I was provided both an ARC and an ALC of this book via Netgalley and the SMP Influencers Program, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the narrator and thought she did a great job voicing not only Dorothy, but the other Queens and characters as the story unfolds. It made it really fun to go on this adventure with these ladies as they solved this crime and try to sort out all of the evidence as well as build each other up and establish their friendships.

This was delightful! If you are a fan of historical fiction and classic mysteries this will take you on a fun adventure through England and France to solve a murder with some of the most famous mystery writers of all time. Dorothy Sayers, whom I didn't know anything about prior to this book, was a real person, a successful mystery writer, and a founding member of the very real writer's group The Detection Club which apparently still exists to this day. Dorothy is appalled that The Detection Club initially is not open to admitting female writers despite their success outside of Dorothy and the also famous Agatha Christie, so she invites 3 additional writer friends to join her to solve a real murder case to prove to the men that they are not only worthy of membership in the club but a cut above. The group of five capable ladies makes up the Queens of Crime.

This story is told from Dorothy's point of view as the Queen's gather information about the victim and the crime scene as and piece together the solution as the characters from their novels would. The victim is being painted in a poor light by the French police and in the newspapers, but the Queen's will not give up on justice for May Daniels. With all the makings of a locked room mystery that they are all familiar with writing, they have to work together as a team to put the puzzle pieces together to solve May's murder and tell her story. I loved the way the women worked together. Their group was so realistic as the story unfolded. Their interactions were filled with snark and jokes, pain when secrets were kept, and concern and compassion when one of their own was in need. I was engaged the entire time, trying to figure out the mystery and who-dun-it myself. I loved the characters and their interactions and felt like I was there with them as they traveled between London and France to gather clues and investigate.

As with all historical fiction books, I highly recommend reading the author's note to understand what liberties were taken with the facts, what was fabricated, and what was factual. This book has inspired me to look into these women and read some of their books, as the only one I was aware of prior was Agatha Christie. The author's research into the time and the women clearly shows as the story is told.

Marie Benedict's novels are always such a treat, and the premise of this one is SO fun, I love how she blends historical reality with fiction, and her latest book, we embark on a journey with five mystery writers, as they attempt to solve a murder. They called their club the queens of crime, a sub group of a bigger club that is mostly men. I think this book did a good job of exposing what the times were like, especially for women, while being very feminist, and telling a wonderful story about characters I cared about. Highly recommend. Thank you in NetGalley for a comp title in exchange for an honest review.

I have always enjoyed Marie Benedict's novels, she does such a good job of introducing us to historical women who made a difference in real
life. This book is no different as we go on a journey with five real life mystery writers as they strive to solve a murder. The mystery, who killed a young English nurse who was spending a day in France with a friend? Dorothy L. Sayers, along with Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy start their own small club called The Queens of Crime. This club is a subgroup of the Dectection Club, where all the members are mystery writers and the mostly men group looks down on their female counterparts.

Solving the mystery is interesting and well handled but I was more engrossed by the misogyny in their trade and how these women who work alone as writers need to learn how to work together and use their tricks of their trade, how they have their fictional detectives solve crimes. This is 1931 and women are certainly not given a lot of respect by the police and authorities.

I recommend this novel, it is an interesting read. I do hope there is an Author's Notes in the published copy, I missed how Benedict blended history and fiction. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Queens of Crime is Marie Benedict's newest historical fiction novel. In it, 5 women mystery writers including Agatha Christie become part of a writers club called the Detection Club. As a way to become more accepted in the group, the women go about working to solve a real crime. As a fan of historical fiction, Marie Benedict is one of my auto reads and I think this is my favorite of all her books I have read.

This book was a lot of fun. An unsolved murder taken into the hands of 5 women crime writers. They are tired of men ignoring them and are determined to solve the murder of a woman strangled in a park in France. Together, the take their book writing skills and apply them to real life, determined to find out what really happened. I loved the history woven throughout this book. The main characters were so fun - I loved that they were all crime writers and women, often not taken seriously by men. I found that the characters and their interactions were amazing. The mystery behind the book was fascinating. I was engaged from page one and despite the 400+ pages, the book flew by. I had this in audio and ebook and switched between the two seamlessly. They were both incredible. 
Pub Day: February 11, 2025
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

<b>Queens of Delight</b>
<i>A review of the St. Martin's Press NetGalley Kindle ARC (downloaded January 31, 2024) in advance of the St. Martin's Press hardcover/eBook/audiobook release (February 11, 2025).</i>

This was right up my alley as books from The Golden Age of Detection (1920 - 1940 or so) are among my top favourite guilty pleasures. The original quartet of The Queens of Crime are my favourite authors from that period.
<img src="https://scontent-yyz1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/476503895_29424053713860034_7523954519253330522_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=KzzBB5zMW_cQ7kNvgFtGijN&_nc_oc=AdjIAZpm9Ir7AcfFHM0JziHoI1-nMwTgWpLGoqK0sLh14hIVMrU6gKNjUCoBXpSRFTI&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.xx&_nc_gid=A_I01ofqMVDzyXf4yzip0m2&oh=00_AYDreOh2O9n2hIU5wgY0QuK1rCCtPzWsrSODe-zfuRDU1g&oe=67AC25DE">
<i>A quick summary of the 4 Queens of Crime. Text generated by Copilot AI.</i>

Marie Benedict expands the classic foursome into a quintet by adding Baroness Emma Orczy to the podium. That is substantiated due to the Baroness being one of the original members of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detection_Club">The Detection Club</a> (1930-), although these days she is best known for her adventure novels featuring <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/168426-the-scarlet-pimpernel-publication-order">The Scarlet Pimpernel</a>. Orczy did write one of the first professional female detectives though, with her [book:Lady Molly of Scotland Yard|1207098] (1910).

Benedict does bend history somewhat by including Ngaio Marsh and Margery Allingham into the mix well before they actually joined the Detection Club, but there are good reasons for that decision as well. Possibly some of that is explained in the author's Afterword which was not yet available in the NetGalley ARC that I read.

In any case, this was a total delight as the setup has Dorothy Sayers enlisting the other four in an effort to solve an actual cold case which both the English and the French authorities have dismissed as a possible drug-related suicide. English nurse and one-day excursion tourist May Daniels disappeared while on a trip to France in somewhat of a locked-room scenario. Her body was found weeks afterwards with a morphine syringe by her side.

The team use their various connections and their methods of detection honed from their writing skills to uncover the culprits behind the crime. There are callbacks to Benedict's earlier Agatha Christie related historical fiction [book:The Mystery of Mrs. Christie|54221749] (2020) as well as a subplot related to a secret in Dorothy Sayers' own real life. Knowing the true life backgrounds to much of these writers' lives did enhance my enjoyment here, but it is not necessary for other readers. You will likely be curious to follow up on some of the Golden Age writing yourself though!

My thanks to the author, the publisher St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this preview ARC, in exchange for which I provide this honest review.

<b>Trivia and Link</b>
There is a book trailer for <i>The Queens of Crime</i> which you can watch on YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RufcyNKo6g">here</a>.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict is a mystery book reader's delight! Favorite mystery writers unite to solve a real life murder. What a treat!! Benedict really brought the queens to life, their interests and quirks, and even their writing process as they delve into solving real life crime. Friendships are made and explored as they learn how to rely upon each other as a team. The real life mystery was engaging with twists and turns. A wonderful read!
Thanks to #NetGalley and #St. Martin's Press for the Arc.

Five women crime writers become the Queens of Crime as they investigate the murder of young British women found in France. Set in the 1930's, these women are determined and resolute in finding the answers as the local authorities have blown off the case.

The pacing was a bit slow and un-intriguing, and the story needed to be infused with more more drama/excitement.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press.

Such an interesting plot & the characters were great!

Didn't blow my socks off but kept me on my toes wanting more.

I am a huge Marie Benedict fan - I love all her books and I especially loved The Mitford Affair. This one fell flat for me though. I enjoyed the storyline of the murder but the women authors who felt they had to solve it came off as they just had nothing better to do. I understand it was because they wanted to fit in with the men in the Detectives Club, but solving a real murder was not the way to do that. It took me a while to get through it and thank goodness this one is over. I hope her next one will be better but I really do like it when she teams up with Victoria Christopher Murray for books.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. I am not a reviewer who will retell the plot, just my feelings towards the book as the reader can look up the plot themselves.

Solving a crime proves harder than devising one

In early 1931 noted mystery author Dorothy Sayers is helping to found a new organization of mystery writers to be known as the Detection Club, dedicated to supporting one another in their craft and banding together to help their genre gain more respect in literary circles. Alas, while no one disputes that Dorothy herself should belong and all agree that the equally well-regarded Agatha Christie should as well, there are grumblings that there oughtn't be an "abundance of women" in the group; the male writers argue that having more than the two women in the club would undermine their reputation in all that they are trying to achieve. Not inclined to allow this chauvinistic hesitancy to stand, Dorothy enlists Agatha's aid in a subterfuge to force the group's hand into inducting three additional women writers more than worthy of admittance....namely the Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh. They are able to gain admittance for the five of them through their machinations, but just as a horse can be led to water but not made to drink male authors can be made to admit women to their new club but not forced to accept them as peers. Feeling slighted and more than a little annoyed at being frozen out by their male counterparts, the women (at Dorothy's instigation) decide to prove to the men that they are more than worthy of their places in the Detection Club...by solving a real life murder. The recent case of a young British nurse who disappeared while on a day trip to Boulogne with a friend has had both the French and British police stymied, and her dead body has only recently been found. Dorothy's husband, journalist Mac Fleming, has just been assigned to head to France to report on the murder and Dorothy will tag along. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Mac, the other four women will descend upon Boulogne as well, and the five (having dubbed themselves the Queens of Crime) will use their skills heretofore devoted to devising mysteries to instead attempt to solve the murder of May Daniels. They soon discover that a heinous crime like this is no parlor game, nor is the victim a fictional creation...it is deadly serious, and the five women will be putting themselves in danger if the killer discovers their endeavors.
As a lifelong lover of mysteries (I started with Nancy Drew and The Bobbsey Twins and never looked back) and someone who has read pretty much the entire canon of most of these women of the Golden Age of Crime Fiction, once I read the first blurb for this novel I knew I had to read it. Author Marie Benedict introduces these five distinct women of differing ages, backgrounds, and even nations of origin (Ngaio Marsh being from New Zealand, the Baroness Orzcy Hungarian) who share at least one characteristic...they are all women writers of high caliber whose chosen speciality is the mystery novel. In a time when women working in general was not universally accepted, choosing to write in a genre that was thought of as a masculine domain was certainly bold. As the story unfolds the reader watches the women evolve from colleagues to friends, learning about each of their life experiences and current circumstances (and secrets they hold) even as the mystery they are working to solve heats up. Combining historical fiction, a paean to the value of women's friendships and a twist on the locked room mystery, The Queens of Crime is an enjoyable read with an entertaining premise. While I wouldn't say that the mystery component is equal to those written by the actual writers portrayed (that would be a pretty high bar, after all) it was still quite a bit of fun, a solid 3,5 rounded up to a 4 given the concept behind the novel. Fans of any of the writers portrayed will certainly enjoy seeing them stretch their literary skills to solve a real-life murder, and readers of authors like Allison Pataki, Paula McLain and Fiona Davis (plus those who enjoyed earlier works by author Marie Benedict) should add this to their TBR list. Many thanks to NetGalley and St, Martin's Press for allowing me access to this engaging novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting access to this arc/alc.

I was highly anticipating reading this book as I have read several other historical fiction books by Marie Benedict and really enjoyed them. Unfortunately, this was not one of those books. I am majorly disappointed. I can't quite put my finger on what I didn't like about this book, but I just feel that I really couldn't connect with the story or the characters unfortunately and it kind of felt like a chore to read. With that being said, I did like the audiobook narrator, Bessie Carter and I thought she had a very pleasant voice. I definitely still want to read more books by Marie Benedict in the future, it's just that this particular book was not for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting access to this arc/alc.

Imagine the potential of bringing together the best female mystery writers and then having them create a “Detection Club to include the pre-eminent mystery and detective writers of the time. Them imagine these women being treated like fluff and stuff by the pretentious and overbearing men who keened onto the idea of this club and immediately started carping about the “abundance of women in the ranks.” What’s a girl to do I ask you - well if you are Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy - you are going to solve a murder and show those blowhards how detecting is done and then written.

Like many of Marie Benedict’s book this was a well researched and plotted book. I enjoyed it but wasn’t engaged to the point that I found it a page turner that could not be put down. It seemed like more of a police procedural with a small bit of action. With a nod to the marginalization of women there is a telling comment regarding the devaluation of everyday women by the authorities and others. A bright young woman reminds us that perhaps a woman’s murder needs to be solved by female sleuths because they are the only ones who will “properly credit female witnesses.” A profound and sad commentary on the bigotry of the situation and times in London in 1931.

I am rounding up for the planning, writing and general ingenuity involved in creating this story. Thanks to St. Martin’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for a copy.

THE QUEENS OF CRIME by Marie Benedict received a starred reviews from Library Journal and Booklist; it was also a LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection for February. In her latest work of historical fiction (1930s England and France), Benedict conveys the personalities of five Golden Age mystery writers. She teams Dorothy Sayers with Agatha Christie, plus Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. As part of an effort to impress the male writers at the Detection Club, these women work together to solve a murder of a young English nurse, May Daniels, in France. They trace her stops at the ferry and various shops, often employing their own characters' techniques to learn much more than the local police while still providing plenty of suspense for readers. In the process, they redeem Daniels' reputation and enhance their own. A great historical whodunit. 4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this venture into the 1930’s with five famous female mystery writers. I felt like one of their club members as I followed along with their attempts to solve a murder. While there were some wandering paragraphs where I skimmed a bit, the storyline held my attention and kept me guessing. I liked how the story wrapped up and everyone received their just desserts. Read when you want to spend time with a group of unique women who band together to find justice for a murder victim.

The Queens of Crime is the newest historical fiction book written by Marie Benedict. This one is set in the early 1930s and features five well known female detective story authors, including Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. They want to be taken seriously by their male counterparts and have formed a club to help them gain this acceptance. They’ve also decided to solve a real life crime to help up their presence in their club. If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries, then this is the book for you. Read and enjoy!

Marie Benedict has been on radar for a while but this was the first time I read one of her stories.

I found this really well written historical fiction, I really liked the characters and their interactions, as well as the locked room mystery aspect.

But… The Queens of Crime didn’t succeed in pulling me in as fully as I’d hoped. Though I did enjoy it, I felt like something essential was missing.

Though this one didn’t fully work for me , I would read more of the author. ,



Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the DRC

I was given an advance reading copy of this book from NetGalley.com in exchange for a fair review. I have heard a lot of good things about author Marie Benedict, but I have never read any of her work. I so wanted to like this book, but I was quite disappointed. The story centers around five prolific British mystery writers who happen to be women. They want to prove themselves to their male counterparts so they take on an unsolved murder of a female nurse in an attempt to figure out 'whodunit'. The story is told by Dorothy L. Sayers who is the ringleader along with Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. I am not normally a mystery reader so maybe I am being a little too harsh, but I found the writing stilted and boring. Maybe it was written this way on purpose, but I did not enjoy it. Maybe a true fan of the genre will feel differently. I will admit that I have never read one book by any of these ladies and I probably never will. Just not my cup of tea.

This historical fiction from Marie Benedict was a cozy murder mystery solved by, who else, a cast of female murder mystery writers from the 1930s. The writing was charming, and while our writers (the likes of Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie) morph into true crime novice detectives, Benedict also explores themes of female friendships, and the inequitable allocation of resources to solve the murder of a nurse deemed “surplus”. While the dialogue and descriptions of place and time are quaint, it is impossible to miss the undercurrent of feminist power, which gives this story so much backbone. Overall an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a fun read - the concept of the Queens was interesting, and I enjoyed the female camaraderie and the mystery of May Daniels.

This book is a Dorothy Sayers showcase more than any other one of the female authors. The way the author built a fictonal story around real facts about the authors was the best part.

However, I feel like other than Agatha and, of course, Dorothy, the other 3 'Queens' come off a little underwhelming with deductions and basically require Dorothy to hold their hand throughout the investigation. Maybe Sayers and Christie would have worked better as a duo.


This book has increased my TBR pile, though!