Short reviews of five mysteries, including 'The Hawk Is Dead'

“The Hawk is Dead,” by Peter James (Macmillan)

The royal train with Queen Camilla aboard is wrecked. The dutiful queen — her personal secretary, Sir Peregrine Greaves, in tow — leads her entourage to safety. But is she safe? Moments later, a sniper gets off two shots. Sir Peregrine falls dead.

England breathes a sigh of relief that the sniper missed the queen. But Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is convinced Sir Peregrine really was the intended victim. And so begins James’ newest Superintendent Grace novel. “The Hawk is Dead” takes Grace inside Buckingham Palace, with its labyrinths of rooms and hallways, lined with pieces from the world’s greatest art collection. Some of those pieces seem to have disappeared, however. As Grace tries to determine if there’s a connection to Sir Pere