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

Quinn Le Blanc is the Queen of Fives, a confidence trickster in Victorian London, who sets her sights on the Duke of Kendal. Enter a world where nothing is quite what it seems.
A measure of how much I'm enjoying a book is how easily I'm distracted by Facebook or TV, in the case of this book I found myself reading more and watching less TV. Although this type of book isn't my favourite genre I found that the the twists and turns of the plot, the mystery of the man in the blue waistcoat and all kicked off with the whole story starting with the penultimate scene and then going back to the beginning really grabbed my attention. If you enjoy a good mystery you'll love this book.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

This book is really a master class in deception. I fairly had my eyes opened by the planning behind the Queen of Fives process of securing their operational target and the level of support that was required.

The main character, Quinn was brilliant. I loved how she managed to "think on her feet" as circumstances surprisingly changed.

Her lieutenant Mr Silk was also impressive in a supporting role - what a guy!

My third favourite was "Tor" - what an amazing lady!!

This book is an entertaining read that almost forces you to turn each page faster. I normally would not read this genre of books but I am glad I did.

A really great book to read, extremely original in ideas, which is always brilliant to find.
Some wonderfully captivating and twists and turns, which was obviously well plotted out. Excellent research. There were fantastic characters who were were so well crafted that they were quite believable, in their own weird and wonderful ways.
I do find that I can predict what is going to happen in most books, so it was lovely to find myself surprised and captivated several times.
The denouement was quite brilliant, and the way it linked back through the book was a delight to uncover.
For someone who is not normally interested in historical novels, I find myself hoping that this clever author will continue!

I was asked by NetGalley to review

Wow what a story.

Victorian London- a woman con artist - going for the top - attemps to marry a Duke and gain a fortune from one of Englands richest family.

Sound like I have summed this up - no as with most plans they dont go as planned and the readers is taken a journey through Victorian England with society, social standing and all the restrictions of the times

Loved this book and recommended - due for publication 30 January 2025.

I really enjoyed Alex Hay’s first book, The Housekeepers, and was excited to receive a copy of this from NetGalley. The Queen of Fives is the ultimate con artist, living in luxury in Victorian London. It’s a title given the the best but the current incumbent, Quinn, has fallen on hard times, bills are mounting up and in order to restore herself to glory, she must pull off a five move con, and be married to a rich duke. In five days.
Quinn, the current queen is ably assisted by Mrs Airley, who has responsibility for a group of girls who are also all working hustles. Quinn also has help from a faithful servant, Silk, who plays a pivotal role in preparing the ground for the plan. What Quinn doesn’t know is that there are forces conspiring against her from the start. Can she pull off this coup, or will she be thwarted and left ruined?
The hustle, and the timeline, creates a pacy plot. Like in The Housekeepers, you find yourself rooting for the criminal to succeed. Theres a lot to think about in terms of women’s place in society and freedom. Great stuff.

Thank you to @randomthingstours for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Alex’s previous book so was super excited to read this one. It was brilliant, it grabbed hold of me at the start and didn’t let me go till it was done.

Quinn is the Queen Of Fives, and needs a new trick. She finds one in the Duke and has 5 days, as per the rules, to pull it off. Does she or will all tumble down? There seems to be a few people working against her, namely the man in the blue waistcoat. I changed my mind about 3 times who that was, and didn’t get it until the big reveal! So well disguised throughout, it was difficult to stick to one person it may be. I loved Mr Silk and felt for him at times too, a strong character that really came into his own.

Amazingly well written, gripping and intriguing, everything you want from a historical fiction novel that could be set at any time really! Can’t wait for more from this author.

I enjoyed this book, Quinn is the Queen of Fives, living on her wits according to the rules of the Chateau with her sidekick Silk.
Their recent scams haven't gone well so they start a new plot for Quinn to marry the Duke of Kendal. Quinn calls in all her favours to get an introduction and the game is on.
There are lots of characters in the book, all wheeling and dealing and often double crossing.
It was quite fun but got a bit chaotic towards the end when there was so much going on.
Enjoyable

The Queen of Fives, 1890s con woman extraordinaire Quinn sets her sights on reclusive Max Duke of Kendal. Can she land her mark and walk away with his fortune?

Twisty and turny, atmospheric and suspenseful.

A good romp of a book.

Thanks to NewGalley for the advance copy to review.

I love the premise of the novel. Set in Victorian London, Quinn Le Blanc is the current Queen of Fives – the head of a group of con-artists who use the illustrious-sounding yet ultimately humble Château as their base of operations. We meet Quinn and her right-hand man, Silk, in desperate times. She and Silk are all that remain of their group, and their recent attempts at filling the coffers have gone awry. They need to pull a big job, successfully, to get things back on track, and Quinn intends to pull a particularly daring heist – the “false heiress” – in which she will play a wealthy young woman seeking a husband. Setting her sights on the Duke of Kendle (ludicrously wealthy but seemingly a confirmed bachelor), the game begins.

Quinn is an absolutely fantastic character. Despite the relatively desperate times we meet her in, I can’t really say that I sympathised with her (she is a con-woman, after all), but I immediately warmed to her and I knew pretty much from the first page that I was in for a treat with this novel. She is, out of necessity, a bold and charismatic individual, and there’s something refreshing about meeting a woman who goes against convention with complete and utter confidence, never once doubting her abilities to run a con successfully or questioning her choices. I admired her ability to hold her nerve even as things don't go quite according to plan – it takes real gumption to improvise in those situations and I was cheering her on the whole time. She’s a joy to spend time with, and I wanted her to succeed as she cleverly insinuates herself into the duke’s life.

Each con has rules and a strict process to adhere to, and Hay has structured the novel to mirror the five key steps that Quinn will follow in securing her prize. It’s simple but effective and pulls the reader into the narrative from the get-go. At each stage of the con, the entirety of which is to be completed in five days, the reader sees how Quinn and Silk have planned these steps in great detail, and yet also see how things might go wrong as some situations demand a spontaneous reaction as something unexpected occurs. It adds tension to the narrative, keeping the reader engaged throughout. And each stage is so brilliantly thought out – I loved seeing Quinn’s daunting and ambitious plans brought to life, and couldn’t wait to see if the overall scheme would be successful.

To add another layer to the novel, there is also an antagonist – a mysterious figure monitoring Quinn’s actions, although who they are and their ultimate purpose isn’t revealed until later in the novel. I did work out this individual’s role before the big reveal, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the novel – I couldn’t wait to see how it would be brought to a close and whether Quinn would be successful, and I thought that the denouement was excellent. The Queen of Fives is a huge amount of fun, and I would love to read another novel featuring Quinn Le Blanc and the Château. Highly recommended.

Completely bonkers and utterly implausible, I wasn’t sure whether to continue reading this book at first. However, something about it intrigued me and it sustained my interest enough to keep me going.
It’s a romp of a story, like jumping on a theme park ride and hanging on for the sheer mad fun of it. Enjoyable if you can suspend your disbelief, with many twists and a satisfying conclusion. 3.5 stars.

The Queen of Fives - Alex Hay to be published 30 Jan 2025

I really enjoyed The Housekeepers and was so hoping I enjoyed Alex's new novel.

Quinn Le Blanc the con artist of all con artists is down on her luck. She is the reigning Queen of Fives following in the footsteps of her mother. But mounting debts and failed cons means she has to pull off the biggest con of her life attempting to marry into the one of the richest families in Victorian England. With only five days to do it can she pull it off.

Not as easy as Quinn thought everyone has secrets and the con of course does not go to plan. Secrets and lies abound, twists and turns are everywhere.

I have to say I loved it as much as The Housekeepers it was entertaining very imaginative and fast paced.. Unputdownable.

Thanks to Netgalley for a pre publication copy.

The Queen of Fives is a fast-paced, twisty, devious and intriguing read and would be devoured by fans of historical crime writers such as Laura Shepherd-Robinson and SG McLean. 4 stars

This book was a slow starter but it had so many twists and turns. I really liked Quinne as a character and even more in a Victorian setting where women are not meant to be strong and cunning! I could see this making an amazing TV series.

This is an enjoyable story with richly created characters and locations. I had really enjoyed The Housekeepers so had had high hopes for this, but it did fall a bit short of expectations, and did not keep me quite as engaged as The Housekeepers, but still an enjoyable read.

This was such a fun read. I loved all of the characters, they were all very strongly written. I did like that the bad guy (well, sort of ) was a woman. Very twisty and exciting.

THE QUEEN OF FIVES is a historical thriller about a conwoman trying to trick a duke - and a master of disguises who's trying to thwart her for their own ends.

This is another brilliantly twisty book from Alex Hay, once more about female criminals getting on up on the rich, as with THE HOUSEKEEPERS, but in this one the "sides" feel more complicated and a lot more grey. It's thoroughly engaging though, full of twists and turns as both Quin and her enemy's schemes get wound tighter and tighter around everyone.

The setting is the late Victorian era, just before the turn of the century. It's well into the industrial revolution, which leads to a tension between different types of money - and lots of societal changes that gives people like Quin plenty of room to cause mischief.

I liked the range of narrators in this book. The main character is, of course, conwoman Quin, but we also get to hear from the Duke and Tor (the mark and the mark's sister), as well as Quin's right hand man Mr Silk, but the master of disguises who's out for Quin. It was a nice range of perspectives on the situation. The Duke and Tor were a particularly nice addition for making you care about the marks such that you wanted BOTH parties to succeed, which added tension as only one really could.

Polly Edsell narrates, bringing distinct voices for each of the characters, which is particularly useful with a cast this big. Plus she does a good job of telling you when the various conpeople are in roles by shifting her voice so you can tell it's them but playing a part.