This is a total treat for readers who love traditional mysteries and historical fiction. Five golden age mystery authors (they call themselves the queens of crime) band together to actually solve a real life murder -- Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, and three others. Marie Benedict is such a good author, and she tells a great story here!

Marie Benedict knows how to write historical fiction. I just loved this! What a fun journey into the world of crime writing in the 1930s. I really felt transported. A fast paced mystery novel built on the foundation of strong female friendships.

I really enjoyed this book. The authors are well portrayed. They start out determined to show up male authors by solving a real unsolved murder. They learn to work together, improving their sills. As they work a case they change how they think of the victim. She becomes a real person. They learn to care about her more than showing up the men. I received an Advanced Reader Copy courtesy of Net Galley and I am leaving a review voluntarily.

We are back in 1931 and are with women mystery writers, famous, now and then.
These women are trying to break into a man's world, and are being met with resistance, the five of them want to be members of the legendary Detection Club! Then they come up with an idea, they decide to solve a real murder, and we are with them at each step.
There are stumbling block along the way, and some real danger, they are getting close to answers, and someone doesn't like it.
There are some real chuckles here, but there is a deep sense of danger, along with women being treated as second class citizens.
I loved how the answers come, and yes, I had the wrong culprit, an enjoyable page turner!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martin's Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

The Queens of Crime were Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, and Baroness Emma Orczy. They faced resistance to more women joining the Detection Club, an elite club for mystery writers. To prove their worth, they decided to solve the murder of London nurse May Daniels, whose body had recently been found in the woods. The nurse and her friend had vanished months ago and never returned from an excursion to France. The police had dismissed the case believing the syringes found near the body indicated involvement with drugs. As the women investigate further, their lives are threatened. Can they solve the case, or will May's killer end their lives first?

I’m a huge fan of Agatha Christie’s work and I really enjoyed Benedict’s The Mystery of Mrs. Christie a few years ago so this book was immediately added to my TBR. This book is based on a fun premise- five female crime writers solving a real life murder mystery together. I would have preferred more classic mystery and less “down with the patriarchy.” Still a worthwhile read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.

My reading list has just increased exponentially! I now want to try some of the 1930s authors who were central to this story. The five female crime writers have formed a secret society, the Queens of Crime, to prove their worth to their male counterparts, the Detection Club. Dorothy Sayers is the leader. Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy join with Ms. Sayers to solve a crime. A young English woman on holiday has died a brutal death in France; the police shrug and decide it was a drug deal gone bad. Our crime writers aren't so sure, and they begin to dig out clues, each woman using her own particular style of shaping crime writing to help solve the crime. Along the way they discover a multitude of unsavory characters and events.

This book centered around several famous female mystery writers popular in the 1930’s. Key among them is Dorothy Sayers, who is a co-founder of the Detection Club of London, of which G.K. (“Gilbert”) Chesterton is the first president. Chesterton declares himself “king” of the club, which rankles the ladies about to be sworn in through a blindsided G.K.—including Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Ngaio Marsh, and the youngest, Margery Allingham. The ladies decide to form their own circle within the club, naming themselves the Queens. They agree to solve what they view as the unsolved killing of a young nurse, May Bennett, to prove their worth as detectives in real-life, furthering their status as murder mystery novelists.

There begin the novelists’ plans and investigative steps to look into May’s death through travel to Boulogne-Sur-Mer where May was murdered and retracing her steps. The French police have written off the death as being somehow involved with drugs since a syringe was found near May’s body. In their view, case closed, but Dorothy and cohort uncover countermanding facts and want to provide justice for May’s reputation.

Though the female authors eventually solve the murder through clever means and ruses, and Chesterton lauds them at the Detection Club, I found the book less than compelling. Having begun my career in the 1970’s and struggled for equal pay and opportunities with similarly-qualified men, I found the Detection Club’s subtle put-downs of the women novelists rather mild, though I admired their crime-solving efforts to prove themselves. Sad to say, the book did not enthrall me. Well-written, but I struggled to finish it.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy.

I can almost guess what Marie Benedict is going to write about as she tends to pick women from the past who haven’t been recognized as they should be.

In this book, she goes back to the early 1930s in London with a small group of women mystery writers. They were eager to get acknowledged in a distinguished club for their clever ways of solving a crime.

What a surprise to see our friend Agatha Christie again. This time, she’s one of the main characters trying to find justice for a questionable suicide. Four years ago, Benedict wrote an engaging bestseller: “The Mystery of Mrs. Christie.”

There were a lot of issues in this story. Sadly, there were slim pickings of jobs for women after the war when the soldiers returned. Talented women had to take secondary roles to men who had an attitude of entitlement. Also, single pregnant women were treated unfairly like misfits.

Readers of this book had it easy with only a handful of characters to keep track of and a fairly predictable plot. Nevertheless, Benedict once again did a good job at capturing confident, strong women with their witty conversations. It may not be the most ingenious of the many books written by Benedict, but there was much to appreciate.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 11, 2025.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From St. Martin's Press: 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 who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.

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? 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.
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My review: I have read several of Marie Benedict's historical fiction books. She tells an amazing story with a great balance of true history and enough fiction to keep things popping. I always have to stop and research so I can keep the facts and the fiction separate. This story, about real mystery novelists in the 1930's, was quite engaging. The Queens were brilliant, creative, and not inclined to take the roles women were expected to at that time. Their ability to work together, each finding their niche, was so interesting and those qualities were ones I had to stop and look up. Agatha and her disappearance in the 1920's, Nagaio and her unorthodox clothing and demeanor, and Emma's aristocratic background all came into play in the novel.
Their close knit relationship gave them the strength they needed to persevere and find answers. Answers that they hope will lead to them being taken seriously, if they can outwit the murderer and keep themselves safe. I always learn a lot when I read historical fiction. This book was no different. And Benedict's style, detail, and storytelling make history come alive.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advice digital copy in exchange for my review.

2.5 stars

Marie Benedict is an author that I am in a somewhat contentious relationship with - I really enjoyed the first book I read of hers (Carnegie's Maid) and have not enjoyed anything else that I have read by her. In fact, her book Her Hidden Genius was one of my worst books of 2021. It is unfortunate because I love how her best-selling books highlight stories of women who have been overlooked in history; unfortunately, I find her character work to often be lacking and the choice of what she focuses on in her novels to be antithetical to promoting the story of the characters in question. The Queens of Crime, however, had a premise that I could not overlook and I hoped that maybe writing a mystery would help curtail some of the issues that I have with Benedict's writing style.

Unfortunately, all of the issues were still present (every character reads pretty much the same despite one overarching character trait that differentiates them) and writing a mystery also brought forth new issues (namely, obvious plot twists and weird chapter breaks in the middle of scenes). However, the story itself was interesting enough to keep me reading and the description of the settings was incredibly evocative. I am thankful to this book as it has cemented the fact that Benedict is just not an author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I love venturing into Marie Benedicts books and this one didn't disappoint.

Queens of Crime was such a fun and cozy mystery. Albeit slow at first its engaging plot and rich character developments, this book is a tribute to the power of female friendship in a male dominated society.

If you love Agatha Christie novels then you will enjoy this.

Thank you Publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own and isn't influenced by anyone else

This book was such a fun and engaging read! I loved the idea of five legendary female crime writers—Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy—teaming up to solve a real-life murder. It was fascinating to see these iconic women brought to life as characters, each with their own distinct personality and unique sleuthing skills. Their camaraderie and determination to prove their worth in a male-dominated literary world made the story even more compelling.

The mystery itself was intriguing, with plenty of twists and turns. I especially enjoyed how their investigation contrasted with the police and media, who seemed all too eager to jump to the wrong conclusions. It was satisfying to see the “Queens of Crime” outsmart everyone else!

What really stood out to me was how well-researched the book felt and how empowering the story was. The author did a great job highlighting the strength and intelligence of these women, both as writers and as characters.

I’d definitely recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, mystery lovers, or anyone who enjoys the works of these remarkable women. It’s an entertaining and inspiring read that I won’t forget anytime soon!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an advanced readers copy of The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict.

This book follows Dorothy Sayers, mystery writer and five other mystery writers (including Agatha Christie) who form a Detection Club in hopes of bringing more attention to their books. Throughout forming the club, the women stumble upon the story of a murder and work together in hopes of solving the murder.

This book was absolutely delightful! It was fast paced, witty and based off of real life writers. I generally enjoy books written by Marie Benedict, and this was no exception. If you enjoy historical fiction, or the books of Agatha Christie, do yourself a favor and pick up this book! It releases on February 11, 2025.

#thequeensofcrime #arc #netgalley #historicalfictionbooks

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader's copy of this book. I love historical fiction and Marie Benedict is one of my favorite authors. The story's main character is centered around Dorothy Sayers, a real English crime novelist who lived from the late 1800s to mid-1900s. Dorothy and five other crime writers create the Detection Club, a secret society of women crime novelists. Together they work to increase the credibility of women crime novelists by working to solve a crime. And this is where the story itself is centered. The story is fast-paced, easy to read, and very engaging. It is not disappoint! I had fun looking up the names of the various members of the Detection Club on the internet and learned a lot about each of them. I highly recommend this book.

A rollicking good time with 4 woman mystery writers who set out to solve a real life mystery in order to elevate their literary legacies above those of the male authors who want to remain in the “boys only” club they have created. Benedict is again masterful in creating yet another work of historical fiction. This novel is based on the characters of Agatha Christie and 3 of her contemporaries in 1930’s Great Britain. The group of diverse women authors become close friends during their sometimes dangerous quest to solve the murder of a young British nurse that occurs just on the other side of the English Channel in a small town in France. The twists and turns provide a terrific, fast moving read and the characters are very well developed even down to their attire! Of course the fine ladies are successful in their endeavor but they experience quite the adventure while doing so. Great fun to read - and also historically enlightening about society in the aftermath of the Great War.

Marie Benedict is quickly becoming of my favorite authors ever, so a chance to preview her latest book? I had to take it.

In the Queens of Crime, Dorothy Sayers has founded a secret all-female society within the Detection Club, a group for mystery writers but utterly dominated by men. Partnering with Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy, the aptly named Queens of Crime set out on a new goal--to solve an actual murder case of a young woman found murdered in France. As the women start building their case and noticing shoddy detective work in the process, Sayers becomes a new target of the killer and the women are in a race to discover the truth.

I picked up the ARC while flying back home cross country and I simply could not put it down. I was rather lucky the flight was just under 4 hours. allowing me to finish my read before having to get off the plane. Marie Benedict does a phenomenal job with researching her novels and bring women's stories to light and the Queens of Crime is no exception. I loved seeing the Queens interact and their relationships with one another. While familiar with Christie's works, the other 4 were mostly name-only authors to me. I'll be picking up a few of their books to see what had them at Christie's level in this time period, and of course, waiting for Benedict's next book!

Very interesting and great, unique premise for a book. Def a must for mystery fans and Agatha Christie lovers. Gorgeous cover and while slow going it was enjoyable - just took me awhile to get through.

Loved this book! Anything that has Agatha Christie is a winner for me. We meet Dorothy Sayers who is supposed to be a rival for Agatha. A group forms with other writers in the thriller genre- Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, Baroness Emma Orczy. They set out to solve the crime of the murder on a nurse found strangled in France. Really enjoyed the premise of this book and how the woman work together to try to solve he mystery. Would definitely reccomend.

This is an entertaining read as 5 great women crime writers form a bond to prove their worth to their male counterparts. To accomplish this feat, they have decided to solve the murder of a young woman who was found dead in a park in France. These women, including Agatha Christie, put themselves in the middle of a real-life mystery, not too unlike the mysteries that they write themselves.
The women uncover clues through whatever means necessary, while also finding themselves the target of an attack and other threats.