My rating reflects my enjoyment of the narration, which is slightly better than how much I enjoyed the story.
The narrator handles accents well; there is more than one in the story, and she was a delight to listen to.
I am from the US, so I was unaware of all real-life female mystery writers, the queens of crime, who were the subject of this historical fiction, except Agatha.
You follow 5 women writers in the 1930s, as they formulate a plan to join a mostly male-dominated detective club. They not only want to join but want the respect of the male members. To do this, they decide to solve a real murder. We follow their investigation and the challenges they face in a male-dominated industry of crime-solving.
The story shows that the issues they faced in the 1930s are no different today. Not much has changed when women are victims of crime, victim blaming, shaming, and questioning their behavior instead of the perpetrator of the crime.
We get a little hint into one of the writer's personal life. But we don't get a well-rounded view of the other 4 members of this crew. That is one of my disappointments with the story, in addition to the mystery's ending which was a little formulaic.
I have read other works from this author, Personal Librarian and The Other Einstein, which I enjoyed immensely and recommend to readers interested in historical fiction.
This book is missing character development, maybe because of the number of writers who are the subject of the book.
I appreciate the author's research into the real-life events that inspired this work of historical fiction.
Overall 3.5, rounded up to 4 because of the wonderful narration.
Thank you to Netgalley for the audio ARC.

Five of the most prominent female mystery writers of the 1920s and 30s band together in an attempt to solve a real life mystery in hopes of garnering acceptance from their male counterparts. As they retrace the movements of their victim and piece together clues the Queens inch closer to answers, justice, and acceptance.

I love the way that Marie Benedict weaves fact and fiction together in her writing; it never fails to engage and educate. This one did start a tad slow for me but it picked up quickly and held my interest. Bessie Carter's narration is incredible; she was the perfect choice for the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced audiobook. This was my first Marie Bennett book and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more from this author and reading her backlist. The audiobook was great and it felt like you were back in time.

My first historical fiction book for 2025 and what a way to start! This book was so much fun and I was sad when it ended. This year one of my reading goals is to read more Agatha Christie and this book was nice side read. I can’t believe that this was inspired by real life adventures! These women were fabulous and the narrator was brilliant. She did a fantastic job at giving each character a unique voice, and I was especially impressed by her kiwi accent.. not easy to do without sounding awful!

It is the early 1930s and women are still trying to be taken seriously. 5 incredible crime writers are on a quest to have them seen as equals to their male counterparts. Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham, Baroness Emma Orczy and Ngaio Marsh form their own society and decide to solve a real life murder and show the men what they are made of. A young nurse, May Daniels went missing in France months ago and now her body has been discovered. They use all their research and knowledge of crime fiction to work together to solve this case.

The Queens of Crime were formidable. Nothing stopped them from getting to the truth and justice for this poor woman. It was at times funny, at times sad. I got lost in the story. I need to check out books from the rest of these women now.

If you love a good mystery then grab yourself a copy of this fantastic book. Publishes on February 11th. Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for my advanced copy to listen to.

Five historical mystery novelists come together as the Queens of Crime to help solve the disappearance and murder of a young nurse in the 1930's. This is a nice blend of history and mystery as these real yet fictional characters work together to try to solve this crime. I enjoyed how certain challenges of the past, including society's views of women, were also highlighted as strengths at times and allowed the women to work through things at a different angle than their male counterparts. This book made me want to know more about this period of time but also these iconic authors.

The pace of this was a bit slow at first as the characters and story were set up. However, things progressed quickly as they got settled into their process and as things heated up with the investigation. Ultimately I enjoyed it and think it was worth the wait and setup. I thought the narration was done well and the voice/tone perfectly fit the story.

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

I usually like Marie Benedict books better than I liked this one. This one just felt a little confusing and forced for me. A society within a society, the Queens were a group of female mystery writers at the time of Agatha Christie. While I loved the idea of this, I found that the actual crime that the Queens were investigating was confusing (sometimes how they interpreted clues made me scratch my head) and although we know that misogyny is a big thing at the time, literally every man was a misogynistic pig. I know it made for a great book, but it just didn't grab me, overall.

Although it is historical fiction, I was having trouble getting into it, and really relating to all of the characters.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the involvement of classic female mystery writers I don’t read a lot in the genre and this book may have convinced me to start. I enjoyed the setting and the cast and felt the main character was well written and pacing was spot on.

This is my first book by Marie Benedict. It was very enjoyable. The audio was exceptional. I loved the narrator. She did an excellent job of making this book come to life.

The power of a group of females is pretty strong. Even when men would have stood in the way.

My favorite line from this book is: "You saw what I wanted you to see and what you expected to see. Things are not always as they appear."

The main characters in this book are: Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Emma Orczy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. Five authors from 1931. Five female authors.

The five women decide to participate The Detection Club, an organization of mystery writers, primarily men. They are soon drawn into a real life murder. A young nurse who went missing and was found murdered and lying in a big pool of blood. These women decide to find out exactly what happened to her. Though the papers have made this woman to look like a loose women with a drug problem the Queens of Crime do not believe that. They are about to embark on a journey to find the killer and prove this young woman's fate.

What happens is a rivitating story of females on the hunt for the truth. For justice. For women to be listened to. They are determined to show that May Daniels was murdered and that it had nothing to do with a drug deal. It was from a lover who didn't want her to reveal any secrets.

This book keeps you wanting to know more and guessing along the way. It's a great mystery. Most of the characters are so likable and the history in it is great. Well written. A real page turner. I enjoyed it from start to finish. There are several things that happen to keep you on edge.

Thank you #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress, #MacmillanAudio, for this ARC.

4 stars.

A cozy mystery and historical fiction all rolled into one! I did find it slow to get started, but once our Queens of Crime got together, the story picked up and I’m glad that I stuck with it.

I absolutely loved this book! It was brilliant, bringing together the Queens of Crime to solve an actual murder! From the way the club originated, was confirmed then immediately challenged to eventually lauded was so well thought out. I really enjoyed how each character’s differences in styles were highlighted yet blended to unravel mysteries. The strengths of each of the writers is showcased and woven together. Not only did these women prove themselves up to the task, but they also showed everyone that we are all stronger when we band together. I found the murder mystery to be quite compelling and perfectly handled. The clues and red herrings were perfectly placed, and the pace was just right to keep my attention fixed and unmoving. I found myself wishing this was a series so I could continue the adventures with these Queens! I had the additional benefit of listening to an audiobook and really loved how the story came to life in a new way through the narrator’s talented voice.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

When the preeminent female crime novelists of their time, Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Emma Orczy, go about solving a real-life locked-room murder mystery, they do it without the benefits extended to their male counterparts. They must make use of their resources to overcome prejudices- a common theme of Benedict's. The characters are clever, the action is fast, and the audio book is narrated well, making for a very enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ARC of this audiobook. I am a big Marie Benedict fan, and this story didn't let me down.

Proceed with caution.
Yes, I gave this 4 stars, but I recognize this is not going to be so for everyone. I am even surprised that I was able to enjoy it. Police/Detective procedurals are not my cup of tea, I tend to find them extremely slow and there is an abundance of repeating of the facts. For those two reasons alone I get bored. That being said The Queens of Crime unfortunately does fall into step with my stereotype.
As the book began I couldnt help but be enchanted with Bessie Carter's voice. Her narraration added a whole layer of depth to this novel and made for a pleasurable listening experience. Pair her voice with Marie Benedicts storytelling and you can't go wrong.
I applaud Ms Benedict for finally not inserting her extrememe feminist or DEI agenda in this novel (yes she. mentioned how women were not equals in the writing world, but she handled herself MUCH more appropriately and did not include any additional characters to add to her DEI agenda) I was actually able to enjoy the book.
I am excited to hear more about how she came upon this somewhat historical account of Dorothy Sares and Agatha Christie solving a real life crime (in the author's note she suggest the real crime was never solved) but I like how she took this as a launching pad and wove it in to create a very intersting historical FICTION book. Just keep that in mind as you read, this is fiction. It was also fun to see a group of mystery writers (who I guess could be rivals...?) team up together to use their sleuthing skills to collect clues, fool people into giving them information and just be clever!
Yes there was a lot of repetition of the clues and revisiting of facts, but it felt real.
I am so glad I stuck with this book because it had a very satisfying ending and I am going to recommend this one to all my detective loving enthusiast.
Slow and steady, but wildly fun!
The description of the ladies clothes was pretty funny too...haha it seems like Ms Agatha Christie was not fashionable!

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to review this advance copy listen audiobook. I was not influenced or paid in exchange for my review.

GO READ IT!

I love how Marie Benedict blends fact and fiction to bring the reader an engaging story about a historical female figure. When famous mystery writer Dorothy Sayers joins forces with legendary rival Agatha Christie and other female writers in order to solve the murder of a young nurse, they set out to prove to the men that they are just as good, really better, at solving crime. Marie Benedict gives breath to a true story that happened in Sayer's life, giving us another piece of female history that has not been written about before. I really enjoy Benedict's approach to showing strong, independent, intelligent female historical figures. The narrator of the audio was amazing! Highly recommend.

I loved this! It was so fun that the authors got together to solve a real crime. I was invested the whole time and liked how the short chapters kept the pace up of the book. I thought this was really creative and super fun especially if you’re a mystery and crime lover.

Marie Benedict delivers a dazzling blend of historical fiction and murder mystery in 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗘𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗘. Set in 1930s London, this novel brings together crime-writing legends Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, and others as they form a secret society to solve a murder no one else can. The murder case—packed with locked-room intrigue, hidden motives, and shocking twists—kept me guessing until the very end.

I loved how Benedict crafted these iconic women with distinct personalities, making their camaraderie as gripping as the case itself. While it leans more into fiction than history, the mystery’s complexity and the vibrant depiction of the era had me hooked. This is a must-read for fans of golden-age mysteries or stories about women breaking barriers.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
Narrated by Bessie Carter

It is thanks to Marie Benedict's The Mystery of Mrs. Christie and other historical fiction that I really became interested in all the secrecy about Agatha Christie's past. Now the author has written an historical fiction that includes Agatha Christie and other real life crime fiction writers of old. I was only familiar with the name of Dorothy Sayers and not familiar at all with the other featured crime writers in this book, besides Agatha Christie. Dorothy leads the way with this story as we see things from her POV.

I was able to have both the audiobook and ebook in front of me. Bessie Carter does a fabulous job of narrating the book and the ebook allowed me to search the internet for names and places as I listened to the story. Although the story is historical fiction, the afterword by the author lets us know what parts of the story lean on real life events and what parts of the story have been fictionalized. Now I'm interested in several other women crime fiction writers than just Agatha Christie and I foresee more more reading and researching in my future.

I got such a feel for the time and place and became well acquainted with the manner of dress and affectations of each of the women crime writers who aid Dorothy and Agatha in their investigation of the death of May Daniels, a young nurse who has been done wrong. Law enforcement wants no meddling from women and they also want to shelve this incident, putting all the blame of her death on the young woman herself. Dorothy, Agatha, and their cohorts are not going to allow this to happen and it's fun following them around on their sleuthing jaunts. Each woman will fall back on "what would so and so do", using their own fictional characters to help them decide how to approach each turn in this murder case. I was able to buddy read this story with DeAnn and we are now both interested in learning much more than we ever knew about these women.

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

Dive in and follow an unexpected group of women who are not afraid to deft societal norms to follow their love of mystery and intrigue to take their passions off the pages of their books and into a real life mystery.

An absolutely fantastic literary start to a new year. #MarieBenedict created a fantastic twist on historical fiction with #TheQueensofCrime. The narrator was the perfect match for the perfect who done it Murder She Wrote esque saga.

#netgalley ##MacMillanAudio #arc

I thoroughly enjoyed this read! I was engaged the whole time and didn't want to put it down. The story was so good and I couldn't figure out what the ending was going to be.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, the narrator of this audiobook is excellent! Her pacing is spot on and she creates the perfect mood for the book. In terms of the book itself, this isn't classic Marie Benedict, and I definitely liked it less than some of her other historical fiction. However, Queens is a fun consideration of female crime writers in the early part of the twentieth century. I was familiar with several of them, but not all, so it was fun to get to know all five of the queens. The story is told in a pretty classic mystery mode, and it takes advantage of the women identifying typical tropes, et cetera. I didn't find the mystery itself all that compelling, though, and I thought some of the explanation was a bit repetitive. I also appreciated the illumination of gender dynamics during this time period, but that too was just a bit pedantic for my taste. That said, this is a book I'll recommend to readers who are fans of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, or other classic mystery writers.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio ARC.

A interesting and enjoyable who-done-it about a team of some of the original great authors of who-done-its, Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. It also serves as a social observation on the bias against women in the workplace, and the treatment of women when victims of crime, of which we still have not made enough progress on as a society.