Queens of Crimes is Marie Benedict’s newest work about five women crime writers - Dorothy Sayer, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Emma Orczy. In order to gain acceptance into a male dominated writers club, they set out to prove themselves by solving a real murder. That of a young woman, May Daniels.

I enjoyed the mystery and found myself wanting to hurry to the end to get to the resolution and see justice be served. This felt like a classic whodunit, which definitely fit the theme.
I was, however, hoping for more exploration of the five women themselves. Aside from the main character - Dorothy Sayer - and perhaps Agatha Christie, the rest felt like they were put into a category without me drawing the conclusion. (The young naive one, the rich one, etc) but those were not conclusions I was able to reach myself, I was constantly told which character was which based on the category they fit in.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who’s interested in mysteries and historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say, “The Queens of Crime” by a favorite historical fiction writer, Marie Benedict, was a delightful journey into the world of crime writing in the 1930s, and specifically of women as in Agatha Christie. It is in this book that we come to know Dorothy Sayers, purported to be Agatha Christie’s legendary rival. But it is in this fast-paced mystery novel that we are enthralled in the power of friendship among women as five of the greatest crime writers have banded together to form a secret society to prove their worth to their legendary counterparts in the formidable Detection Club. They call themselves ‘The Queens of Crime.’. Led by Dorothy Sayers, this illustrious group included Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. They take it upon themselves to solve the crime of an actual murder of a young English nurse found strangled in a park in France. The mystery surrounding her death ultimately leads to very interesting circumstances and places and mystery and suspense, this was a page-turner. But at the heart of this was the involvement of these women in what may have first only been a lark and a challenge but soon captured their hearts in their quest for the truth.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced reader’s copy of this book to be published in February 2025.

Marie Benedict’s The Queens of Crime brings together five iconic mystery writers—Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy—in a compelling fictional tale where they team up to solve a real-life cold case: the murder of a young woman in 1930s London.

What makes this novel stand out is Benedict’s seamless blending of fact and fiction. By structuring the story around an actual unsolved crime, she creates a gripping and plausible narrative that highlights the brilliance of these writers. Their sharp understanding of human nature, combined with their expertise in analyzing motive, means, and opportunity, lends authenticity to their sleuthing efforts as they uncover the truth behind May Daniels’ death.

The interactions among the women—ranging from witty banter and spirited disagreements to genuine camaraderie—feel delightfully real, giving readers a glimpse into the personalities behind their literary legacies. Fans of classic mysteries will also appreciate the many references to their works and writing styles, from Christie’s beloved Poirot and his “little grey cells” to Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel. These nods not only enrich the story but inspire readers to revisit—or discover—the Queens’ individual books.

Having not yet read works by Sayers, Marsh, or Allingham, I’m now eager to explore their novels after finishing this book. The Queens of Crime is both a tribute to these legendary authors and a captivating mystery in its own right—a must-read for fans of classic whodunits.

It’s the Thirties and five famous mystery writers try to solve a real murder. This is a fun story about five smart women who work together to find out what really happened to May Daniels on that day she disappeared from the train station. Events take several twists and turns, some of them dangerous, as these women puzzle out the pieces of this murder. This is an excellent, escapist read. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

A CAREFUL AND CLEVER ASCENT

The Queens of Crimes is a historical fiction novel highlighting the friendship among five of the finest women writers from the golden era of mystery. Dorothy Sayers inspires the group with support from Agatha Christie. Also part of this talented club are Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, and Baroness Emma Orczy. These women unite to demonstrate to the male naysayers the capabilities of female authors in the genre. To showcase their ability to understand the minds of criminals, the women endeavor to solve the mysterious death of May Daniels, a young English nurse who disappeared during a day trip to Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, in 1931. Her strangled and bloody body was recently discovered in a park.

Queens of Crimes is essential reading for lovers of female-centric historical fiction. This is an inspiring tribute to a generation of women who fought the good fight for women authors and their careers. Most importantly, the story highlights the fortitude and persistence of women.

Author Marie Benedict’s writing is a careful and clever ascent that will have you cheering on these five delightful and diverse characters. Benedict draws us into the life of the victim, May Daniels through the women’s creative sleuthing.

My favorite part is when the women confront one of their primary murder suspects in a beautiful and well-known London hotel.

The story is suspenseful and told from the perspective of Dorothy Sayers, who intriguingly becomes a target during the investigation. The book is easy to read and composed of short, well-labeled chapters. I both read and listened to the book. Bassie Carter's audio performance was rich and delightful, bringing the story to life.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher St. Martin’s Press
Publisher Macmillan Audio
Published February 11, 2025
Narrated Bessie Carter
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. The group includes Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.

A sure fire story to hook me in. Growing up, I discovered mystery novels when I discovered Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. They are the reason I can be so rough in my assesment of modern mystery writers. They never cheated to solve a crime or gave some imaginary reason a character mentioned on page 3 is the culprit. The solution is always valid and justified.
Marie Benedict has brought all of these unparalleled authors together in a story that could so easily be true.
Benedict's level of research and authenticity is not just awe inspiring but oh so entertaining.
The Queens of Crime is a fantastic example of these women's skill as well as the authors. I highly recommend it.
I also recommend listening to the Audio version of this book with narrator Bessie Carter. The audio books makes it so easy to drift to 1931 and watch these queens in action yourself.

It is expected to be published 2/11/2025
Thanks to @netgalley and Macmillian Audio and St. Martin's Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion

I knew that this was biographical fiction, not a true crime story, but Marie Benedict is so good that I still found myself googling if Dorothy Sayers ever solved a real crime. Another success from the Queen of Biographical Fiction.

The is a fun read where five crime writers get together to solve a crime. One of my favorite parts was that Agatha Christie is one of the five, It was rather cool to see her in real life trying to do what we have seen her do so many times.

The story is about May Daniel’s, who turns up missing and then dead. The five writers will band together to go through the evidence, with the goal of solving the murder.

I read that the story was inspired by an event in Dorothy Sayers’s own life.

I did both the audio and the ebook simultaneously, I do believe I liked the audio book better, the pace was nice and steady.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

St. Martin's Press
Pub Date: 2-11-25

Thank you @netgalley, @stmartinspress, and @authormariebenedict for this eARC.

The mystery of who murdered May Daniels kept me hooked from start to finish.  I loved the interaction between the five main characters.  Descriptive writing, consistent pacing, and a few surprises made for one of my favorite mysteries set in the 1930s.

I'm embarrassed to say that before reading The Queens of Crime I had only heard of Agatha Christie.  I now have four additional authors to explore: Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Emma Orczy.

"Dabbing away my tears, I have an epiphany about how the Queens and I must proceed. We must get to know May in order to understand what happened to her. We must treat her as if she were a character in one of our novels but never forget that she was very real. And that doesn’t mean looking for answers at the end, as everyone else seems to be doing. That means starting at the beginning."

I loved this newest novel from Benedict! A charming, fun novel about women detective authors solving a true crime, it kept me engaged and smiling throughout its entirety. Well done!

THE QUEENS OF CRIME was an interesting piece of historical fiction. It is 1930 and Dorothy Sayers comes up with the idea of forming the Detection Club. Its purpose is to provide a venue where the authors of detective fiction can come together.

Dorothy comes to feel that the club is being hijacked by male authors. So, she recruits some of the leading female lights of the day. First on her list is Agatha Christie who is past the time of her unexplained disappearance and is remarried to Max Mallowan. She also invites Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. She surprises the membership when she invites the other ladies to join.

Then come the suspicious death of May Daniels, a trainee nurse in England, who disappears in Boulogne and whose body is discovered some months later. Dorothy's husband is a newspaper writer assigned to the May Daniels case.

Dorothy and the other self-styled Queens of Crime go along to see if they can solve the locked room mystery. After all, May disappeared from a train station restroom and didn't reappear until her body was discovered. The women decide if they ever want to be respected by their male colleagues, they will have to discover what happened to May whose reputation has been thoroughly trashed by the horde of newspaper men covering the story.

Their investigations help these five very different women get to know each other and also solve the murder of May Daniels.

I love the premise of The Queens of Crime but I didn't love the book. It was just okay to me, the characters felt flat and descriptions of them felt repetitive. The plot line and ending were unbelievable. What I did enjoy was reading the book prompted me to go to the internet to read about Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers’ real lives. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an early electronic galley to read and review. This book is expected to be released February 11, 2025.

Set in 1930s England and France, this novel is narrated from the perspective of author Dorothy Sayers. After being one of only two women accepted into the male-dominated Detection Club, she invites fellow mystery writers Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy into the Queens of Crime to solve a real crime and prove that they deserve to be there. Solving the mystery of nurse May Daniels' death takes the creativity of all five women. When police and journalists alike chalk May's death up to drugs, the Queens take it personally and will do anything they can to solve her murder.

The concept of female crime writers solving a real crime was interesting, and the story was well-written. The plot moved along nicely, and the interactions and relationships between the women blossomed over the course of the investigation. However, there was no suspense, which readers tend to expect in this type of novel. I still enjoyed reading the book and following the clues along with the Queens.

All in all, this was a great historical mystery with an interesting cast of characters. If you like a feminist crime story where the women show the men how it's done, then this one is for you!

Thank you to @StMartinsPress and @NetGalley for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

For those who do not frequently read fiction with a historical element (or books that feature real-life characters), this book can take a moment to get into. However, once the Queens of Crime land in France for the first time, to solve a murder that neither the French or English authorities have been able to solve, you will find yourself drawn into the story completely.

When the body of a young nurse is found month's after her disappearance, both the press and the authorites are only too willing to make it a case of a drug deal gone wrong, it's only the Queens, all masters in the fields of writing murder mysteries (including none other than Agatha Christie herself) who determine that the syringe found at the scene is nothing more than a red herring.

This is a must read for all those who enjoy reading murder mysteries.

As far as I know, this favorite author of mine has not written a mystery like this one before. Well, here is yet another tour de force by Ms. Benedict. It feels like she is skilled at writing both a detective story and historical fiction. I recommend it highly.

Many know who the Queens of Crime were. This group included Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Baroness Orczy, and Margery Allingham. They all have prominent roles in this enjoyable story that is narrated by Dorothy Sayers.

At the time that the story was set, a number of male writers of detective fiction decided to band together in a society. Well, the women wanted a part of this too and pushed their way into the Detection Club.

In this story, these women want to prove their worth by solving a real case. They become involved in figuring out what happened to a British nurse who was murdered in France. They are intrepid in following clues, making hypotheses, and working to bring matters to a resolution.

Along with the crime story, readers are given insight into who these women of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction were. I enjoyed these parts of the story and also what was shared about the creation of their novels.

All in all, this is a most engaging read that fans of historical crime fiction and Benedict will enjoy. I think that Benedict will find some new enthused readers as well.

Note: I am a fan of toggling between the audio and reading editions of titles. They complement one another and add to my enjoyment. In this instance, the audio book narrator did a wonderful job of speaking in the voices of each of the main characters. This added to my pleasure in this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this title. Also, thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audio book. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 11 February 2025

A strong feminist book about women solving a crime and dismantling stereotypes about women. A group of crime writers set out to solve a murder of a young woman who was villainized in the press. An interesting look at how women are treated, even when they are victims

Marie Benedict is an auto-read author for me. Her writing is fresh and rich and beautifully manages to capture the time period and characters in that particular novel. More than "just" reading, her books are immersive experiences to inhale and savor.

The Queens of Crime is set in 1930 England and France. The infamous Detection Club has been formed with mentions of G. K. Chesterton and Anthony Berkeley (one of my personal favourites). But females are a bit underpresented so a group within the group is formed called The Queens of Crime, comprised of Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. Watching their individuality was fun, especially as I have read all of Christie's mysteries at least five times each and all I can get my hands on by the others. I have always felt a particular kinship with Agatha Christie which stuck to me like glue in this novel, too.

The Queens decide to solve a murder to gain respectability and credibility as women. Plus women are often more caring and compassionate. A missing English nurse is found dead outside, though with the hallmarks of a locked room mystery, the ladies' specialty. Meanwhile, Dorothy's journalist husband is intrigued by the story. He does his job while she spends her time time inveigling, asking questions in shops and businesses. She and Agatha are especially suited to the task. Amongst the women there are a few disagreements but as time goes on the dynamic changes. Using their gray cells, they make discoveries the police have missed. Not only that but Dorothy realizes she must deal with her past. Agatha's mysterious disappearance is alluded to as well.

I could practically hear the crisp swish of fabric and taste the sublime orange poppyseed cake. When the ladies discussed books and their methodology, I listened as though right there with them. The murder game was good fun.

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this enchanting novel.

Marie Benedict has a gift for making you feel like you are reliving the time in which her book is written. On every page, I felt I was joining Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie on their adventures seeking the killer of a young woman as part of the "Queens of Crime." This was a fabulously well written story, and so enjoyable! Just a treat to read.

The plot was a very intriguing one - a real mystery to be solved, and prominent fiction mystery writers as the sleuths. These ladies did an excellent job of uncovering facts that were overlooked by the police and expertly solving the crime. I enjoyed the exchanges between the characters and the setting in the 1930's gave the story a touch of reality.
The story did seem to drag for me, and I often found myself skimming over pages to get to a more interesting part. But I found the book entertaining and would recommend it to other mystery lovers.

Marie Benedict is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. While this was not my favorite work by her, it was still an enjoyable historical mystery based on real-life female authors of the 1930s in the UK.

The book features Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and a few other legendary mystery writers of that period, who are part of a social group known as The Queens of Crime. When a young working class nurse is found dead in a French park, the police fail to do their due diligence into investigating those who may have played a hand in her demise. The Queens suspect foul play, but their concerns are dismissed by the sexist male law enforcement officers. Despite this, the plucky group launch their own investigation, because who better than to solve this case than a group of intelligent crime writers?

The novel picks up pace when the women soon learn that they are in danger themselves, as someone is intent on preventing them from digging deeper and unraveling this mystery. I appreciated how Benedict touched upon the differences between these authors (age, background, etc) while demonstrating their unique bond as unconventional and successful women in a time when men ruled society.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martins Press for an advanced copies of this book for my review.