The Four Queens of Crime - by Rosanne Limoncelli Paperback

Book Synopsis

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LIBRARY JOURNAL'S DECEMBER DEBUT OF THE MONTH!

In this debut mystery, DCI Lilian Wyles, the first woman detective chief inspector in the CID, is determined to find a killer with the help of the four queens of crime, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, perfect for fans of Elly Griffiths and Claudia Gray.

1938, London. The four queens of British crime fiction, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, are hosting a gala to raise money for the Women's Voluntary Service to help Britain prepare for war. Baronet Sir Henry Heathcote has loaned Hursley House for the event, and all the elites of London society are attending. The gala is a brilliant success, despite a few hiccups, but the next morning, Sir Henry is found dead in the library.

Detective Chief Inspectors Lilian Wyles and Richard Davidson from Scotland Yard are quickly summoned and discover a cluster of potential suspects among the guests, including an upset fiancée, a politically ambitious son, a reserved but protective brother, an irate son-in-law, a rebellious teenage daughter, and the deputy home secretary.

Quietly recruiting the four queens of crime, DCI Wyles must sort through the messy aftermath of Sir Henry's death to solve the mystery and identify the killer.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Four Queens of Crime

LIBRARY JOURNAL - STELLAR SELECTIONS BEST BOOKS 2025

LIBRARY JOURNAL'S DECEMBER DEBUT OF THE MONTH!

"Limoncelli makes a splash with her riotously entertaining debut . . . A note-perfect Golden Age pastiche with a satisfying metafictional twist."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"The inclusion of real historical figures adds to the enjoyment of Limoncelli's traditional mystery. Fans of Christie or Rhys Bowen will appreciate the details of the gala and the prewar intrigue."
--Library Journal, starred review

"Period details and information about the lives of the four Queens of Crime and Wyles are skillfully woven through this fascinating cozy."
--Booklist

"An ingenious plot . . . a brilliant debut."
--NY Journal of Books

"Mystery fans will love this novel featuring the queens of the genre."
--Historical Novel Society

"Sparkling wit, ingenious plotting."
--Audiofile

"A fun read for fans of classic 'whodunnit' mysteries from start to finish . . . Brilliant."
--Midwest Book Review

"Rosanne Limoncelli knocks it out of the park in her debut mystery."
--Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

"This book highlights the power of feminism and women working together."
--Fresh Fiction

"Teaming up the four writers is genius, the dialogue snappy and the story good. Hopefully, there will be more adventures with these four."
--Red Carpet Crash

"A properly thorny mystery and a delightful portrayal of the Queens of Crime. Readers will love this clever story. Its style harkens back to the Golden Age of crime fiction and also introduces them to the first woman detective chief inspector in the CID at Scotland Yard. An artful debut!"
--Anna Lee Huber, USA Today bestselling author

"The most devious minds of mystery's Golden Age tackle a murder none of them could have invented, to delightful effect."
--Stephanie Barron, author of the Jane Austen mysteries

About the Author

Rosanne Limoncelli is an author, filmmaker, and storyteller living in Brooklyn. She has written, directed, and produced short narrative films, documentaries, and educational films. Rosanne also writes plays, screenplays, poetry, games, mysteries, and science fiction. Her short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Suspense Magazine and Noir Nation, and her short films have been screened in festivals around the world. The Four Queens of Crime is her debut mystery novel. Dr. Limoncelli has taught writing and filmmaking for more than three decades and is the Senior Director for Film Technologies at the Kanbar Institute and the Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.