The Queen of Fives has cons upon cons upon cons. It has lots of fast-paced fun twisty turns and a satisfying ending. There were lots of layers to this book, and you weren't sure who you could trust. Overall it was an enjoyable read and once I started, I couldn't put it down.

The perfect historical fiction. I was glued to the pages and never wanted the book to end. You always know it’s a good one when you don’t want it to end. The alternative, you hated it so much you couldn’t wait for it to be over - that’s not a good feeling. But fear not because this book is everything plus more than you think it is.

The Queen of Fives is the second book that I have read by Alex Hay, and it did not disappoint. Fans of mystery and shows like The Three Musketeers or Miss Scarlet and the Duke will enjoy this book! Quin LeBlanc is the current Queen of Fives, trained and supported by the best in the business to be the con-woman that she is today. When she finds herself in a situation that she cannot easily get out of, she turns to her friends and colleagues in the business to support her newest game – the False Heiress, where she intends to marry the duke and clear her debts. Little does Quin know, everyone has their secrets and there is a mysterious shadow that is always in the background.
The Queen of Fives was a great read with multiple twists and turns that captured my attention. The layout and organization of the story, and the world that Hay created were incredible. There were multiple points of view from the characters that served to enrich the story and always gave the reader a taste of what was lurking under the surface but still kept me on my toes. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an adventure!
Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

3.5+ rounded up to 4 stars.

Quin LeBlanc is the Queen of Fives, an infamous conwoman in a long line of conwomen. With debts mounting and support dwindling, Quin is in desperate need of funds and so with her long-time mentor, Mr. Silk, she plans to complete the False Heiress con.

Her target, the reclusive Duke of Kendal, who has secrets of his own, a spinster sister and a beloved stepmother.

Told from the perspective of Quin, The Duke, The Duke’s sister and Mr. Silk, the story has more twists than expected for a Victorian thriller.

I figured out the twist about half-way through, but the journey was fun and the villain just sooooo sinister.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Alex Hay for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Queen of Fives. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really love books set in the 1800s. I thought the story was really glamorous and fun. Quinn le Blanc was a really sharp character. There were definitely some shenanigans. I enjoyed the characters. This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I would definitely want to check out more books by this author!

This intricately plotted novel about a confidence woman who sets her sights on a member of the nobility was entertaining mix of secrets, plots, and double and triple crosses.

Quinn LeBlanc is the Queen of the Fives, the Chateau. Queen grew up the daughter of the former head of the Chateau, a house that runs games, but whose real job is the amassing of secrets for blackmailing.

Quinn has run many schemes, but despite her skill and the dedication of her lieutenant, Mr. Silk, their prospects have diminished, and the house needs money. Their debts are large, and another gang, to which Mr. Silk pays protection money is soon to be requiring payment.

Quinn goes to another house, the Academy, one dedicated to educating young people in becoming skillful confidence artists. They learn not only in math and languages, but also deportment, and how to manage interactions to gain advantages over a mark. Quinn excelled at her studies, and has successfully managed the Chateua, but she needs the help of her mentor, Mrs.Airlie, to get her into position to catch the eye of the man she has targeted: the Duke of Kendal.

The Kendals are old money, with huge parcels of land, a variety of investments, and two adult children, Max and Victoria "Tor", and a stepmother. The Kendals have kept to themselves for years, and Tor and Max agreed to never get married, but this promise is imperilled, when Max's financial people remind him that the estate must have an heir. Lady Kendal urges Max to attend the upcoming and last debutante presentation of the season. And this is where Quinn is, waiting for him, unbeknownst to the Kendals.

What follows is a very careful game; Quinn shows up, intrigues the Duke, frustrates Tor, who is suddenly concerned that Max is serious about marriage, which will affect her standing in her home, and possibly her part of the family wealth. And Lady Kendall seems to be both interested in Max getting married, while urging Tor to frustrate Quinn's attempts to snag Max.

At the same time, a mysterious figure, with a former tie to the Chateau has shown up, tailing Quinn, and plotting against the Chateau and Quinn, while also targeting Mrs. Airlie's house.

There are so many secrets at play in this novel, with criminals' schemes, and nobility hiding lives and yearnings at odds with duty. The plot requires careful reading, as the allegiances are constantly shifting and undermined by revelations.

None of the characters are particularly likeable, but I found myself cheering Quinn on, despite knowing she was there to fleece the Kendals. I find it amusing how well author Alex Hay has made criminals sympathetic in this novel, and his previous, "The Housekeepers".

I was gripped from the beginning of this story, and could not wait to find out who would succeed by the end in this entertaining story.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you Net Galley and Publishers for letting me read an arc of this book in return for an honest review.

Mystery books are one of my favorites to read because I love a good who done it. This historical thriller was entertaining, kept me guessing what the end result was going to be. How was Quinn going to pull off this game in 5 days? But unfortunately the pacing was a bit too slow to me. I found myself putting it down out of boredom here and there. I couldn't keep my interest long enough with this book, and I found myself skimming until something exciting happened. It was good, just alot of double betrayal and side stuffs happening.

I'll be honest, I really wanted to love this. The premise hooked me, and as a lover of all things heists, covert, and historical, really was anticipating a great time. Unfortunately, it was just... boring. The issue lies with the pacing. It is paced for a historical fiction book, when the contents are supposed to be quick and conniving; I felt that pacing more similar to a thriller would have suited this book better. An additional point of slight was the expose of the entire plan within the first few pages. Knowing what to expect, and having been over introduced to character and world, it did not keep my attention nor bring forward something to sustain my effort in reading. All in all, I deeply wish I enjoyed this book, and unfortunately, just did not.

I was thoroughly entertained by The Queen of Fives and finished it in under a week just reading in the evenings. The fast-paced story kept me hooked, and the villain was especially well-written, adding great tension. The use of multiple points of view reminded me an Ocean’s Eleven con and added to the mystery! If you enjoy quick, engaging reads with strong antagonists, this one is worth picking up!

I absolutely adored Alex Hay’s debut The Housekeepers, so I picked up his sophomore novel without giving it a second thought. While I didn’t fall as hard for The Queen of Fives, I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and I loved the con itself that Quinn has set up. I think the only reason I didn’t love it as much was due to a slow start, and the time it took for me to REALLY get into the entire storyline and characters. I ended up having to set it aside for a couple of days due to library books I had to return, and it was really easy to immerse myself back in and not be confused so that was a plus.

I do think there was a bit of a missed opportunity with the audiobook only having one narrator, but as it was I did love Polly Edsell. She threw herself into her narration and I was very pleased with the way she was able to convey every emotion and every feeling no matter who she happened to be voicing at the time. Day five (All In) was my favorite section of the book by far and it is where much of the action takes place. We also get hit with a jaw-dropping twist that left me speechless. I would make sure to read the author’s note at the back of the book since it isn’t included in the audio as it gives context to how this story came about.

Read this if you enjoy books with caper and heist high stakes action, historical elements, and the Victorian era!

Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭, 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝.”

The Queen of Fives is another entertaining historical crime escapade from Alex Hay!

Quinn LeBlanc is the reigning Queen of Fives who needs to pull off her biggest scheme ever: the False Heiress, setting her sights on the Kendal family and its Duke. The intrigue comes from the professional conwoman versus the aristocratic family - all have secrets and have you wondering just exactly who is playing whom?! Quinn is a strong female (I love seeing a female in charge of such a prolific criminal enterprise), and I thought Max, the Duke, challenged her in interesting ways. Max was definitely my favourite character; he’s empathetic, despite his secrets, and shows much growth through the story. Much like Hay’s debut, The Housekeepers, The Queen of Fives moves at a quick pace from the beginning to end, feeling exactly like a classic con movie. There are twists and turns that play out much like a thriller, with lots of secrets, deception, and shady characters. The clever reveals ramp up the action in the last fifth of the book, to an overall satisfying ending.

The Queen of Fives would make SUCH a fun heist-type movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical soapy drama that is pure entertainment. Thank you to Graydon House & NetGalley for the ARC!

I received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I have tried to pick this book up several times and have not gotten any further than chapter one. I am unsure if it is the tone of the book or if I am just not in the right mood for this read. I have soft dnf'd it for the moment. I will update my review if that changes.

The Queen of Fives
by Alex Hay
Pub Date: Jan 21 2025

A confidence scheme, when properly executed, will follow five movements in close and inviolable order: I. The Mark II. The Intrusion. III. The Ballyhoo. IV. The Knot. V. All In. There may be many counter-strikes along the way, for such is the nature of the game; it contains so many sides, so many endless possibilities...

1898. Quinn le Blanc, London’s most talented con woman, has five days to pull off her most ambitious plot yet: trap a highly eligible duke into marriage and lift a fortune from the richest family in England.

Masquerading as the season’s most enviable debutante, Quinn puts on a brilliant act that earns her entrance into the grand drawing rooms and lavish balls of high society—and propels her straight into the inner circle of her target: the charismatic Kendals. Among those she must convince are the handsome bachelor heir, the rebellious younger sister, and the esteemed duchess eager to see her son married.

But the deeper she forges into their world, the more Quinn finds herself tangled in a complicated web of love, lies, and loyalty. The Kendals all have secrets of their own, and she may not be the only one playing a game of high deception...

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers copy of The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay!

Queen of Fives features a Quinn, a young woman in 19th century Britain, who masquerades as other identities to right wrongs. This was a 3.5 for me.

I loved the premise, and the story kept me engaged. The ending felt rushed but I want to see more stories like this! The characters came to life and I liked seeing some layers and twists/turns throughout.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC.

I enjoyed the book as it was twisty and kept me guessing until the end. I found it entertaining and the pace of the book was good. I am however a reader who needs to connect with the characters and felt that it was more story driven. I recommend it for those who enjoy mystery and suspense.

What I Liked: I loved the 1800s London setting for this "heist" novel. The wardrobe and lack of technology made the tricks more fun and compelling. I also thought the five-day structure of this novel worked well. It kept everything moving quickly and increased the anticipation. I wish the author had provided more examples of what this five-day heist looked like, since the fake wedding was such a huge and elaborate endeavor.

What Could Have Been Better: I wish there had been more setup and explanation for the Queen of Fives organization. It was hard to root for something that I didn't really understand or the characters involved. There were a few "surprises" that were a little too easy to guess and that I didn't enjoy. Finally, when there are so few characters, it makes it very easy to slot everyone into place and takes a lot of fun away from the mystery -- so I wasn't very satisfied with the ending.

The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay
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Quinn is a talented con woman in 1898 London and she is in a bind. She needs to pull off one of the biggest schemes ever to set her debts in order. She is going to trap the most eligible duke of the season into marriage.
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What I liked:
-I admired Quinn’s ambition. She was a real go-getter and believed in herself.
-I loved that we got POVs from not just Quinn, but several other characters. It helped round out the story so well and created some delicious tension.
-Speaking of tension: this book was WAY more suspensful than I imagined it being! I was doing everything I could to not bite my nails listening.
-All the reveals were very juicy.
-I was quite impressed with this story, and the narration in the audio was spot on brilliant.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I very much enjoyed this book and will be on the lookout for more fun books from this author.

Alex Hay's The Queen of Fives takes my favorite genre - the heist! - to a grand level. Quinn Le Blanc's house of cons is facing hard times, so she reaches for one of the classic cons, the False Heiress, to wed a fortune in only 5 days. What follows is a maze of intertwining loyalties, deceptions, and calculated risks in a skilled melange of skullduggery. Just when you think you know what will happen, the misdirections appear.

The side plot of how inheritance and entail law bound the fortunes and genteel poverty of the forgotten women of the gilded age is wrapped around the con plot. Forced into choices by not having funds, Hays interrogates the lack of power these sisters had.

It's a great book. Very entertaining and puzzling. Bravo!

The Queen of Fives is one of the best historical fiction books I’ve read in a while. The pacing was great, I was invested in the plot and the characters, and enjoyed the writing.