The Queens of Crime

In this excellent novel, Benedict (coauthor with Victoria Christopher Murray of The First Ladies) vividly brings to life real Golden Age mystery novelists and a 1930s setting. Dorothy Sayers is miffed that she is considered just a second-tier member by the male writers of the Detection Club, although she’s one of its founders. She calls on other women writers who live nearby—Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy—to form their own rival group, the Queens of Crime. The men are not impressed, even when the Queens declare they will solve a real-life mystery, pooling their considerable talents to prove that their skill is equal to that of the men. Soon, they are embroiled in the case of a young woman, May Daniels, who went missing during a day trip to France. As their inquiries progress, the case takes a tragic—and dangerous—turn, and May’s mangled body appears in the park where she had rested briefly on that day. An attack on Dorothy proves to the Queens that they are getting close to the perpetrator.