Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh have joined the Detection Club, a society of crime writers. They soon create a secret society within the Detection Club of women only. In order to prove themselves, they decided to solve their own real-life locked room mystery. Set in England and France, the woman investigate the murder of May Daniels.

It was enjoyable reading about the women trying to solve this mystery. I liked how they went through and figured out the locked room aspect of the book. Some other parts did drag.

My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book.

Five female mystery writers- lead by Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie- band together to help each other in a male dominated field (and world). They learn of a mysterious death of a young English nurse in France that they feel is not being appropriately perused by the police and media, so they decide to investigate to help find her killer and as a side benefit, earn themselves some respect.

This is being billed as a historical fiction mystery, but do not mistake this as a page-turning thriller. It is a solid mystery with good characters (the main voice is author Dorothy Sayers, whom I really enjoyed and didn't know very well). I liked this for what it was but also struggled with reading it as it was fairly slow and not my favorite writing. I do love the cover and the premise and liked the resolution; I just wanted a little more. Overall, if you want a solid historical fiction mystery, you might like this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

What a fun, cozy mystery! Marie Benedict has managed to bring together the 5 most prominent women crime writers: Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Emma Orczy for a tribute to the power of friendship and teamwork.

I enjoyed reading the crime-solving story from the viewpoint of actual mystery writers. I've never thought about the fact that these women have all the skill and experience from researching for their own novels, so it wouldn't be a huge leap for them to solve an actual murder. And that's exactly what Ms. Sayers figured they could do to solve a murder that seemed poorly handled by authorities.

With wit and determination, these gals have what it takes to undertake a daunting task! Ms. Benedict has written an entertaining novel with a nod to some legendary authors!

So grateful to St. Martin's Press
& NetGalley for this entertaining novel!!

This is a book that might send you on another reading journey to learn more about each of the female crime writers featured in this book. It's a great novel with a layered plot line that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end. I chose this book to read since I enjoyed other books written by Marie Benedict. The protagonists are characters to love and their persistence in overcoming prejudice is to be applauded.. The Queens of Crime cross the English Channel multiple times to gather evidence and follow clues related to the suspicious death of a young English nurse. The Queens reject the prevailing notion of how the young girl died in Boulogne, France and set out to solve the mystery. They must investigate the crime both on the continent in France and back in England to arrive at the truth. The dialogue is smart and each mystery writer is portrayed vividly. Together the Queens of Crime solve the mystery that is revealed at the conclusion. There are some surprising twists and turns at the end. Readers will find the new entrant to the conclusion a realistic thread to include in the tragic story. I consider this new book to be a five star novel in all categories. I read a advanced reader's copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Greatly enjoyed this mystery revolving around five women mystery writers in 1931 led by Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie. In order to prove their worth to men mystery writers, they determine to solve a real-life mystery together of a missing woman who is found murdered.

Mary Benedict has set an intriguing plot around the 5 queens of the golden age of crime writing in the 1930's Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Orczy in The Queens of Crime. The ladies feel slighted by the men in a Detection Club who don't think they all belong in the club. They decide to look into the murder of a young English nurse in France. The papers and police believe the young woman died from a drug overdose. The ladies think the solution lies in the young lady's experience in England where she had a secret admirer. As they pursue the case Dorothy Sayers is side swiped by a car. The ladies centre their investigations in the London theatre and insurance businesses. Based on a real case that was never solved and the personalities and legendary crime stories of the ladies it is a real tour de force. Please read and enjoy.

This book was great fun and I very much enjoyed it. Benedict is a great storyteller and I loved her characterizations of all of these women!

I know I say this ever time, but Marie Benedict is brilliant! The Queens of Crime is a juicy murder mystery which is trying to be solved by none other than the greatest women mystery writers of their time. Actually based on an incident which happened to writer Dorothy Sayers in the 1930's, Benedict has created an exciting story as the five women writers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham and Sayers herself decide after being belittled by a group of men authors in a club the woman were "allowed" to join, dub themselves The Queens of Crime and take it upon themselves to figure out how a nurse from England went missing in France and was found dead. As they rely on their own masterful created detectives, they are able to piece together the extraordinary circumstances as to what happened and quite honestly embarrass the police.

May Daniels and her friend, both nurses, decided to spend their few days off together, going to a play and vising France. But unfortunately, May never returned to England. She went into the woman's bathroom at the end of the trip before boarding the boat back to England and not only never came out but was never seen again and months later her body was found in woods with blood under her body and a syringe nearby. The police felt the case was closed and considered it a drug overdose. End of story.

But Dorothy Sayers, who was married to a journalist, felt something was off. She decides that the police don't know what they are doing and suggests to her new friends the women in mystery, Queen of Crimes that they begin their own investigation into what could have happened to the young girl. And to add to this mystery, they are able to find a letter, which of course the police missed, which will send them down a path they could never imagine.

Thus begins their investigation into murder and the antics and their intuitiveness used to begin to piece the puzzle back together one step at a time. But unfortunately, this process will put one of their lives in jeopardy and will have a deep dark secret this writer has been keeping exposed. But through it all as they retrace May's steps and sometimes get on each other's nerves, these five strong women will discover they are better together than alone.

The Queens of Crime is a wonderful mix of their imaginative detectives...Poirot of course, Inspector Roderick Alleyn, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Albert Campion and Lord Peter Wimsey. It was truly enjoyable and of course shows women empowering women which is Benedict's main achievement in her writings. I am sure if still alive these women would be beaming at her!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin'sPress #MarieBenedict @TheQueensofCrime for the advanced copy.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the advanced e-copy of The Queens of Crime in exchange for my honest review.

I have long been a fan of Marie Benedict and was excited to see her latest novel was a historical mystery – that has really become my favorite type of read within the historical fiction genre. And I loved that this book brought to light such amazing female mystery writers, some of whom I had never heard of before!

I cannot believe that I haven’t really heard of Dorothy Sayers before – maybe just in passing – but not enough that I know her books. Of course, you know I’ll definitely be checking them out after this, along with the other authors of the Queens of Crime club that Sayers forms that I am not familiar with – Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. I of course am quite familiar with Agatha Christie and loved that while she was involved with this book, it wasn’t all about her.

This book is all about these women fighting for a seat at the table when women were hardly given a glance. The men of the time – London in the 1930s – felt women didn’t belong in their club and so the women come up with a plan to solve a real murder. And I couldn’t have loved the fact that they found themselves a true locked-room murder to solve.

I loved that we see each of these women use the skills from their own writing as they work together to figure out what happened to the young nurse who apparently disappeared without a trace, only to have her body show up months later.

This is such a fast-paced, engaging read and I appreciated the themes it tackles – the importance of friendship, the social struggles the women faced and how the women collaborate to solve the crime. This book is inspired by true events and Marie Benedict does a fantastic job blending fact with fiction to tell a compelling, engaging story. Be sure to read the author’s note for details on her research and additional information!

Although The Queens of Crime has a slightly different feel, Marie Benedict once again proves she is always reliable for great Historical Fiction.

Bringing us into the 1930s world of female authors as they solve an actual crime, this historical fiction turned cozy mystery is a fantastic read!

Thank you St. Marten's Press and NetGalley for this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars.

What a fun read! I've never read any of Marie Benedict's books before, but a mystery starring a whole group of famous female mystery writers sounded like such a good time that I couldn't let it pass me by.

The story is intriguing and the characters are delightful. I do wish there was a bit more exploration into the different women in the Queens of Crime group, but I felt like the development of Dorothy Sayres's character was very well written. There are some pieces of overly florid atmospheric work, but nothing that really detracted from the story or caused me any issues in reading.

The logic of the "luck" these ladies have in this investigation is, needless to say, a bit far fetched on occasion...so there is some need for a suspension of disbelief. The plot as it pertains to the murder mystery portion and the "whodunit" is really well constructed. I had theories throughout the read and I was correct in one of my guesses, but there was enough at play that it wasn't an obvious answer for me and I enjoyed the way the characters devised their plans.

This is a strongly feminist tale that explores a "woman's place" in 1930s England. There is a lot of discussion of misogyny and the way women were limited in their abilities to find employment, to live single lives, and to engage in personal lives without being judged for their sexual appeal or lack there of.

A good cozy mystery with a fun group of characters and a plot that moved at a decent pace. I enjoyed my read quite a bit and will be looking in to more of Benedict's writing for the future.

I have not read too many of Marie Benedict's books, but thoroughly enjoyed this one. The meld of mystery writers brought together to create a club of mystery detectives was fun to read. Of the 5 writers, I had only heard of Agatha Christie before reading this book. Now I want to look up the others and read a few.

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

Quite boring and not worth the time to read. I had hopes for this book based on the description, but it was a disappointment.

I absolutely love this very different take on a murder book!

Set in 1930's London, 5 talented woman crime writers join together to prove to their male counterparts in the legendary Detective Club, that they were no longer willing to be treated as less than the men. These five writers, Dorothy L. Sayers ( the groups founder and leader of the woman), Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy become the Queens of Crime and seek to be equals with the men. How will they prove their worth? Why by solving a real life murder! How else!?

A young English nurse, May Daniels, vanishes from a bathroom while her friend waits outside of the door for May to rejoin her. A few months later Mays body is found in the woods nearby and the police announce she died by strangulation. But why was there also a large amount of blood located at the crime scene? How did May disappear from a room with only one exit. An exit her friend was standing at watching and waiting for her. The press and the police have written the death off as a drug deal gone wrong but the Queens believe differently. The Queens set out on their own to uncover what really happened. In the process they discover secrets about May as well as themselves.

As like many other crime readers I adore Agatha Christie so I really enjoyed learning about these other four woman. I will be honest in saying that I had no clue these woman were really people let alone crime authors. I really enjoyed researching each woman and learning all about them and their writing. I also added many of their books to my ever growing TBR list.

This book held me captive until the very end! The way the woman use their combined knowledge, skills and place in society to solve a murder that the French had already written off was brilliant! The Queens of Crime is the perfect historical fiction meets murder book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It started out with a bang, loved the camaraderie of the mystery writing women, some I've never heard of, all of I've never read 😬 except Agatha Christie, so it was nice getting to know them and solving this murder with them! This was my first Marie Benedict book, though I own a couple of them so it won't be my last!

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

This was a true and classic “whodunnit” story as 5 detective crime writing women aim to solve the true life murder of Miss May Daniels, to prove their credibility to their male counterparts. They quickly form a friendship and bond that steps beyond their crime solving work, as become the trusted “Queens of Crime” girlfriends each of them needs.

This book has short chapters and therefore reads quickly. However you can say the language is quite verbose, and while that goes back to 1931 detective novel writing women, sometimes I just wanted to cut the fluff and get on with the story.

This is the 2nd Marie Benedict book I’ve read. I didn’t love it as much as The Only Woman in the Room, but still it was entertaining and had me turning pages to see what would come next.

Thank you to @netgalley and the author @authormariebenedict for an ARC copy of this book. I missed the publication date but it was still a pleasure to read and review this book while it was still “fresh.”

While I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as a historical fiction, it does take place in 1931 and features 5 real female mystery writers as characters, including Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers.

When the female writers are dismissed at a detective writers club by the male members they decide to solve a real mystery. This was a fun and very enjoyable read. The writing style, story and characters kept me entertained and the pages turning. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The magic of Marie Benedict is that one starts reading and knows the book is fiction but then there's the realization that the characters are real people and that this is an actual happening. Or a fictionalized version of something that was real to an extent or a probable real situation. Either way, somehow my dense brain didn't clue me into the Queens of Crime being the real group of authors that I've loved, known, read, and admired for years.
When a group was founded of the English authors who all write crime excluded women on the grounds their work wasn't worthy to be included, Dorothy Sayers, a founding member, objects and finds a way to include Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. When they are still treated like second class citizens of the Detective Club, the women set out to solve one of the most prominent closed door murders in the news.
This book touches on each of the controversies of the named authors as well as illuminating how they come to their writing styles but also how easily women were (and frankly still are) dismissed to make life easier. As the book unfolded it was harder and harder to put down.

#arc
#netgalley
#thequeensofcrime

Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, Baroness Emma Orczy, and Dorothy L. Sayers are five incredible female mystery writers in the 1930s. Treated by their male mystery writer counterparts as lesser, the women set out to prove themselves by solving a real life unsolved crime.

This was a great book. First of all, the main characters being famous mystery writers, in particular Agatha Christie, was such a clever and fun idea. I loved learning more about these authors, and seeing them solve a mystery. The mystery took a real life murder and solved it, and the solution scene was captivating. I don’t typically read historical fiction, but this book was more than worth my while. I would recommend this book.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

The Queens of Crime caught my attention and interest because of one of the main characters, Agatha Christie. I am a huge fan of her books, and I love seeing her pop up in books as a character. I have heard of the other four women in the book but have never read any of their works. After reading The Queens of Crime, I also look forward to reading their works.

The story is told through a single POV, that of Dorothy Sayers. However, she is with the other Queens throughout the book. I fear it would have been confusing if the book had been told through multiple POVs.

The mystery was well constructed, and offered several twists and turns along the way. While I had my suspicions of the culprit, it wasn’t until the end that they were confirmed. There was enough evidence that pointed in other directions to ensure you weren’t 100% certain who was behind the mystery.

While The Queens of Crime is the first book I’ve read by Marie Benedict, it will not be the last. I have one of her other books languishing on my TBR, and I feel I will pick it up sooner rather than later.

Who do I think will enjoy reading The Queens of Crime? Everyone! The book is set in the Golden Mystery era and features five strong women trying to find justice for a woman society deemed a “surplus.” There’s drama, tension, and travel. What’s not to like?