Queens Of London by Heather Webb
Thank you to Sourcebooks for sending me the physical advanced copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Synopsis
Maybe women can have it all, as long as they're willing to steal it.
1925. London. When Alice Diamond, AKA "Diamond Annie," is elected the Queen of the Forty Elephants, she's determined to take the all-girl gang to new heights. She's ambitious, tough as nails, and a brilliant mastermind, with a plan to create a dynasty the likes of which no one has ever seen. Alice demands absolute loyalty from her "family"―it's how she's always kept the cops in line. Too bad she's now the target for one of Britain's first female policewomen.
Officer Lilian Wyles isn't merely one of the first female detectives at Scotland Yard, she's one of the best detectives on the force. Even so, she'll have to win a big score to prove herself, to break free from the "women's work" she's been assigned. When she hears about the large-scale heist in the works to fund Alice's new dynasty, she realizes she has the chance she's been looking for―and the added bonus of putting Diamond Annie out of business permanently.
A tale of dark glamour and sisterhood, Queens of London is a look at Britain's first female crime syndicate, the ever-shifting meaning of justice, and the way women claim their power by any means necessary, from USA Today bestselling author Heather Webb.
My Review
Queens of London is the first book I have read by Heather Webb. I have read Meet Me In Monaco that she has wrote with Hazel Gaynor and I eagerly started reading Queens of London as my first book written by Heather Webb on her own.
This book is very descriptive and has a strong sense of place and well developed characters. The writing made me feel transported to London in 1925. I was immediately absorbed in this novel when I started and the first sentence had my attention fully. I found this book to be a very immersive historical fiction read and I didn't want to stop reading and I found myself picking it up, even if it was only to read a page or two, whenever I had an opportunity. I definitely am going to read more books written by this author in the future.
I highly recommend reading the author's note at the end to learn more about the author's research process and the resources she accessed when writing the novel and the inspiration for writing the book.
My Rating: 5/5
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Book Details
Author: Heather Webb
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Publication Date: February 6, 2024
Genre: Historical Fiction. Historical. Fiction. Literary Fiction. British Literature. Adult.
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 368
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