ARC Review: Death at King's Cross by Rosanne Limoncelli

Death at King's Cross
Author: Rosanne Limoncelli
Series: A Four Queens of Crime Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (July 21, 2026)

Description: DCI Lilian Wyles is confronted by a troubling case, one that only the four queens of crime can help solve—even amidst the ongoing war efforts.

Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh are back in the follow-up novel to The Four Queens of Crime.

1941, London. When DCI Lilian Wyles finds a young woman murdered at King's Cross Station, she needs the help of someone she can trust, but Richard Davidson, her former Scotland Yard partner, has joined MI5 and is busy tracking black market routes outside of London, so for now, she is on her own.

After having met the four queens of crime during a murder investigation two years earlier, DCI Wyles has kept in touch. But Agatha, Dorothy, Margery, and Ngaio are all involved in the war effort and have problems of their own.

Agatha is volunteering at the University Hospital Pharmacy, where a dangerous anesthetic has been stolen. Dorothy has heard unsettling information from her connections at the BBC regarding members of the Royal Navy. Margery, who has been in the countryside helping families escape the city from the bombing, is worried about one of her charges whose older sister has gone missing. And Ngaio, who has relocated to New Zealand and is volunteering as an ambulance driver, has begun gathering secret intelligence from wounded soldiers and sailors that may put her in danger.

When the four queens contact DCI Wyles for help, the information they share makes the final pieces of the puzzle fall into place. DCI Wyles once again finds herself collaborating with her old partners in crime to solve the mystery and close the case in this thrilling sequel, perfect for fans of Nicola Upson and Anna Lee Huber.

My Thoughts: The second Queens of Crime mystery begins with the discovery of a body at King's Cross Station. The young woman in barefoot and wearing only a silk slip and a man's overcoat. DCI Lilian Wiles arrives on the scene only moments after the unidentified woman's death. 

Though quickly identified, the investigation into the woman's death is quickly snatched out of Scotland Yard and into the auspices of MI5. Lilian is curious and somewhat upset by this change of jurisdiction especially when she sees the woman as part of an investigation she's already conducting into the disappearances of a number of young women. 

Meanwhile, the other four queens of crime are each doing their parts in the war effort. Agatha Christie is volunteering in a hospital pharmacy where she is noticing the some chloralhydrate is going missing. Dorothy Sayers is working for the BBC where she runs into a blackmail plot determined to undercut the country's war efforts. Margery Allingham is safe in the country where she is hosting a young woman evacuated from London. The young woman's sister has gone missing, but a note filled with Cockney rhyming slang has reached her indicating that her sister is in danger and in need of rescue. Ngaio Marsh is back home in Christchurch, New Zealand, driving an ambulance, visiting evacuated soldiers, and directing a play whose actors are young university students and writing long letters to Richard Davidson who has moved from Scotland Yard to MI5.

Each of the queens of crime has clues that all lead to the same mystery. It isn't until Lilian puts all the clues together that they understand what is going on. They rescue the young women and foil a plot against England's best good.

This was an enjoyable mystery. I liked the World War II setting. I liked the insights into the lives of four very famous mystery authors. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.