Another great story from Marie Benedict! Although the “queens” include Agatha Christie and three other female mystery writers of the day, the focus is on Dorothy Sayers this time. Her character was developed so well and as usual, I appreciate the extensive research done by the author. All five of the women had such strong and interesting personalities! I especially liked how Agatha became such a great support to Dorothy in her personal life. Of course, the highlight of the book is the actual solving of a murder. Anyone who likes murder mysteries will appreciate how creatively the women uncover the clues and work together to trap the murderer. The suspense around the threats to Dorothy’s life adds to the enjoyment of the book. And I have to mention again that the women had such strong personalities - it was almost comical how they outwitted the men.

An enjoyable read, not my favorite by Benedict but still worth a read. The plot was fun, fun, and oddly informative but often times dragged on too long before moving on.

In “The Queens of Crime” Marie Benedict reminds us how far women have come and how recently in history they were marginalized. Narrated by Dorothy Sayers, we join her in 1930 London as she’s organizing the Detection Club. Sayers and Agatha Christie are the only women invited to join the group of like-minded mystery novelists. The men did not want to discredit their club with more female contemporaries but Sayers invited Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy - creating the Queens of Crime. To build credibility, The Queens set out to solve a real murder. By speaking to observant female witnesses and other marginalized members of society, they have success where the police’s narrow view failed.
The Queens of Crime is like a historical Nancy Drew mixed with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Readers will love figuring out the mystery alongside the Queens and join in their unexpected circle of friends.

Agatha Christie is one of my favorites, so a book where she's in a secret-ish group of ladies only detective writers?! And they work to solve a real crime? Count me in.

Unfortunately, this fell VERY flat for me. It was slow and repetitive and overall longer than it needed to be. I don't think any of the characters would have made the detectives they write proud.

This is more properly 2.5 stars, rounded up since I cannot do halves.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dorothy Sayers was a prolific mystery crime writer and decided to pool her resources to legitimize the genre with other crime writers. There was a concern that too many women would join but Dorothy baulked at that by brining in 4 successful female crime writers, including Agatha Christie, dubbing themselves the queens of crime. Wanting to show their value they set out to solve a real life murder mystery similar to one of their detective novels. Englishwoman and nurse, May Daniels, disappeared from a locked bathroom in France while her friend was waiting for her to be discovered murdered a few weeks later. The police are not investigating the murder to the women's liking so they set out to get justice for the poor woman. Just like the characters in their books these women unlock clues from May's past to discover who murdered her and why.

Marie Benedict returns with another great historic female driven fiction novel. I am a huge fan of her previous works and this one does not disappoint. The story is loosely based on the real story of these famed novelists working to solve a murder. It is told from Dorothy's perspective but paints a nice portrait of each of the women. Benedict takes great care in rounding out her characters to make them real and relatable. Since Dorothy is the main character she is a bit overly involved in all aspects of the sleuthing. The pace is good with enough action and lead discovery to keep the story moving. It felt like being inside one of their detective novels. I highly recommend picking this one up if you are a fan of historical fiction and a good murder mystery.

Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, and other talented female mystery writers team up to solve a real-life crime. Calling themselves the Queens of Crime, they form an unforgettable alliance. This is another captivating read by Marie Benedict.

This was a comfy read with a Downton Abbey feel.
The story flows easily and was a delight. For me this is a bit out of my typical genre but I found myself invested and enjoying the story.

Marie Benedict's book was inspired by a true story from crime writer Dorothy Sayers. These five famous crime writers come together as women who could approach a crime and look at it in a different way than the authorities.

These writers and friends meet for lunch to discuss solving a real crime. Once they all agreed to work on this together, they became the "Queens of Crime".

London 1930 - a young nurse is found dead, strangled with a lot of blood under her body. Last seen at a train station in France, headed back home to England, but her body is found in the woods nearby. How was she killed if she was in a train station? Did anyone see her? What clues were left?The Queens begin asking questions of the authorities and then take it from there as to who to talk to next.

I enjoyed this story - solving the crime and the thought processes of these crime writers which were quite different than the police. I also enjoyed the revelations of a couple of these Queens who shared some secrets with each other. One of which sent me to the internet. Always a good sign of a good book that I loved when I want to know more!

I really enjoyed the narrator, Bessie Carter, who sounded so much like Julie Andrews lovely but strong voice!
My thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillian Audio for an advanced copy of this e-book and audiobook.

This was a very enjoyable story. It was filled with some of my favorite things: intelligent women, strong positive female friendships, and an interesting mystery to solve.

This story is based on a true unsolved murder of a young English nurse as well as real female novelists. I love Benedict's writing and her take on a possible scenario. She blends the murder, the Detection Club, and the "Queens of Crime" quite seamlessly. This combination made for a wonderful story. I really enjoyed getting to know the different personalities of the different characters and trying to work out the mystery along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know why I keep sleeping on Marie Benedict books. I have loved every single on. I'm really in an Agatha Christie era and this was such a fun read that fits perfectly into my current reading obsession. I loved reading about other female authors of crime who were from the same time. I also enjoy going down the rabbit hole of looking up the characters and learning more about them and their work. The mystery in this novel really highlights how women were (mis)treated and understood in the past. A great read with a lot of good content and food for thought.

Dorothy Sayer, along with other female writers of the time, including Agatha Christie, set out to solve a murder to prove themselves to the men of their detective club but the case of May Daniels soon becomes personal. As the women walk in May's steps, they realize that someone went out of their way to ensure that her death looked like an overdose. When the women uncover the secret behind May's death, they must do all they can to give her justice.

It was good to delve back into a Marie Benedict book with a group of fantastic female authors at its core. This is a story about the power of women and the strength of female friendship and the way it can help build self-confidence and awareness of self. A core concept of this book is the way women are viewed and put aside by society and how quickly they are willing to put us aside. I was aware of Dorothy Sayer and Agatha Christie but I was not aware of Ngario Marsh, Margery Allingham, or Baroness Emma Orczy but now was to read their novels. Marie Benedict writes novels that always have me researching the characters so I can imagine them as I read.

Such a fun, engaging book! In this re-imagined drama, real-life mystery writers collaborate to solve a crime involving the murder of a young lady. The very different personalities travel, sleuth, quarrel and solve in the style used in their novels. Several surprising twists show up throughout the story to keep the suspense lively and entertaining.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Loved that there were 5 authors, but only told the story from the perspective of one. A really fun concept with a good ending. Felt at points it dragged but overall good.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict was a historical mystery about female mystery authors of the Golden Age including Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, among others. While the story was completely fictional, the characters were based - at least loosely - on the real women. It was great fun to imagine what these strong women could have accomplished by combining their sleuthing skills and applying them to a real murder. In The Queens of Crime, that is just what they did.

This book felt much lighter than other books I have read by Marie Benedict, probably to match the tone of the books these women wrote. The plot points came together very easily so that I almost felt like I was reading a book by one of these classic mystery authors. The tone felt like more light hearted than hardcore history, although there was a strong sense of women speaking up for themselves and being taken seriously.

I will recommend this to readers who like mysteries by the Golden Age authors.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Queen of Crimes by Marie Benedict is an absolute gem of a read! Set in 1930s London, it follows the fascinating story of five iconic women crime writers—Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy—who form a secret society to solve an actual murder and prove their worth in a male-dominated literary world. The murder mystery itself is intriguing, with a young woman found dead under mysterious circumstances that echo the locked-room mysteries these authors are famous for. Benedict does an excellent job of bringing these legendary women to life, portraying them as strong, clever, and determined to be taken seriously. The mix of real-life history with fictional intrigue is seamless, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way the women come together to uncover the truth. The Queen of Crimes is a compelling, well-written read that will captivate fans of historical fiction and mystery alike. Highly recommended!

Imagine if some of the world’s best female mystery writers joined together and became the characters in their own stories to solve a crime. That’s the premise of this novel by Marie Benedict. I found it to be an interesting tale with strong characters who pushed back against society in a time when women were not viewed to be as important as men. The detailed descriptions helped put me in the right time and place (early 1900’s in London and France), although I did find it to be a little bit wordy in some areas. Overall, I enjoyed following Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie with their 3 other mystery writers the “Queens of Crime”, as they dubbed themselves) working towards solving the murder of a young woman. The story kept me guessing with a few red herrings along the way!
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Another great title by the amazing Marie Benedict. I cannot believe how each of her books are just greater and greater. This book featured supremely powerful women. A secret society of crime writers.

In the Queens of Crime, Marie Benedict pays tribute to the pioneers of female detective writers in what was arguably the golden age for the genre. The leader of the group is Dorothy Sayers, who is joined by Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Orczy. In a bid to become accepted into a society of male detective fiction writers, the ladies decide to solve a real-life unsolved murder. Kudos to Ms Benedict for choosing such a clever way to showcase both the personalities of her subjects and their literary approaches to detection.

Although the dialogue feels a bit stilted, that hardly seemed to matter as the investigation progressed and reached its satisfying conclusion. Ms. Benedict’s subjects would have been very pleased with her effort.

Unique and amazing story - about 5 famous female mystery writers solving a real crime!

This was such a fun story! If you've ever wondered what it would be like to sit in a room and kick around ideas about plot and characters with Agatha Christie, then this is the story for you!

5 famous female authors join a male dominated club. The men aren't excited to accept women in their ranks and they are not excited to think about a whole 5 of them joining! So the women decide to prove their worth by solving a real crime - a story of a missing women that has become a murder mystery.

This book had amazing female friendships and a great mystery. The chapters were quick and the tension kept me turning the pages. Each new twist, I wanted to applaud just how smart these 5 women were, to discover the things they did! This one was so fun! I can't recommend it enough!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

The Queens of Crime, Marie Benedict’s latest, combines her standard historic biographical novels with a locked room mystery.
Loosely inspired by a real event in Dorothy Sayers’ life, Benedict provides an ending for what, in real life, was an unsolved murder. In addition, she brings together five of the golden age female mystery writers.
Even though Dorothy Sayers was the energy behind the formation of the Detection Club, the men still fought the inclusion of too many women. So, Dorothy, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy name themselves the Queens of Crime. They decide the way to win the men’s respect is to solve a real murder. They embark on a quest to solve the locked room murder of May Daniels, a young nurse found murdered in France.
This was a fun, entertaining story. It’s told solely from Dorothy’s perspective, but the reader gets a decent feel for the others. We also learn important facts about her personal life.
There’s a wee bit too much emphasis in the beginning on the fashions of each woman as a means to differentiate their personalities. I was more impressed with Benedict’s thoughts about “surplus women” after WWI, discounting female witnesses or finding intellectual fulfillment in marriage.
The story moves at a strong pace with little downtime. It worked well as the women realize writing about detectives is very different than being one. Benedict acquits herself well as a mystery writer.
I was sorry that there was not an Author’s Note, something I expect from a historical story. This is an ARC, so hopefully that omission is fixed before publication.
I appreciated having both the e-book and the audio for this story. Bessie Carter did a good job as narrator.
My thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this book.