"In this debut mystery, DCI Lilian Wyles, the first woman detective chief inspector in the CID, is determined to find a killer with the help of the four queens of crime, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, perfect for fans of Elly Griffiths and Claudia Gray.

1938, London. The four queens of British crime fiction, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, are hosting a gala to raise money for the Women's Voluntary Service to help Britain prepare for war. Baronet Sir Henry Heathcote has loaned Hursley House for the event, and all the elites of London society are attending. The gala is a brilliant success, despite a few hiccups, but the next morning, Sir Henry is found dead in the library.

Detective Chief Inspectors Lilian Wyles and Richard Davidson from Scotland Yard are quickly summoned and discover a cluster of potential suspects among the guests, including an upset fiancée, a politically ambitious son, a reserved but protective brother, an irate son-in-law, a rebellious teenage daughter, and the deputy home secretary.

Quietly recruiting the four queens of crime, DCI Wyles must sort through the messy aftermath of Sir Henry’s death to solve the mystery and identify the killer."

And you'll have to read it to find out of Dorothy L. Sayers is as antisemitic on the page as she was in real life.

The person who killed the host of the fund raising gala didn't think about the fact that Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, and Agatha Christie would be there that's for sure. These four expert murder mystery writers band together in this entertaining cozy of sorts set in 1939 London to uncover a villain. There are, of course, red herrings but fans of the genre might enjoy this more for the chance to see the four work through them together. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fun.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded to 4 ⭐️

This was a fun little cozy mystery! A big gala takes place with the four queens of crime as honored guests - Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, and my favorite, Agatha Christie. The next morning, a body is discovered! 👀

I have to say the first 20% of the book moved slowly, and often felt repetitive. But once the body was found, things started moving! 🙌🏻

I also struggled with who “solved” the crime. I won’t go into detail so as not to spoil it, but while I understand why this person was chosen, I feel like there was a missed opportunity and it wasn’t what I was expecting. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I still recommend this to anyone who loves classic mysteries or are fans of the four queens! 👏🏻

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

What a fun idea to write a 1930s classic aristocrat weekend party murder mystery featuring the four best British mystery writers: Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. I’ve enjoyed all their books so it was so enjoyable to reconnect with them. The author has added in the real-life Lilian Wyles whom I’ve learned was one of the first women to become an officer for the Metropolitan Police and then become a chief inspector for Scotland Yard.

The four so-called Queens of Crime have been invited to attend a party to raise money for the Women’s Voluntary Service in 1938, a period when fears of Hitler are starting to break through in England. There’s the little cast of suspects who all have motives for killing the rather loathsome host, Sir Henry Heathcote. There is also the upstairs/downstairs look at life in a big country house.

If you’re familiar with Agatha Christie’s mysteries, you might be able to figure out who the murderer is.

I don’t know if the author will continue the series. I can’t imagine that there are numerous opportunities to bring the four authors together, especially since Marsh needs to move back to New Zealand. But I’d be very interested in reading another entry featuring Wyles and the late 1930s era.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery which features Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh and Margery Allingham as well as the very smart D.C.I.Lillian Wyles.

It is 1938 in London and the fabulous four are hosting a gala to raise money for the upcoming war. It all takes place at Hursley House, home of Sir Henry Heathcote and his family. The Gala is a success, but someone ends up dead. The rest is classic Golden Age style with a locked room mystery, a party of guests who are forced to remain under one roof until the murder is solved, and all the trickiness for the police of interviewing the upper classes.

The author writes all of her characters exceedingly well including the four already famous ones. Special mention for D.C.I.Wyles who deserves a follow up book of her own. I highly recommend this to all fans of the genre. Five stars.

The Four Queens of Crime tells the story of a murder that happens when the 4 more notorious murder mystery writers go to a gala. The four queens of crime are Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. These writers then help police piece together the murder and help catch the killer.

From all these writers the only one I was familiar was Agatha Christie, I read a few of her books when I was younger and I loved them so I was very excited to read a book involving her. This book made me want to read at least one book from each of the four queens as the book spoke about their main detectives and writing styles.

Overall, I enjoyed this book but I felt it dragged a bit towards the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read any book written by the four queens of crime as it was a fresh take seeing these authors being transformed into characters in a book.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

1938 A fund raiser ball for the Women's Volunteer Service is to be held at Hursley House, the home of Sir Henry Heathcote. Hosted by the four 'Queens of Crime'. But after the event the next morning there is a killing. Can the police and the four crime writers solve the case between them. But what is the motive.
The story didin't quite capture by imagination but overall is was an enjoyable historical mystery with its cast of varied characters.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It is 1938 and the four queens of crime - Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham - have been invited to be co-hosts of a fundraiser for the Women's Voluntary Service. The event is set at the home of Sir Henry Heathcote who is a Baronet and industrialist and is attended by society's and industry's movers and shakers.

The four women arrive the afternoon before the event and note that there is some tension among the family members. Tensions escalate during the ball when Sir Henry manages to have acrimonious encounters with most of his family.

However, all are surprised when Sir Henry's body is discovered in his always-locked library the morning after the event. It is apparent to all that he was killed while smoking a poisoned cigar. Because one of the guests is the Home Secretary, Scotland Yard is called in and DCI Richard Davidson and DCI Lilian Wyles are called in to discretely investigate.

The queens of crime are also investigating by being sympathetic ears for the family and staff. Wyles is willing and eager to use what the writers learn. Her partner is less enthusiastic. The investigation is full and landmines and most of the family have motives to do the family patriarch in.

This was an entertaining mystery. I liked the insights of the authors and the mentions of their work. I liked the setting and the combination of real and fictional characters who make up the cast of this story.

So very strange to read a book so similar to Marie Benedict’s book about Queens of Crime. Did they know of each other’s story? But stories were different even though underlying plot was similar with the authors being characters in a book and solving a real crime. I liked them both however. Thanks to #NetGalley and #TheFourQueensOfCrime for advanced digital copy.

4/5 stars: This is Limoncelli's Historical Mystery stand-alone set in 1938, London and features the first woman DCI in Scotland Yard's CID, as she finds herself recruiting the four queens of British crime fiction, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Ngaio Marsh and Margery Allingham, to help uncover a Baronet's murderer. Gathered together to host a fundraiser gala, the authors find the successful event taking a deadly turn when the aristocratic homeowner's found dead the next morning. With a cluster of potential prominent and well-to-do suspects, the DCI, her partner and the crime writers will have to sort through the murder's messy aftermath to identify the killer. With plenty of twists and turns, Limoncelli has deftly crafted a mystery that balances the suspects and weaves in plenty of clues and red herrings that will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Written in multiple POV, Limoncelli's writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Lilian's great and I really love seeing literary greats Christie, Sayers, Marsh and Allingham as they sleuth a real crime. Additionally, the secondary characters are engaging and well-rounded. With tact and sensitivity, Limoncelli touches on some sensitive topics; so take care and the CWs. Great take of a country house, closed-circle Golden Age mystery, I look forward to reading more from this author.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
4 out of 5
Should appeal to fans of classic crime fiction like Christie and Sayers, and fans of historical cozies.
I'm sometimes not a fan of fiction using 'real' people as main characters, but I really enjoyed this book. The author not only puts Christie, Sayers, Marsh and Allingham right into a murder mystery, but adds DCI Wyles, another important woman in crime solving to the mix.
The actual murder and the family drama are pretty stock for a 'country house mystery' type of crime, but the perspective is fresh, and the compressed timeline (à la '24') moved the story along.
I liked that the narrative was driven by multiple POVs, as I felt it added realism, rather than just picking one 'narrator' and distancing the reader from the story.
I don't think anyone will be surprised by the ending, but I loved spending time with the characters, and the author wrote in a style that complemented the era and the setting.
I'd certainly recommend this for a book club looking at women crime writers.

The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli is an old fashioned mystery set in 1938 England, and featuring the four most successful female mystery authors of the time (Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy L. sayers, and Margery Allingham) as fictional characters.

The four authors have been asked to cohost a charity gala at the country home of Sir Henry Heathcote, Baronet. The four authors are suddenly thrust into a real life mystery when Sir Henry is found dead the next morning.

One thing readers may appreciate is the character list at the beginning of the book. It can be useful as there are quite a few characters to keep track of, and in the beginning, it can get confusing.

The point of view alternates between several characters , including each of the four famous authors and Detective Chief Inspector Lilian Wyles of Scotland Yard CID. It was interesting seeing the thoughts of each of the characters, and how they approached investigating this real life mystery.

I enjoyed the book, but that enjoyment was tempered with a bit of annoyance that the author obviously did not do any research into proper forms of address for the British nobility. Throughout the book, the author incorrectly used the wrong form of address for characters, and worst of all wasn’t even consistent in doing so. This was an advance copy, so I hope this is addressed before publication.

If you can ignore those issues, the story was an interesting one and I recommend it to lovers of a good old fashioned mystery.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The four Queens of crime: Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham and Ngiao Marsh attend a gala fundraiser where many high society folks are attending. The evening is enjoyable until the morning comes when the host, Sir Henry, is found dead in his library, poisoned by a cigar. The four Queens of Crime help solve the crime alongside the first female DCI Lilian Wyles.

This was the second book I’ve read recently involving the four Queens of crime and I happen to like the other book better. This one was fine, but it got a little repetitive when the detectives interviewed each guest from the party, and there were a lot of guests. I liked that the book was based on real people, but I found the story to be a little tedious at times. I almost think this would have been a good audiobook since there were so many characters. I think this book focused a bit more on Lilian than on the mystery writers so maybe the title should have been called something else.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham and Ngiao Marsh, the four reigning queens of the golden age of detective fiction, meet at a sumptuos country house for a fundraiser as the specter of Hitler and war loom over Britain. Of course, on the night of the fundraising ball, a murder is committed. When DCI Lilian Wyles arrives from London, she must solve a crime with too many motives and not enough clues. Luckily, she has four brilliant and observant minds on hand to help her get to the bottom of it. Tha author has managed to do justice to her incredible cast of characters. Fantastic.

Having the memory of the Great War only years earlier and the shadow of Hitler’s Nazi propaganda looming on the horizon, Scotland Yard is summoned to solve the murder of Sir Henry after a gala benefit at his home. There are no shortage of suspects or motives so it is convenient to have 4 of the best known English crime novelists at the time present as guests. This is a very well plotted novel with multiple interesting characters but the author always managed enough clues so I could keep them straight. I enjoyed guessing about who the murderer was along with the 2 Scotland Yard detectives. Quite an enjoyable read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books/Quick Brown Fox and Company for the ARC to read and review.

I found this book quite tedious. The premise was exciting and I hoped that it would be a page turner but was sadly disappointed. I found that constantly calling the authors by their full names and making mention of their profession was annoying after the first introduction of them.

Once we got down to individual interviews the book became repetitive and little was added that helped the story along. The pacing is all over the place and didn’t help with the flow of the book.

The title of this book initially caught my attention The Four Queens Of Crime sounds fantastic. Agatha Christie, Dorothy L.Sayers, Ngaio Marsh and Margery Allingham are hosting a gala to raise money for the Women's volunteer service the gala is a success but Sir Henry is dead.

I wished there had been more of the Four Queens but Lilian made up for it. She was a headstrong character and I could just see her in her own little murder mystery series.

A great cosy crime 3.5 stars 🌟

I started this book a number of times and put it down. I’m not sure if it was the concept, the initial chapter or what but I kept seeing positive reviews and I was glad I started it for a fourth and final time. Once I got past the first chapter my interest increased. The story is less about the detectives but in a matter of speaking how it’s always important to be aware and trust your instincts and to question your instincts. A most enjoyable read.

This is the second novel I've read in the past couple of months that features a fictionalized rendering of the women of the Golden Age of detective novels as amateur sleuths. Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh have been invited as guests of honor to an event at a country manor. When a member of the family is found murdered, the four women team up with one of the first female Scotland Yard detectives to solve the case. This novel reads like a Christie or Marsh manor house murder, and the characterizations of the four authors are distinct, whether accurate or not. And enjoyable read for fans of the classic whodunnit.

The Four Queens of Crime was definitely a fun read. The mystery is well done, but the real fun is for readers to meet and observe 4 great mystery writers of the past, who now are given the opportunity to solve a real murder. Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Dorothy Sayers, and Ngaio Marsh are 4 women writers, whose talent writing 1930s mysteries made them known as the 4 queens of mystery. All 4 writers are guests of honor at a fundraiser held at a landed estate, where a murder takes place. Since the murdered Baronet has offended everyone in his family, readers are provided with lots of suspects. DCI Lillian Wyles, who was actually a real detective at Scotland Yard, is fictionalized along with the 4 crime writing queens. The 4 queen's differing writing techniques is nicely explored, as they help the detectives solve a murder..

Author Rosanne Limoncelli is new to me, but I definitely hope that The Four Queens of Crime is only the first in a series of enjoyable mysteries to solve. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. I definitely enjoyed The Four Queens of Crime, which presents readers with an opportunity to sit back and be entertained.