The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict is an exciting historical fiction mystery that keeps the reader engaged throughout the story. Written with intrigue and intelligence the main characters are some of the most famous female mystery writers of their time. As the women attempt to prove their credibility within the boy's club, they decide to solve a real-life murder of a young nurse that had been getting significant publicity in the news cycle.
Working together to piece together the mystery, the women walk in the shoes of the victim to uncover her story. What they find is a system strife with misogyny. and injustice. Do they solve the mystery? You'll have to read to find out.

As a person who has never read a book written by Agatha Christie or any of the other books by the "Queens", I found that to my surprise I could NOT put this book down. I believe my prejudice stems from my father who was always recommending Agatha Christie books to me. I mean, what would the older generation be reading that I would want to read! Well, now I am the older generation. This book is well written and entertaining. Not sitting on the edge of your seat tension, but characters and places I could vividly picture while reading. The term "surplus" women was used often. These were women who were left without men, after WWII.They were the ones who worked in the jobs that men were "too good for;" the jobs the men didn't want. May Daniels was a surplus woman working as a nurse. When she disappeared, when her body was discovered, it just wasn't important to solve her murder. The police took the easiest explanation and did not dig deep. "The Queens of Crime" is the story of a handful of famous women crime writers who set out to prove themselves. Thank you, Marie Benedict. I always read what you write and thanks to you, I have finally read an Agatha Christie type locked room mystery. My dad would be so proud. Also, Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the complimentary digital ARC. This review is my own words, my own honest opinion.

thanks NetGalley for the eARC

DNF at 22%

summary: the queens of golden age detective fiction solve a mystery or something idk I didn’t get that far

thoughts: this book is allergic to letting its readers figure out information via context clues. like you don’t have to explain every cultural reference or character backstory immediately these things are allowed to develop over time! and please assume that your audience knows extremely basic Shakespeare references (and if they don’t, it’s not that serious. they’ll survive without you explaining every line of dialogue). maddening. can’t stand it.

I was quite excited by the initial premise of this book. Quite clever getting a group of women mystery writers together to solve a real life murder. I loved the friendship the women developed. I didn't know much about Dorothy Sayers. I found her personal history compelling. I was a bit disappointed by the actual "mystery' of this novel. Given the master of mystery Agatha Christie was a primary character I anticipated a really good who dunnit. This fell flat for me. The murderer was obvious early on in the story. I found the use of the term red herring was over used and it would have been best to let the reader themselves discover the red herring than keep pointing it out. I will share my review closer to the publication date.

Another wonderful read from Marie! I have always been a huge fan of Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie so I enjoyed seeing into their life while learning about the other Queens of Crime. The mystery plot while not gripping, did serve as an engaging plot device to keep the novel moving forward and showcase the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Marie Benedict’s Queens of Crime. I really loved both The Other Einstein and also The Personal Librarian. I loved how these five female crime writers proved their worth to belong to the mainly male crime writers club, The Detection Club by solving a real-life murder. However, I didn’t enjoy reading this new book as much as I did the previous two I’ve read. I felt like there was a little too much of beating a dead horse - mistreatment of women and also a lot of repetitive text within the story. I encourage all to read this tale and to form their own opinion.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
It’s 1931, Agatha Christie and her rival Dorothy Sayers join forces with three other women. Together, five of the greatest female crime writers take on the Detection Club, a male dominated venue of writers. To prove themselves, the Queens of Crime dive into solving the mystery of a missing nurse, May Daniels. The case has all the hallmarks of a locked room case and fits their writing style. The women face danger, threats, and revealing their own guarded secrets to find answers and redeem the reputation of the young nurse.
This is truly a cozy mystery in the style of Agatha Christie’s stories. I really enjoyed the writing style. The characters were well developed and relatable.
I give this 4/5 stars.
I would like to Thank NetGalley for the ARC and the ability to offer my honest opinion.

I was so excited to receive an early copy of this book. The story is set in 1930s London, and follows Dorothy Sayers, part of a set of female crime writers who want to prove that they are equals to their male counterparts. These women, who include Agatha Christie, call themselves the "Queens of Crime". Their goal is to solve an actual murder, of which has taken place in France - a woman was found in a park, and they believe there are connections to the upper echelons in Britain. But things soon turn even worse, as Dorothy is eventually targeted. This was based off a true story, and I loved how the author empowered all of the women in this book, and also the strong research that was evident within the writing. I also loved learning about female writers that I had not heard about previously.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
The Queens of Crime
by Marie Benedict (Goodreads Author)
8459887
Debbie's reviewSep 10, 2024 · edit
it was ok
bookshelves: fiction, netgalley

Thank you, Netgalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for a fair review.

I requested this book from Netgalley because I had read "The Other Einstein" also by Marie Benedict.
Although i Had issues with "The Other Einstein", the novel did spark an interest in learning about the real Mrs. Einstein and her life.

This book is very different. It also is a novel where real life people are fictionalized. The difference is that this isn't so much about these ladies' lives but it is a murder mystery involving these real life mystery writers. They become sleuths who track down a murderer.

The problem is that the characters aren't well formed. Ms. Benedict writes dialogue meant to sound authentic. Unfortunately, I felt like their conversations came off as flat and stodgy. These ladies didn't interest me at all. They seemed like unimaginative busy bodies. I learned very little about the real life writers that this book was based on.

Overall, I can't recommend this book based on the murder mystery. It fell into place much to easily. I also can't recommend it as a starting point for learning about Dorothy Sayer, Agatha Christie or the other ladies in this story.

Listen, I really wanted to love. I find the author’s voice far too boring and stuffy. I just couldn’t stay anchored in the text. The premise is wonderful but I couldn’t connect to the story at all

I thought this book was just okay. It had an interesting plot. However, I had a hard time connecting with the characters. A lot of times I could not figure out which character was which because they all seemed the same to me. But this was an interesting book.

“The Queens of Crime” by Marie Benedict is a historical fiction mystery about five preeminent female mystery writers of the 1930’s. At the time there was an elite club of mystery writers who belonged to a club which consisted of mostly male authors. These 5 women felt dismissed and undervalued. They come together to solve the murder of a missing nurse thinking it will bring them respect with their peers. Instead it turns into a quest for justice when they find out the murder was dismissed by the police because the victim was a single female nurse found next to drug paraphernalia.

In reading the description of this book by the publisher I thought it was intriguing. I found the style of writing strange, and the issue of women not being taken seriously was repeated so often it caused me to skim over certain passages in the story. I think this book will appeal to fans of cozy mysteries and perhaps YA readers as well.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

After downloading an ARC of Benedict’s latest, I immediately regretted my decision. I didn’t expect to enjoy this novel because it seemed to be targeting a middle-aged female audience. As an aging male literary fiction fan, this was decidedly not my usual fare. As I read on, however, it became clear that dismissing this book as just chick-lit was shortsighted. Indeed, it is a well-crafted and engaging novel that blends several genres, including historical fiction, mystery, crime procedural, and thriller.

Benedict is not shy about her agenda. She aggressively explores feminist themes. The main characters are all renowned and respected writers who were active during the 30s. This was a time when society was definitely male-dominated, and the writing profession was no exception. Nurses were treated as nothing better than charwomen working in hospitals and single women—of whom there were many following WWI and the Spanish flu pandemic—were viewed as “surplus”. Despite the times, Benedict portrays her “Queens” as competent, brave, tenacious and, above all, capable of enjoying powerful friendships with their female peers.

Dorothy Sayers not only narrates the story but also reveals some little-known facts about her personal life in doing so. Each of her fellow queens also leap off the page. Some are quite familiar to most, but others are less known. Much has been written about the private life of Agatha Christie and Benedict’s reticence to belabor that here is commendable. However, the imagined tenacity and interactions of Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy are delightful to read.

Notwithstanding a convoluted murder mystery, the underlying premise is simple. The women set out to prove their worth as detectives to their male writer counterparts by solving an actual murder. I young British nurse is found dead in a French park during a cross-channel excursion. Benedict twists the knife a little by suggesting that the police failed in their due diligence primarily because the victim was a lower-class woman.

Strong character development and rich historical details of wardrobes, food and restaurants make this a satisfying read. Benedict not only evokes London in the 30’s, but also the cross-channel tourist destination of Boulogne-sur-Mer. She manages a convoluted plot with skill and provides a satisfying solution. Only minor flaws mar the overall feel of the novel. These include extremely slow-paced plot development, the inevitability of the Queens’ success, and a poorly developed subplot aimed at intimidating Sayers. A few details also seem a little too obvious, like May’s pregnancy and her covert reason for visiting France. Notwithstanding these minor problems, “The Queens of Crime” is an enjoyable read.

Set in 1931, this is the story of five women authors of the mystery genre of their time. I found the story line to be intriguing. It was a bit slow and I struggled to stay interested.

“The Queens of Crime” is a historical fiction book by Marie Benedict. Although Ms. Benedict has written a book about the “missing days” of Agatha Christie - and Christie plays a role in this book, this book is not a sequel. In this book, although Agatha Christie is present, most of the focus is on either Dorothy Sayers (a mystery writer) or the group of female mystery writers trying to solve a crime. I really wish that the version of the ARC I read had had how Ms. Benedict became inspired to write this book - was it based upon an actual crime, was there a sub-group in the Detection Group (that Ms. Sayers did co-found), or was this entirely a fictional idea? I did like how the five women, each with their own strengths, banded together to solve a locked-room mystery. Did the “we need to solve it to be taken seriously” seem a bit flimsy - yeah, to be honest. There’s a lot of talk about “women aren’t respected” (it was the 1930s in England) that became a bit heavy-handed, but if you can roll your eyes and then continue reading, this is an engaging book. I did find the “secret Dorothy didn’t want told” to be interesting - though the book dropped enough hints that the reader could puzzle it out. I also found it interesting that Ms. Sayer was a very religious woman (brought up that way but also wrote a number of books about her spirituality), but it wasn’t until near the end of this book that that fact was mentioned - not a big deal, but I found it interesting. Also, as a quibble, Ms. Sayers probably did not write the Guinness slogan mentioned in the book - but a slightly different one. But, overall, I found this book interesting and entertaining and did want to see the mystery solved - and it was.

Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel! To put it mildly, I loved this book! I thought that the premise was so fun and it kept me engaged the whole way through. I really love that Marie's books are based on historical fiction and allow for learning and fun at the same time. It was so fun to see some of my favorite mystery writers come together to solve a mystery. I can't wait to recommend this one to others!

In 1931 London, 5 women writers join the men’s Detective Club. They decide to solve a real murder in order to be respected in the group. Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and others solve the murder of a young English nurse in France. This is one of my favorite authors, but I was disappointed in this novel.

I have long enjoyed the historical fiction of Marie Benedict, but I believe, with The Queens of Crime, she has created her best work yet.

The premise, that Golden Age mystery writers, Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh solve a real life crime so that they be taken seriously in the male writer dominated Detection Club hooked me at the onset. I enjoyed getting a bit of biography of all these grand dame writers. However, as I continued to read, I got completely invested in the mystery they are attempting to solve…. who murdered a young nurse on a day trip to Boulogne, France.

So, the novel is great fun in how it reveals the different mystery writer personalities and in how the 5 writers go about solving the murder. Along the way, we see how women were dismissed as surplus, and how quick the press and public opinion would blame the victim.

Benedict deftly crafts an intricate locked room murder mystery while giving the reader a peak into the lives of some of the most beloved mystery writers of all time..

Quite frankly, I was grabbed by Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie solving a crime together - had to read a book with that concept.

Terrific concept, but I found the execution a bit flat.