Review: The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both an ARC and an ALC of this book via Netgalley and the SMP Influencers Program, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the narrator and thought she did a great job voicing not only Dorothy, but the other Queens and characters as the story unfolds.  It made it really fun to go on this adventure with these ladies as they solved this crime and try to sort out all of the evidence as well as build each other up and establish their friendships.

This was delightful!  If you are a fan of historical fiction and classic mysteries this will take you on a fun adventure through England and France to solve a murder with some of the most famous mystery writers of all time.  Dorothy Sayers, whom I didn't know anything about prior to this book, was a real person, a successful mystery writer, and a founding member of the very real writer's group The Detection Club which apparently still exists to this day.  Dorothy is appalled that The Detection Club initially is not open to admitting female writers despite their success outside of Dorothy and the also famous Agatha Christie, so she invites 3 additional writer friends to join her to solve a real murder case to prove to the men that they are not only worthy of membership in the club but a cut above.   The group of five capable ladies makes up the Queens of Crime.

This story is told from Dorothy's point of view as the Queen's gather information about the victim and the crime scene as and piece together the solution as the characters from their novels would.  The victim is being painted in a poor light by the French police and in the newspapers, but the Queen's will not give up on justice for May Daniels.  With all the makings of a locked room mystery that they are all familiar with writing, they have to work together as a team to put the puzzle pieces together to solve May's murder and tell her story.  I loved the way the women worked together.  Their group was so realistic as the story unfolded.  Their interactions were filled with snark and jokes, pain when secrets were kept, and concern and compassion when one of their own was in need.  I was engaged the entire time, trying to figure out the mystery and who-dun-it myself.  I loved the characters and their interactions and felt like I was there with them as they traveled between London and France to gather clues and investigate.

As with all historical fiction books, I highly recommend reading the author's note to understand what liberties were taken with the facts, what was fabricated, and what was factual.  This book has inspired me to look into these women and read some of their books, as the only one I was aware of prior was Agatha Christie.  The author's research into the time and the women clearly shows as the story is told.

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