Marie Benedict has done it again...a well-researched fictional account surrounding many factual events within. Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie round out the Queens of Crime...an unlikely (of course because they were all female) group of British mystery writers in 1930's London. This was a fun foray into the ins and outs of a group meeting to discuss events of an actual murder that had taken place. The ill effects of living in a male-dominated world leaving them often overlooked and underestimated, actually helped these crime-solvers in some ways during this investigation as they were able to pay attention and go where no one thought they were a threat.
The twists and turns of this story were well-executed and the pace was constant throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed the audio version as well. Bessie Carter does a great job handling the various characters and dialects.
I liked learning more about these prolific writers of their day and would love to see this as a series!
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

Another great work by Marie Benedict! I really enjoyed the all-female group leading the charge to help save the day. It was amazing the read about characters who wanted to break down barriers and pave the way for those to come after them. Though this didn’t feel like the most fast-paced story, I really did enjoy listening to this and would recommend this to others.

A fun and interesting story!
I really enjoyed this mystery. Five mystery writers coming together to solve a real- life murder is an excellent premise for a story and Marie Benedict does a wonderful job developing that premise into the book The Queens of Crime.
I was concerned prior to reading the book that five women working together would be too much. That it would make it difficult to really give a unique voice to each character. I'm happy to say that my concerns were unfounded.
I listened to the audio book and the narrator does a really nice job.

Thank you to #netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Based on a real story from Dorothy L. Sayers' life, The Queens of Crime offers a delightful twist on the classic mystery novel. The story brings together five iconic female mystery writers—Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh—who band together to form a group aptly named The Queens of Crime. Their initial goal is to solve a real-life murder and prove to the male members of the newly formed Detection Club that women writers are just as capable as their male counterparts.
However, as they delve into the mysterious death of young nurse May Daniels, their mission transforms from a bid for recognition to a genuine pursuit of justice. Along the way, the women discover that crafting fictional detectives is far easier than confronting real-life criminals. With engaging characters and a clever plot, this novel is a must-read for mystery lovers and fans of these legendary authors.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this digital audio e-arc.*

Five mystery women authors in the 1930s ban together to solve a real-life murder. Stepping outside of their fictional detectives, they realize that writing mystery and solving a murder are two different things.

Set in 1930-31, five of the greatest women detectives of the "Golden Age of Mystery" band together to solve a real murder in order to be taken seriously and combat sexism in The Detective Club in which they want to be considered as esteemed and as respected as the male members of the club.

One part murder mystery, one part historical, and one part a social commentary on the struggles of women in this time period, the writing throughout kept me interested, intrigued, and impressed at the natural dialog, well-researched details, and dramatic suspense created throughout.

This book has not only inspired me to follow up on additional Marie Benedict books, but as importantly, this fabulous book has encouraged me to seek out the two Queens of Crime in the book that I had never read before, Allingham and Orczy; and to do more of a deep dive into Sayers's and Marsh's works. To me, that is evidence of a great writer and a great book: the fascination of the material remaining long after the book itself is finished.

My highest recommendation! I thank NetGalley for the advanced audio version of The Queens of Crime in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5 Stars

The premise of a group of the famous woman authors coming together to solve a murder sounded amazing, but I was sold when I saw the characters are all real authors and the murder was inspired from a true story in the life of one of the main characters.

The audio was nicely done. The narrator's voice fit the character perfectly and did a great job.

I wrote how much I liked this book and Marie Benedict’s writing on goodreads. I loved the characters and how she writes historical fiction. The plot had surprises which kept me listening.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict is a captivating historical fiction novel that delves into the fascinating, often untold story of the women crime writers who shaped the genre in the 1930s. Set against the backdrop of a male-dominated literary world, Benedict shines a light on these remarkable women who fought for their voices to be heard and their works to be taken seriously.
The book follows a fictionalized account of several prominent crime writers of the era, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Ngaio Marsh.
What I found particularly interesting was how Benedict brought these complex women to life, showing their strength and resilience in an industry that often dismissed them. I am a fan of Benedict's work, and how she takes historical subject matter and strong women and creates a unique story. Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC.

This was my first Marie Benedict novel and I am of mixed minds about it. I loved the premise of it: these famous female mystery novelists coming together to solve a real life murder. The plot was great. However, I did find my mind wandering as I was reading. The novel was told with a first person perspective which told us most about Dorothy Sayers, but fell a bit short when it came to the other female sleuths. I thought that the dialogue, which was intended to reveal character, was a bit flat. I might have been more invested had there been multiple perspectives or it was told in third person, delving more deeply into each of the characters, who were working together to solve this mystery. I also felt like there were moments where the author was delivering a lecture on women's rights and thought this message should have been delivered more subtly, since it was a message worth getting.
I received the audio and after reading the text, I shifted to the audio, which helped. The narrator was excellent and engaging and helped me to get through a book that I might have otherwise given up on. Thanks to MacMillan Press and MacMillan Audio as well as to NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this novel before publication in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

London in the 1930’s is a time of magic. The city had survived the war and was returning somewhat to a semblance of normality after years of reconstruction with the arts at the center of London life. Plays, operas, and books capture the attention of many in the city – especially the crime novels by the famous Detection Club members like G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown series. But when the men of the Detection Club won’t take the female members seriously, the ladies take some drastic measures. Channeling the protagonists in their books, Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy decide to show the men what they can really do…and solve the murder of a young woman. A murder the police have failed to properly investigate and local dignitaries are urgently looking to sweep under the rug. Will The Queens of Crime solve the murder or will one of them become the next victim?

Best-selling author Marie Benedict is back with another fantastic historical fiction tale in The Queens of Crime. Based on real events from the lives of some of the best-known female crime writers in history, Benedict explores the constraints placed on women in this era, but also their attempts for freedom. The pages will expose readers to the culture and history of 1930’s London and given an intimate look at some of the most well-known crime writers of the era. This is a book about the importance of close friendships, but also the damage one secret can do.

I give The Queens of Crime 5 out of 5 stars. Benedict pulls on her own experience as a writer and an investigator to explore the life of Dorothy Sayers, showing what it must be like to work so hard to uncover the facts but also still meet your obligations to your publisher. I have been a fan of Agatha Christie since I was very young, but had not learned for Sayers until this novel. I appreciate the way Benedict explores their friendship and similarities, while also marking their differences. I was able to connect with each character, not only these two, and understand their motivations well – this is a hallmark of Benedict’s writings for me. This reads like a crime novel worthy of inclusion on a shelf full of Sayers’ and Christie’s works!

Historical fiction and true crime readers alike will appreciate this novel! If you loved Benedict’s other works, especially The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, make this your next read. I would also recommend this for readers who love the authors who star here: Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. Mystery and Historical Fiction book clubs would do well selecting this book, too – there is much to unpack around the women’s decision to investigate and their methods! With references to potential forced sexual encounters, murder, and other physical violence, I would direct this novel to more mature audiences over 16.

I have been hearing about this book for a few months now and was excited to see the Audio version available on NetGalley – especially when I realized the narrator was none other than Bessie Carter! Carter is best known as Prudence Featherington on the Netflix sensation “Bridgerton” and her performance with this novel was mesmerizing! This was one book I didn’t want to put down – and you won’t either.

The Queens of Crime will release February 11th – you can pre-order your copy today on our Bookshop.org page!

Audiobook: Enjoyable

The Queens of Crime - Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, Baroness Emma Orczy, who are working together to solve a murder of a young girl May Daniels. It’s London 1931 when society is male dominated and women aren’t taken seriously. These women set up a club called Detection Club and they begin following clues to work to solve this murder and be taken seriously. A fun entertaining story from Dorothy’s perspective based on a true unsolved murder. I love Marie Benedict’s writing and these ladies together and their friendship.

Thank you Net Galley for ALC.

This book was a hoot - following crime writer Dorothy Sayers and her group of female writer friends solving a real murder mystery, using the same tricks as they would in their fictional stories. Building on her previous book about Agatha Christie's life, Marie Benedict has once again written about her favorite classic murder mystery genre, but more importantly (to me) she's written about the feminism her characters live and promote, as they each in their own way struggle to thrive within the societal norms their surroundings try to force upon them.
This book is both entertaining and uplifting.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

Great escape, mainly featuring Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie, with the other mystery queens along for the ride. Interesting play by play, showing how these stellar writers negotiated living in those times, in that ultra man’s world. Women were not without their strengths and I enjoyed seeing that. All of this going on underneath the main event of solving the murder. At one point I was wishing for more heart, and right then a real emotional heart-tug was there, also reminding how very different were the times. Sorry to be so cryptic but I don’t want to give away a spoiler. Glad for romp! Now maybe I need to finally read Sayers.

Audiobook was quite well executed—perfect!
Thank you to all for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first read by Benedict and will not be my last. I felt this was well written and enjoyable even if it had me raging on the victim’s behalf. I loved the found family/girl power aspect of the women crime writers who joined together. They also had some truly great banter between the characters. I also felt the mystery itself was well written. I did find myself falling for a red herring during the story, which made me appreciate mystery even more. The narration by Bessie Carter more than did justice to these characters. She brought them to life and kept my focus fully invested on the story. I would definitely recommend picking up this book.

As someone who has always enjoyed Agatha Christie murder mysteries, this book had me hooked from the start. With this new take on a murder mystery, the author gave us the points of view of famous women mystery writers (including Christie) who actually get to solve a murder. I loved how Benedict gave these women a voice in which we felt we were there with them. Each of them had their own unique ways of contributing their thoughts about the murder. Overall, I enjoyed this book and the feminist vibes I got from it!

This is my fifth [author:Marie Benedict|14815127] novel and my new favorite! I enjoy reading about historical figures, getting to know more about them, and imagining what their lives may have been like. And [book:The Queens of Crime|211003830] did not disappoint! The story is narrated by Dorothy Sayers and includes four other groundbreaking female mystery writers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy, as they collaborate to solve a real crime. This was a fun read with all the elements of a classic who-done-it. And now I need to go look up the books of Marsh, Allingham and Orczy!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance reader copy.

The Queens of Crime is a brilliant tribute to the five greatest female mystery novelists of the Golden Age, and what an entertaining group they are in Marie Benedict's latest novel. As someone drawn to strong female protagonists, I found this advanced audiobook copy absolutely captivating.

Benedict masterfully brings her "Queens" to life, and Bessie Carter’s impeccable narration enhances the experience, making each character distinct and engaging. The premise is irresistible—these legendary women band together to solve a real-life murder, convinced that the male investigators have been misled by a red herring and their own biases against women. Using their skills as mystery authors, the Queens piece together the clues and uncover the truth, proving that women’s intellect and intuition should never be underestimated.

This novel is both a clever mystery and a powerful testament to the legacy of female crime writers.

Women are not surplus—we are all Queens!

Thank you for this advance copy. The author, Marie Benedict, brings characters to life and in this novel, those characters are some of the first female mystery writers. Five authors unite to solve a crime that the police are eager to close. Each author brings their unique theory and solutions to the mystery and together solve the mystery.

Writing a book is viewed as solitary and these five authors each have their own approach to writing mysteries. What is really special about the Queens, is that even through disagreements they support and believe in each other. There is no "queen of the hill" "winner take all" approach. When one gets hurt or threatened, they come to defense and lift her up. A wonderful example of women helping women.

Again, thank you for the advance copy.

What a fun writing twist from Marie Benedict, who is a “queen” of historical fiction! I loved the mystery format - a change from Benedict’s more straight forward biographical approach. Consider this high praise since I haven’t read many mysteries since my childhood when I devoured Nancy Drew novels.

Ms. Benedict has explored the subject of Agatha Christie before with her “The Mystery of Mrs. Christie” novel. This new offering allows readers to be a part of the inspection team. You can imagine sipping tea in a Cotswold cottage reviewing the clues of a crime scene with the queens.

The specific panel of experts - known as the “Queens of Crime” are five classic English mystery authors of the 1930s: Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Baroness Emma Orczy, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. Benedict skillful imagines a collaboration of the mystery queens solving an actual murder. We also consider concerns that continue into current day, such as the struggle to elevate the genre of mystery to its place in literary fiction and respect for women writers.

The audio book is brilliantly narrated by Bessie Carter. Ms. Carter can easily evoke the Scottish charm of Ian Fleming (Dorothy Sayers’ husband) and the assertive attitude of New Zealander Ngaio Marsh with just the right accent!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of the audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.