Marie Benedict’s The Queens of Crime brings together five legendary female crime writers of the 1930s, including Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, in a clever historical mystery. The novel follows these literary icons as they team up to solve a real-life crime, using their deductive skills not only to seek justice but also to challenge the male-dominated literary world that often overlooked their contributions. Benedict blends fact and fiction well, offering an engaging story line that highlights the brilliance of these women while shedding light on the gender inequalities they faced.

While the story line is intriguing, The Queens of Crime doesn’t quite reach the depth and richness of Benedict’s previous works like The Personal Librarian and Lady Clementine. The novel is , however, entertaining and provides fascinating historical insights. Still, for fans of classic crime/historical fiction, definitely worth the read.

The Queen of Crimes, Marie Benedict's latest book, combines her love of historical fiction with a locked room mystery. I loved reading about crime writing in the 30"s with some of the most famous women mystery writers of that time, especially Agatha Christie. The other writers are Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. They are part of a Detection Club, but are not appreciated by the men members of the club so they decide to solve the crime of a murder of a young English nurse in France.

I loved reading about these five women solving a crime like their detectives in the their books and build a friendship. It was so interesting to read about the crime writing in the 30's from a woman's point of view.

This book was a quick read with relatively short chapters. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this ARC and give an honest review.

A cozy murder mystery based on real events!

Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie and other renowned female crime writers band together to solve the murder of a young woman in hopes to gain the respect of their male counterparts.

Set in the 1930s in London and southern France, the story weaves a colorful tapestry of historical events and rich character development.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Will post review on or close to the publication date.

Every time I pick up a new Marie Benedict novel, I know that I’m going to be taking a meticulously researched, expertly crafted historical adventure, and Queens of Crime is the latest. All I can really say is…wow. I loved spending time with the queens of mystery, including learning more about those that I haven’t had as much exposure to, like Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. This is a must-read for all mystery lovers!

Benedict, whose previous books have brought the lesser known stories of remarkably accomplished women to the fore (e.g., Belle de Costa Greene, Hedy Lamarr’s scientific accomplishments), here convenes five prominent mystery novelists from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction—Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Marjorie Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, and Emma Orczy. She dubs them the Queens of Crime (though that band more typically comprises Christie, Sayers, Allingham and Josephine Tey) and sets them in motion through a slight from the male members of the Detection Club formed by Sayers, Christie, Orczy, and G.K. Chesterton among others. Bristling at the male members’ attempt to limit the number of women members, Sayers hatches a scheme to prove their worth: bringing the five women together to solve a locked room mystery related to the disappearance and murder of a young English nurse in France.

Biographical details of the authors appear throughout the book, giving a good sense of who they were as individuals. I learned some things I did not know about Sayers, and I had known nothing about Orczy, of Scarlet Pimpernel fame. And I learned what a Ner-a-Car was. The plot requires some suspension of disbelief, including at the start, when Sayers concocts a mini locked-room murder scene (in which she plays the role of the corpse) to see whether the women can be sufficiently collaborative to take on the real thing. The book could also have used another round of editing; there is much repetition (like reintroducing Christie’s Hercule Poirot about 10 times, as if the reader didn’t already know who he was or had forgotten since he was mentioned several pages back) and wordy and earnest dialogue that seems stilted and unlikely. I don't recall Benedict's other books having this issue. In the end, the women, of course, get their man (or men, as it turns out) and their place in the club. Queens of Crime is, at its heart, about avenging underestimated, mistreated, and ignored women—and as “revenge of the surplus woman” in particular. It is inventive, engaging, occasionally edifying, and ultimately, gratifying.

The Queens of Crime is just marvelous! Marie Benedict has written a brilliant combination of historical fiction, centered on the Golden age of detective fiction and the five most prominate female writers of that time, and an intricate and puzzling locked room murder mystery. The book is narrated by Dorothy L. Sayers, who was a founder of the Detection Club whose members consisted of the most famous mystery writers of that time. The 5 female members of the club, however, felt that they were not taken seriously, despite bestselling crime novels. They decide to solve the locked room mystery of the disappearance and murder of a young nurse. Dorothy, along with Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy embark on a quest that becomes fraught with danger for them all. As their investigation proceeds, they all realize they must find justice for the young nurse, May Daniels. Throughout the book, the personalities and histories of the 5 writers also take prominence in the story and combine to highlight the difficulties women faced at that time. Working women were frowned upon. Those with the misfortune of bearing children out of wedlock were ostracized, if found out, along with their children. Learning about the lives of the 5 authors (I have read many of the books they have written) was completely fascinating for me. Above all, though, this is an absolutely exciting mystery with plot twists throughout, as well as a well-researched, fascinating historical fiction. Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of this review are my own.

In London in 1930, five great women mystery writers come together to join the male dominated Detection Club Society. In order to be taken seriously, they decide to try and solve an actual murder case. Months before, a young nurse had gone missing and her body has just been discovered, and the police are quick to assume it’s a drug deal gone wrong. The leader of the “Queens” - Dorothy Sayers, gathers her other queens and sets about solving the murder. At first it’s just to prove their worth as mystery writers to the snooty males in the Society, but it quickly turns in to seeking justice for the murdered girl.

This book is very different from the usual ones this author writes, but I enjoyed it. It helps that it’s told from the POV from Dorothy, but the author does a great job of “getting in the heads”of the other writers in the group - I especially enjoyed the banter and friendship between Dorothy and Agatha Christie. Pub date 2/11/25 - highly recommend! Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and St Martin’s Press for a digital ARC of this book to read and review.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict is a gripping historical fiction novel that blends a real-life mystery with the power of female solidarity. Set in 1930 London, the story revolves around five iconic crime writers—Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy—who form a secret society, determined to prove themselves in the male-dominated world of detective fiction. When a young woman is found murdered in France under mysterious circumstances, the Queens of Crime take it upon themselves to solve the case, even as the killer begins to target them.

Benedict skillfully intertwines the personal struggles of these women, particularly Sayers, with the murder investigation, creating a rich, compelling narrative. The detailed exploration of the relationships between these literary giants and their quest to be taken seriously was a highlight of the story. The mystery itself is well-crafted, with plenty of twists to keep readers on the edge of their seat. However, the pacing can feel a bit slow at times, especially in the middle of the book.

Overall, The Queens of Crime is a fantastic tribute to these pioneering women, filled with intrigue, suspense, and a deep look at the power of friendship and collaboration in the face of adversity. Highly recommend for fans of historical fiction, mysteries, and strong female protagonists!

The Queens of Crime combines Benedict's trademark, top-notch historical/biographical fiction with a strong "locked room" mystery.
After being snubbed by the men of legendary The Detection Club, the Queens of Crime (Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy) set out to prove their prowess by solving a real-life murder. Dorothy uses her journalist husband's connections to get them whatever information the French police have gathered after the body of May Daniels, a young English nurse, is found in a park in Boulogne in the spring of 1931, six months after she disappeared from the ladies room at the local train station. As the women begin their own investigation, they make discoveries the police have either missed or discounted, being disinclined to put weight on information provided by women, especially if it contradicts their own preconceived notions. The attitude of the Queens of Crime evolves during the course of their investigation: what starts as an academic exercise to show the men how smart and capable they are becomes a more personal crusade as they learn more about May. The story is told from the perspective of Dorothy Sayers, providing insights into her life as well as May's and generally how women were regarded in this era. The characters were well developed and I thought the pacing of the story was good. The mystery was complex enough that I figured out some, but not all, of the solution before all was revealed which is, in my opinion, the perfect balance.

A good mystery suspense with the mystery writers like Agatha Christie and others try to solve a missing person case or is it murder.
Voluntarily reviewed

Marie Benedict delivers again, and this may just be my favorite novel of hers to date! Intrigue, female empowerment, and justice mix with remarkable character development to create Benedict's latest historical fiction, "The Queens of Crime."

The novel is centered around author Dorothy L Sayers, who bands together with four other famous female crime writers to solve a real-life mystery. A young woman was found strangled in a local park, and the police seem quick to dismiss the case. The five detectives, nicknamed The Queens of Crime, decide that getting to the bottom of the murder will help build their credibility among male mystery authors. While Benedict embellished many fictional details (including the culprit of the crime), the story is based on a true event.

Bessie Carter did exceptionally well on narration. She moves seamlessly between accents, and the combination of her narration skills and Benedict's writing style convincingly immersed me in another era. Fans of historical fiction and classic mysteries are likely to enjoy this book, especially if they have read works by the five authors and would love to see their more "real-life" side.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Marie Benedict for an advance copy for honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC of this novel, and also to MacMillan Audio for the audiobook version.

Marie Benedict is rightly celebrated for her thoroughly researched and captivating historical fiction, especially focussing on women and their times. She has already touched on one of this novel’s main characters, Agatha Christie, in her fascinating The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. The rest of the self-named ‘Queens of Crime’ are Christie’s contemporaries, women mystery writers of the Golden Age of mystery-writing between the wars. Led by the indomitable Dorothy Sayers, the group also includes Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and the Baroness Emma Orczy of Scarlett Pimpernel fame. Faced with the condescension of the male writers of their time—the novel is set in 1930-31–who dominate the Detection Club, they plan to gain their due respect by solving the disappearance, and murder, in France of a young British nurse, May Daniels. So this book of historical fiction is also a locked door murder mystery of the kind that defined the Golden Age writers. But solving a real mystery, they quickly find, has elements not encountered on the page—such as threats, blackmail, and actual physical attacks.

Benedict is adept at writing mystery, but her strength is in crafting these women as historical figures carefully set within the very real constraints that women faced constantly in a time when marriage was touted as their true profession, and the Great War’s toll on marriageable men resulted in what was construed as a crisis of ‘surplus women.’ The minority who were educated could find employment in teaching and nursing, but any hint of pregnancy terminated their positions. These five knew their good fortune in being able to write for a living—but never with the status of male writers.
This is a very witty and entertaining book that says much about women as victims but even more about women turning to each other in friendship, protection and encouragement.

The audiobook in some ways even enhances the historical context because the narrator, Bessie Carter, is very good with accents, English and French, high-brow and otherwise. She brings the period to life through the character’s tones and expressions.

Marie Benedict has done it again! Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC of The Queen of Crimes . The story follows Dorothy Sayers and her female detective writer friends on case of a murdered nurse that the police just dismissed. Keep you interested from beginning to end Intriguing storyline and strong female characters. Definitely one of her best books yet !!!

The Queens of Crime is a standalone historical mystery by Marie Benedict. Due out 11th Feb 2025 from Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 320 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a well written and engaging historical story featuring real life characters (Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Orczy) amateur sleuths and collaborators. There are cameos from other real historical characters and events, and the fictional narrative is so cleverly interwoven, it's not always clear where fact shades into fiction.

Four stars. Readers of historical fiction like Tasha Alexander, Deanna Raybourn, and Andrea Penrose will find this one to their taste as well. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition, home readers, or a buddy read/mystery book club selection.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I would like to start this review by thanking St. Martin's Press and Marie Benedict for allowing me to read this novel, Queens of Crime, via #netgalley. All opinions following are my own.

The Queens of Crime is a book about solving a mystery, but it is also about giving women the recognition they deserve. The novel takes place in 1930. The five most popular women crime writers of the time, including Agatha Christie and the main character, Dorothy Sayers, have joined together with their male crime-writing counterparts to start a Detection Club where they'll all discuss their writings and their individual writing processes. However, the women, minus Dorothy Sayers and Agathie Christie, are less than welcome. That's when Dorothy comes up with an idea, with the help of Agatha, to have the five of them solve a real-life murder. They decide to call themselves the Queens of Crime.

They choose to try to solve the murder of May Daniels, a young training nurse, who who went missing several months prior, in October. Her body has recently been discovered, and it makes news until a syringe with morphine is found near her body. When this happens, the police and investigative crime reporters write off her death as either an overdose or a drug deal gone awry. This doesn't make sense to the Queens, and they vow to solve her murder, even when the lives of one of their own is put in danger.

After devouring this book, I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. It had a little of everything: mystery, thrill, humor, illicit romance. I was intrigued from the first page to the last. When this book drops on Tuesday, February 11, I encourage everyone to get their hands on it, and read it!

#brenbreathesbooks #brenreviewsbooks #mariebenedict #Mystery #HistoricalFiction #BasedOnTrueEvents #netgalleyreviewer #ARCReader #ARC #comingsoon #reader #readerlife #februaryreads #stsimonspress #5starreads #bookish #bookworm #booknerd #goodreadschallenge #thequeensofcrime

Thank you St. Martins Press for the eARC and thank you Macmillan Audio for the #gifted listening copy of The Queens of Crime! #MacAudio2025 #macmillanaudio #stmartinspress #TheQueensOfCrime #mariebenedict

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟒★

Marie Benedict is such an amazing historical fiction author. She’s back again with such an amazing story about Dorothy Sayers and the importance of friendship. In the 1930s, women were considered second-class citizens to their male counterparts in the well-known Detection Club. But Dororthy Sayers was ready to change that. Sayers, along with four other crime writers called themselves The Queens of Crime, with the plan of solving an actual murder. Those other women included Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. Together, they try to solve the murder of May Daniels, using their own strengths as mystery writers. As the group continues to gather clues, they suddenly find themselves in more danger than they realized was possible.

I loved how this was based on a true story. More than that, I loved watching these women do whatever necessary to be taken seriously, and I loved how they bonded together to prove they are just as capable as their male counterparts. As always, Benedict is such a great storyteller did such a great job researching all of the authors and the and the Detection Club. I loved how she provided additional information at the end with her Author’s Note, too!

🎧I alternated between the eARC and the audiobook, which was narrated by the talented Bessie Carter. I loved how Carter brought this story to life. She did a phenomenal job and I absolutely loved my time listening to this audiobook!

Posted on Goodreads on February 8, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around February 8, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on February 11, 2025
**-will post on designated date

This book started slow for me, but then it took off onto an unexpeccted journey. The authors are proving their right to belong with the men of their time who were taking their work seriously. Imagine these great writers sitting down for tea and solving a real life crime collaborating with all their talents to honor the memory of a young woman whose life was cut short by the act of murder. The crime was hard to prove but not to our Queens of Crime! Compelling read!

I couldn't sleep so I read until 3 AM and finished "The Queens of Crime" instead! Yes, it's an "I can't put it down" book, the kind of historical fiction that had me looking up photos of the real women, pictures of fashion from dresses to shoes to motorized transportation. Marie Benedict serves up the five most well-known and beloved detective novelists in a dish best served over and over again! The five (4) 'Queens' as they were really known band together as a sub-group of a detective novelists' association/club. At first they are out to prove that women deserve a place in the ranks of writers as much as the men do. Soon, however, they find a real crime to solve and it takes all their skills as crime novelists to plan their investigations and achieve what the police in two countries cannot seem to achieve. I found "The Queens of Crime" captivating. I'm going to miss those five magical women. Guess I'll start reading THEIR books, now!

"The Queens of Crime" is an exciting book by one of my favorite authors. It tells the story of five famous mystery writers working together in the 1930s. The plot has many surprising twists, some dangerous, as these women solve a murder case. I was on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end. This book is a must-read for all those who enjoy reading murder mysteries.

Thanks to Marie Benedict, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the eARC.

A Riveting Mystery Featuring the Queens of Crime

Marie Benedict’s latest novel immerses readers in 1930s London, where five pioneering women crime writers—led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers—form a secret alliance to prove their worth in the male-dominated world of mystery fiction. When a young English nurse is found murdered in France under baffling circumstances, Sayers, Agatha Christie, and their literary peers take matters into their own hands, determined to solve the case.

Blending fact with fiction, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie author once again delivers a thrilling historical whodunit. With clever twists, deep friendships, and a chilling personal threat against Sayers herself, this novel is a testament to the power of women in crime writing. Fans of classic detective fiction will be enthralled by this sharp, atmospheric mystery inspired by true events.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance ARC in exchange for my honest review.