The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

March 20, 2025

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

In order to gain the respect of their male counterparts, five female mystery writers from the Golden Age of mystery - Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Emma Orzcy, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh - join forces to solve the mystery of a young English nurse found murdered in Boulogne. 

Disappointing. Loosely based on an event in Dorothy Sayers' life. I usually really enjoy the author’s books but this one was slow moving, and the mystery itself was not compelling. Usually Benedict writes about real women who worked in areas that were normally reserved for men, and yes, the five women writers had to fight against sexism just to get their books published, let alone be accepted by their male peers. But unlike her previous books, I didn’t learn much about the characters’ lives. I guess I expected more from a story about the five major women mystery writers of the Golden Age - there were a lot of descriptions of where they were having high tea and shopping, and what they were eating and wearing (don’t get me wrong, I love a high tea). They just didn’t seem as sharp or clever as a mystery author should be, and Dorothy seemed like she was constantly prodding them along. Loved the cover, although it reminded me of Laurie Notaro’s The Murderess. 

Many thanks to Edelweiss for providing an eARC for review.

Dorothy Sayers