It's 1938, and the four women the media have named "The Four Queens of Crime" (Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham) have all agreed to attend a charity event at Sir Henry Heathcote's Hursley House. The elite of London society are there, and it's a brilliant success... until the next morning when Sir Henry is found dead in the library.
Now a fifth queen of crime, Detective Chief Inspector Lilian Wyles (the first woman to serve as a ranking officer in the CID at Scotland Yard) makes an appearance. Accompanied by DCI Richard Davidson, it is Wyles' task to sort through all the guests for potential suspects, and she thinks she has just the right sort of people to help her: the Four Queens of Crime.
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In Rosanne Limoncelli's Preface, she introduces the real-life people she is portraying fictionally. I was already familiar with the four best-selling crime writers of their day-- Christie, Sayers, Marsh, and Allingham-- but I'd never heard of DCI Lilian Wyles, and I enjoyed watching these five characters work with each other. Wyles had a particularly difficult time of it because her male counterpart thought the four writers would have absolutely nothing worthwhile to add to the investigation. The five women had to learn how to work around him.
The mystery revolved around a typical British aristocratic family in a large country house just before the start of World War II. Although the whodunit was rather easily deduced, the upstairs-downstairs tension worked well. Those who are familiar with the four authors' books will also find amusing moments along the way, as in Agatha Christie getting the germ of an idea for And Then There Were None.
All in all, The Four Queens of Crime was a pleasant way to spend a few hours, but I really didn't find it to be a standout.
The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli
eISBN: 9798892420617
Crooked Lane Books © 2025
eBook, 320 pages
Historical Mystery
Rating: C+
Source: Net Galley
That's an interesting premise, to explore what it would be like if those Queens of Crime worked together, Cathy. And I didn't know about Lilian Wyles; I think I would find that part of the novel interesting. And of course, the upstairs/downstairs tension can work well in a book. I'm glad you found some things to like here, even if this wasn't a standout read.
ReplyDeleteI had noticed this one a while back and wondered about it. Good to hear your thoughts. There's another book that's just come out that is 'The Queens of Crime' by Marie Benedict. Also includes some of these mystery writers. I did not know about Lilian Wyles either and that is indeed interesting.
ReplyDeleteI'm another who was unfamiliar with Lilian Wiles, and I'm glad to know about her. This book doesn't sound like my cup of (English Breakfast) tea, but I have a friend who's a big Agatha Christie fan who is likely to enjoy it.
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