Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy and to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

This was a delightful book. It's historical fiction meets mystery featuring women we know well: Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, and multiple other female mystery authors. It's set in 1930 as Dorothy Sayers decides to bring together the "Queens of Crime" to advocate for female authors in the mystery genre. And to do so, she has them actually work to solve a murder mystery.

The mystery aspects were incredibly well done and kept me interested and guessing, as our intrepid authors traveled about investigating. And the final scenes felt pulled from a couple of their novels.

The book was very thought provoking in how mystery writers approach solving an actual mystery. In particular, I was quite taken by the way in which the main character (Dorothy Sayer) thinks about her own writing process and empathy towards characters and victims she writes about. And I was simultaneously aware that I was reading a novel in which the author had been quite conscientious of the similar choices she made. This whole book had me reflecting on genre writing so much.

I wanted a bit more from the author's more at the end, as it only briefly referenced that readers (like me) want to separate fact from fiction. It spoke beautifully of the inspiration for the novel and made me want to go research more about the featured authors.

Bessie Carter narrated the many female characters incredibly well.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own. I found this book to be very engrossing with a well crafted mystery that kept both me and the "queens of crime" guessing. Although I'd heard of Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, I wasn't familiar with the other three authors that made up the queens. Even for Christie and Sayers, I didn't know much about their lives. Even though these women were some of the best mystery writers of the period, it was eye opening to realize the attitudes they faced that looked down on their skill. I really found it interesting how society at the time looked down on what they called superfluous women who would never marry due to the male casualties from WWI and the further scorn they faced when the depression hit as taking away jobs from men or being a drain. We like to think that we've come so far in our attitudes since the 1920s, but some things feel very relevant yet today.

Who knew historical fiction could be so fun? Marie Benedict crafts a delightful murder mystery with female authors Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh on the case. This book has everything: red herrings, a long list of potential suspects, details of the high fashion of the day, and the obligatory mystery and suspense. These women were ahead of their time and the story is one that celebrates the power of female friendship. Based on a true story, I was left wanting to know more about the authors who were unfamiliar to me and to read some of their works. The author's note at the end is not to be missed. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Five female writers united by the love of mystery writing overcome barriers of age, class, culture, and education to form the Queens of Crime in hopes of joining the male dominated Detection Club. Dorothy Sayers convinces Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham to travel from London to France to piece together the unsolved murder of nurse, May Daniels, in order to become heroes and thus prove their worth.
Keeping in mind that May Daniels was a real person, not a character in one of their novels, the Queens of Crime band together to reconstruct the timeline leading to May’s disappearance. Marie Benedict develops the Queens so accurately through dialogue, attitude, and fashion sense, they each become recognizable and even predictable for readers. Pairing the Queens in different situations according to their individual skill sets as they “leave no stone unturned” along the Rue de Lille sinks the reader into the world of sleuthing in the 1930’s. Benedict reveals the assumptions and expectations of the male detectives and shop keepers of that era, leading them to false conclusions regarding May’s murder. Leave it to the female mystery writers to connect theater tickets, silk dresses, letters and luggage. All these elements, character, setting, themes, and plot, come together to represent the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Marie Benedict’s Queens of Crime-a truly golden “locked door murder mystery.”

This was a fun book especially for someone like me who enjoy golden age mystery writers. Adding the gender angle. Pulling together Agatha Christie and a few other famous mystery writers in the early/mid twentieth century... female mystery writers who were fighting for a seat at the table (when their work was most certainly proof but the times held them back)... she gives us a true murder mystery to solve. A nurse disappears and no one seems to care. But the 4 amateur detectives collaborate with Dorothy Sayers in the lead to solve the case and build their own society of authors in the male-dominated genre. I loved getting to know the authors and this is a fun fan fiction book for someone who is already into this genre.

2/24/25: Finished this book just after its release and just before its archive from NetGalley! This is a classically well-researched historical fiction by Marie Benedict, in which 5 real-life female mystery writers form the Queens of Crime, a group within a larger group of mystery novelists in 1930's London. Women's rights are a major sub-theme of the book, and are the reason why the 5 women decide to pursue a real-life unsolved murder of a young female nurse from their community, in order to "earn" the respect of their fellow male writers.

To solve the murder, they must think creatively and use their well-honed murder mystery acumen to establish a timeline, identify suspects, and elicit new insights from witnesses. They interchange their pen names with their married names to gain entrance or hide their identities depending on the situation. Each character is clearly defined by status, clothing and personality, consistently throughout the book. Their gender allows them more freedoms in some ways, as they were "just women having tea" or similar. The police are written to be fairly incompetent in the novel, and that may be realistic for the time - I do not really know.

We have a major side-story dealing with Dorothy Sayers' husband and their desire to have a family. This is the one part of the story that didn't fully resolve and left me a bit uncomfortable (no spoilers). There were also some disagreements between the Queens a time or two that showed their strong personalities, but we never got to know most of the Queens very well beyond Dorothy and a little bit more of Agatha Christie.

Overall I really liked this book and if you are a fan of historical fiction with strong female protagonists and very well-researched, well-written narratives, you'll love this one. 4.25 stars rounded up. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the book in exchange for my honest review.

2/20/25: Yay! Was just approved by NetGalley to review this book, although it was just published about a week ago and will be archived by NetGalley in 5-days, so I better get moving! This book is on the shorter side at about 315-pages, and is a classic Marie Benedict historical fiction based on 5 real life mystery novelists, set in 1930's London. Really looking forward to this one and will review after reading.

I really enjoyed this book. This story is based on a true unsolved murder of a young English nurse as well as real female novelists. I love Benedict's writing and enjoy her take on a possible outcomes. She blends the murder, the Detection Club, and the "Queens of Crime" quite seamlessly. Her combination made for a great story. The personalities of the different characters was very enjoyable and trying to piece together the mystery along the way is what I really enjoy. I thought the ending was easy to predict, but the enjoyment was to solve the crime. I would recommend this novel to all my friends.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy.

3.5 stars

Five of the greatest female crime writers take on the male dominated Detection club. The have to solve the mystery of a missing nurse. At times I felt the book was slow and dragged. It did have a nice cozy mystery vibe with a historical base. This is my first book by this author and definitely interested in reading more

I loved everything about this book! The Queens of mystery writing unite to solve a real murder in this latest piece of fiction from Benedict. I love a Marie Benedict book for its feminist themes that has women at the forefront outsmarting men and doing it with grace and style. It was especially fun to have previously read Benedict’s book about Agatha Christie’s disappearance and then to see Christie appear in this novel in a timeframe that follows her return to society. We see Agatha’s self-confidence post disappearance and her blossoming again under the nurturance of her fellow writers. To see the very real themes of being seen as inferior to men unfold in so many ways in this novel and to cheer when the gang solves a real murder, is a treat indeed! Thanks to NetGalley for an arc of this novel.

The concept for this novel was great. I enjoyed the characters, the building of the relationships among the queens and the location of the setting. The one area I had issues with was the length of the book. I felt like the last 30% of the book was to detailed and slowed the momentum of the story.

Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy star in this fun mystery that takes us into what it was like to be a female author in the 1930's. While I did find the use of 'red herring' about excessive, it wasn't enough to detract me from traveling on an adventure to solve the crime with some of my favorites. Thank you, NetGalley!

My favorite Marie Benedict by far. Based on the premise of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers both being prominent detective novelists during the Golden Age of Murder. They were founding members of the Detection Club. The novel put you right in the middle of the action and made me feel like I was a part of the club!
I loved every page and every little sneaky move they made.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting mystery book and well written historical fiction novel. I enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early read.

Absolutely fabulous! Loved learning about the history of the detection club and the female members. The real life murder mystery made it even more engaging. The writing of the voice of Dorothy Sayers and her early feminist views was so thoughtful and educational. It was also fun to have Agatha Christie as a character after Benedict’s book on Christie.

I received an early copy through Net Galley. Thoughts are entirely my own.
This was a lot of fun. I am not overly familiar with Ms. Benedict's prior books, but given the quality of the writing in The Queens of Crime, I am sure I will be reading more of her work in the future. The set-up is intriguing, if not all that plausible- Five Golden Age mystery writers- all women- get together and hatch a plot to gain the respect of their male counterparts and the literary world in general. This evolves into a quest for justice (and to restore the good name) for the young women whose murder they are investigating. The plot rolls along at a brisk pace-with red herrings, misdirection, some genuine peril, and nice character development. The story is worthy of the Queens of Golden Age detective fiction for whom it is named. I adore a well-crafted mystery, and with Christie, Sayers, Allingham, Orczy, and Marsh along for the ride, this is a highly entertaining one. It also has some valuable insights to offer regarding the way society undervalues women's work, but it is never preachy.
Highly Recommend.

2.5 Stars

I usually really like Marie Benedict’s books as they are based on strong women characters who were ahead of their time.

Oh……..this one is slow. It was such a great premise, 5 Real Mystery Writers decide to solve an actual murder. They are Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. These were women that Marie Benedict continually points out struggled with sexism. I am sure this is correct and for these five women to survive and publish books they had to be intelligent, resilient, and bold. Yet, sadly that is not how they are portrayed in this book. Beyond describing meetings for high tea at restaurants, how each woman dressed, manners, and just stale discussions, I never felt I knew these striking women at all. There is no depth to their characters. The mystery of a young nurse being murdered also carries little suspense or intrigue. Dorothy Sayers narrates the book and Agatha Christie is the second biggest contributor, but think that was for her name. The other three, well I know how they dressed and if they bickered or not. That’s about all.

I have read several of Marie Benedict’s books and really enjoyed them. This one just fell flat for me. It has the making for such a great book and it honestly does not deliver. It took me two weeks to finish and usually I read one of her books in a couple of days.

Thank you NetGalley, Marie Benedict, and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book. I leave reviews for all books I read.

Marie Benedict has written a fascinating story about a group of 5 women who write mysteries that are determined to break into the male dominated field of mystery writers. Among the five are Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers who have already been admitted to the group but are basically shunned. They all decide to solve a “locked room” mystery about a young nurse in order to prove that they are worthy of their admittance to the Detective Club.
I enjoyed the ruse of Dorothy traveling with her husband, also a journalist initially assigned to the lurid case. All 5 women traveled to France and managed to meet up without Dorothy’s husband’s knowledge. The dynamics between the five women, complete with jealousies, made this read so very engaging.
A microcosm of history, women’s struggles for equality in a male dominated world, and actually solving the mystifying case all combined to create this fascinating read.
Many thanks to Marie Benedict, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this intriguing blend of historical fiction published on February 11th.

What a great idea for a mystery novel! The Queens of Crime, by Marie Benedict, (re)introduces us to some of the great women mystery writers of mid-century England: Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. It was a pleasure to encounter these authors, who I've come to know through the characters in their own books as characters in this book. Although I enjoyed reading about how they got together to solve a murder, I enjoyed even more seeing the authors' personalities and their support for each other as women in a male-dominated profession. If you haven't read these authors - don't worry! You'll enjoy the book and look forward to reading their works too.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC; all opinions are my own.

"The Queens of Crime" by Marie Benedict is an expertly researched and eloquently written tribute to four pioneering women in the mystery genre. The book provides a captivating blend of historical context, literary analysis, and personal narratives. The themes of perseverance and creativity are prominently featured, making it an enlightening read for those interested in crime fiction.

This book comes highly recommended for readers who value biographical works, mystery novels, and accounts of trailblazing women. It is an informative and engaging narrative that illuminates the lives and legacies of four remarkable writers.

I had no idea there was a real Detection Club of British mystery writers in the 1930s, so this historical fiction novel featuring a band of the five greatest women crime writers: Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy was both fun and informative. I especially liked that Marie Benedict challenged my mystery-solving skills by keeping me guessing until the end.