1
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody, Bk 1) by Elizabeth Peters
In Victorian England, a woman wasn't supposed to be an archaeologist or a detective. Amelia Peabody was both. Thirty-one-year-old Victorian gentlewoman Amelia Peabody has inherited her father's strong will as well as his considerable fortune. On her way to Cairo to indulge her passion... more
Book Votes: 35
2
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Mistress of the Art of Death (Mistress of the Art of Death, Bk 1) by Ariana Franklin
A chilling, mesmerizing novel that combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the detail and drama of historical fiction.
In medieval Cambridge, England, four children have been murdered. The crimes are immediately blamed on the town's Jewish community, taken as evidence that... more
Book Votes: 29
3
Lynne J. (Doughgirl) |
A Morbid Taste for Bones (Brother Cadfael, Bk 1) by Ellis Peters
In the remote Welsh mountain village of Gwytherin lies the grave of Saint Winifred Now, in 1137, the ambitious head of Shrewsbury Abbey has decided to acquire the sacred remains for his Benedictine order. Native Welshman Brother Cadfael is sent on the expedition to translate and finds the rustic... more
Book Votes: 29
4
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Murder on Astor Place (Gaslight, Bk 1) by Victoria Thompson
As a midwife in turn-of-the-century New York, Sarah Brandt has seen pain and joy. Now she will work for something more -- a search for justice -- in a case of murder involving one of New York's richest families. Early in the first book of this series, Sarah meets Detective Sergeant Frank... more
Book Votes: 24
5
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs, Bk 1) by Jacqueline Winspear
Maisie Dobbs isn't just any young housemaid. Through her own natural intelligence -- and the patronage of her benevolent employers -- she works her way into college at Cambridge. When World War I breaks out, Maisie goes to the front as a nurse. It is there that she learns that coincidences... more
Book Votes: 23
6
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Cater Street Hangman (Charlotte and Thomas Pitt, Bk 1) by Anne Perry
While the Ellison girls were out paying calls and drinking tea like proper Victorian ladies, a maid in their household was strangled to death.
The quiet and young Inspector Pitt investigates the scene and finds no one above suspicion. As his intense questioning causes many a composed facade... more
Book Votes: 22
7
Lynne J. (Doughgirl) |
The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, Bk 1) by Laurie R. King
What would happen if Sherlock Holmes, a perfect man of the Victorian age -- pompous, smug, and misogynistic -- were to come face to face with a twentieth-century female? If she grew to be a partner worthy of his great talents? In 1914, a young woman named Mary Russell meets a retired beekeeper... more
Book Votes: 22
8
Deb B. (bookzealot) |
Silent in the Grave (Lady Julia Grey, Bk 1) by Deanna Raybourn
"Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave."
These ominous words, slashed from the pages of a book of Psalms, are the last threat that the darling of London society, Sir Edward Grey, receives from his killer. Before he can show them to Nicholas Brisbane, the... more
Book Votes: 18
9
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Face of a Stranger (William Monk, Bk 1) by Anne Perry
His name, they tell him, is William Monk, and he is a London police detecive. But the accident that felled him has left him with only half a life; his memory and his entire past have vanished. As he tries to hide the truth, Monk returns to work and is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of... more
Book Votes: 17
10
Janelle C. (jscrappy) |
What Angels Fear (Sebastian St. Cyr, Bk 1) by C. S. Harris
It's 1811, and the threat of revolution haunts the upper classes of King George III's England. Then a beautiful young woman is found savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol found at the scene and the damning testimony of a... more
Book Votes: 17
11
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Her Royal Spyness (Royal Spyness, Bk 1) by Rhys Bowen
The Agatha Award winner debuts a 1930s London mystery series, featuring a penniless twenty-something member of the extended royal family. Her ridiculously long name is Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, daughter to the Duke of Atholt and Rannoch. And she is flat broke. As the... more
Book Votes: 16
12
Lynne J. (Doughgirl) |
Death at Bishop's Keep (Victorian-Edwardian Mystery, Bk 1) by Robin Paige
Kate Ardleigh is everything the Victorian English gentlewoman is not -- outspoken, free-thinking, American...and a writer of the frowned upon "penny-dreadfuls."
Soon after her arrival in Essex, England, a body is unearthed in a nearby archeological dig -- and Kate has the chance to... more
Book Votes: 14
13
Janelle C. (jscrappy) |
Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake, Bk 1) by C. J. Sansom
The year is 1537, and the country is divided between those faithful to the Catholic Church and those loyal to the king and the newly established Church of England. When a royal commissioner is brutally murdered in a monastery on the south coast of England, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s... more
Book Votes: 14
14
Deb B. (bookzealot) |
The Queen's Man (Justin de Quincey, Bk 1) by Sharon Kay Penman
Epiphany, 1193: The road out of Winchester was hidden by snow, and Justin de Quincy was making slow progress when he heard the first faint shout. It came again, louder and clearer, a cry for help. Spurring his stallion, de Quincy raced toward the source. But he was already too late. As the two... more
Book Votes: 13
15
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Apothecary Rose (Owen Archer, Bk 1) by Candace Robb
Once the king's captain of archers, now he must penetrate a poisoner's secrets...
Christmastide, 1363-and, at an abbey in York, two pilgrims die mysteriously dead of an herbal remedy. Suspicious, the Archbishop sends for Owen Archer, a Welshman with the charm of the devil, who's lost one eye... more
Book Votes: 12
16
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Blind Justice (Sir John Fielding, Bk 1) by Bruce Alexander
In 1768, thirteen-year-old Jeremy Proctor arrived in London. The city streets, bustling with gamblers, prostitutes, and thieves, were certainly no place for a boy on his own, and trouble wasted no time in finding the lad. He was falsely charged with theft and arrested.
Jeremy was saved only... more
Book Votes: 12
17
Janelle C. (jscrappy) |
A Free Man of Color (Benjamin January, Bk 1) by Barbara Hambly
A lush and haunting novel of a city steeped in decadent pleasures...and of a man, proud and defiant, caught in a web of murder and betrayal.
It is 1833. In the midst of Mardi Gras, Benjamin January, a Creole physician and music teacher, is playing piano at the Salle d'Orleans... more
Book Votes: 11
18
Janelle C. (jscrappy) |
A Test of Wills (Inspector Ian Rutledge, Bk 1) by Charles Todd
It's 1919, and the War to End All Wars has been won. But for Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge, recently returned from the battlefields of France, there is no peace. Suffering from shell shock, tormented by the mocking, ever-present voice of the young Scot he had executed for refusing to... more
Book Votes: 11
19
Jeanne L. (bkydbirder) - |
A Study in Scarlet / The Sign of Four (Sherlock Holmes) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Join Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on their very first case together! A Study in Scarlet recounts their first meeting, as well as Watson's initial impressions of the Great Detective's unusual traits and habits.
The Sherlock Holmes stories have inspired a vast body of literature... more
Book Votes: 11
20
Mar |
The Alienist (Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, Bk 1) by Caleb Carr
The year is 1896, the place, New York City. On a cold March night New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned to the East River by his friend and former Harvard classmate Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or "alienist." On the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge, they view... more
Book Votes: 11
21
Lynne J. (Doughgirl) |
The Novice's Tale (Sister Frevisse, Bk 1) by Margaret Frazer
To the priory a lady came for mischief... and for murder.
It is the year of Our Lord's grace 1431, and the nuns of England's St. Frideswide sweetly chant their Paternosters behind gracious, trellised walls. But their quiet lives are shattered by the unwelcome visit of the... more
Book Votes: 9
22
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Silver Pigs (Marcus Didius Falco, Bk 1) by Lindsey Davis
One fine day, A.D. 70, comely blonde Sosia Camillina quite literally runs into Marcus Didius Falco on the steps of the Forum. It seems Sosia is on the lam from a couple of street toughs, and after a quick and dirty rescue, P.I. Falco wants to know why.
Falco finds out that Sosia, the... more
Book Votes: 8
23
Lynne J. (Doughgirl) |
The Strange Files of Fremont Jones (Fremont Jones, Bk 1) by Dianne Day
Brave, resourceful, adventurous Fremont (nee Caroline) Jones is a woman ahead of her time. Hungry for independence, she's traded in her conventional life in Boston for a career as a "type-writer" in turn-of-the-century San Francisco. But Fremont soon discovers that her clients aren't always what... more
Book Votes: 8
24
Lynne J. (Doughgirl) |
The Last Templar (Knights Templar, Bk 1) by Michael Jecks
The Knights Templar
They had all joined taking three vows: poverty, chastity, and obedience--for they were monks: warrior monks, dedicated to the protection of pilgrims in the Holy Land -- until stories spread by an avaricious king who wanted their wealth for his own destroyed the... more
Book Votes: 8
25
Jeanne L. (bkydbirder) - |
Towards Zero by Agatha Christie
Mystery's #1 bestseller . . . second to none!A Christie classic, featuring Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard. . . . It's murder most foul when someone at the Gull's Point guesthouse kills Mr. Treves, leaving Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard with a number of suspects--and zero evidence...
Book Votes: 8
26
Rosemary F. (canadianeh) |
Medicus (Medicus Investigations, Bk 1) by Ruth Downie
Divorced and down on his luck, Gaius Petreius Ruso has made the rash decision to seek his fortune in an inclement outpost of the Roman Empire, namely Britannia. In a moment of weakness, after a straight thirtysix- hour shift at the army hospital, he succumbs to compassion and rescues an injured... more
Book Votes: 8
27
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Murphy's Law (Molly Murphy, Bk 1) by Rhys Bowen
Molly Murphy always knew she'd end up in trouble, just as her mother predicted. So, when she commits murder in self-defense, she flees her cherished Ireland, and her identity, for the anonymous shores of America. When she arrives in new York and sees the welcoming promise of freedom in the... more
Book Votes: 7
28
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Roman Blood (Roma Sub Rosa, Bk 1) by Steven Saylor
Elena asks that you come to the House of Swans at once . . . Compelled by this message, the wealthy, sybaritic Sextus Roscius goes not to his harlot, but to his doom—savagely murdered by unknown assassins. In the unseasonable heat of a spring morning in 80 B.C., Gordianus the Finder is... more
Book Votes: 7
29
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Shinju (Sano Ichiro, Bk 1) by Laura Joh Rowland
When beautiful, wealthy Yukiko and low-born artist Noriyoshi are found drowned together in a shinju, or ritual double suicide, everyone believes the culprit was forbidden love. Everyone but newly appointed yoriki Sano Ichiro.
Despite the official verdict and warnings from his superiors, the... more
Book Votes: 7
30
Lynne J. (Doughgirl) |
Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie (Lady Susanna Appleton, Bk 1) by Kathy Lynn Emerson
"Today's letter was not a summons to serve Queen Elizabeth. It came from Lancashire. John Bexwith, my steward at Appleton Manor, is dead."
Susanna frowned, surprised that this news should have affected her husband so strongly. "The man was quite elderly," she said... more
Book Votes: 7
31
Pam C. (PamC) |
The Alehouse Murders (Templar Knight, Bk 1) by Maureen Ash
After eight years of captivity in the Holy Land, Templar Bascot de Matins escapes with injuries to his body and soul. Now on a sojourn at Lincoln Castle, he hopes to regain his strength, and mend his waning faith -- but not even the peace of God's countryside is safe from the mortal crimes... more
Book Votes: 7
32
Janelle C. (jscrappy) |
Cut to the Quick (Julian Kestrel, Bk 1) by Kate Ross
There's a beautiful young woman in Julian Kestrel's bed. Unfortunately, she's dead.
Add the unflappable Julian Kestrel to the ranks of great sleuths of ages past. He's the very model of a proper Beau Brummel -- except for his unusual willingness to plunge headlong into murder... more
Book Votes: 7
33
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Murder in the Place of Anubis (Lord Meren, Bk 1) by Lynda S. Robinson
Who has dared to desecrate the sacred place of embalming with a murdered corpse? Pharaoh Tutankhamun orders Lord Meren, his chief investigator, to find out quickly, before power-mad priests use the incident to undermine his royal authority. Everyone is a suspect, for the body belongs to the... more
Book Votes: 7
34
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Death at Wentwater Court (Daisy Dalrymple, Bk 1) by Carola Dunn
In the 1st installment of cozy mystery series, Carola Dunn transports readers back to the bygone era of 1923 Britain, where unflappable flapper and would-be journalist Daisy Dalrymple daringly embarks on her first writing assignment--and promptly stumbles across a corpse ...
No stranger to... more
Book Votes: 7
35
Jeanne L. (bkydbirder) - |
Veil of Lies (Crispin Guest, Bk 1) by Jeri Westerson
Former knight turned detective, Crispin Guest, is called to the compound of a successful but reclusive cloth merchant who suspects his wife of infidelity and wants Crispin to look into the matter. In dire need of money, Crispin reluctantly agrees and discovers that the wife is indeed up to... more
Book Votes: 7
36
Christine P. (Elyza) |
Some Danger Involved (Barker & Llewelyn, Bk 1) by Will Thomas
An atmospheric debut novel set on the gritty streets of Victorian London, Some Danger Involved introduces detective Cyrus Barker and his assistant, Thomas Llewelyn, as they work to solve the gruesome murder of a young scholar in London's Jewish ghetto. When the eccentric and enigmatic Barker... more
Book Votes: 7
37
Florence P. |
A Beautiful Blue Death (Charles Lenox, Bk 1) by Charles Finch
London, 1865. On a gray evening late in autumn, amateur detective Charles Lenox's closest friend needs help. A former servant of her house, Prudence Smith, is beautiful, a flirt, and dead. Was it an accident? A suicide? Or does the pile of gold in the house have something to do with it? As... more
Book Votes: 7
38
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Mark of the Lion (Jade del Cameron, Bk 1) by Suzanne M. Arruda
In 1919, when most women only dream of adventure, Jade del Cameron lives it. After growing up tough on a New Mexico ranch and driving an ambulance on the front lines of World War I, she can fire a rifle with deadly precision and stare down men maddened by shell shock. Still suffering trauma from... more
Book Votes: 6
39
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Faded Coat of Blue (Abel Jones, Bk 1) by Owen Parry
A recent immigrant to this land -- where American has taken up arms against American -- Abel Jones finds himself mysteriously chosen as confidential agent to General George McClellan, the "savior of the Union." No stranger to the cruel paradoxes of war, Jones is asked to investigate the death of... more
Book Votes: 6
40
Lynne J. (Doughgirl) |
Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher, Bk 1) by Kerry Greenwood
The London season is in full fling at the end of the 1920s, but the Honorable Phryne Fisher--she of the green-grey eyes, diamant garters and outfits that should not be sprung suddenly on those of nervous dispositions--is rapidly tiring of the tedium of arranging flowers, making polite... more
Book Votes: 6
41
Lynne J. (Doughgirl) |
Borrower of the Night (Vicky Bliss, Bk 1) by Elizabeth Peters
Meet art historian Vicky Bliss, She is as beautiful as she is brainy--with unassailable courage, insatiable curiosity, and an expertise in lost museum treasures that often leads her into the most dangerous of situations. A missing masterwork in wood, the last creation of a master carver who died... more
Book Votes: 6
42
Lynne J. (Doughgirl) |
Absolution by Murder (Sister Fidelma, Bk 1) by Peter Tremayne
This immensely appealing launch of a new series is set in seventh-century Ireland, which in Tremayne's rendering is a golden age of enlightenment and of total equality for women. Such narrative stumbling blocks as an abundance of stereotypical characters and much more dynastic trivia,... more
Book Votes: 6
43
Janelle C. (jscrappy) |
Still Life with Murder (Gilded Age, Bk 1) by P. B. Ryan
Boston 1868: The wealthy are enjoying the height of the Gilded Age--but not all are wealthy. As governess to the Hewitt family, Irish immigrant Nell Sweeney is sent to discover the truth behind the rumor that their son--thought to be killed in the Civil War--is still alive and in prison.
Book Votes: 6
44
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Janissary Tree (Yashim, Bk 1) by Jason Goodwin
It is 1836. Europe is modernizing and the Ottoman Empire must follow suit. But just before the sultan announces sweeping changes, a wave of murders threatens the fragile balance of power in his court. Who is behind them? Only one intelligence agent can be trusted to find out: Yashim, a man both... more
Book Votes: 6
45
Janelle C. (jscrappy) |
Speaks the Nightbird (Matthew Corbett, Bk 1) by Robert McCammon
The Carolinas, 1699: After hearing damning testimony from the townspeople of Fount Royal, magistrate Isaac Woodward sentences the accused witch, Rachel Howarth, to death by burning. Now, Woodward's young clerk, Matthew, begins his own investigation. Piecing together the truth, he sees he has... more
Book Votes: 6
46
Pam C. (PamC) |
Wine of Violence (Medieval Mystery, Bk 1) by Priscilla Royal
It is late summer in the year 1270 and England is as weary as its aging king, Henry lll. Although the Simon de Montfort rebellion is over, the smell of death still hangs like smoke over the land. Even in the small priory of Tyndal on the remote East Anglian coast, the monks and nuns of the Order... more
Book Votes: 6
47
Laura T. (dordale) - |
Murder on Nob Hill (Sarah Woolson, Bk 1) by Shirley Tallman
The year is 1880, the place San Francisco. Intelligent, outspoken Sarah Woolson is a young woman with a goal and the fortitude to achieve it. She has always dreamed of becoming a lawyer. The trouble is, everyone believes women belong in the home---that it is not only unnatural, but against... more
Book Votes: 6
48
Jeanne L. (bkydbirder) - |
Dark Fire (Matthew Shardlake, Bk 2) by C. J. Sansom
It is 1540, and Matthew Shardlake, the lawyer renowned as "the sharpest hunchback in the courts of England," is pressed to help a friend’s young niece who is charged with murder. Despite threats of torture and death by the rack, the girl is inexplicably silent. Shardlake is about... more
Book Votes: 6
49
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
No Graves As Yet (World War I, Bk 1) by Anne Perry
Through Anne Perry’s magnificent Victorian novels, millions of readers have enjoyed the pleasures and intrigue of a bygone age. Now, with the debut of an extraordinary new series, this New York Times bestselling author sweeps us into the golden summer of 1914, a time of brief enchantment... more
Book Votes: 5
50
Pam C. (PamC) |
A Mortal Bane (Magdalene la Batarde, Bk 1) by Roberta Gellis
Roberta Gellis, acclaimed author of The Roselynde Chronicles, brings medieval London to life--and death--with her latest tale of splendor and squalor. Magdalene la Batarde is the madam of the Old Priory Guesthouse in Southwark. She and her women are expected to engage in a number of sinful... more
Book Votes: 5
51
Pam C. (PamC) |
Fortune Like the Moon (Hawkenlye, Bk 1) by Alys Clare
The Abbess Helewise of Hawkenlye-the wisest and most unlikely sleuth since Brother Cadfael-teams up with a canny soldier of fortune in the debut of this irrestible mystery series.
It is 1157, and a young nun from Hawkenlye Abbey has been found with her throat slashed. The people of rural... more
Book Votes: 5
52
Janelle C. (jscrappy) |
The Last Kashmiri Rose (Joe Sandilands, Bk 1) by Barbara Cleverly
In a land of saffron sunsets and blazing summer heat, an Englishwoman has been found dead, her wrists slit, her body floating in a bathtub of blood and water. But is it suicide or murder? The case falls to Scotland Yard inspector Joe Sandilands, who survived the horror of the Western Front and... more
Book Votes: 5
53
Jeanne L. (bkydbirder) - |
Sovereign (Matthew Shardlake, Bk 3) by C. J. Sansom
Autumn 1541. A plot against the throne has been uncovered, and Henry VIII has set off on a spectacular progress from London to York, along with a thousand soldiers, the cream of the nobility, and his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, to quell his rebellious northern subjects. Awaiting his arrival... more
Book Votes: 5
54
Jeanne L. (bkydbirder) - |
Serpent in the Thorns (Crispin Guest, Bk 2) by Jeri Westerson
Convicted of treason, Crispin Guest was stripped of his title, his land, his money and his friends. Now with only his considerable wits to sustain him, Guest works the mean streets of 14th century London, building a small reputation for his skill. In 1383, a simple-minded tavern girl comes to... more
Book Votes: 5
55
Kathy F. |
The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, Bk 2) by Dan Brown
While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to... more
Book Votes: 5
56
Viola H. (almankiz) |
Death Comes As The End by Agatha Christie
It is 2000 B.C. in Egypt and Imhotep the Ka-Priest brings home his beautiful young concubine Nofret. However not all the members of his family welcome her and when she is found dead it is Imhotep?s daughter Renisenb who suspects it might not have been an accident.
This death unleashes the... more
Book Votes: 5
57
Jerelyn H. (I-F-Letty) - |
The Unquiet Bones (Hugh de Singleton, Bk 1) by Mel Starr
Hugh of Singleton, fourth son of a minor knight, has been educated as a clerk, usually a prelude to taking holy orders. However, feeling no certain calling despite a lively faith, he turns to the profession of surgeon, training in Paris and then hanging out his sign in Oxford. A local lord asks... more
Book Votes: 5
58
Trisha T. (waterlily) |
The Hanover Square Affair (Captain Gabriel Lacey, Bk 1) by Ashley Gardner
Cashiered cavalry officer Captain Gabriel Lacey of the 35th Light Dragoons lost much on the battlefield during the Peninsular Campaign. But he still retains his innate sense of right and wrong when faced with injustice...
Hanover Square is one of the wealthier neighborhoods of London,... more
Book Votes: 5
59
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce, Bk 1) by Alan Bradley
It is the summer of 1950 -- and at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, young Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is intrigued by a series of inexplicable events: A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Then, hours later,... more
Book Votes: 5
60
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Mr. Churchill's Secretary (Maggie Hope, Bk 1) by Susan Elia MacNeal
London, 1940. Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But none of this deters Maggie Hope. She graduated at the top of her college class and possesses all the skills of the finest minds in British intelligence,... more
Book Votes: 5
62
Lynne J. (Doughgirl) |
The Germanicus Mosaic (Libertus Mystery of Roman Britain, Bk 1) by Rosemary Rowe
It is the 2nd century A.D., and Libertus, a freedman and pavement-maker, has a reputation for solving crime. When his influential patron asks for his help in a politically-sensitive murder case, Libertus is in no position to refuse. When the main suspect is also found murdered, the truth seems... more
Book Votes: 4
63
Pam C. (PamC) |
The Sanctuary Seeker (Crowner John, Bk 1) by Bernard Knight
November, 1194. Appointed by Richard the Lionheart as the first coroner for the county of Devon, Sir John de Wolfe, an ex-Crusader, rides out to the lonely moorland village of Widecombe to hold an inquest on an unidentified body. On his return to Exeter, the coroner is incensed to find that his... more
Book Votes: 4
64
Pam C. (PamC) |
Thirteenth Night (Fools' Guild, Bk 1) by Alan Gordon
Orsino is dead. Feste, a top operative of the Fools' Guild, returns to Illyria in disguise to investigate in this sequel to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. This Mystery Company edition restores to print the 1999 novel that marked the debut of Alan Gordon and his Fools' Guild series.
Book Votes: 4
65
Janelle C. (jscrappy) |
Dead March (Civil War Mystery, Bk 1) by Ann McMillan
Dead March is the first in an exciting new mystery series that takes place during the Civil War. It is the spring of 1861. Though the War Between the States is in its infancy, Richmond, Virginia, is not free of violent death, as two astute and courageous women from opposite ends of society... more
Book Votes: 4
66
Deb B. (bookzealot) |
River of Darkness (John Madden, Bk 1) by Rennie Airth
As rural England slowly emerges from the sorrow of World War I, a particularly vicious attack on a household in a small Surrey village leaves five butchered bodies and no explanation for the killings. Sent by Scotland Yard to investigate is Inspector John Madden, a man still recovering from his... more
Book Votes: 4
67
Florence P. |
My Lady Judge: A Mystery of Medieval Ireland by Cora Harrison
Five hundred years ago, the western seaboard of Ireland was home to an independent kingdom that lived peacefully by the ancient Celtic laws of their forebears. On the first eve of a festive celebration, all the people of the land headed up Mullaghmore Mountain to light a bonfire. But one... more
Book Votes: 4
68
Florence P. |
The Poyson Garden (Elizabeth I, Bk 1) by Karen Harper
The letter came in secret, with a pearl ear drop from an aunt long thought dead, resurrecting the forbidden past. Banished by her spiteful half sister, Queen Mary, to Hatfield House in the English countryside, twenty-five-year-old Princess Elizabeth cannot refuse the summons. The Boleyn's are in... more
Book Votes: 4
69
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Ovid (Marcus Corvinus, Bk 1) by David Wishart
Banished by the Emperor Augustus, the great poet Ovid was to die in exile. Years after Ovid’s death, Marcus Corvinus, grandson of the poet’s patron, tries to arrange for the return of his ashes to Rome for burial. When official permission is refused, Corvinus makes the dangerous... more
Book Votes: 3
70
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Dragon Scroll (Sugawara Akitada, Bk 1) by I. J. Parker
In an adventure filled with highway bandits, unscrupulous politicians, and renegade monks, The Dragon Scroll introduces readers to the lively world of eleventh-century Japan and an irrepressible hero -- Sugawara Akitada. On his first official assignment, Akitada -- an impoverished nobleman and... more
Book Votes: 3
71
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Winter Queen (Erast Fandorin, Bk 1) by Boris Akunin & Andrew Bromfield (Trans...
Moscow, May 1876. What would cause a talented student from a wealthy family to shoot himself in front of a promenading public? Decadence and boredom, it is presumed. But young sleuth Erast Fandorin is not satisfied with the conclusion that this death is an open-and-shut case, nor with the... more
Book Votes: 3
72
Pam C. (PamC) |
Remedy for Treason (Isaac of Girona, Bk 1) by Caroline Roe
Girona, Spain. 1353. Struggling to save his patients from the plague, and avoiding the even greater danger of his wife's temper, Isaac discovers that pestilence isn't the city's only killer. A nun dies in the public baths. Then it is revealed that she is not a nun at all, but an... more
Book Votes: 3
73
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
The year is 1867. Winter has just tightened its grip on Dove River, a tiny isolated settlement in the Northern Territory, when a man is brutally murdered. Laurent Jammett had been a voyageur for the Hudson Bay Company before an accident lamed him four years earlier. The same accident afforded... more
Book Votes: 3
74
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Murder in the Marais (Aimee Leduc, Bk 1) by Cara Black
Aime Leduc, the intrepid young French-American detective, is hired to investigate the grisly murder of an old Jewish woman in the Marais district of Paris. Her undercover search leads to a neo-Nazi group and requires that she play a dangerous game involving current politics and old war crimes.
Book Votes: 3
75
Valli |
Hearts and Bones (Hannah Trevor, Bk 1) by Margaret Lawrence
Independent Hannah Trevor is a midwife in the small Maine town of Rufford several years after the end of the Revolutionary War. In the dead of a particularly brutal winter, an horrific act -- the rape and murder of a young wife -- draws Hannah into the constabulary's investigation and... more
Book Votes: 3
76
Mar |
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
Summer 1924: On the eve of a glittering Society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again. Winter 1999: Grace Bradley, 98, one-time housemaid of Riverton... more
Book Votes: 3
77
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Silver Lies (Silver Rush, Bk 1) by Ann Parker
As 1879 draws to a close, this Rocky Mountain boomtown has infected the world with silver fever. It's not much different than the dot.com mania or the corporate scams that heat up over a century later.
Unfortunately for Joe Rose, a precious-metals assayer, death stakes its own claim.... more
Book Votes: 3
78
Trisha T. (waterlily) |
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
Nothing ever goes right for Eloise. The day she wears her new suede boots, it rains. When the subway stops short, she's the one thrown into some stranger's lap. And she's had her share of misfortune in the way of love. So, after deciding that romantic heroes must be a thing of the past, Eloise... more
Book Votes: 3
79
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
A Plague on Both Your Houses (Matthew Bartholemew, Bk 1) by Susanna Gregory
A Plague on Both Your Houses introduces the physician Matthew Bartholomew, whose unorthodox but effective treatment of his patients frequently draws accusations of heresy from his more traditional colleagues. Besides his practice, Bartholomew is teacher of Medicine at Michaelhouse, part of the... more
Book Votes: 3
80
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
A Duty to the Dead (Bess Crawford, Bk 1) by Charles Todd
The daughter of a distinguished soldier, Bess Crawford follows in his footsteps and signs up to go overseas as a nurse during the Great War, helping to deal with the many wounded. There, serving on a hospital ship, she makes a promise to a dying young lieutenant to take a message to his brother,... more
Book Votes: 3
81
Lynne J. (Doughgirl) |
Pride and Prescience Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged (Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, Bk 1) ...
Mr. & Mrs. Darcy, the joyous newlyweds from Pride and Prejudice, have not even left for their honeymoon when they find themselves embroiled in a mystery involving one of their wedding guests. The lovely Caroline Bingley is engaged to marry a rich and charismatic American. Unfortunately this... more
Book Votes: 2
82
Pam C. (PamC) |
The King's Gambit (SPQR, Bk I) by John Maddox Roberts
Blackmail, corruption, treachery, murder--the glory that was Rome.
In this Edgar Award-nominated mystery, John Maddox Roberts takes readers back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike,... more
Book Votes: 2
83
Pam C. (PamC) |
A Famine of Horses (Sir Robert Carey Bk 1) by P. F. Chisholm
In the year 1592, Sir Robert Carey, a handsome courtier, comes north to Carlisle to take up his new post as Deputy Warden of the West March. He has wangled his appointment to be nearer his true love, a married woman, and farther from the still eye of his Queen and the disapproving eye of his... more
Book Votes: 2
84
Pam C. (PamC) |
One for Sorrow (John the Lord Chamberlain, Bk 1) by Mary Reed & Eric Mayer
Byzantium, capitol of the 6th century Roman Empire, simmers a rich stew of creeds, cultures, and citizens with a sprinkling of cutthroats and crimes. John the Eunuch, Emperor Justinian's Lord Chamberlain, orders a Christian court while himself observing the rites of Mithra. Thomas, a knight... more
Book Votes: 2
85
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Must the Maiden Die (Glynis Tryon, Bk 6) by Miriam Grace Monfredo
The brilliant novel in the prestigious mystery series that combines fascinating American history, the early women's rights movement... and murder.
Basing her Seneca Falls mystery series on actual historical events, Miriam Grace Monfredo has received critical acclaim for her vivid... more
Book Votes: 2
86
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Bone Rattler (Duncan McCallum, Bk 1) by Eliot Pattison
In a novel rich in historical detail, acclaimed author Eliot Pattison reconsiders the founding of America and explores how disenfranchised people of any age and place struggle to find justice, how conflicting cultures can be reconciled through compassion and tolerance, and ultimately how the... more
Book Votes: 2
87
Pam C. (PamC) |
The Wolves of Savernake (Domesday, Bk 1) by Edward Marston
In 1086 England's mighty king, William the Conqueror; sends out surveyors and census takers to record the resources of his land and its people. Some welcome these inquisitive royal agents and their "day of judgment." Others hate them. But wherever the king's men go they bring... more
Book Votes: 2
88
Janelle C. (jscrappy) |
Seneca Falls Inheritance (Glynis Tryon, Bk 1) by Miriam Grace Monfredo
In her historically authentic and cleverly entertaining first novel, Monfredo skillfully meshes life in Seneca Falls, N.Y., immediately before the First Women's Rights Convention in 1848 with a page-turning suspense story.
Charming spinster librarian Glynis Tryon, like her fellow... more
Book Votes: 2
89
Mamie |
Satan in St. Mary's (Hugh Corbett, Bk 1) (Large Print) by P. C. Doherty & Paul C....
1284 and Edward I is battling a traitorous movement founded by the late Simon de Montfort, the rebel who lost his life at the Battle of Evesham in 1258. The Pentangle, the movement's underground society whose members are known to practice the black arts, is thought to be behind the apparent... more
Book Votes: 2
90
Pam C. (PamC) |
The Nightingale Gallery (Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan, Bk 1) by Paul C. D...
It is 1376, and the famed Black Prince has died of a terrible rotting sickness, closely followed by his father, King Edward III. The crown of England is now left in the hands of a mere boy -- the future Richard II -- and the great nobles have gathered like hungry wolves around the empty... more
Book Votes: 2
91
Jeanne L. (bkydbirder) - |
The Black Tower by Louis Bayard
Vidocq. The name strikes terror in the Parisian underworld of 1818. As founder and chief of a newly created plainclothes police force, Vidocq has used his mastery of disguise and surveillance to capture some of France's most notorious and elusive criminals. Now he is hot on the trail of a... more
Book Votes: 2
92
ANNA S. (SanJoseCa) |
Company of Liars by Karen Maitland
In this extraordinary novel, Karen Maitland delivers a dazzling reinterpretation of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales - an ingenious alchemy of history, mystery, and powerful human drama.
The year is 1348. The Black Plague grips the country. In a world ruled by faith and fear, nine desperate... more
Book Votes: 2
93
Florence P. |
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron
For everyone who loves Jane Austen...a marvelously entertaining new series that turns the incomparable author into an extraordinary sleuth!
On a visit to the estate of her friend, the young and beautiful Isobel Payne, Countess of Scargrave, Jane bears witness to a tragedy. Isobel's husband, a... more
Book Votes: 2
94
Jerelyn H. (I-F-Letty) - |
A Trail of Ink (Hugh de Singleton, Bk 3) by Mel Starr
I had never seen Master John Wyclif so afflicted. He was rarely found at such a loss when in disputation with other masters. He told me later, when I had returned them to him, that it was as onerous to plunder a bachelor scholar's books as it would be to steal another man's wife. I had,... more
Book Votes: 2
95
Jerelyn H. (I-F-Letty) - |
A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel (Hugh de Singleton, Bk 2) by Mel Starr
Alan, the beadle of the manor of Bampton, had gone out at dusk to seek those who might violate curfew. When, the following morning, he had not returned home, his young wife Matilda had sought out Master Hugh de Singleton, surgeon and bailiff of the manor. Two days later his corpse was discovered... more
Book Votes: 2
96
Mar |
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
One hot July midnight,while walking on the outskirts of London, young drawing-master Walter Hartright encounters a mysterious, ghostly woman dressed all in white. Stopping to help the distraught soul, Walter is asked to point the way to London, where the woman says she is expected at a... more
Book Votes: 2
97
Karin A. (Jerseygirltoo) - |
Death Comes As Epiphany : A Catherine LeVendeur Mystery (Catherine LeVendeur) by Shar...
Catherine LeVendeur is a young scholar come to conquer her sin of pride at the Convent of the Paraclete, famous for learning, prayer, and its abbess, the fabled Heloise. When a manuscript the convent produced for the great Abbe Suger disappears, rumors surface saying the book contains... more
Book Votes: 2
98
Karen H. (warbler43) - |
An Affair with Mr. Kennedy (Gentlemen of Scotland Yard, Bk 1) by Jillian Stone
London, 1887. Part stoic gentleman, part fearless Yard man, Zeno “Zak” Kennedy is an enigma of the first order. For years, the memory of a deadly bombing at King’s Cross has haunted the brilliant Scotland Yard detective. His investigation has zeroed in on a ring of aristocratic... more
Book Votes: 2
99
jayelsee |
Vienna Waltz (Malcolm and Suzanne Rannoch, Bk 1) by Teresa Grant
Nothing is fair in love and war ...
Europe's elite have gathered at the glittering Congress of Vienna -- princes, ambassadors, the Russian tsar -- all negotiating the fate of the continent by day and pursuing pleasure by night. Until Princess Tatiana, the most beautiful and talked about... more
Book Votes: 2
100
Gerald P. (jpat) - |
The Coffee Trader by David Liss
On the world’s first commodities exchange, fortunes are won and lost in an instant. Miguel Lienzo, a sharp-witted trader in the city’s close-knit community of Portuguese Jews, knows this only too well. Once among the city’s most envied merchants, Miguel has lost everything in a... more
Book Votes: 2
101
Gerald P. (jpat) - |
Zoo Station (John Russell, Bk 1) by David Downing
By 1939, Anglo-American journalist John Russell has spent over a decade in Berlin, where his son lives with his mother. He writes human-interest pieces for British and American papers, avoiding the investigative journalism that could get him deported. But as World War II approaches, he faces... more
Book Votes: 2
102
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
A Trace of Smoke (Hannah Vogel, Bk 1) by Rebecca Cantrell
Even though hardened crime reporter Hannah Vogel knows all too well how tough it is to survive in 1931 Berlin, she is devastated when she sees a photograph of her brother’s body posted in the Hall of the Unnamed Dead. Ernst, a cross-dressing lounge singer at a seedy nightclub, had many... more
Book Votes: 2
103
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Murder at Hatfield House (Elizabethan Mystery, Bk 1) by Amanda Carmack
1558. Kate Haywood, a simple musician in the employ of a princess, will find herself involved in games of crowns as she sets out to solve the murder of the queen's envoy ...
England is in tumult under the rule of Queen Mary and her Spanish husband. Confined to house arrest at... more
Book Votes: 2
104
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Martyr (John Shakespeare, Bk 1) by Rory Clements
England is close to war. Within days the axe could fall on the neck of Mary Queen of Scots, and Spain is already gathering a battle fleet to avenge her. Tensions in Elizabeth I's government are at breaking point. At the eye of the storm is John Shakespeare, chief... more
Book Votes: 2
105
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Night Soldiers (Night Soldiers, Bk 1) by Alan Furst
Bulgaria, 1934. A young man is murdered by the local fascists. His brother, Khristo Stoianev, is recruited into the NKVD, the Soviet secret intelligence service, and sent to Spain to serve in its civil war. Warned that he is about to become a victim of Stalin’s purges, Khristo flees to... more
Book Votes: 2
106
Aubree G. (notyourstar) - |
The Yard (Murder Squad, Bk 1) by Alex Grecian
1889, LONDON.
JACK THE RIPPER’S REIGN OF TERROR IN FINALLY OVER, BUT A NEW ONE IS JUST BEGINNING.
Victorian London—a violent cesspool of squalid depravity. Only twelve detectives—The Murder Squad—are expected to solve the thousands of crimes committed here each... more
Book Votes: 2
107
Pam C. (PamC) |
Murder on Good Friday (Lord Godwin Medieval Mysteries) by Sara Conway
A shocking murder complicated by religious intolerance fuels one man's search for truth as well as his own soul. When a young boy is killed on Good Friday, is the assumption correct that a Christian has been murdered by Jews? This is the situation that Lord Godwin faces as he seeks a solution to... more
Book Votes: 1
108
Pam C. (PamC) |
Get Out or Die (Aurelia Marcella, Bk 1) by Jane Finnis
Roman Britain in 91 AD is a raw frontier province, a troublesome part of the mighty Empire ruled by Domitian Caesar. Though it is almost fifty years since the legions invaded, many native tribes still hate their conquerors and seize any chance to harass the Roman settlers who are flocking in to... more
Book Votes: 1
109
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Sisters of Cain (Cain, Bk 1) by Miriam Grace Monfredo
In Washington City in 1862, President Lincoln rallies the Union troops for the largest single campaign of the Civil War. And two sisters from Seneca Falls take their places among the players of history, sparked by the fires of conviction.
As part of the new special intelligence force of the... more
Book Votes: 1
110
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Sister Pelagia and the Red Cockerel (Sister Pelagia, Bk 3) by Boris Akunin & Andr...
Murder aboard the Sturgeon!
Manuila, the leader of a mystical Jewish sect who claims to be the Messiah, is viciously murdered aboard a steamer bound for Jerusalem. But the badly beaten body is a decoy; the real Manuila is on his way to the promised land. And with a trail of enemies -- and... more
Book Votes: 1
111
Pam C. (PamC) |
The Canterbury Papers (Alais, Bk 1) by Judith Koll Healey
Set in lavishly described medieval England and France, The Canterbury Papers is an enthralling and suspenseful debut novel combining dark family secrets, duplicity, and a missing heir to the throne.
The wily Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of France and then of England, sends her former ward,... more
Book Votes: 1
112
Pam C. (PamC) |
Domina (Ancient Rome, Bk 1) by P. C. Doherty & Paul C. Doherty
Agrippina -- mother of Nero, wife of Claudius -- must use her wits to stay alive. Emerging victorious in a clandestine plot to end the reign of Tiberius, she also proves to be a formidable opponent to her insanely cruel brother, Caligula. But as she rises to power as the wife of Claudius, her... more
Book Votes: 1
113
Pam C. (PamC) |
The Death of a King by P. C. Doherty
The fate of kings is not always glorious....
Indeed, England's Edward II so angered his wife, her lover, and his subjects when he flaunted his male favorites that they revolted, deposed him, and made him prisoner. History records Edward II was eventually murdered most foully in Berkeley... more
Book Votes: 1
114
Pam C. (PamC) |
Blue Blood (Galeran de Lesneven, Bk 4) by Viviane Moore
Chartres, 1145. Ten years earlier, a fire destroyed the town, and the culprit is yet to be found. While passing through Chartres, the Chevalier Galeran de Lesneven is drawn into the mystery surrounding the drowning of a man, which curiously harkens back to the fire a decade earlier. In an effort... more
Book Votes: 1
115
Janelle C. (jscrappy) |
Clea's Moon (John Ray Horn, Bk 1) by Edward Wright
Once he was Sierra Lane, hero to countless youngsters in a series of B-movie westerns. Now, after two years in prison, John Ray Horn lives on the margins of post-World War II Los Angeles. His wife has left him, and, blacklisted by the studios, he makes ends meet by collecting debts for his old... more
Book Votes: 1
116
Janelle C. (jscrappy) |
Murder at Manassas (Harrison Raines, Bk 1) by Michael Kilian
Based on actual events and extensive research, this innovative new series follows the Civil War chronologically, battle by battle, using a specific historic battlefield as a setting for each novel. The first skirmish, known as the battle of Bull Run, was fought on July, 21, 1861, an serves... more
Book Votes: 1
117
Pam C. (PamC) |
A Shrine of Murders (Kathryn Swinbrooke, Bk 1) by C. L. Grace
Being the First of the Canterbury Tales of Kathryn Swinbrooke, Leech, and Physician
Kathryn Swinbrooke is an independent practitioner of medicine, discovering the benefits of an apple-rich diet for teeth, and prescribing herbs and vinegar for almost every known malady. Canterbury's... more
Book Votes: 1
118
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Queen's Head (Nicholas Bracewell, Bk 1) by Edward Marston
1587, and Mary, Queen of Scots, dies by the executioner's axe, her head, shorn of its auburn wig, rolling across the platform. Will her death end the ceaseless plotting against Mary's red-haired cousin, Elizabeth?
1588, the year of the Spanish Armada, is a time of more terror and... more
Book Votes: 1
119
Florence P. |
A Rare Interest in Corpses (Lizzie Martin, Bk 1) by Ann Granger
It is 1864 when Lizzie Martin takes up the post of companion to a wealthy widow who is also a slum landlord. Lizzie is intrigued to learn that her predecessor as companion had disappeared, supposedly having run off with an unknown man. But when the girl's body is found in the rubble of one... more
Book Votes: 1
120
Kathy F. |
Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott
A Cambridge historian, Elizabeth Vogelsang, is found drowned, clutching a glass prism in her hand. The book she was writing about Isaac Newton’s involvement with alchemy—the culmination of her lifelong obsession with the seventeenth century—remains unfinished. When her son,... more
Book Votes: 1
121
Florence P. |
The Unbelievers by Alastair Sim
A brooding, Victorian murder mystery set in the Scottish Highlands and featuring Inspector Allerdyce and Sergeant McGillivray Scotland?s richest man has been shot dead and dumped down a well. Was the Duke of Dornoch murdered by one of the miners whose wages he cut because of ?market forces?? Was... more
Book Votes: 1
122
jayelsee |
Bellfield Hall (Dido Kent, Bk 1) by Anna Dean
1805. An engagement party is taking place for Mr Richard Montague, son of wealthy landowner Sir Edgar Montague, and his fiancee Catherine. During a dance with his beloved, a strange thing happens: a man appears at Richard's shoulder and appears to communicate something to him without saying... more
Book Votes: 1
123
Jennifer D. (cricket75) - |
Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (aka Dee Goong An) (Judge Dee, Bk 1) by Robert Van Guli...
Long before western writers had even conceived the idea of writing detective stories, the Chinese had developed a long tradition of literary works that chronicled the cases of important district magistrates. One of the most celebrated of these was Judge Dee, who lived in the seventh century... more
Book Votes: 1
124
Gerald P. (jpat) - |
A Conspiracy of Paper (Benjamin Weaver, Bk 1) by David Liss
Benjamin Weaver, a Jew and an ex-boxer, is an outsider in eighteenth-century London, tracking down debtors and felons for aristocratic clients. The son of a wealthy stock trader, he lives estranged from his family until he is asked to investigate his father's sudden death. Thus Weaver... more
Book Votes: 1
125
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Billy Boyle (Billy Boyle World War II, Bk 1) by James R. Benn
What's a twenty-two-year-old Irish American cop who's never been out of Massachusetts before doing at Beardsley Hall, an English country house, having lunch with King Haakon of Norway? Billy Boyle himself wonders. Back home in South Boston, he'd barely made detective when... more
Book Votes: 1
126
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
A Conspiracy of Violence (Thomas Chaloner, Bk 1) by Susanna Gregory
The grim days of Cromwell are past. Charles II is well established at White Hall Palace -- and the heads of regicides on public display. Freed from the strictures of the Protectorate, London seethes with new energy, but many of its citizens have lost their livelihoods. One is Thomas Chaloner, a... more
Book Votes: 1
127
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Death and the Chapman (Roger the Chapman, Bk 1) by Kate Sedley
A septuagenarian recalls his youth, when, in 1471, he quit the Benedictines (no calling), became a chapman (a wandering peddler), and discovered his affinity for detective work. A lusty romantic interlude leads him to a grieving alderman's house in Bristol, where Clement Weaver, the son, is... more
Book Votes: 1
128
Gerald P. (jpat) - |
The Hangman's Daughter (Hangman's Daughter, Bk 1) by Oliver Potzsch
Germany, 1660: When a dying boy is pulled from the river with a mark crudely tattooed on his shoulder, hangman Jakob Kuisl is called upon to investigate whether witchcraft is at play. So begins The Hangman's Daughter -- the chillingly detailed, fast-paced historical thriller from German... more
Book Votes: 1
129
Gerald P. (jpat) - |
Zoo Station (John Russell, Bk 1) by David Downing
By 1939, Anglo-American journalist John Russell has spent over a decade in Berlin, where his son lives with his mother. He writes human-interest pieces for British and American papers, avoiding the investigative journalism that could get him deported. But as World War II approaches, he faces... more
Book Votes: 1
130
Gerald P. (jpat) - |
River of Darkness (John Madden, Bk 1) by Rennie Airth
As rural England slowly emerges from World War I, a particularly vicious attack on a household in a small village leaves five butchered bodies and no explanation for the killings. Scotland Yard sends Inspector John Madden, still recovering from his own harrowing war experience and from the... more
Book Votes: 1
131
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Impersonator (Roaring Twenties, Bk 1) by Mary Miley
In 1917, Jessie Carr, fourteen years old and sole heiress to her family’s vast fortune, disappeared without a trace. Now, years later, her uncle Oliver Beckett thinks he’s found her: a young actress in a vaudeville playhouse is a dead ringer for his missing niece. But when Oliver... more
Book Votes: 1
132
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Silver Lies (Silver Rush, Bk 1) by Ann Parker
As 1879 draws to a close, this Rocky Mountain boomtown has infected the world with silver fever. It's not much different than the dot.com mania or the corporate scams that heat up over a century later.
Unfortunately for Joe Rose, a precious-metals assayer, death stakes its own claim.... more
Book Votes: 1
133
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Gods of Gold (Det Insp Tom Harper, Bk 1) by Chris Nickson
Introducing Detective Inspector Tom Harper in a brand-new historical mystery series. June 1890. Leeds is close to breaking point. The gas workers are on strike. Supplies are dangerously low. Factories and businesses are closing; the lamps are going unlit at night. Detective Inspector Tom Harper... more
Book Votes: 1
134
LecClier K. (SierraK) - |
A Gilded Grave (Newport Gilded Age, Bk 1) by Shelley Freydont
In 1895, at the height of the Gilded Age, Newport, Rhode Island, is the summer home of the social elite. Within the walls of their fabulous “cottages," fortunes and reputations are made and lost. Competition for superiority is ruthless and so are the players.
During her first... more
Book Votes: 1
135
Aubree G. (notyourstar) - |
The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries (Mrs. Jeffries, Bk 1) by Emily Brightwell
IS THERE A DETECTIVE IN THE HOUSE? She keeps house for Inspector Witherspoon... and keeps him on his toes. Everyone is astonished by the inspector's Scotland Yard successes - but they don't know about his secret weapon. In fact, even he doesn't know about his secret weapon... because she's as... more
Book Votes: 1
136
Christine P. (Elyza) |
Forests of the Night: A Johnny Hawke Novel by David Stuart Davies
Praise for Forests of the Night
"Wartime London is beautifully evoked in a plot as crafty as the black market . . . a book you can truly call a thriller."Peter Lovesey, author of The Last Detective ?The engaging debut appearance of wartime private eye Johnny Hawke breathes new life into the... more
Book Votes: 0
137
Christine P. (Elyza) |
In the Shadow of Gotham (Simon Ziele, Bk 1) by Stefanie Pintoff
Dobson, New York, 1905.
Detective Simon Ziele lost his fiancée in the General Slocum ferry disaster, a thousand perished on that summer day in 1904 when an onboard fire burned the boat down in the waters of the East River. Still reeling from the tragedy, Ziele transferred to a... more
Book Votes: 0
138
Lisa G. (garrity) - |
Wobble to Death (Sergeant Cribb, Bk 1) by Peter Lovesey
In 1879, race walking competitions, known as "wobbles," were all the rage. The death of a contender, followed by a second murder, introduces Sergeant Cribb, who goes on to investigate sports-related deaths in a series of eight books.
Book Votes: 0
139
Viola H. (almankiz) |
The Sultan's Seal (Kamil Pasha, Bk 1) by Jenny White
A stunningly lyrical debut novel about faith and desire, set within a gripping tale of murder in nineteenth-century Istanbul.
Rich in sensuous detail, this first novel brilliantly captures the political and social upheavals of the waning Ottoman Empire. The naked body of a young... more
Book Votes: 0
140
Gerald P. (jpat) - |
The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss
David Liss's bestselling historical thrillers, including A Conspiracy of Paper and The Coffee Trader, have been called remarkable and rousing: the perfect combination of scrupulous research and breathless excitement. Now Liss delivers his best novel yet in an entirely new setting -- America in... more
Book Votes: 0
141
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Death and the Running Patterer (Curious Murder Mystery, Bk 1) by Robin Adair
1828: Sydney is a city built on the backs of exiled convicts. But in a colony of criminals, how do you narrow down the list of suspects when a murderer is on the rampage?
Nicodemus Dunne was a London policeman. After being deported on trumped up charges of assault, he now makes his living... more
Book Votes: 0
142
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
To Shield the Queen (Ursula Blanchard, Bk 1) by Fiona Buckley
In this compelling debut of her historical mystery series, Fiona Buckley introduces Ursula Blanchard, a widowed young mother who has become lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I. Armed with a sharp eye, dangerous curiosity, and uncanny intelligence, Ursula pledges...
To Shield the... more
Book Votes: 0
143
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Snobbery with Violence (Edwardian Murder, Bk 1) by Marion Chesney
When a marriage proposal appears imminent for the beautiful -- if rebellious -- Lady Rose Summer, her father wants to know if her suitor's intentions are honorable. He calls on Captain Harry Cathcart, the impoverished younger son of a baron, to do some intelligence work on the would-be... more
Book Votes: 0
144
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Eye of the Red Tsar: A Novel of Suspense by Sam Eastland
This riveting suspense debut introduces both a stellar new voice and a remarkable detective, an outsider who must use his extraordinary talents to solve the one case that may redeem him. Shortly after midnight on July 17, 1918, the imprisoned family of Tsar Nicholas Romanov was awakened and led... more
Book Votes: 0
145
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Mayhem (aka Mirage) (St. Cyr & Kohler, Bk 1) by J. Robert Janes
December 1942. The body of a bicyclist is found on a deserted road in the Forest of Fontainebleau. A Resistance execution is suspected, and the Germans want the killer found within two days, or else. This is the debut adventure of St-Cyr and Kohler, originally published in the United States as... more
Book Votes: 0
146
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
The Detroit Electric Scheme (Will Anderson, Bk 1) by D. E. Johnson
Will Anderson is a drunk, heartbroken over the breakup with his fiancée, Elizabeth. He's barely kept his job at his father's company---Detroit Electric, 1910's leading electric automobile manufacturer. Late one night, Elizabeth's new fiancé and Will's... more
Book Votes: 0
147
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Death in the Dark Walk (John Rawlings, Bk 1) by Deryn Lake
John Rawlings, a young man newly out of his apprenticeship. Having finished his indentures, Rawlings is celebrating at Vaux Hall Pleasure Gardens when he trips over the body of a young girl.
Summoned to the magistrate's office as prime suspect, Rawlings not only clears his own name but... more
Book Votes: 0
148
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Black Out (Frederick Troy, Bk 1) by John Lawton
In the tradition of John le Carré, Eric Ambler, and more recently, Joseph Kanon, Black Out is a stunning wartime thriller. As the Luftwaffe makes its last, desperate assaults on the battered city, Londoners take to the underground shelters amidst the black out. Detective-Sergeant Troy... more
Book Votes: 0
149
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
A Man Lay Dead (Roderick Alleyn, Bk 1) by Ngaio Marsh
It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Gets Murdered.
At Sir Hubert Handesley's country house party, five guests have gathered for the uproarious parlor game of "Murder." Yet no one is laughing when the lights come up on an actual corpse, the good-looking and mysterious... more
Book Votes: 0
150
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
The King's Evil (Christopher Redmayne, Bk 1) by Edward Marston
In a London ravaged by the Great Fire, Christopher Redmayne envisages the rebuilding of the city. He is thrown together with Jonathan Bale, a decidedly Puritan constable, when one of his clients is killed, leading the pair on a journey through the dark underbelly of London and the hedonistic... more
Book Votes: 0
151
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
The Railway Detective (Railway Detective, Bk 1) by Edward Marston
In 1851 England, the London to Birmingham mail train is robbed and derailed, injuring the driver and others aboard. However, further investigation proves the seemingly simple robbery to have been impossible. Inspector Robert Colbeck knows this is a case that won't be easily solved. He is... more
Book Votes: 0
152
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
A Bespoke Murder (Home Front Detective, Bk 1) by Edward Marston
With thousands of Britons fighting in the trenches, a severely depleted police force remains behind to keep the Home Front safe and continue the fight against crime, espionage, and military desertion. In London, Scotland Yard is already overstretched when the sinking of the Lusitania sparks an... more
Book Votes: 0
153
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
The Gentle Axe (Porfiry Petrovich, Bk 1) by R. N. Morris
Just before Christmas, in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1866, police investigator Porfiry Petrovich faces his most challenging murder case since the events made famous by F. Dostoevsky in the novel Crime and Punishment -- a case with disturbing parallels and even darker implications.... more
Book Votes: 0
154
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Fallen into the Pit (Inspector George Felse, Bk 1) by Ellis Peters
A DEADLY LOSS OF INNOCENCE...
All the school boys of Comerford look up to Chad Wedderburn, a classics master who was a hero of the Resistance in World War II. But they are puzzled by his unwavering stand against all violence. And when he is blamed for the brutal murder of a former German... more
Book Votes: 0
155
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Child 44 (Leo Demidov, Bk 1) by Tom Rob Smith
A propulsive, relentless page-turner.
A terrifying evocation of a paranoid world where no one can be trusted.
A surprising, unexpected story of love and family, of hope and resilience.
CHILD 44 is a thriller unlike any you have ever read.
"There is no... more
Book Votes: 0
156
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
The Holy Thief (Captain Alexei Dimitrievich Korolev, Bk 1) by William Ryan
It's Moscow, 1936 and Stalin's Great Terror is beginning. In a deconsecrated Church, a young woman is found dead, her mutilated body displayed on the altar for all to see. Captain Alexei Dimitirevich Korolev, finally beginning to enjoy the benefits of his success with the Criminal... more
Book Votes: 0
157
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
The Cup of Ghosts (Mathilde of Westminster, Bk 1) by Paul C. Doherty
By 1322, Mathilde of Westminster was considered the finest physician in London. But in her years as lady-in-waiting to Princess Isabella, she was drawn into the murky politics of the English court, where sudden, mysterious death was part of the tapestry of life.
Many years later, Mathilde... more
Book Votes: 0
158
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Game of Patience (Aristide Ravel, Bk 3) by Susanne Alleyn
In a fashionable apartment in Paris a double murder is committed; the victims are Clie Montereau, a young woman from a wealthy family, and the man who was blackmailing her. Aristide Ravel is the young investigator, and freelance undercover agent, who is responsible for finding the truth.
But... more
Book Votes: 0
159
Denise S. (Dargent) - |
Murder on the Lusitania by Conrad Allen
September 1907. George Porter Dillman sets sail from Liverpool on the New York-bound Lusitania for its maiden voyage. Hired by the ship's captain to pose as a passenger, George is in fact sailing the high seas as a private detective for the Cunard Line. While on board, he expects only to deal... more
Book Votes: 0
160
Karin A. (Jerseygirltoo) - |
A Discreet Gentleman of Matrimony by Kris Tualla
Brander Hansen never planned to marry - until he fell in love with Regin Kildahl, Baroness of Hamar. Now married, titled and the owner of her bankrupt estate, Brander must come to terms with his unexpected new life. He aches to continue his vocation as a discreet gentleman of discovery, but... more
Book Votes: 0
161
Gerald P. (jpat) - |
Jack of Spies (Jack McColl, Bk 1) by David Downing
It is 1913, and those who follow the news closely can see the world is teetering on the brink of war. Jack McColl, a Scottish car salesman with an uncanny ear for languages, has always hoped to make a job for himself as a spy. As his sales calls take him from city to great city—Hong... more
Book Votes: 0
163
Gerald P. (jpat) - |
Death of a Nationalist (Tejada, Bk 1) by Rebecca Pawel
The first in the series featuring Carlos Tejada of the Spanish Guardia.
Madrid 1939. Carlos Tejada Alonso y Leon is a Sergeant in the Guardia Civil, a rank rare for a man not yet thirty, but Tejada is an unusual recruit. The bitter civil war between the Nationalists and the Republicans has... more
Book Votes: 0
164
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Murder and the First Lady (Eleanor Roosevelt, Bk 1) by Elliott Roosevelt
THE FIRST LADY IN THE LAST ACT...OF MURDER
While FDR carefully mixed martinis for Missy LeHand and Harry Hopkins and chatted about the inevitability of war that summer of 1939, Mrs. Rossevelt paced the White House halls with more weighty matters on her mind: how to find a murderer!
The... more
Book Votes: 0
165
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Murder at the Breakers (Gilded Newport, Bk 1) by Alyssa Maxwell
Newport, Rhode Island, August 1895: She may be a less well-heeled relation, but as second cousin to millionaire patriarch Cornelius Vanderbilt, twenty-one-year-old Emma Cross is on the guest list for a grand ball at the Breakers, the Vanderbilts’ summer home. She also has a job to do --... more
Book Votes: 0
166
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Claws of the Cat (Hiro Hattori, Bk 1) by Susan Spann
When a samurai is brutally murdered in a Kyoto teahouse, master ninja Hiro Hattori has just three days to find the killer before the dead man’s vengeful son kills both the beautiful geisha accused of the crime and Father Mateo, the Jesuit priest that Hiro has pledged his own life to... more
Book Votes: 0
167
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Aristotle Detective by Margaret Doody
Athens 332 BC - a city uneasy under the sway of the Macedonian Alexander the Great, now fighting the King of Persia for control of the East. In this time of fresh ambition and furtive discontent, an eminent citizen is brutally murdered.
Young Philemon, an exile formerly guilty of... more
Book Votes: 0
168
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
An Evil Spirit Out of the West (Egyptian, Bk 1) by P. C. Doherty & Paul C. Dohert...
Known as the Veiled One, the ugly and deformed Akenhaten is a shadowy figure. As a child he is overlooked and despised by his own father. As an adult he is thrust into the political limelight when his elder brother dies. Mahu, ambitious and ruthless, watches the young prince carve his own path... more
Book Votes: 0
169
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
I, Claudia: A Roman Mystery, 13BC (Claudia Seferius, Bk 1) by Marilyn Todd
How far would you go to protect your secret? Would you lie? Would you steal? Would you kill..?
Having connived her way into marriage with a wealthy wine merchant, Claudia quickly grows bored, so when her secret gambling debts spiral, she hits on a resourceful way to pay off the moneylenders.... more
Book Votes: 0
170
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The White Rose Murders (Sir Roger Shallot, Bk 1) by Michael Clynes
In 1517 the English armies have defeated and killed James IV of Scotland at Flodden and James's widow-queen, Margaret, sister to Henry VIII, has fled to England, leaving her crown under a Council of Regency.
Roger Shallot is drawn into a web of mystery and murder by his close friendship... more
Book Votes: 0
171
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Blind Eye by Marilyn Todd
A new series set in Ancient Greece - 466 BC. Blackmailed into spying for Spartas hated secret police, High Priestess Iliona's investigations keep turning up the same stories of a one-eyed giant that lives in the hills above Sicily: the legendary Cyclops. But soon Iliona comes to realize that... more
Book Votes: 0
172
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The London Blitz Murders (Disaster, Bk 5) by Max Allan Collins
By day, she's Mrs. Mallowan, hospital pharmacist. By night, she's Agatha Christie, queen of crime. Doing her part for the war effort, Agatha dispenses medicine in shell- shocked London. But the world's most renowned mystery writer is troubled. Compared to the horrors of World War II,... more
Book Votes: 0
173
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Excalibur Murders (Merlin Investigation, Bk 1) by J. M. C. Blair
Throughout Camelot, he is whispered to be a magician, a sorcerer, a wizard. But Merlin is merely a scholar, a practitioner of medicine, and King Arthur's trusted advisor. Though he possesses no otherworldly abilities, his keen intellect grants him certain powers of deduction...
Though... more
Book Votes: 0
174
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Miss Dimple Disappears (Miss Dimple, Bk 1) by Mignon F. Ballard
Meet Miss Dimple
It is 1942, and most of the men in the town of Elderberry, Georgia, have gone to war. One frosty morning just before Thanksgiving, young schoolmistress Charlie Carr and her fellow teachers are startled to find that the school custodian, Wilson "Christmas" Malone,... more
Book Votes: 0
175
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Out of the Dawn Light (Aelf Fen, Bk 1) by Alys Clare
This is a brand new medieval mystery from the author of the popular "Hawkenlye" series. It is 1087 and William Rufus has just ascended the throne; England lies under a harsh new militaristic regime. Rebellion is in the air and, in the shadows, secrets are muttered that men will kill... more
Book Votes: 0
176
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Secrets of Sloane House (Chicago World Fair, Bk 1) by Shelley Shepard Gray
One woman's search for the truth of her sister's disappearance leads her to deceit and danger in 1893 Chicago. Rosalind Perry has left her family's rural farm in Wisconsin to work as a housemaid at Sloane House, one of the most elegant mansions in Gilded Age Chicago. However,... more
Book Votes: 0
177
Aubree G. (notyourstar) - |
The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter
LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2014
FINALIST FOR THE CWA JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER AWARD
Set in the untamed wilds of nineteenth-century colonial India, a dazzling historical thriller introducing an unforgettable investigative pair.
India, 1937:... more
Book Votes: 0
178
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Secret Lion by C.W. Gortner
In this rousing historical adventure set in the Tudor court, we are swept back to the final days of King Edward VIs reign, and a time of danger, intrigue, and bravery. Brendan Prescott, a foundling reared in Dudley household, arrives at court to serve as a squire to the arrogant Lord... more
Book Votes: 0
179
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Right Hand of Amon (Mystery of Ancient Egypt, Bk 1) by Lauren Haney
When Kings Walked As Living Gods
It is the eighteenth dynasty of Queen Maatkare Hatshepsut, divine ruler of a sun-seared realm. And blood flows as freely as the great, winding Nile that nourishes this ancient land of intrigue and danger.
Lieutenant Bak is a loyal servant of the royal... more
Book Votes: 0
180
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
All Roads Lead to Murder (Pliny the Younger, Bk 1) by Albert A. Bell Jr. & Willia...
First-century Smyrna comes alive as the scene of a horrific murder. Pliny the Younger, Tacitus and Luke, travelers in a caravan bound for Rome, become investigators when no Roman magistrates are available. Suspects abound. with gamblers, arcane priestesses and Christians. What is the secret of... more
Book Votes: 0
181
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Pericles Commission by Gary Corby
Nicolaos walks the mean streets of Classical Athens as an agent for the promising young politician Pericles. His mission is to find the assassin of the statesman Ephialtes, the man who brought democracy to Athens and whose murder has thrown the city into uproar. It?s a job not made any easier by... more
Book Votes: 0
182
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Ides of April (Flavia Albia, Bk 1) by Lindsey Davis
Falco: The Next Generation -- –Flavia Albia has taken up her father's profession. Only, now Rome is a more dangerous, mercurial place than it was back in dear old dad's day . . .
Flavia Albia is the adopted daughter of Marcus Didius Falco and Helena Justina. From her mother, she... more
Book Votes: 0
183
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
Murder, Mather And Mayhem by M. E. Kemp
Who´ s murdering the ministers of Massachusetts Bay? Four have died and Cotton Mather is the next target. Mather´ s cousins, Hetty and Creasy, set off to hunt the craven killer of colonial clergymen. A solid mystery, Murder, Mather and Mayhem will have you stumped as the plot takes... more
Book Votes: 0
184
Alice J. (ASJ) - |
The Redemption of Alexander Seaton by Shona Maclean
Is the young man merely drunk or does his tottering walk suggest something more sinister? When he collapses, vomiting, over the two whores who find him on that dark wet night, they guess rightly that he's been murdered by poisoning. So begins this gripping tale set in the town of Banff, Scotland... more
Book Votes: 0
185
LecClier K. (SierraK) - |
No Comfort for the Lost (Mystery of Old San Francisco, Bk 1) by Nancy Herriman
After serving as a nurse in the Crimea, British-born Celia Davies left her privileged family for an impulsive marriage to a handsome Irishman. Patrick brought her to San Francisco's bustling shores but then disappeared and is now presumed dead. Determined to carry on, Celia partnered... more
Book Votes: 0
186
Mary M. C. (MartieKr) - |
The Inspector's Daughter (Rose McQuinn, Bk 1) by Alanna Knight
In a desperate attempt to recover from the loss of her husband and her baby son, Rose McQuinn has returned home to Edinburgh from the American Wild West. It seems that everything has moved on in her absence, including her beloved stepbrother who has found favor at court and moved to London. But... more
Book Votes: 0
187
Mary M. C. (MartieKr) - |
A Death in the Family (Euphemia Martins, Bk 1) by Caroline Dunford
In December 1909, the Very Rev Joshia Martins expires in a dish of mutton and onions leaving his family on the brink of destitution. Abandoned by her noble grandfather, Joshia's daughter, the eighteen year old Euphemia, takes it on herself to provide for her mother and little brother by... more
Book Votes: 0
188
Mary M. C. (MartieKr) - |
Gold Digger by Vicki Delany
It's the spring of 1898 and Dawson, Yukon Territory, is the most exciting town in North America. The great Klondike Gold Rush is in full swing, and Fiona MacGillivray has crawled over the Chilkoot Pass, determined to make her fortune as the owner of the Savoy dance hall. But Fiona has many... more
Book Votes: 0
189
Mary M. C. (MartieKr) - |
Death of a Serpent: A Serafina Florio Mystery by Susan Russo Anderson
Three bodies . . . A dark secret . . . And one woman determined to uncover the truth. When the police do nothing to solve the murders of three women knifed to death in 1866 Sicily, a struggling widow attempts to unmasks the killer, but not before uncovering shocking truths of her own. Summary:... more
Book Votes: 0
190
Mary M. C. (MartieKr) - |
The Crooked Spire (Chesterfield, Bk 1) by Chris Nickson
1361: Orphaned by the Black Death, all young John has left are the tools his father, a carpenter, leaves behind. Before long, however, John realises that he too has a way with wood; it speaks to him and he can make it do what he wants. Leaving the poverty and plague in Leeds behind, John travels... more
Book Votes: 0
191
Mary M. C. (MartieKr) - |
The Poisonous Seed (Frances Doughty, Bk 1) by Linda Stratmann
When a customer of William Doughty's chemist shop dies of strychnine poisoning after drinking medicine he dispensed, William is blamed, and the family faces ruin. William's daughter, nineteen-year-old Frances, determines to redeem her ailing father's reputation and save the business.... more
Book Votes: 0
192
Karin A. (Jerseygirltoo) - |
This Side of Murder (Verity Kent, Bk 1) by Anna Lee Huber
The Great War is over, but in this captivating new mystery from award-winning author Anna Lee Huber, one young widow discovers the real intrigue has only just begun . . .
England, 1919. Verity Kent’s grief over the loss of her husband pierces anew when she receives a... more
Book Votes: 0