I’m always excited to see which female in history Marie Benedict decides to write about. This time around, she’s writing about a group of women, namely Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, and Emma Orczy. 

 

When a young woman (May Daniels) is found dead, this team of five authors find themselves investigating her case, using their skills as mystery writers to track down her killer. 

 

This book felt different from other Marie Benedict novels I’ve read and I enjoyed it. I might have enjoyed it a bit more with fewer main characters (though the emphasis is on Dorothy Sayers), but it felt like a nice homage to these ‘Queens of Crime’. I also enjoyed the camaraderie between these female writers who had to band together in a male-dominated industry. 

 

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital ARC of the book!