I love to read historical mysteries. I don't know if this began when I read Caleb Carr's The Alienist [2] for the first time or with my discovery of Anne Perry's William Monk [3] series, but the fascination hasn't dimmed. Most people who read in this genre are attracted to a particular historical era and some of my favorite settings include Victorian England, post-World War I Europe, and Ancient Rome. In just the World War I category are great authors like Charles Todd [4], Jacqueline Winspear [5] and Rennie Airth [6] exploring the psychological effects of war and solving mysteries (because we do need SOME closure).
To make your way through history, literary style, try some of these :
- Abel Jones series [7]by Owen Parry, set in the midst of the Civil War with a Welsh detective who comes to assist Abraham Lincoln
- Medicus [8] by Ruth Downie, about a military doctor in Roman-occupied Britain
- Elizabeth I series [9] by Karen Harper, where Queen Elizabeth I not only rules, she solves mysteries
- Samurai mysteries [10] by Laura Joh Rowland, featuring detective-samurai Sano Ichiro in 1690 Nagasaki
- Benjamin January series [11] by Barbara Hambly, set in 1830s New Orleans featuring a detective who is a musician, a surgeon and a freed slave
Any favorites you'd like to share?
- historical fiction [12]
- Mystery [13]
