What do readers think of The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict? Write your own review.

Unique and amazing story - about 5 famous female mystery writers solving a real crime!

This was such a fun story! If you've ever wondered what it would be like to sit in a room and kick around ideas about plot and characters with Agatha Christie, then this is the story for you!

5 famous female authors join a male dominated club. The men aren't excited to accept women in their ranks and they are not excited to think about a whole 5 of them joining! So the women decide to prove their worth by solving a real crime - a story of a missing women that has become a murder mystery.

This book had amazing female friendships …more and a great mystery. The chapters were quick and the tension kept me turning the pages. Each new twist, I wanted to applaud just how smart these 5 women were, to discover the things they did! This one was so fun! I can't recommend it enough!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. (less)

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

Inspired by a true story in novelist Dorothy L. Sayers’ own life, the clever premise of this well-written historical mystery begins when the five greatest women crime writers of the 1930s band together to show they are as capable as any of the male members of the Detection Club, comprised of the day’s leading British detective novelists. How to demonstrate their talents and be taken as seriously as their male counterparts? They plan to solve an actual murder using the same skills they employ in …more writing their best-selling murder mysteries.

Led by the accomplished Dorothy L. Sayers, who narrates the story, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime.

It took a few chapters for me to become absorbed in the novel – the mystery, the women writers, Dorothy’s personal story, but then I couldn’t wait to finish it. I enjoyed trying to solve the murder along with the famous women writers. I must admit I was able to solve most of the clues ahead of the Queens, but that didn’t make the book any less engaging.

In addition to the mystery, I appreciated the message within the novel that women must be taken seriously – as writers, as detectives, as people in all walks of life. This was an especially significant point as I read the novel during Women’s History Month. Also, the fact is as important to highlight today as in 1930. Another point emphasized throughout the novel was the power of women’s friendship.

The author’s research brought the time period to life – the clothes, transportation, food, and mannerisms as well as the sexism and prejudices against women.

I’ve read several of Marie Benedict’s historical novels and have a few others waiting to be read. She is an author I can count on to entertain as well as offer thoughtful perspectives of educated women who overcome the limitations of their time. And now I want to explore Dorothy Sayers’ mysteries as well. (less)

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC eGalley — pub. date February 11, 2025

A historical fiction book that is well written and researched of a group of strong women, by Marie Benedict. Five great women crime authors come together to form a secret society to show their male counterparts of the legendary Detection Club that they will not be treated as second class citizens. Writer, Dorothy L. Sayers is the leader of this club with writers, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. They …more decide to solve a murder of a young woman that was strangled in France and bring the culprit or culprits to justice.

I had never heard of this Detection Club, formed by a group of British mystery writers in 1930. This club still exists today. I thought the author skillfully wove the personalities and working relationships the crime writers had into this story. I appreciate how Marie Benedict writes about strong women and matters concerning them; usually something I’m not familiar with. I did think this was unlike some of her other books I’ve read. Written more like a cozy mystery read. A perfect read for a February 11th pub date, with a cup of tea and snuggled up in a blanket by the fire. (less)