First Marie Benedict book and I loved it. Such a great opening two chapters to get us adjusted to what was to come next. Great story development and awesome to see a mystery solved by authors.

Loved everything about it.

I was happy to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. I love reading mysteries, and I am a big fan of Agatha Christie. I'm less familiar with the other authors who comprised the group, but I am inspired to read more of their books. I found myself consulting Wikipedia while reading to learn more about their lives and backgrounds. The author did a great job bringing the time period to life, particularly about the way the police and press behaved. Although the feminist issues seemed somewhat heavy-handed at times, clearly the times warranted it. I very much enjoyed the way that the Queens solved a murder, contrasting with the police and press jumping to the wrong conclusion. I found this book a great combination of murder mystery and historical novel.

The Queens of Crime was an enjoyable read. 5 well known women mystery writers in England are struggling to be taken seriously by their male mystery writer peers as well as by society in general. To build their reputation, they take on investigating the death of a young nurse that has been written off by police investigators as well as other reporters as having brought about her own death by her poor choices. The women writers are fighting for justice for the murdered woman as well as respect for their own abilities. The story is interesting and a good exploration of women and the struggles they have endured for respect in their professions.

I love all Marie Benedict’s books and this was one did not disappoint. Reading about authors is an extra treat. I loved the story of mystery writers solving a true crime and women proving their worth. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads and will be recommending it to my reading friends.Thank you netgalley

Clever and entertaining.
Enjoyed the historical feminist angle.
Found the group of characters well-balanced with a positive dynamic.
Short chapters helped build momentum.
Hoping there'll be a sequel featuring the same Queens crew!

With thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this e-ARC.

Marie Benedict has done it again. This time she draws a group of five female mystery writers together to solve a real life crime so that the women will be recognized as credible writers by a group of male writers who fail to give them credit for their literary creations. Inspired, captivating writing, as always.

Oh my goodness, YES! Thank you to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for the 48 hour all call gift written by one of my all time favorite authors!
Marie Benedict choose Agatha Christie, once again as one of five female mystery writers who in 1931 called themselves “The Queens of Crime “ The all female group was formed in order to prove themselves worthy sleuths to their male counterparts in the “Detection Club” by solving a murder mystery themselves.
I fell in love with Agatha Christie’s novels when I was very young. Putting Ms. Christie in the extremely capable hands of Marie Benedict makes this book magic and for all of the Historic Fiction/ Mystery lovers out there, this one is not to be missed.

I adore the author's books and she's done it again with this true tale of five women mystery writers--Dorothy Saylers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy--who call themselves the Queens of Crime and solve a murder case to prove themselves equal to the male members of the famed Detection Club. So smart, beautifully written, and ever engaging. One of my fav books in 2024!

This is an intense, amazing historical fiction novel revolving on an unsolved murder that occurred in 1930.
A young nurse was brutally killed and five criminal novelist decide to join their talents and solve this crime to find the demon who ended this girls life.
Can these ladies unravel the clues and prove they can do better than men in this profession? What do you think?
I believe Agatha Christie and the other famous authors will do it!
But... how?

This is so good and the pace is quick. I had no idea how it would play out and yet I could not stop reading!
Marie Benedict has definitely created the best of the best here and I would truly love to see it in the theaters!

Thank you to @NetGalley and to @St. Marten's Press for this wonderful ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.
Well Done!

I'm already a fan of Marie Benedict, so when I saw she had written about Agatha Christie and other female mystery writers in 1931, I was excited to get to read her latest book. How wonderful to hang out with Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh as they decide to solve a murder together. I haven't read any books by three of these authors, but after reading The Queens of Crime, I can't wait to see how they write. When Dorothy Sayers tries to get this group into a group of male mystery writers they are not accepted. To remedy this they decide they will solve a real life crime. Each woman is beautifully detailed and their sleuthing strengths are each different. If you are a fan of mysteries, this book is a great way to spend some time with the people who write them. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this novel.

This is an outstanding winner from Marie Benedict. The title refers to the famous mystery writers popular between WWI and WWII - Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. The story is told from Ms. Sayers point of view. In 1931 she has helped form the Detection Club in London and wants to add more women to the roster. To convince the male members that the women are "worthy," Dorothy decides to enlist the women, the Queens of Crime, to solve an actual murder. A nurse in London disappeared, and is later found dead, in France, while on a brief holiday with a friend. The Queens combine forces, use their many talents, and solve the crime, while becoming friends and defenders of women's rights. The writing is stellar, backed by lots of research. The writers are fascinating and fun to read about. I haven't read all the Queens, but I plan to in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC.

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

Who killed May Daniels? The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict are on the case. The book is narrated by Dorothy L. Sayers, and the cast includes Agatha Christie, Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh, all real life and popular early 20th century crime novelists.. The women, after joining a Detective Writers club, feel that the male members treat them as redundant and better suited to staying home and having babies. They decided to show their worth by solving a real life crime==the murder of a young English nurse May Daniels. The book is written in Agatha Christie=ish style which I enjoyed. I felt the book was a little slow, but otherwise I liked it and gave it 4 stars.

In “The Queens of Crime,” five of the preeminent female mystery writers of the 1930’s get together to solve a real life crime. The group consists of Dorothy Sayer, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. Initially, the group was formed at the behest of Dorothy Sayer so that members of the Detection Club, which consisted primarily of men, would respect the female members if they could prove that they were capable of solving a murder. When the body of a missing English nurse was found in Boulogne, France, the “Queens of Crime” decided to spearhead an investigation of their own. What started as an exercise in cleverness soon became a quest for justice when the “Queens of Crime” realized that the French and English police were dismissing the crime because the victim was a single female and a drug syringe was found near her body.

Although I’m generally not a fan of “cozy mysteries” because of the improbability of an amateur sleuth solving a crime, in this case, the premise of famous female mystery writers solving the case seemed more plausible. In addition, I have loved Marie Benedict’s historical fiction novels, so I was excited at the prospect of reading an ARC of her foray into this genre. Marie Benedict brings her top notch writing skills to bear on this novel, which brings to life 1930’s England and France, including the social challenges faced by women in the years between the two world wars. In addition, she has created well nuanced characters and scintillating dialog. I highly recommend this book to both mystery and historical fiction fans, as the book has elements of both genres.

I'm delighted Marie Benedict put Agatha Christie in another novel after The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. This one stars Dorothy Sayers, leading a group of female mystery novelists, and I found it charming. I have read (and loved) both of those womens' books, but wasn't familiar with the other members of the Queens of Crime - Ngaio March, Margery Allingham and Emma Orczy - and can't wait to check them out.

The meta-commentary on these authors' books was fun. Dorothy, of course, thinks through the mystery in this book in the way she would write it, but I was pulling for Agatha's perspective. Benedict writes (in Sayers' voice): 'I'd always viewed her {Agatha's} mysteries as the twistiest puzzles with the least complicated characters. Not a criticism, mind; many, many people prefer that sort of story. It simply isn't the type of tale or process that calls to me."

It's absolutely what calls to me! I like to think Benedict might have been talking about herself, too - who knows! If you're a fan of golden-age mystery novels of either kind, this is the historical fiction for you.

This was such a fun book to read. Dorothy Sayers has always been a favorite of mine and along with Agatha Christie and three other writers, they are a force to behold. Interestingly, it's inspired by Sayers life when women mystery writers were disdained by their male counterparts. To prove their worth, they solve a real crime..

I have read so many of Marie Benedict's books and have enjoyed them all. This was a fun read as this group of women mystery writers' band together to solve a mystery. I find with this author's books I learn something new painlessly! History can be tedious for some and she makes it fun to learn. I always find it interesting when the author tackles female discrimination and how they were treated as less than equals and talked down to. The approach they each take to each write their mysteries and how each tackles it differently. The story flows and moves at a nice pace. I enjoyed getting into the psych of each of these famous authors. Thoroughly enjoyable!

I received a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are mine alone.

Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Dorothy Sayers, AKA, The Queens of Crime, are a group of female mystery writers. Part of a larger group (originally all male) of mystery writers called The Detection Club and founded by Dorothy Sayers around 1930 in London, their focus is to support one another and champion their works. They are currently headed by GK Chesterton.

The queens, finding their opinions not valued but the Detection Club, decide to prove their worth by solving an actual crime. They discover a case where a local nurse had gone missing (a type of locked room mystery), and whose body was later found. Journalists immediately latch on to the fact that a syringe was found close to her body, so she is labeled a drug fiend. And so, her name is dragged through the mud and the police have less incentive to question those who may have valuable information, including everyday shop girls. The team of female sleuths decides to take on their own investigation of the case, proceeding as they would if this mystery were one of their own stories. They divide up the work, even going so far as to creating a time-line of events surrounding the crime, which the police have labeled an accident, but they are convinced is a murder.

The story proceeds, with glimpses into the individual personalities of these female sleuths. Throughout, we are also given glimpses of pieces of the history of London and other cities mentioned. The reading is easy, broken down as it is into short chapters, and with a writing style similar to a Victorian mystery, or alike to what those five authors would have written.

This was not the first story I have read by Marie Benedict, and I truly enjoyed it. And though I was not familiar with all of the authors mentioned, I was intrigued enough to put them all on my TBR list. I am recommending this book to all who are lovers of historical fiction.

Read and reviewed with my thanks to NetGalley.

Historical fiction and mystery unite in the newest Marie Benedict novel. The year is 1931 and Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie unite with three other women mystery authors to solve a real murder of a young English girl in France. When authorities wish to write the murder off, the five use their detective skills gleaned from their writing to solve a murder and save the reputation of the deceased woman. Along the way, the author recognizes that women writers were not given the respect that a male author received. Not in respect from reviewers, other authors, or in compensation for their endeavors. Benedict examines the relationship between the writers and their growth as they solve the crime. She also speaks to the fact that women have come a long way in gaining rights and respect. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

This was a fun read. I loved the dynamics of the five women. They were such a great group of women. I could picture the scenes clearly spelled out on the page. The clear description of what each woman was wearing in each scene was described in detail.

This book kept me entertained throughout the entire book. The book never let me down from the beginning to the very last word.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Superb could not put it down. My favorite female authors solving a real crime. Excellent use of their brain power. Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio March, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy are determined to prove to their male counterparts that the women are just as clever at solving crimes as the male authors. A job well done.