Book Review: The Queen of Fives by Alex Hay


It’s 1898 and Quinn Le Blanc has just five days to pull off the seemingly impossible: trick an eligible duke into marriage and steal his family’s fortune. Quinn might be London’s most talented and furtive con woman but she’s never tried to infiltrate the impenetrable inner circle of an old money family like the Kendals before. Masquerading as a wealthy debutante, Quinn quickly becomes the talk of the season and it’s not long before she catches the eye of her mark. But as she sneaks her way into their lives, Quinn realises that the Kendals are even more formidable than she originally thought – and they all have their own secrets to keep.
First there’s Max, the reluctant duke, who has no interest in courting any of the society darlings, let alone marrying one. Then there’s Tor, Max’s wilful sister, who fears being supplanted from her home if her brother marries. Finally, there’s the matriarch of the household, the kind and dignified Lady Kendal, who keeps a watchful eye over her cherished stepchildren and their acquaintances. As Quinn becomes tangled in the Kendal family’s dangerous web of love, lies and loyalty, she comes to understand she’s not the only one playing a deadly game of high deception. And if she isn’t careful, she risks more than just a failed con.
The Queen of Fives. They breathed the title with reverence on the docks, down the coastline. A lady with a hundred faces, a thousand voices, a million lives. She might spin into yours if you didn’t watch out…“
Alex Hay made a name for himself in historical fiction with his debut novel, The Housekeepers, which was a well-crafted blend of history, underdog thrills and carefully written characters. The Queen of Fives continues that fusion of audacious trickery and crafty twists against a brilliantly vivid Victorian backdrop. Hay immerses readers in the high society world in which the Kendals exist; the grand drawing rooms, the lavish balls, the dazzling theatre performances. Quinn doesn’t belong upstairs or downstairs. She exists on her own echelon, one of lies, plots and duplicities, and that makes her a dangerous woman to deal with.
It’s always a joy to follow a character who’s willing to go to great lengths to get what they want. Even better, a character who is devious but isn’t completely devoid of morals. Quinn isn’t driven simply and selfishly by what she wants – she genuinely needs this con to work. The future of her finances, her home, her safety, relies on everything going exactly to plan. Yet what makes this book such a treat is the fact that Quinn isn’t actually the one in control. She thinks she’s thought of every possible eventuality, every potential setback. But in a world of fraudsters, there’s always someone smarter and more conniving waiting in the wings.
Hay’s writing is fun, inventive and compulsively easy to read. The tight focus on the confidence scheme doesn’t leave much room for character development – only Quinn is given time to breathe and evolve, which is a shame given how intriguing some of the other characters are – but that’s easy to excuse when the setting and the gradually unfolding backstory feel so evocative. The multiple perspectives also add an additional layer of mystery to the tale, setting the scene for a thrilling final showdown. Someone please make The Queen of Fives into a TV series because we need this kind of entertaining historical drama on our screens.
★★★★½
The Queen of Fives is published by Headline on 30 January 2025