This is the first book I’ve read by Marie Benedict, and she has made an instant fan out of me! I am a sucker for a tantalizing murder mystery, and this is that with a twist as five mystery writers take on a real murder case.

This was such a refreshing take! I was enchanted and feel like it was genius for famed mystery writers to use their skills to help save a woman who was wronged in the worst way.

It did have some moments that did drag but then it would pick right back up and pull me right back in. I truly enjoyed this novel so much and feel like it really helped kick off my fall reading in the best way possible.

A delightful mystery featuring 5 of the best female mystery writers of the early 1930s, including Agatha Christie! The five women set out to solve a real world mystery to show the men of the newly founded detective club that they are just as worthy as the men to be there. Working together the women are successful in their quest to solve the crime. I loved every single minute of this read!! Wonderful characters, a great mystery and a well paced, well written novel made it easy to rate this a 5/5.

In 1930's London five of the most talented women mystery writers come together to try and break into the renowned Detection Club, which has only two token women writers included in its membership; Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. Wanting respect for their writing talents from the men, the five band together to take on the solving of the murder of a young English nurse in France. Using their plot building skills, they retrace the young woman's final days and solve the riddle of how she managed to escape from a "locked room" scenario. The women discover that powerful men are involved in the crime which puts their own lives at risk.

It was delightful to have these women writers come to life as real everyday people. Solving the crime wasn't really that hard for this reader but I continued on to the end of the book just for the interactions between the women. Another historical novel by Marie Benedict which brought her characters to life and will most likely fuel reader's curious about these writers' works to check out the titles at their local libraries.

Five of the greatest mystery writers of their time, including Agatha Christie, have joined The Detection Club for the company of other mystery writers and boost the genre. However, these five are female and not easily accepted in the club. To show that they are just as capable, if not more so, as their male counterparts, they set out to solve the disappearance of a young nurse.

The Queens of Crime is a well written mystery that is clever, witty, sad and action packed. A real page turner that will keep the reader hooked from the beginning. Who doesn't love anything involving Agatha Christie. I highly recommend this book to all mystery lovers.

The Queens of Crime, by Marie Benedict, is a fun murder mystery novel, that 5 women (all real historical figures) work together to solve, in hopes of establishing their place among the male authors of the time. The self-proclaimed "queens" are an eclectic group of dedicated writers who become detectives in an attempt to solve the case. The story is fast-paced and keeps you turning the pages. It was hard to put this one down. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

The concept was okay,
You have a group of now famous women who become detectives in real life to solve real crimes.
In this case a murder.

The characters were very one dimensional.
This was more a book about women's rights than it was about the mystery.
The plotline and the perpetrator was very easy to read.
While I enjoy the written works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and even the leader of the group, G.K. Chesterson.
The characters did not mesh, nor did they make a cohesive group.
The first 30% or so was very very slow paced and I almost did not finish it.
While the latter half of the book was better, I found the overall story to be lackluster and I would have been better off reading a different book.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this Advanced Reader Copy.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. The author, Marie Benedict, has done her research and is well done. Benedict is known for extensive research and well-written books and this book does not disappoint.

It is the story of the Queens of Crime: Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. These mystery authors become members of the Detection Club that solves the murder of a young woman, May Daniels. The setting is in England during the 1930s. Throughout the books various authors and titles are shared and I found it delightful to reminiscence about these books. The Queens use their writing skills to solve the mystery by determining what characters in their mystery novels would do.

Those times show the challenges women encountered. Men, including other authors, treated women as though they were disposable. Yet it was these Queens who solve a murder mystery that the police stated was due to drugs.

If you enjoy well-researched historical fiction or like Benedict’s writing style, then this book is for you. It will not disappoint.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and the author for the privilege to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was thrilled to learn of The Queens of Crime, a new novel, by one of my favorite authors Marie Benedict. While I have thoroughly enjoyed all of her historical fiction novels about great women, I was surprised that this one is a murder mystery. The book depicts, somewhat, the lives of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayer, and an additional three historical female writers of the past. The book focuses on the efforts of these women solving a real life murder. Their ultimate goal however, was to prove that their writing and deductive capabilities were on par with the male writers of that time.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this novel. So looking forward to Marie Benedict's next novel! .

Historical fiction can sometimes drag for me and I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this one, but chose it since I really love Agatha Christie books and the premise of her and other female authors teaming up to solve a real crime peaked my interest.

This was my first book by Marie Benedict and I really enjoyed it! I plan to read The Mystery of Mrs. Christie next!

I loved this book’s focus on female friendships and how the Queens used their various talents and experience to solve the mystery. It was a great ensemble of characters - I was only aware of Agatha Christie going into it, but am now interested in reading books by the other Queens as well!

I thought the story unfolded well and definitely kept me engaged until the end. The ending itself didn’t quite land for me 100%, but I still really liked this a lot. I would definitely recommend to other mystery fans!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for my review!

Always enjoy Marie Benedict's novel. This one has a great band of characters, famous female detective authors. The group bands together to solve an actual crime and cornicles the journey trekking across Europe to get answers. Some of the authors were unfamiliar to me but Agatha Christie and Dorothy Fleming lead the band of women, aptly name Queens of Crime. A good read!

Two of my favorite mystery authors (Agatha Christie & Dorothy Sayers) unite with three other authors to solve a REAL murder, so their male peers will take them seriously. This book is more than a simple romp between peers; it is actually a pretty gripping mystery told through the eyes of three fictionalized real authors. Dorothy Sayers is a fantastic protagonist--likable and relatable. The way that the queens of crime reference their own works to solve this mystery was fun, and the mystery certainly had the Golden Age of Mystery feel to it.

I loved the idea of this book as well as the facts that supported their characters. Besides Dorothy and maybe Agatha, however, the characters were pretty two-dimensional. This was definitely more plot-centered despite using five key characters from mystery history! There were also a few info-dumps with historical facts that didn't exactly feel authentic. The murder itself was fun, and while not hard to solve, it did have some interesting twists and turns. It gave a female view of murder during that time period.

Overall, this was a fun concept but didn't work as well as I was hoping for me.

Top notch. Meticulous plotting, slow unveiling of clues in a logical progression, believable interactions between the women, and delightful growth in their characters and friendships. A classic twist at the end.

I love the concept of this book. It so interesting to have famous who-done-it writers try to solve a real crime. Unfortunately, I don't feel it was executed as well as it could have been. The time skips between chapters threw me. It was tough to follow along when we would jump forward in time in almost every chapter. Especially when the chapter before ended on a cliffhanger. I also wish it was multiple POV. I liked the narrator a lot, but it would have been fun to see others narrate. Overall, thought it was a fun time, but I was more interested in the characters than the actual plot.

I enjoy Marie Benedict's writing quite a bit so was excited to read her latest book, about the Queens of Crime. I was already familiar with The Detection Club and with the writings of these women, as I have read at least one of each of their detective fiction.
I thought this was a very clever approach to the topic, of having the 5 women solve a real life murder. Evidently this really happened and it was interesting and easy to follow.
I was disappointed that there was no follow up section describing what was really happened and what is fiction. (Although perhaps that is still coming. I did read an ARC that I received about 6 months before the book is actually published).

Benedict has another hit on her hands. This story is about female crime/mystery writers, including Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, who join a male crime writers society. In order to gain better recognition of their talent in the group, they decide to solve a real mystery. They solve the crime as they would have the characters in their book.

What fun this book is! I’m a huge Marie Benedict fan, but this just might be my favorite. With a twist on the historical fiction genre, she has added a murder mystery AND the inclusion of some real life female crime writers of the past.

When five women want to join the Detection Club, an otherwise all male mystery writer’s club, they are treated as lesser than by the men, and this just won’t stand. They decide, in order to be taken seriously, to solve a real life murder. We get a glimpse into their creativity, their sharp minds, their friendship and the lengths they would go to be accepted by the very men who want to shun them.

Benedict’s writing is mesmerizing. This book captured my heart and cemented itself onto my list of favorites. Five great big stars for this one. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

Loved this book! Loved the plot and it kept me hooked highly recommended. Was a quick read for me and hoping to read more from this author.

3 to 3.5 stars out of 5 for me. I've enjoyed Marie Benedict's other books, I enjoy mysteries and historical fiction - this should have been a slam dunk for me and instead I found myself struggling to get through this, unable to read more than a few pages at a time before getting distracted. I don't think it was particularly BAD, it was just boring and couldn't keep me interested. I found the writing full of cliches and very repetitive. Would not recommend tbh.

Marie Benedict wrote in the true style of Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy.
The Queens of Crime in a world of male-dominant murder mystery writers of the early 1900s.
These five ladies proved they could solve a true-life crime and take their places as true Queens of Crime, welcoming more women into their ranks.
This was written in the dignified way of early British female writers. Agatha Christie was introduced to me by my mystery book-loving grandmother. I enjoyed this book for the memories of my grandmother and the relations these women shared.
#TheQueensOfCrime
#MarieBenedict
#NetGalley

I enjoyed this unique premise for a cozy mystery. The Five Queens of Crime. I am a huge Agatha Christie fan, I own all of her books and have been to plays and watch endless episodes of her books made into series and movies. This book will be added on as a treat in spending time with the ladies who have given me hours of escape from the mad world we live in. I highly recommend this entertaining story. Thank you #Netgalley #St.MartinsBooks #TheQueensOfCrime
carolintallahassee