The Queens of Crime

A fun murder mystery solved by real historical figures -- a set of five women mystery authors who -- if you're a reader -- you know well! Written in Benedict's gripping and dramatic style. Hard to put down

For the past several years I have been reading the murder mysteries of Agatha Christie. I have been enjoying the detective novels immensely getting to know Hercule Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford and Miss Marple. Until reading this most recent book by Marie Benedict, I wasn’t aware there were other women novelists who dominated the genre during Christie’s time. This story brings five of these writers together to solve a real life crime of a young nurse. Using their knowledge of how they created and solved “locked room mystery”, these queens team together as we wind through plot twists and red herrings to find the murderer. This story has even the best “detectives” of the time stumped. In my opinion Marie Benedict should be crowned the Queen of Historical Fiction!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

This is such an interesting premise for a mystery novel. I loved the incorporation of famous authors from the past into a story that still feels relevant to us today. This book is really dynamic and has some good characters and the plot is paced beautiful with a few good twists!

London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that 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 into thin air as they prepared to board a ferry home. Months later, her body is found in the nearby woods. The murder has all the hallmarks of a locked room mystery for which these authors are famous: how did her killer manage to sneak her body out of a crowded train station without anyone noticing? If, as the police believe, the cause of death is manual strangulation, why is there is an extraordinary amount of blood at the crime scene? What is the meaning of a heartbreaking secret letter seeming to implicate an unnamed paramour? Determined to solve the highly publicized murder, the Queens of Crime embark on their own investigation, discovering they’re stronger together. But soon the killer targets Dorothy Sayers herself, threatening to expose a dark secret in her past that she would do anything to keep hidden.

I have had the pleasure of reading several historical fiction novels by Marie Benedict, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, "The Queens of Crime" presented a unique twist. This cozy mystery features five renowned female mystery authors who come together to solve a murder set in the 1920s. While the story started off slowly, it quickly gained momentum, leading me to become deeply invested in both the plot and the characters. This is particularly noteworthy, as cozy mysteries are not typically my preference. Nonetheless, Benedict's exceptional writing truly captivated me.

Thank you to Net Galley and St’. Martin’s Press for the ARC to read and review.

One of the many reasons I love historical fiction is because it excites me to do additional research into the characters and/or events of the story. Such was the case with Queens of Crimes where I learned more about these illustrious women mystery writers as well as the real life victim in this story.

Set in London, the story takes place during the “Golden Age of Detective Fiction” where we meet the esteemed and accomplished female mystery writers Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh and Baroness Emma Orczy. Within a larger club of male writers who viewed them as inferior, they form their own secret club famously known as the Queens of Crime and set out to solve the real life murder of Nurse May Daniels. I was fascinated as Ms. Benedict gave us glimpses into the minds of our female author detectives, as they tried to imagine how they would write their fictional sleuths as they followed the path of a victim. Marie Benedict is undoubtedly a Queen of Historical Fiction as evidenced by her books depicting strong female protagonists during periods in history when their spirit and fortitude was not the norm and went against the grain.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Marie Benedict for the opportunity to receive a digital copy of this fabulous story in exchange for my honest review.

I have read all of Marie Benedicts books and she is a wonderful champion of unknown women... in this case, better knows. Written well, I enjoyed the diifferent approach in this book and appreciate the opportunity to read.

📖 The Queens of Crime 📖 And she has done it again; it does not matter if she is writing about First Ladies or The Queens of Crime, Marie Benedict is the master of giving a voice to women. It’s 1930’s London, the Golden Age of mystery and women are emerging in the genre but their voices are not yet equal to those of men. This beautiful novel is an absolutely fascinating deep dive into this era, showing the tenacity, innovation, creativity, and heart of writers that created a prolific collection of work . When a young woman is found murdered, the female writers treat her death like a crime in one of their novels in an attempt to solve this cold case. The Queens of Crime is a stunningly captivating piece of historical fiction that brings light to a magnificently mysterious period of masterpieces.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.