The Queen of Fives is a cleverly written compelling work of historical fiction.
Set in Victorian London with a brilliant cast of scheming characters it will keep you entertained and guessing until the very end.
Recommended to readers who enjoy stories about confidence tricksters.

This book takes us to Victorian England where we follow Quinn Le Blanc, the con woman Queen of Fives, who has five days and five moves to charm a wealthy man into marrying her.

I wanted to love this novel more than I actually did. The concept of the heist and the Rulebook of previous heists was captivating and there were lots of twists and turns. However, the book dragged somewhat and I found some aspects confusing. I think this would actually work better as a film or TV series as it has a lot of potential.

A recommended read for fans of The Housekeepers and historical fiction heists.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

I loved it. It’s 1898 and in London Quinn Le Blanc is the Queen of Fives, the leader of the Chateau, a house of con women. There has been a lot of ‘work’ falling through and the house is in debt so Quinn is determined to pull a big job to repay their debts and restore their fortunes. In line with their rules she can only con a man who deserves it and has just five days to complete the con. She has set her mark, the Duke of Kendal, and the game is on.

Briefly, as wealthy heiress Miss Quinta White (Quinn), she arranges to be in the duke’s company at a number of grand events. But her path is full of obstacles, Tor, the Duke’s sister and his stepmother Lady Kendal and an unknown person who has a longstanding grudge with the queen of fives.

A fabulous mix of Victorian upper class life and the lower class crime community. There are so many secrets on both sides of the class divide and people playing both sides of the game. It was hard to decide who you could trust and who not to. Everyone is playing for high stakes and there are some brilliant double crosses coming. A well plotted and thrilling story full of lies and deception. A very entertaining read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Loved this - very different to the first story which was great. Loved the twist at the end

The Queen of Fives
Quinn Le Blanc who is also known as Miss Quinta White is a con woman making her way in Victorian London. Acknowledged as being at the top of her game and heavily in debt, she has set her sights on marrying the Duke of Kendal and fleecing him out of his fortune within five days. Hence her nickname, ‘The Queen of Fives.’ She is alone in the world and has survived on her skills throughout her life.
But there are indications that all is not well in her world. Silk, her factotum and fixer at the ‘fraud palace’, the Chateau, which was founded on ‘parting rich men from their fortunes’ is becomingly worried about deals falling through or debts accumulating and bills being unpaid. They need the money from the marriage to become solvent again. Someone is watching them from the shadows and coming closer. Someone who has returned to London who he had hoped never would. They plan to destroy Quinn.
The Kendals are a troubled family. Tor, the Duke’s sister, is headstrong and chafes against her role as a woman in Victorian society. But she is a wealthy woman in her own right and, with the support of their stepmother, she feels that her position within the family and their wider circle is assured. But she and Max, the Duke, made a pact to never marry and now suddenly he is. She and Lady Kendal have joined forces to prevent it.
And as events begin to career out of control it begins to lead to an explosive climax….
This is the author’s second book and is again fast paced and set in 1898, almost of the cusp of the 20th century. It’s as audacious as its predecessor, ‘The Housekeepers’ but it seems a little incredible that Quinn could present herself as an heiress and push her way into the Duke’s circle by various means within five days. But then he has his own motives for marrying so quickly.
I found that the mysterious character was a more interesting one than Quinn in that they don’t follow conventions and are adept at disguise. I felt that the author was far more interested in developing them than Quinn. ‘The Queen of Fives’ has the same rumbustious and audacious feel as ‘The Housekeepers’, the author’s previous book. In both books I had a strong sense of ‘Will they pull it off or not?’ Five days was an interesting time frame in which to frame the plot.
However, there is a long list of characters to keep track of with new, minor ones being introduced. The reader is told that Quinn is the greatest con artist and it would have been interesting to see her in action and more about her rise to the top before the main plot starts. The training for the rising generation of confidence tricksters is touched upon and it seemed to be a trade to aspire to.
It's a really twisty plot with multiple POVs and I couldn’t put the book down. Victorian London was really well created especially the rituals of society such as changing outfits several times in a day. I liked Silk as he supported Quinn and the Chateau. It was an intriguing piece of historical fiction which revealed another strata of Victorian London in which determined and upwardly mobile women could achieve their goals by nefarious means. I did not expect the climax or the ending. Looking forward to the author’s next book!
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

This book was very cleverly plotted, well written and had an interesting ending. But I can't say that I enjoyed it. Somethings about it felt like I was reading a YA novel and I couldn't really get on with the main character, Quinn le Blanc. An adventurous novel for a second publication and Alex Hay did well, but it just wasn't for me. 4 stars for the good writing and clever plotting. With thanks for an e-ARC to read and review.

Quinn Le Blanc is a grifter who has fallen on hard times. As the Queen of Fives she has 5 days and 5 moves to charm a wealthy man into marriage, with the help of Silk, her right-hand man. The novel is set in Victorian England.

I was intrigued reading the blurb for this book but sadly, for me, the novel didn't serve up what I expected from it. I found it difficult to engage with the characters as they sometimes didn't seem to know their own role in the novel so didn't come to life. I also thought that there was a lot of irrelevant detail which subtracted from the story - the novel could probably have been 100 pages shorter, which would have kept me more involved.

Having said this, there were lots of positives too - particularly some of the detail about Victorian England. I could see this being very successful as a TV adaptation

I was intrigued by the idea of Queen of Fives. A Victorian woman heading up a house of heists (the Chateau). Quin, the queen needs to secure funds to pay off The Chateau's debts and proposes to get Lord Kendal to marry her.
But in the background there is someone who is determined to ring Quin's reign down to become the new Queen of Fives.
Sadly, for me, the flow didn't work. I didn't get caught up in the plot sufficiently to get excited.

A thrilling, plot-twisting breathtaking novel where we follow Quinn, Queen of Fives, with her devious plan to con money out of her 'mark', a duke, and his dubious family. But who is manipulating whom? Set in London, we see Victorian Spitafields, bus to Marylebone and take coaches to electrically lit Mayfair, gallop through Hyde Park and race through St. James. There's even an unexpected trip to Chelsea. The book thrums with secrets. There is danger, mounting debts, glittering treasures, remorseless risks, exhilarating double-crossings and deception and a gripping, time ticking plot. The blood-red house in Berkley Square, the Duke's stronghold in Mayfair, is a deeply unsettling house. The author Alex Hay describes barely audible susurration in servants hidden stairways, as though the walls are filled with hidden, scurrying sounds. She describes the vinegar, kippers and champagne, the smell of orchids and ferns. Always a tension between the glittering wealth and a dark, unpleasant undertow squirming beneath the glossy surface. This is a brilliantly written, must-read, five stars of a book.

This is a great piece of historical fiction. This is a really compelling read with great characters who connect you to the story. I really loved Quinn and her second in command Silk. I liked their relationship and the way they worked together, which I felt have the story a certain charm. This is a well paced read with lots of well timed twists and turns and one explosive ending!

I found the premise of this book to be intriguing.
Quinn is the Queen Of Fives, The head con-artist in Victorian London, carrying out swindles and cons by following a strict set of time- honoured rules.
This con is called "False Heiress " and involves Quinn marrying a Duke in just 5 days.
However, the family that Quinn has set her sights on have their own secrets, that only confuse the issue.

There aren't too many characters to familiarise yourself with and the settings are all well researched and atmospheric.
I did struggle with how slowly I felt the story moved and there were a few times where I would find myself skimming pages, just to get to the important stuff.

I found the ending rather unlikely and unbelievable and i didn't feel a connection with any of the characters.

A disappointing read for me.

I enjoyed this book. The characters and plot lines are fun, there is mischief is afoot, money and influence with twists and turns. Then of course foul play ever threatening, it is still an entertaining page turner.

Quinn Le Blanc is a conwoman and has just 5 days to convince a man she hasn't even met yet, the Duke of Kendal, to marry her. The sister is worried she'll lose her home once her brother is married and the step mother wants someone from a wealthier background to marry the Duke

It took me a while to get into this book, a real slow burner and I'm pleased I didn't give up on it as it really grew on me towards the end!!

A lot of twists and turns that I never saw coming

I really loved The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay. In Victorian London, there is a house called the Chateau where the ultimate swindlers live carrying out confidence tricks that follow a particular set of rules. The latest trick is that of the “False Heiress” whereby Quinn Le Blanc sets her sights on marrying a Duke in five days. This is challenging enough but the Duke’s family, the Kendals, have their own secrets and agendas. Not only that, someone is conspiring against the Chateau who holds a grudge from 20 years previous. This is a thrilling, clever and compelling atmospheric mystery that I highly recommend.

A con woman tries to capture an eligible bachelor in Victorian London. Hay's second novel is good but not great - similar enough to The Housekeepers to draw in fans but not as unique and self-assured. The plot is pacy and understandably complicated, with a strong main character in Quinn, but it lacked a certain spark thaat ultimately made the entire book feel flat.

I wasn't sure about this book when I first started it as it was a bit of a slow burner at the beginning. I persevered though and I'm really glad I did as I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was full of twists and turns rather like a poker game and I was sorry when I turned the final page. Well worth reading.

I got this from NetGalley partly because the blurb sounded interesting but also because I'd read The Housekeepers (also through NetGalley) by the same author.  Both books are about con artists in 19th century London so obviously a plot that this author feels comfortable with.  I only rated The Housekeepers 2 stars, mainly because it was too slow and had too many characters.  This book has a much smaller cast of characters which is good but it's also quite slow so perhaps pacing issues are something that comes with this author's books. 

There's several aspects that reminded me of The Lies of Locke Lamora, particularly a house which trains young children to be con artists, with a long history of doing so, referring to cons as 'games', giving the cons names, and having a large repertoire of them that has been supplied by the previous heads of the house.  The characters are a bit lacking.  I found Quinn to be a bit annoying and her name seemed to be slightly too unusual to be realistic.  The ending was quite unexpected but mostly because of how ridiculous it was.  It's a shame because the author has some interesting ideas for plots but somehow they don't seem to come off overly well.  

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy to review.

Quinn Le Blanc has five days to pull off her most daring con to date, convincing the Duke of Kendal to marry her. As if that wasn't hard enough to do to a man she hasnt even met yet, she has five days to do it in and her quarry has sworn off marriage in a pact with his sister. But when his stepmother unexpectedly shows interest in making a match for the Duke, it is clear that she wants anyone but Quinn. Can Quinn and her trusted friends pull of this con without being caught and secure the fortune they need.

This was a great read that felt a bit like Bridgerton meets Leverage! Fast-paced with a great cast of characters, well worth a read if historical fiction is your bag!

An enjoyable page turner with a cast of interesting characters. I was transported to Victorian London and was kept engrossed by the quick pace of the story and all the twists and turns.
Quinn is a con artist, who has five days to marry an eligible bachelor. She has set her sights on the Kendall family, who have their own secrets. Quinn knows how to win a game, but this is the hardest one she has played and she may not be the only player with a stake in it.
I was sent a copy of the book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.