👑 The Queens of Crime - Marie Benedict

3.5 ⭐️ - I liked this one! I’m a historical fiction fan and I’ve read a few books written by Marie Benedict (usually when she teams up with Victoria Christopher Murray) so I was excited to dive in. It’s a strong female lead story and we all know I love those.

I really enjoyed that this was based on a true story. I loved listening to the women band together and do whatever they needed to do to be taken seriously, accomplish their goal, and work in a man’s world. A little mystery, historical fiction and some names you’ll recognize, I enjoyed following along with this lovely told story. Something felt wordy about this one, or maybe a little distant but that’s a me thing. This is a really well written story and I think any historical fiction or crime fan will enjoy it!

Thanks Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin Press for the early arc and audio of this book! This one is out now!

What a clever story! I really enjoyed it. The Queens of Crime referred to in this story are Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. These women were trailblazers of their time in the writing field.

Set in the 1930s, the story begins with the women coming together to form a detective club, and Dorothy Sayers is the primary voice in the story. They decide to try to solve a real life mystery, the disappearance and death of a young English nurse.

‘You saw what I wanted you to see, and what you expected to see. Things are not as they always appear.’

I enjoyed learning more about the inequities in women’s rights regarding their professions and social status of the time. I found it quite interesting that nursing was deemed ‘unseemly’. It’s not a really fast-paced novel, it’s more of a cozy whodunnit. The narration is very well done and brings the story to life. I have read several of Agatha Christie’s books and loved The Scarlet Pimpernel last year. I’m very interested in reading books by the other ‘Queens’ now. If you enjoy historical fiction and mysteries, I think this is the book for you.

4.25/5 stars

[Thanks to the publisher, St. Martins Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced audio of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

The Queens of Crime AUDIO and print by Marie Benedict is a cozy throwback to the Golden Age of crime writing and featuring women authors from that time: Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. They have been treated as second-class citizens by the male members of the legendary Detection Club and they vow that the time has come for that to end. They decide to solve a crime and they select one in which a young woman was murdered, but has been written off by both the English police and the French (English girl, the crime took place in France). Not only are they second-class citizens, but so is this unlucky young woman.

This is a historical novel and is based upon a situation in Sayer’s own life as well as opening up the personalities of theses famous women, beyond their detection skills. They are focused on solving this crime and use all means open to them, which include misrepresentation and downright lying, to get what they need. They also discover that women are discounted as witnesses, gaining valuable information from overlooked women witnesses. It was an ugly crime and the killer must be brought to justice, whatever it takes. Putting police forces and newspaper reporters to shame, they solve the crime, although things end badly. Do they get their recognition?

The reader was Bessie Clark who did an excellent job keeping the women separate, using voices of the young and older as well as using voices of less educated and French women. She was an excellent choice to bring these women to life, years after they are gone.

I was invited to read The Queens of Crime by St Martin’s Press and to listen by MacMillan Audio. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #MacMillanAudio #BessieClark #MarieBenedict #TheQueensOfCrime

The Quenns of Crime
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was Fantastic! It was so fun. I loved how she once again took a true event & weaved it into a Master piece. It was so interesting, thrilling, heart felt, powerful, & unique. You will want to finish it in one day!
Thank you NetGalley

Inspired by a true story in Dorothy Sayers' life, NYT bestselling author Marie Benedict brings to life in this captivating novel, THE QUEENS OF CRIME, the lengths five talented women writers will go to be taken seriously in the male-dominated world of letters as they unpuzzle a mystery torn from the pages of their own novels.

About...

From five of the most remarkable women writers of the Golden Age of Mystery, a riveting story to solve a real-life murder.

Set in London in 1930, five women form a group called The Queens of Crime, Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. They are the greatest crime writers and have banned together to form a secret society with a single goal in mind:

These women, refusing to be relegated to the sidelines, are determined to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second-class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club.

They plan to solve an actual murder of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.

May Daniels, a young English nurse on an excursion to France with her friend, seemed to vanish as they prepared to board a ferry home. Months later, her body is found in the nearby woods.

Let the detective games and clues begin!

My thoughts...

THE QUEENS OF CRIME is a spellbinding narrative that follows the five women as they embark on their own investigation. They demonstrate their strength and determination as they meticulously examine all the clues, including the meaning of a secret letter, and discover they are stronger together. Even when the killer targets Dorothy, threatening to expose a dark secret from her past that she wants to keep hidden, they remain resolute.

Marie Benedict skillfully brings to life the struggles and challenges faced by women during the Golden Age of Mystery. She vividly portrays their creative minds in a male-dominated world and the strength of their female friendships, enhancing the reader's appreciation of the novel.

We are invited to accompany these women on their journey to England, where they are determined to solve the murder of the nurse and restore her name.

Get caught up in a whirlwind of five strong crime authors with grit, determination, courage, and wit in this highly entertaining story from a master storyteller.

Audiobook...

For those who prefer to listen, the audiobook, narrated by Bessie Carter, offers a truly immersive experience. Carter's outstanding performance brings all the voices to life, vividly capturing the characters, setting, and period. The actor is best known for her role as Prudence Featherington on the Netflix series Bridgerton.

Recs...

THE QUEENS OF CRIME is a must-read for women's crime mysteries fans and those who appreciate engaging characters, strong women, and a clever plot. It is a compelling read for mystery lovers, fans of the author, and those who enjoy biographical fiction, women's detective stories, and 20th-century historical fiction.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. #MacAudio2024

blog review posted @
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@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 11, 2025
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Dorothy L Sayers (yes of Lord Peter Whimsy fame), a founding member of the Detection Club realizes this is a perfect time to highlight the works of other women in the genre. Forming a side club called The Queens of Crime the group - consisting of Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy - decide to solve an actual murder in order to prove their worth to their contemporaries.

There's a current wave of Agatha Christie stories about, in fact I also read Marie Benedict's own iteration of the popular mystery writer, so I was drawn to the fact that this one would seem to focus on another great in the genre Dorothy L Sayers. Although Christie herself does feature - as listed above along with some other notable female mystery writers of the time - the book does focus on Dorothy Sayers and is told entirely from her point of view.

As is typically the case with historical fiction - especially that which features well-known individuals - I oftentimes go in not knowing where the line between fact and fiction is drawn. Doing a very preliminary deep dive, I did like discovering that the women did in fact have a side club within the Detection Club calling themselves The Queens of Crime. Although I found no mention of Baroness Emma Orczy being amongst their ranks.

At first I was skeptical of how this story was going to proceed. I thought more emphasis would be placed on the women carving out their place in the detection club. When the narrative switched to the women solving an actual murder mystery everything clicked together. Seeing the pieces come together as well as the women themselves look for justice and move beyond their own initial self-serving purposes for beginning the investigation, it all did become very intriguing.

I think the audiobook narration was fantastic. Despite being told from Dorothy's point of view, each of the Queens had such a distinctive voice and Bessie Carter did such a great job bringing those voices, which included different dialects and accents through perfectly. And this was throughout the story, secondary as well as tertiary characters. It simply made the entire listening experience of the book very well-rounded and whole.

The mystery took over everything, even the fact that our women sleuths are actually famous mystery authors. This was only brought back again toward the end, which gives an indication of it being less about who you are and more about your drive to, in this case, solve the crime. We get to see how they have their processes of solving a fictitious murder, but when faced with the real thing they quickly realize it's an entirely different ballgame. Doubly so because they are women at a time when it was more the exception to the rule that Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie, et al. were publishing and successful under their own names.

I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this one. It took a little time to establish itself and really hook me in, but once it did I was as invested in figuring out the mystery as our Queens of Crime.

The premise of this book was what made me pick it up, along with the reputation of the author. Five accomplished female mystery writers in 1930/1931 England get together to solve a real murder: Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They decide to call themselves The Queens of Crime. I knew about all of them with the exception of Margery Allingham. Somehow her books had escaped my notice all these years. They decide to take a crack at solving the case of a young English nurse who was murdered while on a daylong excursion from Brighton (England) to Boulogne-sur-Mer in France, since both the English and French authorities seem to have given up on the case.

At any rate, I was disappointed in the book. The first half (or so) was rather slow and I nearly DNF’d it. But I’m glad I stuck it out because the second half was much more interesting. There was a lot of repetition (how many times did I need to hear the contents of a mysterious letter? and how many times did I need to hear about how women were not valued?). I never really got the feel for the different personalities of each woman - with perhaps the exception of Ngaio Marsh, who was described as favoring trousers, and who spoke more bluntly than the others. The story was told by Dorothy Sayers, whose idea it was to band together to prove to the male mystery writers of their time that they were worthy of being in their Detection Club.

One of the reasons I kept going with this book was due to the excellent narration of the audiobook by Bessie Carter, who handled a lot of different accents beautifully.

Thank you to St, Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to a review copy of the audiobook. All opinions are my own.

3.5 / 5 stars

Blending fact and fiction, in The Queens of Crime, Marie Benedict imagines a collaboration between five of the greatest women mystery writers of the Golden Age—Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. Frustrated by the exclusion of several female writers from the male-dominated Detection Club, the so-called Queens of Crime form a secret society with one goal: solving a real murder. When a young Englishwoman is found strangled in a French park under puzzling circumstances, Sayers encourages the other women to investigate the case, only to find themselves entangled in a dangerous web of secrets. As they close in on the truth, the killer threatens to expose a secret from Sayers’ past—one she would do anything to keep hidden.

While the novel is an excellent period piece that examines the plight of the "surplus women" of the inter-war period, I did not find that the book especially deepened my understanding of Sayers as a woman or writer. Perhaps as an artifact of her previous novel, I honestly felt I had a better sense of Agatha and her relationship with her sister Madge than I did of Dorothy. She was a complex and interesting woman, and I think that Benedict missed an opportunity to plumb some of her depths.

Bessie Carter's narration was a highlight for me as I appreciated the range of accent work she provided for the various characters.

In short, The Queens of Crime was a fun Golden Age mystery novel that imagined five female writers getting to play the role of actual sleuths. The crime discussed in the book was a real case that Sayers examined, but Benedict provides a conclusion that history has not. While I enjoyed the setting and the sleuthing, I found Sayers lacking as a main character due to missed opportunities to examine her inner life.

Benedict, whose previous books have brought the lesser known stories of remarkably accomplished women to the fore (e.g., Belle de Costa Greene, Hedy Lamarr’s scientific accomplishments), here convenes five prominent mystery novelists from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction—Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Marjorie Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, and Emma Orczy. She dubs them the Queens of Crime (though that band more typically comprises Christie, Sayers, Allingham and Josephine Tey) and sets them in motion through a slight from the male members of the Detection Club formed by Sayers, Christie, Orczy, and G.K. Chesterton among others. Bristling at the male members’ attempt to limit the number of women members, Sayers hatches a scheme to prove their worth: bringing the five women together to solve a locked room mystery related to the disappearance and murder of a young English nurse in France.

Biographical details of the authors appear throughout the book, giving a good sense of who they were as individuals. I learned some things I did not know about Sayers, and I had known nothing about Orczy, of Scarlet Pimpernel fame. And I learned what a Ner-a-Car was. The plot requires some suspension of disbelief, including at the start, when Sayers concocts a mini locked-room murder scene (in which she plays the role of the corpse) to see whether the women can be sufficiently collaborative to take on the real thing. The book could also have used another round of editing; there is much repetition (like reintroducing Christie’s Hercule Poirot about 10 times, as if the reader didn’t already know who he was or had forgotten since he was mentioned several pages back) and wordy and earnest dialogue that seems stilted and unlikely. I don't recall Benedict's other books having this issue, but the repetition and awkward dialogue may be especially evident in the audiobook. In the end, the women, of course, get their man (or men, as it turns out) and their place in the club. Queens of Crime is, at its heart, about avenging underestimated, mistreated, and ignored women—and as “revenge of the surplus woman” in particular. It is inventive, engaging, occasionally edifying, and ultimately, gratifying.

The audiobook is ably narrated by Bessie Carter, of Bridgerton fame, who in particular, moves smoothly and among the famous women’s speech patterns and accents, including Marsh’s New Zealand inflection.

Thanks much to #NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of #TheQueensOfCrime. This does not affect my review and the honest opinions about the story are my own.

My first audiobook through NetGalley. I was excited when I saw it on the list and read the description. I hadn’t heard about this book before, but I have quite a few of Marie Benedict’s books on my TBR list and loved the one I have read so far (The Only Woman in the Room). As soon as I read the description, I was hooked!

As a bonus, it fits into one of the prompts for a new reading challenge I’m doing for this year, The Book Girls’ Guide Book Lover’s Reading Challenge, characters interacting with real authors.
https://bookgirlsguide.com/book-lovers-challenge/

I have read some Agatha Christie and heard Dorothy Sayers’ name. But the other three female authors in the group were new to me. I enjoyed learning about them all and have added books by all to my TBR list.

I loved that in the story, these ladies took charge of their own situation and took steps to get justice for the young English nurse. The way they looked at the clues both from the lens of how they have written their stories but then applied the real-world intricacies as they understand them – including the realities of being women and how men… diminish the thoughts and actions of women – was so fun.

Highly recommend!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

#NetGalley #HistoricalFiction #Mystery #Thriller #British #BooksAboutBooksAndWriters

I really, really liked this book. Everything was on point. The characters (real life authors), the plot, and the resolution were all well done. How women were treated during this time period was well researched and interwoven in a believable manner. Each of the authors had such distinct personalities, forceful, intelligent, and brave.

The narration was excellent. You could clearly distinguish accents, tones etc...

#netgalley #TheQueensofCrime

The Queens of Crime has a really interesting premise, focusing on a group of women writers during the Golden Age of Mystery as they endeavor to solve a real-life murder relying on their writing prowess. Honestly, I really struggled with this book. It felt like historical fiction trying to be a mystery/thriller while accomplishing neither. As historical fiction it felt sorely under-developed, and as mystery it was slow and just plain boring. This was not the book for me but perhaps others will have a different experience.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for gifting me with an ALC to review. All opinions are my own.

I loved everything about this new Marie Benedict title. Dorothy Sayers is telling us about how she and the other female writers conspire to get the respect they deserve from the male writers in the iconic Detection Club. One might think being accepted as members is reason enough to be considered equals, but that was not the case. They decide to solve a murder together and show their skills.

Along with Dorothy, we have Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. Kudos to the audio book performer, Bessie Carter, for her ability to bring all of those women to life as well as the other characters.

As the Queens work together to solve the murder of a young nurse, many cultural issues come to the fore -- especially the plight of women who are considered "supplemental." Their efforts take them to across the channel to Boulogne as well as around London, to Brighton, and other places. Each chapter is clearly marked with the date and location. So helpful for linear readers like me who want to know where we are in time and place.

This is my new favorite from Marie Benedict. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*The Queens of Crime* by Marie Benedict is a captivating historical fiction novel set in 1930s London. The story follows a group of five of the greatest women crime authors of the time as they band together to solve a murder in a world dominated by men. Each of these women, portrayed as strong, independent, and inspirational, brings their own unique strengths to the investigation, displaying tenacity, intelligence, and courage in the face of adversity. Benedict’s depiction of these iconic women is both engaging and empowering, making for a compelling read. While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I gave it 3.5 stars out of 5. It's a fantastic blend of historical fiction and mystery that fans of both genres will appreciate. Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC.

I have rarely finished a novel and simply didn't care about any part of the story. I pushed through on The Queens of Crime because it was an ARC and the premise is very interesting. But the execution of this book did nothing for me.

To start with the good, Marie Benedict came up with a very interesting idea. She took real female mystery writers in the 1930s, a real unsolved murder, and brought them together in a fictionalized scenario where the authors attempt to solve the murder. I found the historical representation of the time period to be authentic. This book will also encourage me to look into the mystery authors I haven't checked out before.

Otherwise, it was a struggle to push through. I felt that the plot was dull. I kept zoning out and having to rewind or sometimes not rewind so I could get through it.

It also felt very preachy. I am a feminist. Even so, I felt like I was being hit over the head with women's rights rhetoric. It was to the point where it didn't feel natural. In the author's note at the end, Benedict even admitted that she made the detection club more sexist for plot purposes. So, she went completely over the top with sexism, which is odd given how sexist that time period already was.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In yet another masterful story by Marie Benedict, legendary female authors from the Golden Age of Detective Stories team up to solve the unsolved murder of a young nurse. The cast of characters- Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, G.K. Chesterton- piqued my interest, but the adventures, clues, and dialogue drew me in. I loved how this book inspired me to learn about a couple of females authors I hadn’t heard of before. I’m eager to jump into their works.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC digital and audio books. I went back and forth between print and audio and both are delightful.

I was provided both an ARC and an ALC of this book via Netgalley and the SMP Influencers Program, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the narrator and thought she did a great job voicing not only Dorothy, but the other Queens and characters as the story unfolds. It made it really fun to go on this adventure with these ladies as they solved this crime and try to sort out all of the evidence as well as build each other up and establish their friendships.

This was delightful! If you are a fan of historical fiction and classic mysteries this will take you on a fun adventure through England and France to solve a murder with some of the most famous mystery writers of all time. Dorothy Sayers, whom I didn't know anything about prior to this book, was a real person, a successful mystery writer, and a founding member of the very real writer's group The Detection Club which apparently still exists to this day. Dorothy is appalled that The Detection Club initially is not open to admitting female writers despite their success outside of Dorothy and the also famous Agatha Christie, so she invites 3 additional writer friends to join her to solve a real murder case to prove to the men that they are not only worthy of membership in the club but a cut above. The group of five capable ladies makes up the Queens of Crime.

This story is told from Dorothy's point of view as the Queen's gather information about the victim and the crime scene as and piece together the solution as the characters from their novels would. The victim is being painted in a poor light by the French police and in the newspapers, but the Queen's will not give up on justice for May Daniels. With all the makings of a locked room mystery that they are all familiar with writing, they have to work together as a team to put the puzzle pieces together to solve May's murder and tell her story. I loved the way the women worked together. Their group was so realistic as the story unfolded. Their interactions were filled with snark and jokes, pain when secrets were kept, and concern and compassion when one of their own was in need. I was engaged the entire time, trying to figure out the mystery and who-dun-it myself. I loved the characters and their interactions and felt like I was there with them as they traveled between London and France to gather clues and investigate.

As with all historical fiction books, I highly recommend reading the author's note to understand what liberties were taken with the facts, what was fabricated, and what was factual. This book has inspired me to look into these women and read some of their books, as the only one I was aware of prior was Agatha Christie. The author's research into the time and the women clearly shows as the story is told.

This book was a lot of fun. An unsolved murder taken into the hands of 5 women crime writers. They are tired of men ignoring them and are determined to solve the murder of a woman strangled in a park in France. Together, the take their book writing skills and apply them to real life, determined to find out what really happened. I loved the history woven throughout this book. The main characters were so fun - I loved that they were all crime writers and women, often not taken seriously by men. I found that the characters and their interactions were amazing. The mystery behind the book was fascinating. I was engaged from page one and despite the 400+ pages, the book flew by. I had this in audio and ebook and switched between the two seamlessly. They were both incredible. 
Pub Day: February 11, 2025
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

4⭐️

This was my first time reading a history thriller and it did not disappoint.

5 of the greatest women crime writers band together to solve a real life crime to help bring justice to the women that was killed as well as show their worth as women writers!

I had no idea this was based on real writers of the 1930s until I was about 15% in. The author did such a good job of making you feel like you are truly in the story.

This was an arc sent to me in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge Marie Benedict fan, but for whatever reason, this one didn't grab me like her other stories. However, I appreciate the ARC, NetGalley. Thank you!