The year is 1898, and our current Queen of Fives, Quinn Le Blanc, is ready to finish her little game of hearts.

The Game?

Lifting a man’s fortune in five moves in five days before dispearing without a trace.

Challenge accepted, Quinn is ready, and finds the most elegable batchelor in London.

A Duke. The Duke of Kendal.

I do not know what it is about this era. Horses and seasons and ladies and lords. I just seem to disappear into these worlds altogether.

Our main character, Quinn, seems to have most things under control, having played this game many times before.
She chose a mark, and the game started five days before, which is where we come in. 😊

So the games begin. Quinn does her best to get to our Duke and insert herself into his life, to his unmarried sisters horror.

Will the sister be Quinn's downfall? Or will Quinn win her over?
If only that was the only hurdle!
With a catch, such as the Duke, you didn’t think she was the only one who wanted to get to him, did you?😉

The game is so elegant and elaborated with so many players in the game. Who will get what they want out of this?

Well, my dear gentle readers, this book also contains some, oooh, so delicious twists. Enjoy!
It is a delightful read, indeed.😊🩵📚

I feel like this is a 3.5 but could be a 4 if I read it in one sitting. The plot of this is insane It’s just not a book you put down and come back to and because I’m not a dnf girlie I had to finish it. This would make a great film plot but I feel like something was missing to give that excitement to keep picking it up?

Plot twist at the end gagged me tho I won’t lie.

Thank you to NetGalley & Headline for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy!

Loved this book!

From the beginning to the end I was completely hooked by this book. I love historical fiction and this book with all of its twists and turns kept me on my toes, wondering if my guesses would be correct as to how it would end.
Definitely be a book I will remember.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

Once more Alex Hays pulls us into the murky underworld of London in 1898. Quinn le Blanc must find a wealthy husband and steal his fortune within five days…her most ambitious con yet. But not is all as it seems and there are other forces working against her and her success. With an extensive cast of characters this book needed my concentration at the beginning but all soon came together and the twists and turns and double crosses came thick and fast. A glorious romp of a novel that kept me turning the pages until late into the night. I was also able to listen to the audio version of the book which was narrated by Polly Edsell who did a fantastic job of bringing both the novel and characters to life. I look forward to the next novel from this author with anticipation. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for a honest review.

This fantastical tale follows Quinn Le Blanc attempting to pull off a huge scam. The plot moves from the Victorian East End of Jack the Ripper to the highest end of West End aristocracy.

The plot twists and turns as Quinn follows five stages of the scheme to trap and ensnare a highly eligible duke into marriage.

Well written and picaresque this was an enjoyable tale and a good read.

Blurb

They whisper her name in every corner of town.
The lady with a hundred faces, a thousand lives.
Five moves, five days - for such are the rules of her game.

1898. Quinn Le Blanc, London's most talented con woman, has five days to pull off the seemingly impossible: trick an eligible duke into marriage and lift a fortune from the richest family in England.

Masquerading as a wealthy debutante, Quinn is the jewel of the season. Her brilliant act opens doors to the grand drawing rooms and lavish balls of high society - and propels her into the inner circle of her target: the corrupt, charismatic Kendals.

But as she spins in and out of their world, Quinn becomes tangled in a dangerous web of love, lies and loyalty. The Kendal family all have secrets of their own, and she may not be the only one playing a game of high deception...

Review

The first few chapters had me concentrating while I got to know the characters - there is quite an extensive cast, but I quickly placed everyone and the pace of the story took off. The scheming and plotting of the confidence trick is exquisite. I loved the rule book and how everyone supported their Queen of Fives. The many secrets and twists had me gasping until the very end as it becomes clear that Quinn is not the only person with a secret agenda. This is a terrific story for fans of historical cosy crime and a superb second book from Alex Hay. To a real page turner! I’ll be eagerly awaiting his next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Headline for a copy in exchange for a review.

This is a review of the audiobook.

An original story that is action packed though it only covers a period of five days!
A book set in Victorian England with a range of wonderful characters from Le Blanc a con artist, to Max all are well developed and bring something to the book.
This is an entertaining read.

Queen of Fives was an interesting take on a confidence woman heist story, set in late Victorian London. I really enjoyed the world building - the sights and sounds of Spitalfields were brought to life, which belies the huge amount of research Hay undertook as explained in their author’s note.

Central to the novel is conwoman Quinn’s adherence to a rule book passed down to her from the last principle con artist that ruled the house, which has been in slow decline due to several cons not coming off.

This adds an urgency to proceedings as a massive scheme to marry the elusive Duke of Kendal seems to be the only way to reverse their house’s fortunes.

The resulting tale is intricate and twisty, as plans go awry and become more and more complicated. I really enjoyed the author’s exploration of family, duty and identity that twines through the story and adds a depth to the main characters as we’re thrown along the storyline to its dramatic final scenes.

Thanks to the author and @Headline for an advanced copy of the book as part of a @randomthingstour - Queen of Fives is out now!

I will post on instagram @charlottereadshistory tomorrow.

I really enjoyed reading Alex Hay’s first book The Housekeepers so was very interested in reading this. The first thing I have to say is that this is a novel where you really need to concentrate, there are a few different narrators, all who have a big role in this novel. Not one of them wanted the same outcome and I didn’t trust a single one of them.
A wealthy family and a handful of people who want some of their fortune, all any of them seemed interested in was the money. I felt that the Duke and his sister, Tor, were close but I had a feeling that they would betray each other if it benefited them.
Quinn is the outsider who has made it her mission to get her hands on some of their money and the way she will do that is to marry the duke within a deadline of five days. She has help from a few that she trusts, in particular Mr Silk who I have to admit is one of my favourite characters in the novel. If only for the reason that he is probably the only one who has a conscience.
This author shows the Victorian era in a completely different way to what you would expect from a historical novel. The women aren’t silent, invisible and incapable of making a decision. They are vocal, brave and can run rings around most of the men. They know exactly what they want and how to get it. The men, especially the Duke and Mr Silk. aren’t ignorant of the women in their lives. They appeared to be more respectful and somewhat fearful. It made very entertaining reading.
Whilst these were characters I loved reading about they weren’t easy to like, they were con artists. But I knew that before I started. I was however taken aback by how duplicitous some were. There was a lot I didn’t see as I read and I feel I now need to reread.
This was a wonderfully entertaining second novel by Alex Hay. I have no idea what he will do next.

I did manage to plug through about a third of this book before giving up. It just didn't grab me at all

A gripping thriller featuring Quinn Le Blanc a con artist known as the Lady, infamous throughout the city, from the genteel drawing rooms of the ton to the the less than salubrious corners of Victorian London. But what they don’t know is the chatelaine of the chateau is down on her luck and needs a big score to refill her coffers and return her to the heady heights she’s used to. Her chosen mark is the Duke of Kendal, supposedly one of the wealthiest peers of the land, her aim to trick him into marriage with a five day deadline to land her whale but in the words of Walter Scott 'Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive, Quinn is about to find out there may be more players in the game than she knows and one who knows the game as well as if not better than she does.

The overall story was absorbing and atmospheric, albeit one that was slow to begin with, however it did pick up its pace as event began to unfold and secrets were revealed. I want so much to love this book and while I enjoyed the premise of the plot, I really didn’t take to the character of Quinn. I did however enjoy the Kendal brother and sister, Max and Victoria who had my sympathy as a victim of the era, born first but dependent on her brother on whether she could stay in their family home. It pains me to say this as someone who generally prefers books to television, but I think with The Queen of Fives the opposite may be true, and this is one book I would love to see a TV adaptation of. I honestly think I might prefer it.

It was a great mystery/thriller novel what I liked the most was the originality of the story and the setting.
It was slow at the beginning and then I was so invested in the story which made me want to know what was going to happen next.
I highly recommend to give it a shot.
Thank you NetGalley for this early E-ARC .

When Bridgerton meets the Hustle with a side of Sherlock Holmes. The game is a foot!

I cannot believe that this book only spans over 5 days, so much happens! A plot to ensnare a marriage within 5 days to the Duke of Kendal!!

What a brilliant novel where the twists kept coming! The intrigue, the mystery, the plot - it was all fantastic! I didn't want it to end but also couldn't wait to get to the end to find out all the mysteries.

The juxtaposition of all the different characters POVs, with their competing actions and wishes really made the tension grow throughout the story, with the setbacks and the side characters coming to end the game.

Alex Hay is a fantastic writer and I cannot wait to read his other novel as well as anything else that gets released.

Well done!

I loved the authors previous book The Housekeepers so I very eager to read The Queen of Fives. Victorian London is one of my favourite book setting. The concept is a good idea but it didn't quite grab me like the last book, I'm also not sure historical fiction is the right genre for it. 3.5/5

Quinn Le Blanc is a con artist who sets out to ensnare a Duke to marry her within a set time limit. Quinn along with Silk, find a mark that is suitable for the con. However, all is not right within the Duke's family, which Quinn discovers to her detriment. I found myself routing for Quinn all the way through the story. It's a entertaining, fast paced read with a few humorous moments!! I hope we see Quinn come back in another book.

"The Queen of Fives" is Alex Hay's second novel set in Victorian London. Once again we get glimpses of the upper echelons of society as well as those struggling to make a living, either in service or on the streets. The tale revolves around Quinn. a confidence trickster, and her entourage. She is the current Queen of Fives and all confidence tricks take place over a period of only 5 days. The trick this time is known as False Heiress.

There are many wonderful characters in this novel, with some especially strong women including Quinn, Mrs Airlie and Victoria. Many of the men are not to be trusted but a couple come good in the end. The plot is twisty and complex, and totally enjoyable. Can't wait for the next book from Alex Hay.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved Alex Hay’s The Housekeepers and so was delighted to be offered the opportunity to review his second offering, The Queen of Fives. I loved this even more than I hoped I would. It truly was a fun, tense, historical drama romp! I loved the descriptions of all the characters and the place settings which were so well written I could picture all the action as I was reading. There was a lot going on with different POV but it was so well executed it was easy to follow. I had to force myself to slow down as I got to the final chapters as I was rushing, desperate to know what was going to happen and how things would work out in the end for each character.

I highly recommend this book and make sure you read the Author’s Notes at the end as they are fascinating.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for an eARC of The Queen Of Fives.

Having enjoyed this author’s debut book, The Housekeepers, I have been delighted to discover that his second novel is every bit as good as the first as with skilful manipulation we are drawn into a devilishly clever story of conspiracy and subterfuge. Quinn Le Blanc is the infamous Queen of Fives, a mistress of deception in a long line of female con artists however, being short of money Quinn needs to pull off one of her most audacious confidence tricks. Setting her sights on the wealthy Duke of Kendal, Quinn must entice him into a quick marriage but the stakes are higher than even Quinn could have anticipated.

Deep, dark and filled with secrets of a family in turmoil, Quinn must be able to pull off the subterfuge within the obligatory five days without revealing her true identity however, there are people who have their own agenda, as Quinn soon discovers. I raced through the book with all the eagerness of an amateur sleuth trying, sometime in vain, to put together all the pieces of the complex puzzle which the author blends together so cleverly. There are secrets and lies to be disclosed but before the final pieces of the puzzle click together there is a tremendous adventure to enjoy. The Victorian world comes alive with all its dark and complex ways, and as we sit in the grand drawing rooms alongside Quinn so we get embroiled in her world of deception, intrigue and deadly danger. And as Quinn enters the world of high society, a place so riddled with secrets, it soon becomes impossible to see where the truth ends and the lies begins.

Intricately plotted, and with a feisty protagonist at its heart, The Queen of Fives is every bit as good as I hoped it would be. I look forward to reading more exciting historical fiction from this talented writer.

I was given an ARC of The Queen of Fives from Netgalley and Headline (thank you), and I was very happy to have it because I loved The Housekeepers when I read it last year.

Quinn Le Blanc is a con artist from the Chateau, a place with rulebooks to ensure that the scams run are always original and always work. But, what starts out as a system is subverted by a shadowy figure out for revenge. The whole plot is an elaborate, scheming double-cross which seems to get more and more involved, until everything blows apart... I would describe this book as exciting and enthralling, I just couldn't wait to find out what happened next, and I tore through it.

I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley and am grateful for the opportunity to read it.
I read Alex Hays previous novel The Housekeepers and looking back on that review feel like this might be more of the same.
This book is Set in Victorian London with the Rich and privileged and those who would like to be in their shoes.
Quinn le Blanc or Quinta le Blanque hs inherited the title of Queen of Fives. The Role of this titleholder is to create the best Confidence trick with the greatest impact (maybe). Of Course there is another who believes this title to be hers - and is willing to do anything to get it.
The Narrative is a veritable panolopy of events and side players that, as far as I was concerned, became more and more outlandish as the book moved onn. Men turned into women or perhaps it was the other way round - maybe they were just hermaphrodites. Everyone played on both sides and also to their own benefits. It was just too complicated - My head is a shed i have no idea what is occurring in the Author's.
the writing style was difficult, the narrative Jumpy.
The Book is described as Historical fiction - there is little except the time of events (Victorian) that has any relationship to History real or Imagined. I suggest it would sit more easily in Fantasy or even magical Realism Genres

I wanted this book to be over, it was too complicated and frankly unbelievable. There are lots of things in this book that mirror the last offering from this author and I am not sure he will feature on my TBR again