The Queen of Fives

by Alex Hay

Nothing is quite as it seems in Victorian high society in this clever novel set against the most magnificent wedding of the season, as a mysterious heiress sets her sights on London's most illustrious family

A confidence scheme, when properly executed, will follow five movements in close and inviolable

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  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 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...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

406 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 21, 2025

Reviews

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 4 out of 5]

'To be the Queen of Fives required a certain darkness after all. To deploy all sides of oneself, in the service of one's ambition. No queen could reign without some force'.

Quinn Le Blanc is the reigning Queen of Fives, queen of schemes, scams, lies and fraud, residing at the chateau. However, lately, her rouses have been routed and with debts mounting, she needs to pull off the biggest scheme of all, 'False Heiress', and nab a fortune from a titled fop. Quinn has given herself just five days to dupe a Duke but as her game continues, it appears that she's not the only two-faced player: everyone has secrets they are desperate to hide and ill intentions abound. Maybe honesty really is the best policy…

'The Queen of Fives' has more twists than a box of pretzels! After a bit of a slow start, I found this story to be a real page-turner; never knowing what path I'd next be led down. Although I'm not sure the ending quite worked for me, I appreciate wrapping up such a complicated plot is tricky. All in all this Victorian-set story is a fun and worthy read.

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute top tier historical fiction - fantastic plot and pacing, amazing characters, wonderful writing. I can't recommend it enough.

[MillennialMomReading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook had me hanging by the edge of my seat! I was able to review this as part of The Hive (from Harlequin Audio) and it is a historical caper that twists and turns to a satisfying end. It’s told through multiple POV and had me guessing right up until the last minute what was actually happening. Seeing each character from the author’s POV added so much depth to the mystery and the moral grayness of all kept me intrigued. There’s just one narrator, but they do an excellent job reading with the weight/gravity of each character without doing any specific voices. If you love historical mysteries, this should be on your radar!

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another one of those books that I thought had so much potential, but just fell quite a bit short of hitting the mark for me.

I mean, a historical (Victorian) fiction mystery marriage scheme??? That sounds like so much fun to me! But that amazing concept wasn't executed as nicely or entertainingly as it could have been. After reading it, it makes me think that maybe this concept would have been better as a movie (which is something I rarely say, I am a book before the movie kind of reader). But I could see this being VERY successful as a movie because I feel like it would feel better paced in that medium.

I felt like this book moved so very slowly. I even had to skim the first and last 15-ish% just to get through it because I felt like nothing was happening.

The characters were so two-dimensional to start and with next to no character development by the end of the book (and as a character-driven reader, character development is so incredibly important to me, I want to see the character thinking and processing).

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Jennifer Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in a high-stakes Regency world where reputation, inheritance, and deception collide, The Queen of Fives follows Quinn Le Blanc, a master con artist who has earned her title by excelling in the art of the grift. When she targets a powerful household and its heir, her manipulation game begins to unravel into something far more significant than she anticipated. Alliances shift, betrayals surface, and the ultimate con becomes as much about survival and identity as it is about winning.

This book was an intriguing journey, primarily because of the con at the heart of the story. Alex Hay slowly reveals what the “real game” is, which kept me turning the pages, I was eager to see how all the pieces would ultimately fit together.

However, the characters didn’t always do justice to the cleverness of the plot. Tor was so unlikable that it was challenging to invest in her story, and the Duke never felt as strong or influential as he needed to be. Quinn herself was enjoyable to follow, but at times I wished there were more emotional depth and connection between her and the other characters.

Overall, I would categorize this as an okay read. The con itself was entertaining and well-structured, but the lack of strong character development kept it from being great. If you enjoy slow-burn cons and plots that unravel like puzzles, this book might still be worth picking up.

[Kristen's Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very good story and the concept was incredibly intriguing! I definitely recommend the book, the twists were twisty with twists!
Quinn is the Queen of Fives, essentially queen of con-artists. A position that has been handed down amongst the worthy. She pulls off job after job and pays nicely the people that helped her and has maintained a balanced community in the underworld. Times lately have been tough with jobs gone wrong and she needs to make a big score to keep her head above water and reputation intact. She makes one of the richest families in her area as her mark and trouble ensues.
The story was slow to get going in the first quarter of the book and then slowed down the last quarter where I found myself skimming the extra fluff cuz I was so excited to get to the good stuff.

[RoosBookReviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved The Housekeepers by Alex Hay, so I was excited to read this book. However it was a miss. There were so many side characters, double crossing, changing of not just clothes but entire identities that it was impossible to keep straight. It was also borrowed heavily from his previous novel instead of being its own work. This book seemed to drag on and even the ending was unsatisfying after the ordeal of getting there. I'm hoping it's a sophomore slump, because Hay's first book was glorious.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Alex Hay, and Harlequin Audio for my advance copy of this audiobook.

[shelton · Rating 2 out of 5]

i went into this expecting a fun, fast-paced caper. a confidence woman romance scheme sounded like it would be such a good heist romp! instead it was just extremely boring and excruciatingly slow-paced.

the 'twists' were also just so mind numbingly obvious that I'm genuinely so baffled by other reviews that say they were shocked by them. like I mean no disrespect, but who else could you possibly think were going to be revealed to be the dukes lover or the troublemaker?? There weren't any other characters in the book! a mystery centred on secret identities doesn't really work very well when you only have, what? six??? named characters with lines of dialogue

if the mr silk 'twist' was the one they were refering to, i again felt it deeply obvious but it also made for such an anticlimactic ending. you wouldn't think an explosion ridden ending would be boring but it was because it was so unnecessary. I was expecting this novel to do something clever and it simply never delivered.

i also felt no great affection for, or investment in, any of the principle characters which led to a third act confrontation that i just did not care about the resolution of tbh.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

London, 1896. The city's most gifted con woman attempts to wed a Duke and filch a fortune from England's wealthiest family. Gripping!

[Laura (thenerdygnomelife) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one dragged on a bit for me. I am not the right reader for this book, but I can see that it will be the perfect fit for many others. 3.5 stars rounded down.

[Marina Fanous · Rating 2 out of 5]

This… wasn’t a good book. It feels like it starts in the middle of the story, there’s no backstory or character development — only what the author mentions to suit the plot— it’s unclear what all the various characters’ motives are because they don’t have any depth; they’re all just there to advance the plot. And even the plot was contrived; it didn’t feel organic or go in a direction that made sense. It had a lot of potential, but the execution falls flat. The author didn’t successfully give the “Queen of Fives” any sense of importance or admirable quality. This felt like an amateur’s short story masquerading as a heist novel with a plot twist.

It was entertaining, though.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored Alex Hay’s debut The Housekeepers, so I picked up his sophomore novel without giving it a second thought. While I didn’t fall as hard for The Queen of Fives, I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and I loved the con itself that Quinn has set up. I think the only reason I didn’t love it as much was due to a slow start, and the time it took for me to REALLY get into the entire storyline and characters. I ended up having to set it aside for a couple of days due to library books I had to return, and it was really easy to immerse myself back in and not be confused so that was a plus.

I do think there was a bit of a missed opportunity with the audiobook only having one narrator, but as it was I did love Polly Edsell. She threw herself into her narration and I was very pleased with the way she was able to convey every emotion and every feeling no matter who she happened to be voicing at the time. Day five (All In) was my favorite section of the book by far and it is where much of the action takes place. We also get hit with a jaw-dropping twist that left me speechless. I would make sure to read the author’s note at the back of the book since it isn’t included in the audio as it gives context to how this story came about.

Read this if you enjoy books with caper and heist high stakes action, historical elements, and the Victorian era!

Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received a complimentary book and advance listening copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Elle Laine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quinn le Blanc is the reigning queen of the chateau. And her next target? A rich nobleman. But this con is not the same as the others. Quinn is upping the stakes and putting more on the line for this job because desperate times call for desperate measures.

I received a complementary electronic copy of this book from Alex Hay and Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

I really wanted to like this book. The idea of it was intriguing, but the execution did not quite capture what I was hoping for. The details and certain characters were too complicated and it was hard to keep everything straight in my mind. I also felt like the story was dragged out too much in the middle.

What I liked: I enjoyed the drama of the ending and the overall mystery that encompassed the story. The mystery definitely added to the story, so I am glad that was included.

Overall, I might recommend this to someone who was looking for a historical con artist novel, but I do not see myself recommending this to all of my friends and followers.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing itself isn’t bad but the characters lack depth and the plot felt increasingly ridiculous, particularly the climax. The twist was obvious from a mile away, imo. And for historical fiction it lacked actual history; while there were historical details, they felt outlandish (notably in clothing descriptions). It ultimately read like an early draft of something that could have been great but the author didn’t know how to bring it together in a believable way.

Thank you to the publisher for the early review copy.

[Grisette · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

A heist novel! I never knew this genre existed. So you can guess my keenness to get through this book. Because who doesn't enjoy a heist movie (when it is well made)? To the collective conscience, good heist movies are seductive fly traps because they tingle the imagination and raise up the adrenaline by playing well on their trademark elements: anti-heroes, smart brains, daring acts, glitter and deception, wit and humour, twists within twists, the final big twist, and ultimately success. So on this premise, a heist novel sounded like a big dream. Unfortunately, for me it fell through. It was sure a brave attempt at the genre (moreso in Victorian times!) but it did not work. Here's why (heavy spoilers ahead!):


👰 Weak, surrealist world building. The very concept of a 5-day con is preposterous. It might work for a small job like conning a priest or a broker, but to secure a marriage within 5 days? With the first meet on Day 1, the engagement on Day 3, and the wedding on Day 5? P.R.E.P.O.S.T.E.R.O.U.S. I don't know how the former players of the Chateau got by but these 5 rules are kind of nonsense when framed in so short a limit. All through the read, my mind kept shouting, bs, bs, bs...

👰 Any good con hinges on preparation, excessive ones, and in-depth knowledge of the target. While Quinn and Silk have supposedly planned the ins and the outs before the 5 days started (would that not be against the rules anyway? 🤷‍♀️), their unpreparedness was so evident while the con was at play. Except for the plans for Day 1 (the first meet with a bang) and Day 5 (the final twist), Quinn seemed fumbling her way through the rest of the days. Now, if I could not admire the smart brains of the supposed heist heroine, how could I believe in the book? I should have realised so right from the first chapters: A Chateau run by only 2 people? Failure assured.

👰 Like I said Quinn was not smart enough. Notwithstanding the behind the scenes manipulation of the true villain, Quinn would never have secured an engagement on Day 3 if Max the Duke had not decided to play his own game. I don't care that Quinn acted by instinct and made a shot in the dark by dangling a vague, open-ended proposition to the Duke that eventually led to him proposing. She had no real idea what she was doing and what would happen. This is not what a good heist is about. Waiting for fate to give you something, with no clear view of the steps ahead? Pshaww 😤!

👰 Because of the 5 day limit, so many pointless happenings and scenes: threatening the newspaper man for good press (what does she care, it's over in 5 days!), the quick renovation of her pretend home (useless as neither the duke, nor her erstwhile suitors ever visited), the empty travel to the races (what was the point? She didn't even use smartly her time on the train to tighten the terms of her deal with Max) etc. And excuse me, a breakfast invite to strangers' place right after a big ball that surely ended at dawn? What nonsense is that 🤦‍♀️? A good heist has no time for pointless happenings!

👰 About the real villain: while I admit the style of buildup to the reveal had some thoughtfulness, the raison d'être of Lady K is just stupid. She has still a bruised ego after 25 years? For an election she enforced and bitterly lost by her own hubris and fault (because she did not know how to cajole voters)? And to claim she was stolen the crown? Grow up woman! Did she ever realise that Quinn's notice of the House of Kendal was her very own fault? If Lady K had left the Chateau alone, Quinn's eyes would never have fell on the pamphlet. She should have figured that the final play was in her disfavour because she sent Silk to arrange it and she then knew he tried to stop her. So vain of her, this leading to her downfall.

👰 Also, while Lady K might be a master of disguise and manipulation, she is a complete dunce at managing property. To bankrupt a house as rich as the Kendals? Where were her supposed brains? She should have been fructifying the wealth and entangling throroughly the loyalty of Max and Tor. Instead, she created a family dynamics of communicating through notes? Dumb. It was a house of cards just waiting to crumble.

Left unanswered plot threads that bothered me much:

👔 What did Silk do for Quinn that is so secretive? Did he kill Lillian?

👔 Why let Lady K roam free? I am sure the unhinged woman will come back to haunt them. Be it in 1 week or 25 years. She is that unhinged and she clearly hates losing, moreso by her own mistakes.

👔 Willoughby getting of scot-free.

👔 No indication what will happen to the Chateau, after Quinn.


One analogy that came across as great: the doll house. Because in the end, Max and Tor were just that. Dolls manipulated and emprisoned by Lady K in a house where their own control is only illusory. I do not hate them. I pity them because they have been preyed upon when their minds were still so young. The trauma will perdure for them.

I wanted this book to thrive. It had the idea but not the codes. However, I think I will try the author's first novel (another heist novel) because it seemed from reviews that it was better rounded.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw a blurb for this stating it was ‘a sheer delight from start to finish’

Hmppph I said with NY grumpiness we shall see about that

I now bow to the blurb writer as honestly I couldn’t have put it better myself

What a gem of a book, late 1800’s is described robustly via sights, sounds, smells, clothes, food, housing and the social snobbery of the era and in the middle of this is the ‘Queen of Fives’ who is the crime alternative of royalty and has 5 days and 5 stage to lure, catch, trap, keep and rob her victim ( that is a quick way to put it, the rules are much more intricate )

But all does not go to plan, at all and the story takes a real old romp through Victorian life with all its foibles and restrictions

The writing for me was magical, modern old fashioned terminology used understandably and joyfully versed…..everything about this book was a genuine pleasure

Loved every bit of it

[Caroline Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 A London scammer gets more than she bargained for when she goes after a mysterious (and obviously very rich) duke!!

This was very okay - I predicted the big twists pretty early on, and wasn’t convinced by some of the details at the end, but overall entertaining enough.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that had some really fun ideas, but the execution didn’t quite meet the mark for me. The premise, featuring a Victorian-era mystery with a confidence woman as the protagonist, had me intrigued from the very beginning. I was fully invested for the first quarter of the book! The intrigue, the Chateau, and the mark were all fascinating.

The mystery element felt obvious from the very moment it was introduced, though, and then it took a very long time to get to the payoff. And in all of that, the characters felt a bit flat so I didn’t get the character development I usually look for in a slower paced book.

I feel like this is one of those cases where a movie adaptation could be a better medium for this story. This might be fun for someone who likes an easy mystery with a strong female criminal as the main character! I went back and forth between reading the ebook and listening to the audio, and the narration of the audio was fabulous!

Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for the advanced edition!

[Jenn (burlingtonbiblio) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book Review
The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay

My thoughts
- this one was a miss for me
- Storyline felt too similar to Hay’s Previous book, I was like, “ oh, this again?” , I immediately lost interest
- Very slow pace
- Might have been better as a romance

Overall
I DNF’d - after I read over 100 pgs…. I just wasn’t invested in the characters or the outcome

[Nicole Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was much more complex and twisty than I expected! An interesting historical setting with lots of complex characters.

[Tilly Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Verona ೀ⋆｡˚ ❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️, at first it was a bit tough to get through this book. But when i was halfway the plottwist started coming and I ended up really enjoying this book!!

[Madoka Kamimura Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex Hay brings us the story of Quinn le Blanc, a very talented con woman in 1898 London. She has set her sights on one of the richest families in England. Her target is to get the duke to the marriage altar then take the family fortune. As she gets closer to her goal, the more deceptions start to unfold. Quinn is hiding behind the facade of a wealthy heiress, but she finds out that she is not the only one keeping secrets. What happens when every turn is met with suspicion and deceit? Follow along with Quinn to see what happens when she sets her sights on Max, the Duke of Kendal, and his family. See what twists and turns happen as each player moves forward in their games and what happens once all bets are in and the dice are thrown.

Alex Hay brings us the story of Quinn and those in her employ as we try to figure out how they are going to pull of the wedding of the year. See what happens as each player plays a set across the board and how that impacts all the other players. You keep wanting to turn the page to see what happens next.

I have read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House for this privilege.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a lot going on and I wasn't invested enough to keep track.
I preferred his other book.

[Nicole Wuthering Vines · Rating 4 out of 5]

This intricate and sharp-witted Victorian-era thriller follows a master con artist as she schemes her way into high society, executing her plan through five calculated stages: The Mark, The Intrusion, The Ballyhoo, The Knot, and The All.

This period piece and historical thriller presents a captivating concept, and I’m always drawn to a well-executed faux marriage scheme. Though the pacing starts off slower with more fluff than I usually prefer, the clever scheming and unexpected twists in the final act made for an entertaining payoff.

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads

[Robert Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 - 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.

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mysterious historical fiction that was paced exactly how I like…..gorgeous

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining and different. 3.5

[Laura | travelandreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun historical fiction heist story set in Victorian England, following Quinn Le Blanc, a notorious con woman known as the Queen of Fives, who has five days to trick a wealthy Duke into marrying her. There were a lot of twists and turns and I didn’t see all of them coming. I liked that the story didn’t just provide chapters from Quinn’s point of view but also included perspectives from other characters, such as the Duke and his sister.

I enjoyed the fast-paced writing, which at times felt like a thriller. My only complaint is the ending. It felt very rushed and tied everything up too neatly. I will definitely be picking up Alex Hay’s debut The Housekeepers, and I hope he continues to write more books in this style.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Alex Hay’s first novel, The Housekeepers, about a group of servants staging a heist during a ball in a grand London house. I hoped for something similar from his next book – and that’s what I got! If anything, this one is more complex, ambitious and inventive.

It’s 1898 and Quinn Le Blanc has five days to convince the Duke of Kendal to marry her and trick him out of his fortune. Why five days? Because Quinn is the ‘Queen of Fives’, the leader of a network of London con artists based at a house known as The Chateau who play by a specific set of rules. Their current game is called False Heiress and there are a number of steps that have to be carried out on each day of the con. The Chateau has been operating for generations and there have been many previous Queens. During Quinn’s eight-year reign, however, things have started going wrong: debts are mounting and the house is falling into disrepair. She desperately needs this latest scheme to be a success.

Quinn is assisted by Mr Silk, whose job is to serve the Queen and to guard the all-important Rulebook, which contains the instructions for the Chateau’s various games. But watching from the shadows is the mysterious Man in the Blue Silk Waistcoat – and also the equally mysterious Woman in the Cream Silk Gown – who will do whatever it takes to stop Quinn in her tracks.

As you can see, this is an unusual story based on an unusual premise and, to be honest, I was never fully convinced by it. I didn’t really understand why it was so important to complete the game within five days and to stick so rigidly to the Rulebook, when allowing more time or adapting the rules to fit unforeseen circumstances could have made it easier to win. Still, I managed to just suspend disbelief and go along with it! After a slow start, with time spent introducing the characters and the history of the Chateau, things gradually pick up pace and by the middle of the book I was gripped.

As with The Housekeepers, the reader is in the rare position of wanting the villains, in this case Quinn and her friends, to succeed. However, we also get to know the victims, the Duke of Kendal and his sister, Tor (short for Victoria). Tor is a single woman in her thirties who still lives with her brother and their stepmother and she is worried about losing her home should the Duke decide to marry. Tor is immediately suspicious of the woman who appears out of nowhere and introduces herself as Miss Quinta White, but the Duke himself seems unsuspecting. Later, we discover that he has reasons of his own for wanting to marry quickly, so Quinn’s attentions aren’t unwelcome to him – though, of course, he has no idea who she really is or what her plans are.

There are some great twists towards the end of the book and although in hindsight I feel I should probably have seen them coming, I didn’t and was taken by surprise. I think overall I preferred The Housekeepers, but both books are fun and I’m already looking forward to a third book by Alex Hay, whenever and whatever that may be.