that goes far beyond typing), because the men spend far too much time worrying about upsetting their monarch and far too little time trusting her to know what she needs and wants.

Obviously, even if one is the queen of England, only so many mysterious deaths can take place nearby without raising eyebrows. So book 4, A Death in Diamonds, moves back in time to 1957 and a scandal possibly involving Prince Philip. The latest novel, The Queen Who Came In from the Cold (Crooked Lane Books, 2025), as the title suggests, takes place during the Cold War, specifically 1961, and involves Soviet spies and double agents, including the infamous Kim Philby. To say more would be to give too much away, but it’s yet another engrossing tale with a twist at the end that turns the entire story on its head.

And yes, there are Corgis—racehorses, too!

S.J. Bennett, the author of the Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series, has written over a dozen novels for both adults and children. She also teaches creative writing and, with her brother, hosted Prepublished, a podcast for aspiring writers. The Queen Who Came in from the Cold is her latest novel.

C. P. Lesley is the author of two historical fiction series set during the childhood of Ivan the Terrible and four other novels. Her latest book, Song of the Steadfast, appeared in 2025.

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