THE UTTERLY BRILLIANT FIFTH BOOK IN THE HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN INVESTIGATES MYSTERY SERIES.

It's 1961 and the Queen is planning her state visit to Italy aboard Britannia. But before she goes, an unreliable witness claims to have seen a brutal murder from the royal train. Did it really happen, and could the victim be a missing friend of Princess Margaret's new husband, Tony Armstrong Jones?

The Queen and her assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, get to work on their second joint investigation, little imagining that this time it will take them all the way to Venice in a tale of spies, lies and Cold War skulduggery.

PRAISE FOR S.J. BENNETT'S HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN INVESTIGATES MYSTERY SERIES:

'A witty whodunit starring our very own HM The Queen as an amateur sleuth' - Good Housekeeping
'A flawless gem. A perfect score on the '3 Cs': charm, character and comedy' - CJ Wray
'A pitch-perfect murder mystery' - Ruth Ware
'A masterclass from start to finish' - Ian Moore
'Written with wit and brio' - Daily Express
'Miss Marple with a crown' - Daily Mirror
'Absolute perfection!' - Isabelle Broom
'Delightfully charming' - Adele Parks
'Pure confection' - New York Times
'Warm & witty' - Woman&Home
'A delightful read' - BBC Radio 2
'I loved it' - Joanne Harris
'A total joy' - Nina Stibbe
'Charming' - Guardian
'What a hoot!' - Saga

SJ Bennett was born in Yorkshire and travelled the world as an army child. She had a varied career before her first novel was published when she was 42. Since then, her books have won awards, been optioned for TV, and have been translated into over 20 languages.

She was once asked to interview for the role of Assistant Private Secretary to the Queen and still considers it the job that got away. A curious royal watcher for many years, she lives in London, where she can often be found haunting its palaces, museums, galleries and libraries. She currently writes the 'Her Majesty the Queen Investigates' series.

You can find her on Instagram @sophiabennett_writer and on Twitter @sophiabennett.