The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict 5

"Writers merely playact at detective work, resolving bloody crimes from the comfort of their desks and armchairs. What if we got our hands dirty and found an actual murderer? How could the male Detection Club members think us anything but eminently worthy? No one would dare slight us or question our place in the club then."
    -Dorothy Sayers, from the novel

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery which had been recommended in one of my book clubs. I give it a 5 rating.

In 1930 London, 5 well-known female mystery writers come together with the intention of joining the predominantly male Detection Club. Dorothy Sayers calls together the other 4--- Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, the Baroness Emma Orczy and Agatha Christie. Christie was the only one I really knew of, so I looked up the others to make sure they actually existed and yes, they did. 

The quote hints at what the women decide will help them get the respect they deserve from their male counterparts. They will try to solve an actual murder. They learn of the discovery of the body of a young English nurse found in France after her mysterious disappearance several months previous. The murderer has not been found, and it looks to the women, who have dubbed themselves the Queens of Crime, as if the investigation has been shoddy. They set out to solve the crime themselves, at first to prove a point, as I already mentioned, but as they get further into their research, it becomes more personal and they really want justice for May Daniels, the woman who was killed.

There are twists and turns in the story as there would be in any good murder mystery, making for a real page-turner. Benedict must have spent untold hours researching the personalities and work of these "queens of crime." I will, no doubt, look for other novels by this author.