First and foremost: this narrator was LOVELY. So expressive and did a great job helping to distinguish between the many voices!

This historical mystery - "loosely" based upon a real investigation that author Dorothy Sayers undertook - follows five female writers in the Golden Age of mysteries in 1930s London, including Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. The group's investigation is charming, and the setting and time period is immersive. I appreciated the feminist themes, both in the perception of victims and the investigators, though I felt the discussions and internal monologues on the subject were sometimes a bit on-the-nose.

As for the mystery itself - some of the initial discoveries were engaging and the ladies' tactics and ideas were amusing and clever, but things took a little bit of a turn for me as they started to actually identify and pursue suspects. It felt like there was a long lag between the ladies identifying suspects and actually getting to speak to them, for some reason, and what "suspense" there was felt fairly forced to me. I'd say I really enjoyed about the first two-thirds, and then struggled with the conclusion.

3.5 stars, rounded up for the setting/vibes and for the excellent audiobook narration!

This was a fun novel to listen to! I've loved Marie Benedict's prior novels, so I was excited to dive in to this historical fiction about the Queens of Crime- most of whom I'm familiar with. I loved the tidbits about the 5 female mystery authors, but I actually found myself wanting MORE of them. We stayed with Dorothy L. Sayers, which I did enjoy because she dug deep into the mystery, but it also prevented us from really learning a lot about the other 4 women. As a fan of cozy mysteries, this novel deeply reminded me of one. I enjoyed how the author followed the murder of May Daniels and allowed these mystery writers to solve the crime. (I appreciated the author's note covering what of that was fact versus fiction.) Overall, I think this novel will delight those interested in the mystery but less so for those who are here for the gossip about these 5 queens of crime. For me, that worked out alright.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Based on real, historical events- a group of women mystery writers in the 1930s, including Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie, set out to solve a real-life murder to prove to the men writers that they know their stuff.

This book was so freaking interesting! I love reading about women who history has forgotten. I loved all the characters and how they came together and used their specific sets of knowledge to help solve this crime.

And I just knew that Marie Benedict got the inspiration from this book from her research for The Mystery of Mrs Christie.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this audiobook arc!
I love a good historical fiction read here and there, and this one did not disappoint! I very much enjoyed this feminist story about a group of female authors in their quest of solving a young woman’s murder. If you enjoy hisfic is the era of the 1930s, you’ll love this read. 4 stars

Simply put, The Queens of Crime is just plain fun (made all the more enjoyable by the amazing audiobook narration done by Bessie Carter)! It follows an eclectic cast of lovable characters: the five greatest women fiction crime writers in 1930s London (including Agatha Christie). These five women decide to band together to try to solve a real-life crime that the police barely looked into before considering it closed.

Told in a very humorous manner, this story also focuses on female friendship and personal growth. I had expected it to be a bit more of a thriller, and it’s really not. Instead, this reads more like a cozy mystery. It is filled with so many cliches that at times the satire feels borderline vintage soap opera. I personally found this to be very fun once I realized the vibe of the book is not the thriller I was expecting, but others may either absolutely love or dislike this about it.

Thank you to Marie Benedict, Macmillan Audio, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

5 stars. I LOVED this story. I listened to it in one sitting without pause. The narrator did a wonderful job, I forgot it was a narrator a d felt as if I was hearing from the characters themselves. I enjoyed the women's sleuthing group and writing backgrounds, it really brought a uniqueness to the story. I loved the author's note, connecting the reader to her inspiration from history and her insertion of the fiction. Marie is coming to my city for an author event and I am so disappointed to miss the event due to being out of town. I will be recommending this book to others and look forward to more stories from Marie!

I really enjoyed this old fashioned mystery with the Queens of the genre, lead by Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie and three other female writers from the same era. In a nutshell, being newly welcomed in a group of male amateur sleuth, our group fell victim of the usual sexism of the period. They decide the try solving a prominent murder in the news to put those ignorant men to their places and show them their skills and competence in crime solving. You then embarked in a relentless search and teamwork at is bests. It made me discover these larger then life crime writers that I never heard about. The writing was well rounded with a flare of the past, perfect match for the period depicted. I recommend as a cozy mystery.
Thank you #netgalley and #macmillanaudio

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy of The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict Narrated by Bessie Carter in exchange for an honest review. It publishes February 11, 2025.
First off, Bessie Carter did a very good job covering a wide range of accents and characters in this book.
This is totally in the same vein of Marie Benedict’s other novels. I found this one extra fun with the added mystery element. I appreciated the care and research that obviously went into the writing of this book.
At times the book felt a little slow, but it doesn’t stay that way!

3.75 Stars

The premise of this book is that Dorothy Sayers gets a group of female mystery novelists together to solve a crime and prove themselves to a group of male mystery writers. This book is good fun and the story takes the reader on a jaunt between London and a seaside town in France as the novelists investigate the crime.

I really enjoyed the book and found that the story moved quickly and mystery came together well. I didn't figure out the ending on my own, which is a great sign for a mystery! With that said, I do enjoy historical fiction books that focus on real people more when they dig a bit more into the historical people themselves--it almost felt like this could have been a sequel to the historical novels about the lives of each of the authors who Benedict writes about. I did really enjoy the way that the author talked about the (imaginary) relationship between the women in the crime solving club and felt that that was a unique strength of this book.

Overall, if you're into the mystery the score should probably be a bit higher and if you're into the historical details of the women involved, maybe a little bit lower. I did enjoy listening to the book, and found that the narrator was effective, if not remarkable.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC for review consideration.

TW: Pregnancy, abortion, rape

The Detection Club, formed by British mystery writers was intended to be part supper club, part sounding board where mystery writers met to support each other and establish guidelines to writing detective fiction. Unfortunately, few women were admitted, and when they did gain acceptance, they were not taken seriously.

Dorothy Sayers intends to change the status quo. Gathering a group of Golden Age female crime novelists: Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy, these “Queens of Crime” are going to prove they are more than just their pens.

Together the women work to solve the locked room murder of May Daniels, a young nurse found dead under suspicious circumstances in France. Utilizing their individual strengths as mystery writers, they take on a case that the local authorities have given little credence to. They quickly discover writing about detectives is far different than actually being detectives, but these women do not back down from a challenge.

I love the concept of famous female crime writers coming together to solve a murder, especially with such an interesting historical backdrop. Marie Benedict has a knack for bringing historical figures to life, and this seems like a perfect combination of her style with the Golden Age of Crime Fiction. The dynamic between these iconic women, each with their own distinct approach to writing and solving mysteries, makes for some compelling interactions and exciting twists.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and of course the author Marie Benedict for the advanced copy of the audiobook. Queens of Crime is out on February 11th. All opinions are my own.

Set in London in the 1930s, The Queens of Crime is a fictional historical mystery starring Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Emma Orczy. Unable to get their male counterparts in the Detection Club to take them seriously, they set out to solve a real life crime to prove themselves. May Daniels is an English nurse who went missing months ago and when her body is finally discovered The Queens of Crime are on the case. Will these legendary mystery writers be able to solve this real case and make it in a man’s world?

I was first pulled in by the cover of this book and I honestly didn’t even read the description. I was pleasantly surprised when I started the book to find out it was loosely based off of people who really existed and added so much to mystery writing during their time. I hadn’t heard of all of The Queens of Crime, but nonetheless I really enjoyed getting to know them in this historical mystery. I think this was a very creative and unique angle on a historical mystery book and it was definitely worth reading. The mystery kept me guessing the whole way through and the different side stories kept everything interesting. I almost wish this was going to be the start of a series starring these same mystery writers. I would definitely read that! If you are a historical mystery fan and want to enjoy a mystery starring some of the best known women mystery writers, this book is definitely worth the read!

Set in the 1930s in London, five female writers band together to prove their worth. Men are dictating how many women writers are able to join a secret writing society and be recognized amongst the greats. Tired of being treated like second class citizens, five female writers form a secret society with the goal of advancement for themselves and other women like them. Thus- the Queens of Crime are born!

Now these aren’t just any five fictional women, we’re talking heavy hitters like Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. Their plan is to solve an actual murder to get some attention and the respect they deserve in their profession and from their stories. I loved the sisterhood where Agatha and Dorothy, who appear the most popular of the five, being told they didn’t need to give up their spots with the “good old boys” because of the others. They both quickly agreed they’re all in this together ! One of my favorites chapters was when they described their own process in writing and how they were applying that to the murder mystery.

Seems innocent enough until the very real murder they investigate turns into a very real threat to Dorothy, threatening to expose personal secrets that could ruin her.

This story was loosely inspired by true events from Dorothy Sayers life. It was fast paced and had a good mix of murder mystery, historical components and character building and growth. I enjoyed this and would read more by this author! Narration was expressive and I enjoyed listening to this story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 2/11/25!

Thank you Macmillan and St Martins for review copies! Marie Benedict has a flare for exploring and amplifying the stories of women in history, some well known and others less known, and giving readers a chance to know and learn about these women (though the stories are somewhat fictionalized the identities and plot points are well researched and grounded in real life events). What I really enjoyed about this book was the exploration of well known women crime and mystery writers a time when women's writers weren't as celebrated and acknowledged as they are today, particularly writers who were taking in dark and edgy themes in their writing. Though the topic might have been dark at times, Benedict has a way to making the lives and voices of women shine through in ways that highlight overcoming darkness or challenges, or showing how perseverance, wit and intelligence allow women to make their mark; these themes are even stronger in this book given the focus on women using their friendship and talents together.

Narrator: I enjoyed the narrator chosen for this book.

Story: While the event the story is inspired by is tragic, the author told the story tastefully. We get to read how five amazing crime writers came together to solve a crime and prove to men they were better than they got credit for. I loved their bond and watching them get closer throughout the story. They were not afraid to take chances and find out what happened to the nurse.

This was the first book I have read by this author and I can't wait to read another story. I enjoyed her writing and the way she writes her characters.

I enjoyed the author's note at the end to the audiobook and wish it/hope it is included in the final copy of the physical book.

TW: This book mentions the choice of abortion.

Thank you MacMillian Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in advance.

If you’re a fan of classic mysteries or curious about the powerhouse women behind them, The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict is a must-read. This book dives into the lives of legendary female mystery writers and explores how they reshaped the genre during the Golden Age of Mystery. It’s packed with intriguing stories, empowering moments, and plenty of nods to the books we love. Benedict’s storytelling makes their journeys feel so vivid and personal, you’ll walk away with a new appreciation for their work and their impact. Perfect for fans of both history and whodunits!

THE QUEENS OF CRIME by Marie Benedict brings readers to 1930s London. Dorothy Sayers recruits four other female mystery authors to insert themselves into the male-dominated Detection Club. In order to prove their mettle, they dub themselves the Queens of Crime and vow to solve an actual murder.

As with many mysteries, there are plot points readers will be able to forecast, but that doesn't decrease the enjoyment. Benedict shines a light on how women can be disregarded and overlooked, and this theme finds itself key to the investigation of the case as well as Sayers, Agatha Christie, Baroness Orczy, and others delve into the particulars. We are shown how the Queens of Crime perceive the case in a new light and interview members of the community that were previously ignored by the police and reporters, revealing that their gender can be an asset, not a detriment.

The audiobook is narrated by Bessie Carter, who does a perfect job personifying a range of characters, adding an additional level of appreciation to the experience. This was a quick listen and it would be easy to imagine this becoming a series.

(Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

Historical fiction meets cozy murder mystery at its finest. The women authors of 1930’s crime fiction band together to create a small subgroup of the Detectives Club, and then take on solving a real life murder mystery instead of just writing fictional ones. These queens of crime, as they refer to themselves, go through twists and turns and various literary devices to try to find the murderer before one of their own is threatened. The audio book was read with a wonderful English accent with just the right amount of pomp and circumstance to truly put you in the mood of the 1930’s time frame. Fans of Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers will definitely enjoy this fictional take on their lives.

I received this an audio ARC from NetGalley. The Queens of Crime is a closed door mystery featuring five of the most prominent female writers of the early 1930's. I love the commodity Marie Benedict made you feel between all of the authors.

I appreciate the concept of uniting characters from the works of Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie (whom I greatly admire), Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Emma Orczy to collaboratively solve a crime. The narrative was highly suspenseful, and I found myself eager to discover the unfolding events. Ms. Benedict skillfully crafted the storyline in such a way that I was compelled to keep reading without interruption.

"The Queens of Crime" by Marie Benedict is a captivating historical fiction novel that brings to life a fascinating chapter in literary history. This book tells the story of five legendary female crime writers – Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy – who formed a secret society to challenge the male-dominated world of detective fiction.

Inspired by a true story in Sayers' own life, the novel follows these extraordinary women as they band together to investigate the murder of a young woman in France. Their investigation, conducted in secret, allows them to showcase their individual talents and challenge the assumptions and limitations placed upon them by the male-dominated literary establishment.

Benedict masterfully weaves together historical fact and fictional intrigue, creating a compelling narrative that celebrates the achievements of these groundbreaking women. "The Queens of Crime" is a must-read for fans of historical fiction, true crime, and the works of these literary icons.

Rating: ★★★★★

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