When I was thinking about how to describe this audiobook, the word ‘ romp’ kept coming to mind, not so much in a Carry On sense but more in a ‘no holds barred, throw everything you’ve got at it in a madcap high stakes escapade’ . I really enjoyed ‘The Queen of Fives’; from the outset it was clear that this was historical fiction with a twist, buckle in for the journey.

Quinn le Blanc is the current Queen of Fives, raised to be the greatest confidence trickster the world has ever seen. She lives by the rules of complicated and sometimes unspoken games. She’s currently involved in a five day heist called ‘The Fake Heiress’ where the aim is to ingratiate herself fully into the uppermost ranks of society. She’s helped along the way by trusty sidekick Mr Silk who has been with her from the beginning.

Quinn and Mr Silk start their convoluted game, with countless strands and elements to manage and oversee. She has been preparing for this her whole life, with ready made disguises and costumes, different characters to portray and a catalogue of staff on her payroll. But Quinn isn’t the only one hiding secrets and plotting something huge. Will someone from her past stop her in her tracks?

The audio is perfectly narrated and fits the story so well - a great choice.

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.

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

I listened to the audio version of this book and it was superb. The narration is brilliant: the characters are cleverly brought to life; the pace is perfect; and overall it’s one of those stories that works incredibly well as a listen. Polly Edsell is a brilliant narrator.

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. I’ll be eagerly awaiting his next one!

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

When con artists, really were confident and artistic in their 'tricks' The Queen of Fives is at the top of her game, and aiming high. But who is conning who?, who is in it for the rush? and who's playing the long game?

Dramatic, entertaining and twisty.

Thank you Netgalley, Headline audio and Alex Hay for the audio Arc of The Queen of Fives.
Narrated by Polly Edsell.

This is a slow to medium burn set in a Victorian Era and how our MC, Quinn La Blanc blags, cheats and cons her way into high society. It's got some nice twists and turns and all this not what it seems in the world of Quinn and her devious plans. This is a great mystery/thriller with some heists, double crossing and some surprising outcomes. The narrative flows easy and I loved the character building and were the stage was set. The pay off at the end was marvellous and I really hope we hear more from Quinn in future books.


4 stars

Sorry this was a DNF for me I just couldn't get into the story at all. I don't think it was a bad book though just not for me. I won't post review anywhere else as I didn't finish the book and I don't review unfinished books.

I really enjoyed this, very well narrated. Great story with likeable characters. Strong female lead character. I would highly recommend the audio book.

Quinn Le Blanc is the Queen of Fives, a high level con artist in historic London. She wangled her way into high society and targets the aristocratic Duke of Kendall. However all is not exactly as it seems. Other people are playing their own games, and she will need to adapt hers to survive. Sometimes a little slow, sometimes trying to be too mysterious, sometimes trying to be too clever, however the plot is good overall with some interesting characters

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 .

The Queen of Fives is a delicious book and has all the ingredients of what I’m coming to know as classic Alex Hay. Gorgeous historical detail, fabulous settings, ingenious characters who you totally fall for. I adored Quinn and loved following her deception… Fake Heiress is such a great con to follow... The audiobook was superbly read. Hope this book does brilliantly - love the cover design too!

Actual rating 4.5.

What an absolute romp this was! Fans of a good Victorian novel, you need to get this on your list 👏

This was such a fun and clever read, full of colourful characters and historical details. I love a good con woman, and Quinn was pretty damn good - brilliant at what she does, but also with a heart of gold, which softens as the story progresses. But she’s not the only strong and compelling female character in this story that’s just bursting with them! I loved how feisty the women in this story were, and the combination of strong female characters, a clever and twisty plot and that historical detail really reminded me of reading Laura Sheperd-Robinson. I adored @alexhaybooks’s debut, The Housekeepers, but I think he’s gone and topped it with this gem - a must for any historical crime fans!

The Queen of Fives is a deliciously entertaining read. It is full of deception, lies and skulduggery set in 19th Century London. Quinn Le Blanc has earned her reputation as the ‘Queen of Fives’, the highest-ranking con artist in the city. Her place was hard won; she has had to demonstrate her skills in card play and as a card sharp par excellence. She is a mistress of disguise and can pass for any rank, gender or class. It is Quinn’s job to play by the house rules – and there are many – in initiating and carrying off a con. But times are hard for the con artists in the thieving and conning fraternity and as head of her household, she needs to ensure that enough money is coming in to keep all the necessary payments to her fixers, mark spotters and intelligence gatherers.

So, she needs to pull off a big score and as fast as possible as well as make sure that there can be no comeback on her from her marks or others who seek to displace the crown from her head. The answer is to pull the big con; one that is well known in her world – the marriage con.

Her choice seems obvious. The Kendals are an old established and wealthy family and the Duke of Kendall is of marriageable age. The Duke has a sister, Victoria and a step-mother and the family seem close. More, Quinn establishes that the family are keen to see the Duke married and to sire an heir to keep the lineage going.

As Quinn seeks to place herself in the eye of the Duke, whilst establishing her new reputation as a wealthy debutante, she has no idea of the machinations that are going on within the family. She has, of course, a spy in the household, but nothing she learns will prepare her for what is to come. The family has secrets of its own, not least the Duke, who is keen to marry but seems uninterested in whom he marries. Nor is she aware that all the while her most fearsome enemy is marshalling forces in preparation for a very personal battle.

Polly Edsell reads with well-modulated tones, injecting the personas of Quinn, the Duke, Victoria and The Dowager Duchess of Kendall with spirit and personality.

Verdict: The Queen of Fives is a great listen. Full of fascinating characters it is entertaining, replete with lies and duplicity; sometimes a surprising honesty. It kept my interest throughout and has a number of surprising plot developments that genuinely caught me unawares. It was both a fun and a delightfully enjoyable listen.

I enjoyed the authors first book so was keen to read this.

However, I found it rather to long and slow for me and found myself wanting to skin though.

It did pick up pace towards the end but not enough to save the story for me. Too similar in general plot idea to the first book to feel interesting as well.

The audio itself was well done and I enjoyed the narration.

Quinn Le Blanc is a conwoman. It's quite refreshing to read about a female conartist. She needs money to keep the Chateau afloat so the long-running trickster games can continue. She's five days to wed the Duke.

Set in Victorian times, it was fun to watch this storyline play out. Told from different POV, it was good to know what the characters were thinking.

I've loved every minute reading this book, which is full of secrets, underhand trickery, and blackmail.

It's so nice to read about a con artist who is a woman in 1890's London.
The multi PoV gives more layers to the story and the characters. The question is : who is the con (wo)man and who is the target? The clever plotting, the suspense and the twists keeps you gripping till the end.
Through the last half of the book I kept asking myself how this could end? I had 2 choices (evident ones), it was neither of them.

Nice reading, beautiful writing, the audiobook is great, the narrator gives life to all the characters with ease.

I listened to an audio arc of this novel which was beautifully read by Polly Edsall. She managed to provide clear vocal differentiation between characters, never an easy feat but especially hard when some characters needed two distinct voices.

Conwoman Quinn, aka the Queen of Fives, sets out to con the Duke of Kendall into marriage in order to save The Chateau she rules from bankruptcy. Unfortunately Quinn is not the only player in the game and soon she becomes the quarry as well as the hunter.

What I liked:
- It was quite a romp through the streets of London.
- Clearly defined characters you could cheer for our boo at.
- A well-defined plot.
- Lots of skullduggery
- The tone

What I didn’t like:
- Implausible timeline - the con is supposed to take place over 5 days, which I found bizarre and pointlessly confusing. I’m not really sure that it made any sense at all within the context as it isn’t as though there was a bet or forfeit that made it so time-dependent.
- The period setting seemed off all the way through, which seemed very odd since Alex Hay studied History. The 1890’s were a time of massive industrial change and at the very end of the Victorian period. Mechanisation, railways and bicycles were all in use and London was a populous and busy metropolis. Yet here characters are dashing around in carriages and even racing them in central London. With the talk of wigs, kidnapped brides, descriptions of clothing and so much else, it feels much more Regency.
- No real surprises. It’s hard to get the balance right between pulling out a twist that comes from nowhere and giving the reader too many clues. For me, there were no real surprises but it was still an enjoyable story.

The biggest problem for me was that it bore similarities to Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith and her writing and plot are just so much better. This is however, a fun romp and I suspect that Quinn might be back in future instalments. 3.5-4⭐️

With thanks for my arc to NetGalley, the author and the publisher.

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.

Reallly great story that I thoroughly enjoyed listening to. The narrator did a fantastic job with all the characters and the plot held me gripped throughout. I did feel the ending wasn’t great but I suppose it did wrap up all the strands of the plot. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early release of this audiobook.

It is 1898 and Quinn is the current Queen of Fives. Now she needs to pull off her greatest con yet which will resolve all her money worries. She will attempt to catch the Duke of Kendall and trick him into marriage. But unknown to her there is someone else targeting the family.

Very well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Strong characters in this witty, well paced novel. Lots of twists and turns plus skullduggery in high society. Can the great prize be won?

Imagine Bridgerton crossed with Hustle (only 10 times better!) and you have an idea of the delights ahead in The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay.
I absolutely loved this storyline from the opening paragraph to the final line.
Though set in the Victorian era, rather than Regency times, the expected behaviour and class lines are still very much in place, providing a perfect opening for Quinn Le Blanc, the Queen of Fives, aka the reigning Queen of Cons in London to play a classic fraud. Quinn runs La Chateau, the home of cons in London. Quinn has decided to play one of the mosts dangerous cons of all, to pretend to be an heiress to ensnare the wealthy, and single Duke of Kendal in marriage, with the intention of stealing of his fortune. There's just one rather major catch - the con must be completed in 5 days. Oh and there is a mysterious figure watching her.
The story moves at a fast-pace, commencing on the infamous day five, and then jumping back in time to explain how Quinn has reached this point and the delicate web of relationships that could come crashing down at any moment and cost Quinn, not just her reputation but also her life.
The narrator is Polly Edsell, and she does a wonderful job at bringing the characters, in particular Quinn to life. Hearing the storyline, helped me to imagine the character.
I did need to keep my focus on the clever intricacies of the relationships and levels of con artistry at play in the storyline, but this was not a hardship as I loved the story so much and couldn't wait to get back to reading it. A full five stars and I'd love another adventure with Quinn Le Blanc.