November MysteryKIT: Historical Mysteries

What is a Historical Mystery?

According to Wikipedia, it is

...a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves the solving of a mystery or crime (usually murder). Though works combining these genres have existed since at least the early 20th century, many credit Ellis Peters' Cadfael Chronicles (1977–1994) for popularizing what would become known as the historical mystery

I would suggest we all try to pick from mysteries that take place before 1950, but I'm not imposing any hard and fast rule...use your best judgement.

Some suggestions:

*Brother Cadfael books by Ellis Peters
*Justin de Quincy series by Sharon Kay Penman
*Russell/Holmes books by Laurie R. King

*I can recommend any of these series, as I've read them.

But there are more sleuth series to check out!

Father George by Harry Turtledove
Amelia Peabody by Elizabeth Peters
Benjamin January by Barbara Hambly
William Monk by Anne Perry

Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...

Wikipedia's list is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_mystery#List_of_fictional_historical_de...

What do you recommend?



Wiki here: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/MysteryKIT_2021

And be sure to not only post your planned reads, but a review or just thoughts once you've read your choice, or choices.

“Come, Watson, come!' he cried. 'The game is afoot. Not a word! Into your clothes and come!'

I have 3 on tap:

Murder at Wakehurst by Alyssa Maxwell - A Gilded Newport Mystery
A Dangerous Place - Maisie Dobbs
Journey to Munich - Maisie Dobbs

I just took a look yesterday at what I might read for this. I have a number of options, but my top two came to these:

Murphy's Law / Rhys Bowen
The Play of Death / Oliver Potzsch

I might keep going with the Enola Holmes series.

I have lots of choices here but I have narrowed it down to:

Execution by S. J. Parris (16th century)
Murder in Pug's Parlour by Amy Myers (19th century)
Falcon At the Portal by Elizabeth Peters (pre WW1)
A Woman Unknown by Frances Brody (1920s)

Not sure what I'll end up with. I've enjoyed several of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series, some Sharon Kay Penman .. . maybe I'll try another Sujata Massey set in India in the 1920s. Of one of Parker Bilal's Makana series set in Cairo in the 1990s . . .

Right now I'm looking at Claude Izner's Victor Legris mysteries or Jean-François Parot's Nicolas LeFloch, but I reserve the right to change my mind at short notice. I've got so many to choose from!

I'll be reading No Shred of Evidence by Charles Todd, and Crowned and Dangerous by Rhys Bowen

I will have no trouble finding one or more to fit this category. I'll see which series are available when I go to the library to pick up some print books this weekend. I need to compare my next in series to their holdings.

I have a ton of options for this, but right now my front-runner is Brighton Belle by Sara Sheridan, which is set in the 1950s.

I'll have several that will work but what I would like to read is the next in the John Fielding series. My problem with that is that I think the last one I show "read" in my LT library isn't the last one I read. I'll have to figure that out first and then see if I have what I need on the shelf. I hate forgetting to update my library!

I just picked up some more books from the local used book sale. Yippee! What a bookish haul. I am thinking of a Mrs. Jeffries mystery, or a Wells and Wong mystery (1936).

>4 JayneCM: I read one of those in February, enjoyed it.

I will likely choose something light like the next in the Lady Sherlock series or the Kopp Sisters series. Fun!

I'm going to read Anne Perry's take on the Whitechapel murders, The Whitechapel Conspiracy.

MysteryKIT planning for 2022 is happening! A few months and categories are still up for grabs if you'd like to host a month: https://www.librarything.com/topic/336275.

I read A Spoonful of Murder by Robin Stevens, featuring the Wells and Wong duo of teenage sleuths. I liked the descriptions of Hazel Wong's family in Hong Kong and how her personality shone through in her native culture. Excellent read.

I'm enjoying Clouds of Witness (Lord Peter Wimsey #2) right now :)

I read Strange Gods by Annamaria Alfieri, which offers an interesting East African historical setting.

The Play of Death / Oliver Potzsch
4 stars

It is 1670. Jakob Kuisl is the hangman in Schongau, Bavaria. His daughter, Magdalena, married an almost-doctor (he didn’t quite finish his study/training), Simon, a while back. Even still, hangmen and their families are the lowest of the low in society. Simon is taking his oldest son, Peter to the next town over, Oberammergau, so he will have a better chance at a good education (which is harder for him to get in Schongau, with the prejudices toward him as the hangman’s grandson). Peter will stay with a former teacher of Simon’s, who will teach Peter at the schoolhouse there.

The morning Simon takes Peter to Oberammergau, however, one of the town’s residents is found crucified on a cross. Oberammergau has been planning and rehearsing for a Passion play, and the young man playing Jesus is the one found on the cross. One of the town’s council members (a rich man – whose son is the one who died) asks Simon to stay a while to help figure out what happened and to help out as a doctor, as Oberammergau is currently without one. In the meantime, back home in Schongau, Magdalena’s younger sister, Barbara, is finding herself in trouble.

I like historical fiction and I like mysteries, but historical mysteries don’t always pull me in. However, I really like this series. I feel like it’s gotten better as it goes along. This is actually a translation and the author discovered he actually has a hangman in his family’s history, so the series is based on that. There actually ends up being a lot more going on in this than my summary suggests. I’m happy to see that the series continues.

>20 LibraryCin: I'm glad to know the series improves. I still have a lot in the series and downloaded some of them, but I got turned off by the second. I might pick it back up at some point.

>21 thornton37814: I'm going on memory, but I think I've liked this one (the 6th) and the previous one best.

Ok, on checking, it looks like I ranked the 1st and 3rd in the series 4 stars, as well. The 2nd and 4th, I gave 3.5 stars. So those were the ones I didn't like as much as the others.

I ranked the 2nd only 3 stars. I remember it was a bit of a slog at times.

COMPLETED A Woman Unknown by Frances Brody, set in the 1920s.
Continuing with the next in the series, Murder on a Summer's Day

The December thread is up at https://www.librarything.com/topic/336723

Murphy's Law / Rhys Bowen
4 stars

It’s 1901. Molly is running from her small town in Ireland after she accidentally killed a man when he tried to rape her. In London, she meets up with a woman planning to take her children to America to meet up with her husband who is already there. Unfortunately, a medical test before they leave finds her too sick to travel. They decide that Molly will pretend to be her (Kathleen) and escort the kids to their father. Unfortunately, as they were detained overnight on Ellis Island, one of the men who had been on the same ship was murdered. Molly happened to see a guard that night in the vicinity of the men’s barracks; she had also been seen slapping the murdered man on the ship.

I really liked this one. Historical mysteries aren’t always my favourite, but I think the historical aspect of this was really well done: dealing with the hardships of arriving as an immigrant, not really knowing anyone… finding a job, so she can eat and pay for shelter. I did like her relationship with the kids she brought with her, especially the little girl. I would have liked a bit more follow-up with that, but maybe that will come in future books in the series. This might be amongst my favourite cozy mysteries, probably due to the historical setting, but that can’t be the only reason since (many) other historical mysteries don’t pull me in like this one did.

Going to Egypt with Amelia Peabody and family in The Ape Who Guards The Balance by Elizabeth Peters.

>27 lowelibrary: Good choice! I enjoy her books and I am fairly certain I have them all on my shelves. I especially like the way the characters change and grow chronologically through the series.

>25 Robertgreaves: thank you!

COMPLETED Murder on a Summer's Day by Frances Brody (1920s)

I've read The Murders of Richard III for this month. Published in 1974, a group of Richard III cosplayers meet in a castle for a big weekend of living as their characters from Richard III's court before released a newly discovered letter to the press, one that will prove that Richard didn't kill the princes in the tower. But among their group is one who doesn't want the letter released and the guests are attacked one by one.

Diary of a Dead Man on Leave by David Downing
Set in 1938 Germany, a Communist spy is boarding with a family in Hamm and making contact with other like-minded Germans, of which there are few because Hitler has overcome most people who are either with him or too scared to go against him. Downing does an amazing job of illustrating the political climate and mood of the times, clearly taking the reader to the time and place, all while telling an enthralling story.

"Sometimes the Third Reich feels like a cross between Kafka and Alice in Wonderland."

This was my choice for a historical mystery although the "mystery" is subtle.

Read A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters

Slow reading month for me, but I've got my choice for this month up next, the LAST (sniff sniff) in the Brother Cadfael series: Brother Cadfael's Penance.

I read River of Darkness and now I want to read the whole series!

I just read the first in Vicki Delany's new historical mystery series set in the 1953 Catskills--Deadly Summer Nights. I know this is just after the cutoff suggested, but it's during the Red Scare and references action during WW2 which ends up being important.

I have read A Play of Knaves by Margaret Frazer, the third book in the Joliffe the Player series. Frazer wrote 7 in this series before her death in 2006.

In 1435 three families are at odds when a murder takes place. Joliffe, a member of a traveling troupe of performers, gets involved in the mystery hoping to prevent a second death. Frazer's books are always enjoyable. She is known for diligent research and accuracy in writing of Medieval life.

I'm currently reading Design for Dying by Renee Patrick, which is set in 1930s Hollywood. Looks like the main character is going to team up with Edith Head to solve a murder!

I have finished Les proies de l'officier which is set during Napoleon's Russian campaign. The author should have made up his mind whether he wanted to write a mystery or military fiction, as it stands it works as neither.

COMPLETED Murder in Pug's Parlour by Amy Myers (1890s)

My review:
The steward at Stockbery Towers is found dead in his parlour. Surely that renowned chef, Auguste Didier, couldn't have put poisonous leaves in the salad by accident? He investigates to clear his name.

Although the mystery itself was quite well done, the 1890s historical background felt unconvincing, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why. I don't think I will be continuing with the series.

Well, I have to face it, I'm NOT going to finish my choice for this challenge, not in November.

Thanks to everyone for joining this month, see you in the December thread!

I finished Grimms Morde a day late, but it is such a good mystery that I simply had to mention it here. The Brothers Grimm solve the murder of a mistress of the recently deceased Elector of Hesse, and the shadow of Bonaparte still looms heavily over the country.