Between the two World Wars there was what is viewed as The Golden Age of mystery writing with “four queens:” Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh, all whose works hold up today. Rosanne Limoncelli’s The Four Queens of Crime does a great job of not only inserting these four famous authors into the story, but writing the novel in much the style of the time. This is a locked room mystery with far more talk than action and the murder doesn’t take place until well into the novel. These factors may cause some people to think the book is slow but I enjoyed this book very much. I appreciated the nod to the earlier writing style and didn’t mind the “slower” pace. I did wonder a bit if the notoriously shy Agatha Christie would have been quite as much the leader as she is portrayed but in this book it worked as she is considered the true “queen” of mystery writing. I recommend this book, especially for anyone who still loves to pick up a novel by any of these authors. Four and a half stars bumped to five.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions stated are solely my own.

This is a wonderful first book from a talented author. The title refers to the famous mystery writers popular between WWI and WWII - Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. The story takes place in 1938 in a fancy private mansion near London. The Queens are hosting a fundraiser for the Women's Voluntary Service to prepare Britain for the upcoming war with Germany. The morning after the gala, the Baronet, owner of the mansion, is found murdered in his locked library. Scotland Yard detectives arrive, including Lillian Wyles, a real-life officer who became famous as an investigator. She wisely asks for help from the Queens, who jump in enthusiastically to help. The author skillfully weaves a splendid tale, fully using all the characters. I haven't read all the Queens, but I plan to in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an ARC.

Oddly, this book, THE FOUR QUEENS OF CRIME, comes out in 2025, 4 weeks after another book, THE QUEENS OF CRIME, by Marie Benedict. In addition to their similar, and potentially confusing, titles, the stories involve the same women authors, plus Baroness Emma Orczy in the Benedict book. Both stories are interesting and fun to read. I encourage everyone to read both, enjoy both, and compare!

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Publish Date: March 2025

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This was a little too boring for me. Maybe it’s because I feel a disconnect with these characters since nothing about them I can relate except for the fact that they like mystery and are mystery novelist. Either way, it’ll be something I’ll just have to pass on, respectfully.

This book was a joy to read. As one knows from the title, it features the four female mystery writers collectively known as the Four Queens of Crime. Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, and Dorothy L. Sayers work with two DCI to solve a mystery set in 1938.

The story has the feel of one of the queen's mysteries. A rural manor. Locked rooms. Captivating characters. And twisty mysteries.

As a fan of each of these authors, the book is a treat, as we delve into the personality of each of these famous authors.

I highly recommend this book for fans of any of these authors, as well as anyone wanting to learn more about any of the four.

4.5

This book has such a unique premise! A classic closed room murder mystery set in 1930s, starring the four Queens of Crime! Agatha Christie, Naigo Marsh, Margery Allingham and Dorothy Slayers were perfect characters and the author did a wonderful job giving them all depth and easily identifiable voices.

I loved how there was no favourite/hated person and untill the very end, reader is just guessing as to what happened. The clues were small, significant and cryptic- keeping you on your toes. There is a background of political tension and family drama to keep the intrigue level satiated.

My only complaint was that the pace is incredibly slow. It took 20% of the book for the murder to actually happen and around 60% of the book for the interviews of all the suspects. However once you get over it, it is a phenomenal old school murder mystery!

Thanks to crooked lane books and NetGalley for the arc. This was a fun 1930’s historical fiction whodunnit focused on British aristocracy in the interwar period. The four best selling crime authors of the decade (Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham), who were apparently called the “Queens of Crime,” are all invited to a charity gala. Of course a grisly murder happens and they have to pool their writer’s wits together to help solve the case. I loved the idea of it, and it really was a fun read, but I thought the case wrapped up a little too quickly and cleanly for my tastes. Sometimes the dialogue between the authors felt a little artificial, too, but overall it was very enjoyable. It felt like watching an episode of Murder She Wrote!

Oh My Gosh! For a cozy reader, what is not to love about having the four queens of cozy all in one book, each contributing their particular insights to solving this locked room puzzle. This novel fits very solidly into the classic style of cozy - country estate, murder off screen, locked door, closed ring of suspects. The inclusion of a woman Chief Inspector gives this a sightly different angle than the four queens novels. I received this as an advance copy from Net Galley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rosanne Limoncelli, The Four Queens of Crime A Mystery, Crooked Lane Books, March, 2025

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

The Four Queens of Crime introduces Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh as sleuths investigating the death of their host at a fundraiser at which they are drawcards. They are well drawn characters, in the main following the understanding that readers would have of them through their novels, autobiographies and biographies. The women’s investigations include observations about the detectives who star in their work and the types of crimes that they are expected to solve, providing a skilled reflection on the crime and detective novels they write. DCI Lilian Wyles, the first woman detective chief inspector in the CID, joins the novelists as another non-fictional character. She also is a character who is written to fulfil the requirements of depicting a real person in a fictional landscape. Family members, staff and the other detectives who attempt to solve the murder are also characters who fulfill their roles well.

Although the murder is fairly straight forward with all the characteristics of a good detective novel, The Four Queens of Crime, is far more than a murder mystery. The combination of fictional and non-fictional characters in this novel adds an intriguing dimension to the work. In particular, there is a host of information about DCI Lilian Wyles who is likely to be less well known that the four queens of crime. The material here is really valuable, adding insights into not only her character and aspirations, but the way in which women were treated in the police force in that period.

I enjoy reading detective novels and have read many of those written by the novelists depicted in this work. I have also read something of DCI Lilian Wyles where she appears in another fictional account. Rosanne Limoncelli has made a good contribution to this reading, and I look forward to more of her work.

overall i thought this was a good book. it's not something i would typically go for but, i really enjoyed it. when 4 crime writers get together for a fundraiser gala- the next morning in the mansion a man is found dead in the library. a classic who's done it. my only complaint about this book is i felt there were too many characters and i kept getting confused on who is who.

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this ARC!

What a great setup! What a tedious, overlong book. Pedestrian writing and plotting. A total waste of the four queens of crime.