3.75 stars

It's 1938 and the four Queens of classic mysteries (Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh and Margery Allingham) have gathered at an aristocrat's estate to help sponsor a fundraiser. The four are admirers of each other's work.

No one can quite figure out why Baronet Sir Henry Heathcote has offered his mansion since he's known to be irascible and not particularly philanthropic. He manages to fight with all of his children the night of the event quite publicly. But still, no one expected his dead body to turn up the next morning.

Scotland Yard sends two detective chief inspectors including DCI Lilian Wyles, an actual historical figure who was the first woman DCI at the Yard. Her interactions with her male counterpart are interesting -- they are cordial and collaborative but they don't operate the same way. This is obviously a tricky case, involving not only a bunch of aristocrats but also the Home Secretary and four celebrity authors on the scene. Wyles is all for recruiting the authors to help ferret out information behind the scenes but her male co-worker is hesitant.

The writing is well done with lots of (speculative) interaction among the authors, with the servants, and within the family. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Before reading this book, I hadn’t realised that the ‘four queens of crime’ were contemporaneous. But researching the birth and death dates of Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Dorothy L Sayers were indeed writing at the same time! I’ve no idea if they ever all met up, but if they did it wouldn’t be a huge leap to have them solving crimes.

I do hope Rosanne Limoncelli continues with this theme as this was a very enjoyable read. There are clues and red herrings. There is a female detective in an era when they were very very rare. And there are stumbles and confusions and the characterisation is first rate.

The crime writers all behave as we imagine they would. The plot involves the suspicions and family upsets as we approach the Second World War. A man is dead, and although he wasn’t a very nice man, no one will admit to his killing… add in government and the Home Secretary visiting and we have a lot to think about.

A well written, nicely paced book and I look forward to reading more by this writer.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli explores the lives and works of four iconic female crime writers: Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. The book provides a detailed look at their contributions to the genre, offering insights into their writing styles. Overall, it’s a one time definitely read for anyone interested in the golden age of crime fiction

I would like to thank Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I am not a big reader of mysteries, but my late mother was and had great affection for the books of Agatha Christie. This book take 4 female mystery writers of the 1930's in England- Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh and Margery Alligham, and puts them in the middle of a real life mystery. They are guests at a ball given by Sir Henry Heathcoate, as a fundraiser for the Women's Voluntary Service.It is 1938, and war is on the horizon. The citizens of England are starting to look ahead to a future war with Germany. The ball is a success as a fundraiser, however the next morning Sir Henry is dead. Scotland Yard is summoned and everyone in the house is a suspect. Well, not everyone- the 4 writers become unofficial members of the investigating team. The team includes a real life member- Lillian Wyles, the first woman to serve as a ranking officer in the Criminal Investigation Dept at Scotland Yard. It is a well written mystery, with good characters. The entire Heathcoate family , and guests under suspicion,are well crafted and , like any good mystery, all with a reason to dislike Sir Henry. It is a good read and i enjoyed it. My mother would have as well. There is a similar book that comes out in Feb., The Queens of Crime, written by Marie Benedict. I read that as well, and while there are similarities, they are very different books. I recommend both.

I love a good whodunit, and this book delivers on it! There's multiple potential suspects and you're left guessing until the end! I like the idea of integrating four of the great crime writers of the time (who also all happen to be women) into the mystery itself. I got through this book pretty quickly, which to me is always a sign that it's good!

1938 London. Lady Stella is hosting a gala to raise funds for the Womens Voluntary Service. The gala is held at the mansion of Sir Henry Heathcote. As a draw the "four queens of crime" - Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh and Margery Allingham, have been invited as special guests.

The morning after the party, Sir Henry is found dead in his library. Lilian Wyles, DCI,, takes part in the investigation and she is wise enough to call on the four authors to get their insights into the crime. Sir Henry's home is the perfect scene for the crime - lots of back stairways, several stories to the house, parts of the house geared to the public and others to only family members. Many guests and staff are interviewed and since it is a mystery, there are lots of red herrings thrown in to deter the reader from guessing whodunit.

If you're a fan of the Golden Age of Mysteries then you're sure to like this debut novel from Rosanne Limoncelli. The four queens of crime - Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayer, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh - have gathered at the home of Sir Henry Heathcote as sponsors of a ball to benefit the Womens Voluntary Service as Britain brace for the coming war with Nazi Germany. Sir Henry creates a lot of upset among his various family members and then is found murdered in a locked room - the library, of course! They are soon joined by detectives from Scotland Yard, led by DCI Richard Davidson and DCI Lilian Wylie. Through tactics employed by each of the writers in their various novels, Lilian cracks the case. Readers will expect no less and they will be delighted by the journey taken to get to the solution. I enjoyed The Four Queens of Crime immensely and mystery fans will also.

"The Four Queens of Crime" is a mystery set in 1938. Except everyone's convinced that Britain will soon go to war against Hitler. Actually, in 1938, British politicians expected to keep Britain out of Hitler's war. One character says, "Hitler's about to knock on our door and at least the Communists are on our side against him." This was before the Soviet Union was at war, let alone helping out anyone but themselves. Anyway. We see various events from the party and aftermath from the viewpoints of Agatha, Dorothy, Ngaio, Margery, a few of the servants, and the two Scotland Yard detectives. Sir Henry had arguments with every member of his family and was making business deals with known 5th columnists, so there are plenty of suspects.

The two lesbian teenagers would have had the least to complain about as it was still illegal to be openly homosexual (which is not mentioned in the book), so, duh, a Baronet would obviously object to their public display. Everyone else seemed touched by their love for each other and fully supported them. Several times, I felt like the author didn't have a good feel for the actual history of the time....though she did do some research into female cops!

As for the mystery, the four writers eavesdropped and casually asked questions and reported their discoveries to the female detective, Lilian. The detectives interviewed everyone and poked around. At the end, Lilian asked pointed questions about motives in a group setting (a sort of 'big reveal' scene), revealing the last needed clue and prompting a confession. Whodunit and why was my main suspect all along. There was no real arrest, and everyone's satisfied. Except me. I prefer actual justice served. There were only a couple of uses of bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery to those intrigued by the idea of the Queens of Crime being involved a mystery.

The setting is England in 1938, a tense time, as Hitler’s Germany seems increasingly likely to start a war. As part of the readiness effort, former Member of Parliament Sir Henry Heathcote lends his Hursley House for a gala to raise money for Lady Stella Reading’s Women’s Voluntary Service. The big draw is the honorary hosts of the evening, the four most popular women then writing crime fiction: Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. Sir Henry is discovered dead in his office early the next morning after smoking his traditional first cigar of the day—only this one has been dipped in cyanide.

Call in Scotland Yard, in particular its first female DCI, the real-life Lilian Wyles. Wyles thinks it makes sense to get help from the four queens, but her by-the-book partner, DCI Richard Davidson, strenuously objects to that plan. As a result, we don’t have the queens forming part of the investigation team, but instead placed off to the side, where they talk among themselves, offering up overheard tidbits to the receptive DCI Wyles, and finally providing an explanation for a cryptic clue.

There was a lot of promise in this plot setup for Golden Age of Mystery fans, but Limoncelli’s execution doesn’t live up to that promise. The book is extremely dialog heavy and repetitive. For some reason, the descriptions of each suspect’s movements are repeated two and three times, twice from group and individual interviews, and then again, at length, in the final scene. Yes, information is added to these descriptions in their later forms, but not so much that it overcomes the tediousness of the repetition. Speaking of repetition, the motives of two suspects are so similar that it made me wish for more imagination in devising them. There is also not a strong sense of time and place.

Once the book ended, it was clear to me that featuring the Queens is little more than a gimmick. They aren’t well developed as characters, and could be eliminated entirely from the book, which could be fairly easily reconstituted into a Golden Age-style police procedural featuring the two DCIs. Putting real-life mystery writers into novels as characters has become a trend in recent years, and this book jumps on that bandwagon, but without serving either the characters or the story well.

This was a fun introduction to a possible series starring the women who ruled the interwar mystery scene. If you are intrigued by the premise of seeing Allingham, Christie, Marsh, and Sayers interact, this book is definitely worth your time.

In “The Four Queens of Crime” we experience a who-done-it in a classic fashion. The twist is that 4 of the guests are Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh – the Queens of Crime – who are known for their own mystery stories.

The time is during Hitler’s reign in Germany but before the UK has entered the war. In preparation for that future possibility, Lady Stella plans a gala ball to generate donations for the Women’s Voluntary Service. The main attraction to the gathering is that the 4 Queens of Crime will be there. The ball is a huge success, but there were many tensions that the ladies picked up on. The next morning, the host, Sir Henry Heathcote is found dead. Scotland Yard is called and a team of detectives, including the first woman to receive the rank of C.I.D. (Chief Inspector Detective), arrive to solve the case.

What is truly fun about this story is that many of the people involved were actual individuals who lived during that error. The story is fictional but it’s interesting learning about them and thinking about how they would behave. The preface tells you more about the real-life situations of Lilian Wyles (CID), Dorthy Peto, Lady Stella, Sir Samuel Hoare, and of course the 4 authors.

The mystery is a satisfying one, where you are given many motives and suspects. I’m not sure a person could truly “solve” it, but you could have a good guess at the point the murderer is revealed. I found it to be engaging and kept me wanting to read.

The point of view does change a fair bit throughout the book but that is actually helpful and not confusing.

My only minor negative is that I found that we went over the timeline a lot in the book. Each time, something new was found out, and I suppose it gave a good orientation to the reader, but it also became a bit redundant. I do appreciate that it was simplified as we went on.

I liked the hit of a romance between two of the characters. I won’t say which characters, for it might be thought a spoiler.

I want to thank Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me early access to this book.

An extra note, I'm not sure the author intended this, but parts of the story had me thinking about current times. It was mentioned how good people can have their ideas and ideals twisted by clever propaganda. We have a situation now where folks are polarized, at least in the USA, based on the media they consume. I think it has led to good people making bad choices. Hopefully, this won't have the same outcome as back in 1938.

London, 1938: The four queens of the golden age of mysteries (Agatha Christie, Dorthy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh) have been invited to be hosts for a gala raising money for the Women’s Voluntary Service to help Britian prepare for War. Founder Lady Stella Reading has convinced Sir Henry Heathcote to hold the gala at Hursley House; when the following morning Heathcote is found dead, Scotland Yard is quickly summoned, including Lilian Wyles, the first female detective chief inspector. With the help of the four famous authors, will she be able to solve the case?

I have mixed feelings about this book. While I really enjoyed the plot (and felt the character of Lillian was interesting), I felt the tone was wrong. While Sayers is known for her beautiful writing and Christie for her elegant writing style where she was able to hide clues in plain sight, the tone of this book was less sophisticated, some of the dialogue a bit artificial. It just didn’t match what I was expecting from a book that included those great writers. Ironically, I picked up this book because it mentioned some of the greatest mystery writers of the era, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if they were fictional characters (rather than having ‘Agatha Christie’ herself appear, have an Agatha Christie like character). Overall, however, it was enjoyable – I’m hoping to read more books featuring DCI Lilian Wyles by herself.

Recommended. I received a copy of this from netGalley.com that I voluntarily reviewed.

This was a great book. Using the actual Queens of Crime is brilliant. Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers,
Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, and having them host a Gala is perfect. The build up to the
murder is perfect. The people, and the personalities involved had me unable to put the book down.
The murder is common but the ladies are instrumental in solving the case with the DCI who is also
pretty clever. There is a favorite character for everyone. Hopefully this is the first in a series!
My thanks to Crooked Lane books via NetGalley for the download of this book for review purposes.

Sorry for the overdue review for this book.

But I loved it so much. The details and the construction of the story was well written. It is up my genre and I enjoyed every bit of it that I couldn't stop reading unless it's the sleepiness that kicks in. But the story made me engrossed that I couldn't even put down and just a brief stop every time a plot twist happens.

Thank you so much for the ARC copy.

The Four Queens of Crime, by debut author Rosanne Limoncelli, is the story of how the four most celebrated women in British crime fiction — Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham — help solve a murder following a posh party in 1938. They word with DCI Lillian Wyles, the first female detective chief inspector at Scotland Yard, and her partner, Richard Davidson.

Limoncelli’s story reminds me of Agatha Christie’s writing: detailed with a medium to slow pace. The point is to work out the murder on your own, and I think the author achieved that objective. It was a touch slow for me. I found the alternating POVs more distracting than helpful, because there were so many, I struggled to really get to know the characters. I would’ve loved to see more interaction between the queens themselves. Still, it was an enjoyable a read, and the classic ending was satisfying.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Writing style
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Characters
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Plot
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Premise
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pacing
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Impact

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If the names Agatha, Ngaio, Dorothy and Josephine are instantly known to you, then this is a book to add to your reading list. To anyone who doesn’t know, these women with last names Christie, Marsh, Sayers and Tey are among the most beloved writers of crime fiction ever. They are indeed the Four Queens of Crime of this book’s title.

One of the very fun things about this book is having the sense of eavesdropping on these four and learning more about each of them. For example, Agatha Christie notes that Max Mallowan was the better husband for her as compared to her first spouse. Readers learn that Dorothy Sayers’s husband was an invalid and so on.

At the same time, readers are treated to a classic country house mystery. The four writers are there for a fundraiser and thus are present when a murder occurs. There is a full range of suspects including the victim’s children and their significant others or friends, political figures, servants and more in this historical mystery set in the late 1930s.

An extra bonus is that a woman DCI, Lilian Wyles, based on the first woman to fill that role is also on the scene. She questions suspects and is a full participant in the investigation.

Lovers of traditional mysteries will, I think, very much enjoy this title. It is fun to observe the interviews and see who the murderer is.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Rosanne Limoncelli for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Four Queens of Crime coming out March 11, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’m obsessed with Agatha Christie novels, so I was really excited to check out this book. I don’t know the other three authors as well, but it was cool that the book featured them. The DCIs were good, but I think I would’ve just preferred the four women solving the case with generic police involvement. I thought it was a fast paced novel though. I loved it! I would read more books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys classic whodunits!

This book had a nice twist, instead of writing imaginary murders, they get together to solve a real one. Each of the authors had quite a distinct voice and opinions and this kept it fresh and interesting.

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*Disclaimer: I had received a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 7,5/10 – 3,75 stars out of 5
Genre: thriller, crime

A mystery involving four of today's most important female crime writers. Will they be as good detectives as their own protagonists?

In this book, we find a charity meeting in which the four most famous writers of the moment (Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh and Margery Allingham) decide to take part. But death follows them, in their books... and now in their lives. They will have to face a murder alongside our protagonist, Lilian Wyles.

The main character has a lot of potential for a saga as she is the perfect detective with her own point of view. She has strength, instinct and knows what to do to get results.

I loved the inclusion of the authors as characters, giving them their own personalities and even including references to their books and their personal lives, tastes and lifestyles.

It's very dynamic and there's always something happening. I guessed who the killer was, but I had my doubts about another character in particular because certain absences are not fully explained.

I liked it a lot, although I feel that it was left a bit hanging, that it lacked some details to develop it further. But I also think that the maxim 'less is more' worked wonderfully for it.





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*Aviso: Recibí un eARC gratuito a cambio de una revisión honesta.

Calificación: 7,5 / 10 – 3,75 estrellas de 5
Género: policíaco, crimen

Una muerte junto a las cuatro escritoras de misterios policíacos más relevantes del momento. ¿Serán tan buenas detectives como sus propios protagonistas?

En este libro nos encontramos con una reunión benéfica en la que las cuatro escritoras más conocidas del momento (Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh y Margery Allingham) deciden participar. Sin embargo, la muerte les sigue, en sus libros… y ahora en su vida. Se tendrán que enfrentar a un asesinato junto a nuestra protagonista, Lilian Wyles.

El personaje principal tiene mucho potencial para una saga, pues es la perfecta detective con su propio punto de vista. Tiene poder, instinto y sabe qué tiene que hacer para lograr resultados.

Me ha encantado el hecho de incluir a las autoras como personajes, dándoles su propia personalidad a cada una e, incluso, incluyendo referencias a sus libros y a sus vidas privadas, a sus preferencias y a sus formas de vida.

Es muy dinámico y siempre están pasando cosas. Sí adiviné quién era el personaje asesino, pero me quedaron dudas con respecto a otro en concreto porque no terminan de explicarse ciertas ausencias.

Me ha gustado mucho, si bien siento que se quedó un poco en el aire, que le faltó algún detalle para desarrollarlo más. Pero también creo que la máxima “menos es más” le ha sentado maravillosamente.

This was an enjoyable historical cozy mystery featuring 4 female mystery writers who were actively writing during this time period. Their interactions and work to solve the murder were entertaining. I really enjoyed this book!