The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay
Narrated by Polly Edsell
Publication Date: January 21, 2025
Summary from NetGalley:
A confidence scheme, when properly executed, will follow five movements in close and inviolable order: I. The Mark II. The Intrusion. III. The Ballyhoo. IV. The Knot. V. All In. There may be many counter-strikes along the way, for such is the nature of the game; it contains so many sides, so many endless possibilities…
1898. Quinn le Blanc, London’s most talented con woman, has five days to pull off her most ambitious plot yet: trap a highly eligible duke into marriage and lift a fortune from the richest family in England.
Masquerading as the season’s most enviable debutante, Quinn puts on a brilliant act that earns her entrance into the grand drawing rooms and lavish balls of high society—and propels her straight into the inner circle of her target: the charismatic Kendals. Among those she must convince are the handsome bachelor heir, the rebellious younger sister, and the esteemed duchess eager to see her son married.
But the deeper she forges into their world, the more Quinn finds herself tangled in a complicated web of love, lies, and loyalty. The Kendals all have secrets of their own, and she may not be the only one playing a game of high deception…
ARC provided by Harlequin Audio via Netgalley for an honest review.
Confession:
This is the first book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it. I missed reading her debut book last year, but be assured that I will be picking that one up when I get a chance. There is a lot to like about this book, but I think the characters and the twisty plot are what will captivate you keep you invested in the story to the end.
Polly Edsell does a good job with the narration. She is able to make each of the many different character points of view come alive with emotion and style. I really liked her voice and how she was able to convey emotion without losing the feel that this was victorian times when everyone was so buttoned up emotionally. I would choose another book with her as the narrator.
This is an ensemble cast of characters that all have a very important role to play. Quinn probably gets the most page time though and it is she who you will end up rooting for. She is always cheery and I loved how she stuck to her rules of how the con should go, even when it was obvious to her that things were going wrong. She is struggling to survive as a conwoman but she is really going through a struggle of self discovery. I loved her relationship with Mr Silk, her advisor and friend and even her burgeoning friendship with the Duke was fun to watch. There were a couple of characters I didn’t care for, but it was interesting to see how they all thought they understood what was going on, but none of them really did.
There is one perspective we got that really had me a bit stumped from the start. They are nameless and are referred to as either the man in the blue silk or the woman in the cream dress. It took me almost to the end of the story to know for sure who this person was in the large scheme of the story. It was very well done and really made the story more interesting. The cat and mouse game this character was playing with Quinn was a lot of fun to watch unfold.
The writing was suburb, I loved the descriptions of everyone’s clothes and the settings. The pacing could have been a bit faster, but it was fine otherwise. I loved how all of the different subplots and stories were woven together throughout the story until we finally see the big picture at the end. It was really well done.
If you enjoyed the first book by this author then I think you will enjoy this one as well. If you haven’t yet read the first book, this is certainly one to give a chance. Especially if you like historical novels with a brilliant con gone wrong, and a dangerous cat and mouse game being played by one of the characters.
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