An absolutely exquisite novel! Marie Benedict takes the readers back to a time when some of our favorite classical authors were alive and has them solve a crime for us. It is exciting to walk beside them as they use their gifts, developed in their writings, to give honor to a murdered woman who was cast aside by her killer and the boys of the press and police. I am a fan of this author already but this novel makes me realize what a genuine gift for enveloping the reader and pulling them into the story until they experience every emotion, thought and action as the characters themselves do that Marie Benedict has. Definitely a five star read.

I received an audiobook from St. Martin Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

This was so enjoyable to read. I really liked all the big 1930s female mystery writers out solving their own "real life" mystery, and got really invested in figuring it out myself and was able to figure out some things before they were revealed, which is always fun. I also had all these wild predictions that never happened, but I still enjoyed the puzzle of it all combined with the history and the setting. Also, of course, the inherent feminism was just great, especially the theme of "surplus" women who were single and fending for themselves after so many young men died in WWI. I would love for this to be a whole series, honestly. I would definitely read more.

The Queens of Crime was an excellent read. I love Marie Benedict's books. It involves a combinations of some of the greatest golden era classic murder mystery female authors who decide to form their own personal "club" - The Queens of Crime" to include themselves in the current Mystery Writers Club. While doing this, they find themselves involved in a real life murder mystery! Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie were figured prominently as the two main characters of the group, along with Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh and Baroness Orczy. This was an enjoyable, well written book and I would love to see it turn into a series.

After having their mystery novels branded as "pulp fiction," five "queens" of crime; Agatha Cristy, Dorothy Sayers, Baroness Emma Orczy, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, decide to earn their acceptance into the male dominated detection club by solving a real life murder. Following the trail of a cold case, the queens use the same techniques they attribute to their characters to find out how a girl could just disappear from a locked room. If you have read any of these authors' books, you will enjoy this fictional romp.

The setting: "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. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes 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..."

"May Daniels, a young English nurse on an excursion to France with her friend, seemed to vanish into thin air as they prepared to board a ferry home. Months later, her body is found in the nearby woods. The murder has all the hallmarks of a locked room mystery for which these authors are famous: how did her killer manage to sneak her body out of a crowded train station without anyone noticing? If, as the police believe, the cause of death is manual strangulation, why is there is an extraordinary amount of blood at the crime scene? What is the meaning of a heartbreaking secret letter seeming to implicate an unnamed paramour? Determined to solve the highly publicized murder, the Queens of Crime embark on their own investigation, discovering they’re stronger together. But soon the killer targets Dorothy Sayers herself, threatening to expose a dark secret in her past that she would do anything to keep hidden."

And so it begins.

I did not think I would like this book as much as I did--in part because I'm not a huge fan of Marie Benedict, but this one captured my interest and kept me going!

The reveal/s of the personal lives of the mystery writers was quite interesting--as was the way they each wrote and plotted their novels --and paralleled their investigation into May's death.

The power of friendship and sexism are two predominant themes.

Interesting facts:
The times and women's roles--a nurse was considered more lowly [a dirty and gory profession] than a clerk or secretary!
Most people wrote in black ink as blue was more expensive, harder to come by, and more likely to be used by affluent individuals [as those accustomed to endorsing contracts and the like as was used for signatures on documents].

Description:
"a head full of wasps" --to describe a hangover.

Solid 4.

What an interesting concept, fiction female crime writers solving an actual crime. Marie Benedict takes us into the detective skills and amazing cooperation of five rival writers all striving to solve the crime of May Daniels, a nurse found strangled in a park in 1930. Narrated by Dorothy L. Sayers, the others are Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. Until this book, I had only heard of Agatha Christie. From Benedict's description of the others, I came to know them, enough to look up their books and bio information. Men in this era didn't think women writers could be taken seriously and these five proved them wrong. It was interesting to read how they would approach gathering clues to the murder as if they were writing fiction and then as they actually solved the crime. All clues are important but not as much as listening as you, the reader will discover. This book is a deviation from reading about just one woman in history, as you have five that interact to solve a mystery within a mystery. I highly recommend this book to learn more about this period of time, women and society. I thank NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for my review.

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.