Thanks to crooked lane books and NetGalley for the arc. This was a fun 1930’s historical fiction whodunnit focused on British aristocracy in the interwar period. The four best selling crime authors of the decade (Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham), who were apparently called the “Queens of Crime,” are all invited to a charity gala. Of course a grisly murder happens and they have to pool their writer’s wits together to help solve the case. I loved the idea of it, and it really was a fun read, but I thought the case wrapped up a little too quickly and cleanly for my tastes. Sometimes the dialogue between the authors felt a little artificial, too, but overall it was very enjoyable. It felt like watching an episode of Murder She Wrote!

Oh My Gosh! For a cozy reader, what is not to love about having the four queens of cozy all in one book, each contributing their particular insights to solving this locked room puzzle. This novel fits very solidly into the classic style of cozy - country estate, murder off screen, locked door, closed ring of suspects. The inclusion of a woman Chief Inspector gives this a sightly different angle than the four queens novels. I received this as an advance copy from Net Galley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rosanne Limoncelli, The Four Queens of Crime A Mystery, Crooked Lane Books, March, 2025

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

The Four Queens of Crime introduces Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh as sleuths investigating the death of their host at a fundraiser at which they are drawcards. They are well drawn characters, in the main following the understanding that readers would have of them through their novels, autobiographies and biographies. The women’s investigations include observations about the detectives who star in their work and the types of crimes that they are expected to solve, providing a skilled reflection on the crime and detective novels they write. DCI Lilian Wyles, the first woman detective chief inspector in the CID, joins the novelists as another non-fictional character. She also is a character who is written to fulfil the requirements of depicting a real person in a fictional landscape. Family members, staff and the other detectives who attempt to solve the murder are also characters who fulfill their roles well.

Although the murder is fairly straight forward with all the characteristics of a good detective novel, The Four Queens of Crime, is far more than a murder mystery. The combination of fictional and non-fictional characters in this novel adds an intriguing dimension to the work. In particular, there is a host of information about DCI Lilian Wyles who is likely to be less well known that the four queens of crime. The material here is really valuable, adding insights into not only her character and aspirations, but the way in which women were treated in the police force in that period.

I enjoy reading detective novels and have read many of those written by the novelists depicted in this work. I have also read something of DCI Lilian Wyles where she appears in another fictional account. Rosanne Limoncelli has made a good contribution to this reading, and I look forward to more of her work.

overall i thought this was a good book. it's not something i would typically go for but, i really enjoyed it. when 4 crime writers get together for a fundraiser gala- the next morning in the mansion a man is found dead in the library. a classic who's done it. my only complaint about this book is i felt there were too many characters and i kept getting confused on who is who.

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this ARC!

What a great setup! What a tedious, overlong book. Pedestrian writing and plotting. A total waste of the four queens of crime.