This book deals with murder, crimes against women, sexism, child loss/abortion, and threats/blackmail.
"Most of us are mysteries unto ourselves, and part of our lifelong quest is an effort to understand our authentic selves and our purpose."
The best crime writing women in history, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, Baroness Emma Orczy, and of course, Agatha Christie, have banded together to form a secret society; The Queens of Crime. Together, they decide to take up the case of May Daniels, a young English nurse whose death has caught their eye as suspicious and is being investigated by the police.
While on an excursion in France with a fellow nurse and friend, May seemingly vanishes into thin air. Months later, her body is found in a nearby woods. While the whole situation seems fishy, the authorities seem content to paint May's death as just a tragic accident or overdose leading to suicide. But the Queens of Crime aren't buying it. Why would a nurse go all the way to France just to buy something she could readily get at home?
Determined to prove that the police have not taken May's death seriously, the Queens of Crime take on their own investigation. In doing so, Dorothy Sayers finds herself being threatened, attacked, and suddenly blackmailed to back off.
The Review
I wanted to love this book. The concept is brilliant. Mystery writers are diving into a real-life crime, trying to solve it as their fictional characters would. But unfortunately, it fell short for me. I had never heard of any of the "Queens" except Agatha Christie, and after reading the book, I can say I don't really know anything more about Emma Orczy, Margary Allingham or Ngaio Marsh than I did going in. Frankly, if I didn't know about Agatha Christie, I don't think I would have gotten an accurate idea of who she was as a person or author either. That being said, it is hard to imagine Dame Agatha Christie as a side character in anyone's story. Though that did seem to be explained away somewhat.
I was a little put off by the story because of the underlying theme. Obviously, the point of the book was to champion feminism and point out how sexist men (especially police officers) were in the 1940s. It seemed to be a gentle jab at men in general, and even the "good men" like Dorothy's husband were depicted as a bit sexist and condescending. And yet at the same time, there was more talk about pretty dresses, fancy dinners, and tea time and any actual sleuthing.
SPOILER ALERT
I enjoyed the twist at the end. That it wasn't the insurance salesman after all, and that someone else was the father of her unborn child. That definitely was a twist. I fell into the trap of thinking that the married insurance man would have done anything to keep his shameful secret, just that, a secret. But it was much more sinister than that. A pregnancy resulting from a rape and stuffy old men trying to keep it all under wraps. It definitely fit the time period and was very realistic.
My only hang-up about this ending is that there wasn't really any hint at this possible outcome. We knew that May had visited someone at the theatre that night. And we quickly figure out who. But there was never any implication that anything untoward happened or that he might be her assailant. It all seemed very out of the blue and rushed to have an ending. Like someone was picked out of a crowd, and then everything else pieced together.
I borrowed the audiobook from the library through the Libby App.
Rating and Recommendation
I think a part of the disappointment I had in this book was that I expected these exceptional authors to play a bigger role in the plot. To be honest with you, it could have been any five women, and it wouldn't have made a difference. Only once was there a mention of one of the women having done excessive research on a subject that was actually helpful to their investigation. You could have literally changed the name of all the characters, and it wouldn't have mattered.
I also felt that what little Agatha Christie did appear in the book, her characteristics (that she is known for) didn't shine through at all. I don't know the other authors, but I wonder if that was the case for the majority of them also. (I would assume the only one that matched her true self would be Dorothy Sayers, though I have never heard of her.) This kind of took me out of it, also. They were all so two-dimensional when Agatha Christie (and I am sure the others) had such a dynamite personality.
I wouldn't buy this book. I did see a few other Marie Benedict books that interested me. If I enjoy them and buy them, I may think of adding it to my collection at some point. But I definitely wouldn't go out and buy it beyond that.
Conclusion
I read a lot of people find Marie Benedict's books hit or miss. If you are one of them, give it a try. It wasn't for me, but maybe I am just not used to her style yet. The idea is very interesting, and it will definitely keep you guessing (sometimes wondering what is going on). I think if you know any of the women "starring" in the book, you may have better luck enjoying it. (Though don't quote me on that!)
It made me want to research some of these women and see what they wrote, and if that would be more my speed.
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