The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict peeks into the lives of the women who broke barriers as crime fiction writers, including Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie. Despite revolutionizing the genre in the early 20th century, they were often overlooked and undervalued by both the public and their male counterparts. In the book, Benedict tells the story of how these women allied themselves together, calling themselves the Queens of Crime, and forged their own path towards gaining the respect they deserved -- while working to solve a real-life mystery in the process!

Benedict portrays the personal lives of the women as both friends and partners, with big dreams, insecurities, and lots of wit. Rather than so many books centered around romance, this focused on the friendship these women worked hard to build with each other in the effort to support one another in a male dominated field (despite technically being rivals!) -- and I found that to be incredibly inspiring. Highly recommend for fans of historical fiction or mysteries!

In 1931, the legendary Dorothy Sayers founded the Detection Club in order to elevate the status of the mystery writing genre. However, when the males in the club state that they are unwilling to admit more than two female members, Sayers is highly offended. In response, she recruits Agatha Christie and three other talented authors, Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh, to join her in investigating an unsolved homicide. In Marie Benedict's novel, "The Queens of Crime" (the name they give themselves), the ladies intend to demonstrate that female sleuths are not to be underestimated.

Benedict lends her novel a bit of verisimilitude by alluding to the eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie that caused a sensation in England. The author also includes information about a scandalous secret that Sayers kept under wraps for years. The Queens, as they refer to themselves, set out to investigate the slaying of a young British nurse named May Daniels, who disappeared and was strangled while vacationing in France. Dorothy, Emma, Margery, Agatha, and Ngaio search for clues and interview witnesses who knew Miss Daniels. In addition, they look into the victim's background and retrace her steps on the days before she was murdered.

Sayers, who narrates, is witty and sarcastic; Marsh and the Baroness squabble constantly; and they all use stealth to extract information from individuals who have no reason to tell them anything. Unfortunately, the novel is weakened by passages of stilted dialogue and a slow-moving plot that has little suspense. Benedict repeatedly hammers home the point that unenlightened men during that era condescended to and exploited women, whom they considered to be their inferiors. Undeterred by the supercilious attitude of their male counterparts, the astute and determined Dorothy, Emma, Ngaio, Margery, and Agatha refuse to be marginalized. They prove that they are skilled detectives who are capable of tracking down a ruthless killer.

Thank you MetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review the ARC.

This was such a fun read. It was the author’s t signature historical story and added mystery. This was extra fun! I loved the little extra description of fashions in the beginning. I think this is my favorite book of hers.

History with mystery, steady paced story with little bit of “rest”. What a perfect book!!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

Although I generally don't read historical novels, I thought I would give this one a try because of the title.
I found it slow at times but I thought it was interesting read about Agatha Christie and the other queens of crime. I am glad I stuck with this one and would be interested in reading more about them.

This was a great historical fiction read. I had heard a little about this before reading this so I throughly enjoyed getting more background in a dramatized setting.

Queens of Crime was a slow read and eventually I lost interest. This one just wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

I have not read Marie Benedict before but I absolutely look forward to reading more of her stories. 5 of the most lauded female mystery writers of the early 20th century are the main characters in this fictionalized story of the death of a young woman. I've only read Agatha Christie and that was many, many moons ago but I now have a hankering to read all these amazing women in the future. Marie Benedict has a way of bringing these characters to life in a way that has you rooting for them. A young woman's death during that time, especially one who was not moneyed, barely got any notice but these five would not let it go down like that. I loved how everything got pulled together to give us a wonderful finale.

I really enjoyed reading about these icons of crime and mystery novels. The fact that the crime being discussed is real and the author decided to fictionalize a reality in which they find out what happened to this girl seems like a great success, especially given the misogyny with which this case was treated, a parallel to the misogyny and discrimination experienced by these writers.

I liked that it includes criticism of the patriarchal system, both in the judicial sphere and within the world of literature. The progression of the plot seemed coherent to me, and the development of the characters, at least that of the protagonist, was evident and made me reflect on her environment and what she may have faced in real life.

I would like to continue reading about the queens of crime :)

I really liked this! It was super interesting learning about all the different mystery writers! Everyone always knows Agatha Christie but it was great to learn about the less known authors. The story itself wasn't graphic even though it dealt with some heavy stuff and overall great book!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and @NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love @MarieBenedict and her writing and have read most of her books, so I was excited to snatch this one up since I love anything to do with Agatha Christie! In Benedict's latest novel, The Queens of Crime, her story features five of the greatest women writers from the Golden Age of Mystery and their antics while they seek to solve a real-life murder. The story is set in London during the early 1930s where Dorothy has launched a Detective Club of authors and these women band together as a secret subgroup to show their male crime author counterparts, they have what it takes to the command respect of their male peers.

With Dorothy Sayers at the helm, the group includes Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh, they tout themselves as the 'Queens of Crime'. Seeking to solve the murder of May Daniels, who was found strangled in a French park they quickly learn that being a murder mystery author is very different from being an actual detective.

While this was an interesting and fun read, for Benedict fans, it is not her best. Still, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who is a Benedict fan, an Agatha Christie fan or just a fan of 1930 murder mysteries as it delivers an excellent sampling of that time and genre.
#NetGalley #TheQueensofCrime #historicalfiction #1930s #murdermysteries

A fascinating, feminist page turner! I believe I’ve read Marie Benedict’s entire adult backlist and The Queens of Crime is among the best of the bunch. In Queens, she brings to life and pays tribute to five women crime writers who band together to investigate the murder of a young nurse. In so doing, Benedict once again highlights women whose greatness might otherwise be lost to history, while turning out a well researched and propulsive novel I read in one sitting,

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the privilege of a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the ARC.

A historical fiction murder mystery, featuring some of our favorite literary heroines trying to prove their worth. This book had female friendships (with some rivalries), feminist topics, and a murder mystery all rolled into one. Benedict did a decent job navigating from The Queens of Crime and the Detection Club to investigating the mystery. The plots wove together splendidly to create an overall story. I also enjoyed the group of female characters and that they each brought something different to the group. Both in terms of their writing styles, but also their personalities.

That being said, I did find the story a bit slow at times. I was lucky enough to have an audio arc as well though, and I would switch to the audio when I was struggling. The audio narrator, Bessie Carter, did a phenomenal job and helped bring a little more oomph to the story.

All in all I enjoyed this story and would recommend it, especially to historical fiction fans who might be looking for something a little different.

Who better to solve crimes than the golden age women who wrote about them? The characters are Dorothy L Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. As members, some founding of the Detection Club, these women feel the men are questioning their membership, so they form an offshoot group called the Queens of Crime. It isn’t long before they take on their first case. As a fan of these authors and their writing, it was fascinating to read about their process as it may have been – tying the actual crime-solving into how they would write about the crime being solved.

The pacing was a little slower, reminiscent of their own novels, but it did drag a little in the middle. Bessie Carter’s narration of the women was exactly how I would expect them to sound/talk.

This was my first Marie Benedict novel. I would absolutely read/listen to another of her books. Admittedly I don’t read a lot of historical fiction and it was absolutely the synopsis of this one that grabbed my attention. Five female mystery writers band together to solve a real life murder? Yes please. I loved the attention to detail in the descriptions of everyone’s clothing, hotels, apartments, etc as it really added to the atmosphere of 1931. I loved that the women were not meek wallflowers but real women. I liked how they stood up for the victim, nurse May Daniels.

I enjoyed learning more about life for women in the years after WW1 and had never heard of the term “surplus women” and how society looked down on them as well as looking down on nurses. As a currently lifelong bachelorette and as a nurse it’s interesting to learn about what my life could have been like if I’d lived several decades earlier.

While I shall admit I had only heard of 3 of the writers (and sadly only read Agatha Christie) I have already bought the first books in the others mystery series of all 4 of the other queens of crime.

The audiobook narrator, Bessie Carter, did a goof job.

**Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review. I also bought the audiobook on audible.”

My first time reading Marie Benedict was her 2020 release The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, and I can’t believe I waited until her 2025 release to read her again! The Queens of Crime was absolute perfection and I loved the little nod to Agatha Christie’s famed disappearance in 1926. Even though I haven’t read Christie (gasp!) I can tell that Benedict is heavily influenced by her as well as other greats, and that’s not simply because she put them together in this book. The premise of the secret society of women crime writers putting their skills together to solve a murder hooked me immediately and I loved the backdrop of 1930s London.

The audiobook is just as fantastic as the book itself and the amazing actress Bessie Carter is unbelievably talented. She seamlessly transitioned through multiple accents, and I especially loved the way she voiced Ngaio. She gave each of the 5 ladies a distinct voice and made every single character feel alive. I really hope she dives further into the audiobook narration world as I would love to listen to her again. (Good time to note she is also the narrator for Reputation by Lex Croucher).

The mystery itself was thrilling and filled with red herrings and plenty of twists, and I didn’t figure out who the killer was before it was revealed. Dorothy Sayers was a formidable leading lady in the group, and she was definitely the most fully formed of the 5 FMCs. I loved this world that Benedict created, and I never wanted to leave it. I had so much fun following along with their investigation and was happy to have a few ah-ha moments along the way. Also, do make sure to catch the author’s note which is also in the audiobook!

Read this if you are looking for historical fiction focused on real female writers, cunning investigation, and a brilliant intricately woven plot.

Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Net Galley for this copy of The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict.
I love this author and have read all of her books. If you haven’t read The Personal Librarian or The Other Einstein, you are in for a treat.
Queen’s of Crime is a historical retelling, loosely of Dorothy Sayers idea of having a female detective club and the troubles of being a female mystery writer, in a genre that was perceived as belonging to men. Together with the top female writers they set out to solve an actual murder, which turns out to be very different from writing one.
Benedict writes compelling stories, based on historical facts and weaves in interesting dialect and a fast paced storyline.
Some parts were a little overdone in the beginning , very descriptive about each woman’s attire, I’m sure trying to establish how they differed., but then once we got into the story it just got better and better.
I highly recommend all the books she has written, shedding an eye on females history might have overlooked.

The Queens of Crime brings together five of the golden age female mystery writers to solve a real-life murder. Each of the women brings her own special insights to the crime. Their relationships with one another, however, are not always simple and cheery. The women must work together for a common good, and that is, solve the crime of a young nurse's murder, when the police have all but dismissed the case.

This is a great "cozy mystery" book, with elements of historical fiction. Ms. Benedict appears to have done extensive research to write this fantastic story! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advance e-reader copy of this book.

This was an entertaining romp into the historical fiction of some famous authors who come together to solve a murder and show the men of the Detection club that they are just as good mystery writers that also belong in the club. With fashion and detective skills sharpened by the books they have written, they bring justice to the disappearance of one May Daniels who was maligned in the news by police only doing a cursory job in solving her murder. It is sad that it was true about how women were treated back then, both as writers, or when they choose to do something other than the norm. So it was nice to have the Queens of Crime do this for her. It was a nice blend of true history and fiction and it flowed well to the end when all is revealed and everyone (minus the ones that were part of the murdering and threats to May and the other women) gets what they worked so hard for. Go Queens of Crime!

The Queens of Crime is told through the eyes of Dorothy Sayers, a mystery writer. She is part of the Queens of Crime along side Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Emma Orczy. A young nurse, May Daniels dies on a trip to France. The police claim it is a drug related death. However, the Queens of Crime disagree and decide to investigate on their own.
I enjoyed that this book was about strong women in a time in history when women did not have a voice. However, I did feel the book was slow paced.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Benedict does a bang up job with this slight veer of her normal historical fiction writing. Her foray into more suspenseful writing pays off. She does an outstanding job bringing this story to life. Alas, there is plenty of speculation to keep this from being a non-fiction account of the murder of May Daniels and the subsequent, off the record investigation by five amazing women crime writers of their time. I am hoping there will an 'Author's Note" in the final version that helps the readers parse what was fact from what was fiction.
Thanks so much for the ARC! Our patrons will enjoy this cross-genre offering, I am sure.