The Four Queens of Crime

I’m tempted to think that author Rosanna Limoncelli wrote her debut mystery novel just for me because it encompasses so many things I love: Agatha Christie, a big charity fundraiser, England, real people as characters, a locked room, and an engaging whodunit story.

The year is 1938, and war looms ominously close. Mystery author Dorothy L. Sayers convinces her fellow queens of British crime fiction, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, to co-host a gala raising funds for the Women’s Volunteer Service to help Britain prepare for war. Baronet Sir Henry Heathcote has loaned Hursley House for the event, and the who’s who of London society are in attendance.

The gowns dazzle, and the champagne flows. Aside from a few disagreements, mostly unnoticed by the guests, the gala is a brilliant success. However, the next morning, Sir Henry is found dead, murdered, in his locked library, leaving the family and their guests with more than just hangovers to deal with.

Detective Chief Inspectors Lilian Wyles and Richard Davidson from Scotland Yard are dispatched to handle the situation quickly and discreetly. Upon arrival, they find a group of potential suspects at the stately home, including an upset fiancée, a politically ambitious son, a reserved but protective brother, an irate son-in-law, a rebellious teenage daughter and her overprotective friend, the deputy home secretary, a butler with the library key, and a nervous housemaid.

Once the questioning begins and the family starts closing ranks, DCI Wyles realizes they need backup, but not more forces from The Yard. She secretly recruits the four queens of crime, who were not only at the gala but are working themselves into the suspects’ confidences. While the authors set about giving suspects the royal treatment, Wyles and Davidson must sort through the complicated and dangerous ramifications of Sir Henry’s death if they’re to solve the mystery and catch the killer.

The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli is her debut novel. However, she is a filmmaker and writer who has written, directed, and produced short narrative films, documentaries, and educational films. Limoncelli 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. She is also the author of Teaching Filmmaking: Empowering Students Through Visual Storytelling. Learn more about the author at rosannelimoncelli.net