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Welcome to the newly re-booted Historical Mystery Lovers group!

Tell us a little about yourself: Favorite books, authors, foods, etc...

Don't be shy :0)

I'm a big fan of Regency mysteries, although I gladly read many other eras. Some of my favorite historical mystery authors are:
Ashley Gardner
James McGee
Armand Cabasson
CJ Sansom

I've used this thread several times to find new authors, and I love when we add new books to the
Bookshelf.

I like anything that sounds interesting or original. If I've read a great deal in that period before and the protagonist sounds run of the mill, I probably won't be reading it.

My top ten mysteries of all time include historical mysteries by Laura Joh Rowland (Sano series) and Ellis Peters (Cadfael series).

I am currently working my way through the Phryne Fisher series in no particular order. On another group, I belong to the faction of Unrepentant Out Of Order Readers (UOOORs). I believe in reading the books in the series that sound most interesting to me first. I am not spoiler sensitive, but I try to be considerate of those who are spoiler sensitive.

Hey Chris!

I love the regency set ones as well. I have The Hanover Square Affair in audio and will definitely be listening to it soon.

I haven't read the other authors but I'm going to check them out.

Hi Shomeret,

I'll be checking those authors out too.

Unlike you, I'm a bit obsessive about reading in order - RIOing, as one of my other groups calls it, lol!

I liked the Captain Lacey a lot. It shows a little different side of the Regency we all enjoy in the romance section. I am a total Napoleonic geek, too.

***Shomeret****
I've got the Brother Cadfael on my TBR for this year. I'm glad to hear a good recommendation. I was wondering if they are similar to the Matthew Shardlake series?

Hello to all!

My most commonly read genre is historical mystery. I tend towards Victorian or Regency period but as others have said, will gladly read other eras too.

One of my favourite series is C.S. Harris' Sebastien St. Cyr mysteries. I am eagerly awaiting Who Buries the Dead! I also really liked Ashley Gardner's series as well. Saving the latest book for my upcoming ski holiday.

I've just started Full Dark House, the Bryant and May mystery series. Enjoyable so far!

Melanie

Lauren wrote: "Hi Shomeret,

I'll be checking those authors out too.

Unlike you, I'm a bit obsessive about reading in order - RIOing, as one of my other groups calls it, lol!"

Oh that is me too!! Sigh. I have RIO. ;-)

I may have to check out your RIO group! I'm a bit compulsive about it, too :-)

Chris wrote: "I liked the Captain Lacey a lot. It shows a little different side of the Regency we all enjoy in the romance section. I am a total Napoleonic geek, too.

***Shomeret****
I've got the Brother Cadf..."

The main similarity between Brother Cadfael and Matthew Shardlake would be that they take place in England. The Brother Cadfael series is medieval. Cadfael is a monk and an herbalist. The Shardlake series takes place in the Tudor period which is somewhat later than Cadfael. The protagonist is a lawyer. So I'd say that they are quite different from each other. I like the Shardlake series and hope to read the latest book in the series soon.

Melanie wrote: "Hello to all!

My most commonly read genre is historical mystery. I tend towards Victorian or Regency period but as others have said, will gladly read other eras too."

Hiya Melanie!

I just finished reading and I am completely hooked! I loved Sebastian and the authors note at the end had me researching the Bithil syndrome - couldn't find much on it though.

Chris wrote: "I may have to check out your RIO group! I'm a bit compulsive about it, too :-)"

It's the 2-3-4 Challenge group. The premise is to continue series we've already begun and let languish. All genres welcome.

Thanks Lauren! I just signed up, I see they're reading Harry Bosch and I'm right in the middle of one now. I appreciate the recommendation.

Chris wrote: "Thanks Lauren! I just signed up, I see they're reading Harry Bosch and I'm right in the middle of one now. I appreciate the recommendation."

Sure thing. Hope you have fun with it. I'll be joining the Harry Bosch read as soon as I get a chance.

Hello! I enjoy reading across several genres - traditional fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, mysteries, and suspense/thrillers. I'm a big fan of C.S. Harris' Sebastian St Cyr myteries and, like Melanie, am eagerly awaiting the next new book in March. I also really enjoy Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mysteries series. I'm relatively new to historical mysteries so I'm still exploring but other new finds have been Ariana Franklin, Tracy Grant, Deanna Raybourn, and Anne Perry.

Hey Veronica *waves* - I'm actually here because you introduced me to Sebastian St. Cyr and I went looking for a group to discuss other historical mysteries :D

Lauren wrote: "I loved Sebastian and the authors note at the end had me researching the Bithil syndrome - couldn't find much on it though."

The author talked about this on her blog once. Several people in her family have really acute hearing and/or eyesight (not everyone to the same degree) but no one ever thought anything about it. One of her daughters was going through medical school and took part is some genetic research project and was told she had this very rare syndrom that they called Bithil. That's the only time she's ever heard of it herself but she decided to incorporate it into her main character.

That's so interesting. I'm off to check out her blog. I love learning all those little extra tidbit about a story.

I began one of Harris' books and put it down after 100 or so pages because it seemed formulaic. Since there are so many authors that I want to read, I never picked up another of Harris's books.

Hi all! Currently I am reading The Casebook of Carnaki the Ghost Finder by William Hope Hodgson. This book contains 9 short stories written around 1913, some mysteries, some paranormal. These all take place in the Victorian era so I guess they would be considered historical mysteries. Some of my favorite historical mystery authors are Ellis Peters, Michael Jecks, Tony Hays, Peter Tremayne, Paul Doherty and many, many more.

Hi I am Mark, I am a fantasy fan mainly but I like to read historical mysteries, read all of the bernard knight, candace robb and most of susanna gregory.

Hi everyone!
I don't often get to post but I find the best books from reading y'all"s posts. I will try to post more of my finds.
I just finished reading Resurrection Row by Anne Perry. I decided a while back to read from the beginning of the Thomas & Charlotte Pitt mystery series. The books have been fantastic thus far. I'm about to start book four as an audio book.
Happy Reading!!

I'm Susanna. I read a lot of both mystery and historical fiction, so naturally I like historical mysteries.

Some of my favorite authors include C.J. Sansom (The new one is great! A gift from the UK sent by a friend.), Ellis Peters, Laurie R. King, Alan Bradley, Steven Saylor, Jacqueline Winspear, and David Liss.

Hi SUsan Jo, Mark, Denise and Susanna :0)

Lots of new authors to look into.

Hello, all! I'm from the Chicago suburbs, where I live with my husband and three kids. I'm a stay-at-home mom trying to be a writer. I majored in English Lit and have spent most of my life reading the classics. After my third kid was born 9 years ago, however, my brain turned to mush and I needed to start reading for entertainment! I have found that I gravitate toward historical mysteries or novels. Some of my favorite historical mystery authors are: P.B. Ryan, C.J. Sansom, Pat McIntosh, Bernard Knight, Charles Todd, Anne Perry (Charlotte and Thomas Pitt). I just started C.S. Harris's Sebastian St. Cyr series and have Dorothy Sayers's Whose Body? on my bedside table. What else? I like strategy games (like Settlers), gardening, and craft beer! Thanks for having me!

Lauren wrote: "Hey Veronica *waves* - I'm actually here because you introduced me to Sebastian St. Cyr and I went looking for a group to discuss other historical mysteries :D"

I'm always looking to recruit new fans for Sebastian. wink

And thanks for introducing me to Adelia. :)

Hi everyone! I enjoy historical fiction (with Alexandre Dumas as my favourite) and mystery series. I discovered the historical mystery genre last year, and I've been trying to read more of it ever since. I especially like when the books focus on the forensic medicine part. My favourite series so far is the Sebastian St. Cyr series, and like Veronica & Melanie, I'm eagerly awaiting for book #10. I've tried Ellis Peters with A Morbid Taste for Bones and Victoria Thompson but I'm still not hooked, I'm planning to give the sequels a try. I also read The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye but I didn't like the writing style.
I'm currently reading and enjoying The Alienist by Caleb Carr. I like to guess the culprit but at this point I've not idea yet.

Veronica wrote: "Lauren wrote: "I loved Sebastian and the authors note at the end had me researching the Bithil syndrome - couldn't find much on it though."
The author talked about this on her blog once. Several ..."

Agreed. I can't help but read the historical notes at the end too. They're really interesting and I like to see how the author found and incorporated her research in the books.

Good evening, everyone,

I prefer Victorian, Edwardian and Regency period stories, and also American Historical of the late 19th and early 20th Century. A notable exception to this is the Will Rees series, which takes place after the American Revolution (A Simple Murder is the first). I enjoy the St. Cyr series, as well as both the Pitt and William Monk series by Anne Perry. In the not-so-near future, I'll probably take up Charles Finch. There are so many authors that I thought it was better to limit my time periods. If this were the only genre I read, I'd be OK, but I tend to also read straight mystery, police procedurals and romantic suspense, so there really aren't enough hours in the day for all of it.

Hi all, historical mysteries are my favorite type of book. My favorite time periods were always Victorian and Regency periods, but lately I've been exploring and enjoying Edwardian as well. I would like to read more set in medieval times but they seem to be fewer.

Favorite historical mystery authors (in no particular order), are Charles Finch, Alan Bradley, Ashley Gardner, Judith Rock, Ariana Franklin, Deanna Raybourn, Anna Lee Huber, and Nancy Bilyeau. I look forward to future discussions on this board.

Good Evening All,

I first got into historical mysteries after watching the Bro Cadfael series on PBS more years ago than I care to remember. I've always had a soft spot for Medieval/early modern English history starting with the Thomas Costain books which I read as a teen. I also tend to read Roman era fiction/mysteries

In addition to Ms. Peters, some of my favorite historical mystery authors include, in no particular order:

Michael Jecks
Susanna Gregory
Paul Doherty
Bernard Knight
C.J. Sansom
Steven Saylor
Lindsey Davis
Edward Marston

This list is by no means complete :)

I also read alot of non fiction history/military and and once and a while something on politics

Another C.J. Sansom fan here. I too couldn't wait for the US publication of Lamentation, so got it shipped from the UK. I also really like the Roman doctor series by Ruth Downie.

Right now I'm re-reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, which is sort of historical but not really a mystery!

Michelle wrote: "Hello, all! I'm from the Chicago suburbs, where I live with my husband and three kids. I'm a stay-at-home mom trying to be a writer. I majored in English Lit and have spent most of my life readi..."

Hi Michelle!

I'm a fellow English lit major whose brain needs relaxation from all the classics after 10 years of study :0)

Veronica wrote: "I'm always looking to recruit new fans for Sebastian. wink"

Well, you've definitely succeed :0)

Audrey Jane wrote: "Hi everyone! I enjoy historical fiction (with Alexandre Dumas as my favourite) and mystery series. I discovered the historical mystery genre last year, and I've been trying to read more of it ever ..."

Hey Audrey Jane!
Fancy seeing you here - looks like we Thundercats have similar tastes ;0)

If you enjoy the forensics side of the mystery then Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series will be right up your alley.

I tried reading too but didn't get very far before DNFing. The disjointed writing was too confusing for me.

I loved - one of my absolute favorite books!

MBP wrote: "Hi! I love well-written historical mysteries. I just received Lamentation, the newest Shardlake mystery by C. J. Sansom, and I can't wait to get into it! I've read Ellis Peters' Cadfael series, ..."

Hi MBP,

So many great new authors to explore!

Merle wrote: "ut I tend to also read straight mystery, police procedurals and romantic suspense, so there really aren't enough hours in the day for all of it"

Hey Merle!
I couldn't agree more. Not enough hours in the day for all the great books out there. I also read regular mysteries, thrillers and RS. Make sure to pop by the non-historical reads thread and share what you're reading. I'm always on the lookout for new books and authors.

Hey Dorie!

Looking forward to discussing with you too. Have you read ? I've heard good things about it.

Hi Happy,

I've seen a few of the Brother Cadfael episodes. That's the one with Derek Jacobi, right?

Hi Brenda,

Yes, it is really difficult to wait for books to come out. I'm so grateful for my Kindle, which has given me access to books I would never have had before.

Halloo,
I read just about anything but pure horror, but mostly gravitate to historical mysteries whether they be cozies, thrillers, or steampunk. I enjoy being transported to places and reading about how things were deduced, discovered, detected.
Coming up with a favourite author is tough, and I'm all over the place when it comes to period.

Like others above, I'm a stickler for reading in order, and if there's a difference between publication date and chronology, I typically stick to publication date.

Like others, I enjoy watching some of the prods on tele: Cadfael, Father Brown, Grantchester, etc

Big fan of historical mysteries here, and also an author of them.

I have a mystery series set in ancient Athens, published by Soho Press.

Book five is called Death Ex Machina. Soho's sponsoring a giveaway right this moment, so if you're interested hop on over to /giveaway/sh....

Hi everybody!

I read a lot of genres but mystery will always be my first love. :) I'm a big fan of Agatha Christie so a few years ago I decided to branch out into books set in other time periods. That's how I got into historical mysteries. :)

I'm a fan of the Matthew Shardlake series - have the audiobook for book #5 - and I used to be a fan of Anne Perry and her Monk books until I discovered her unfortunate past.

I have tons of historical mysteries in my shelf that I hope to get to this year: Amelia Peabody, Marcos Didius Falco, John Russell, Inspector Ian Rutledge, Captain Lacey, Gaius Petreius Ruso, Crispin Guest, Maggie Hope & Mickey Rawlings.

Hello!

I love all mysteries in general, but I like the added dimension history brings to a story.

I tend to gravitate toward "historical" mysteries actually written in an historical time period, like Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, and the original Nancy Drews (written in the 1930s). Oooh! And I'm a big fan of noir mysteries written in the 30s and 40s (Dashiell Hammett, et al). Then there's the master: Edgar Allan Poe.

But I also like contemporary historical mysteries. Caleb Carr is awesome! Right now, I'm reading Instruments of Darkness by Imogen Robertson.

Hi Lauren. Thanks for the invitation to re-connect.
Historical mysteries are my first choice when it comes to reading for pleasure. And, as it happens, last night, I finished THE PERICLES COMMISSION by Gary Corby. This is Mr. Corby's debut novel, published in 2010 by Minotaur, my own publisher, and the first of 5 in this series. It introduces Nicolaos, a young Athenian who wants to enter politics, who is persuaded by Pericles to figure out who murdered Ephialtes, the man who brought democracy to Athens but who really was murdered in 461 BC. Helping him--sort of--is Diotima, an annoyingly virgin priestess of Artemis. If you like historic mysteries, this should be a winner for you.
Whenever I read a series, I have to start with the first one. I know it isn't always necessary, but I have to. (If that's compulsive, I plead guilty.) Some series, like, say, Nancy Drew, don't have an overarching plot so they really can be read out of order, but nowadays, I find that most series do.

Mary Miley

The Impersonator (Minotaur: 2013)
Silent Murders (Minotaur: 2014)

Loved The Impersonator! I've got the audiobook for Silent Murders on my phone; it's next up in the queue for car listening.

D.G. wrote: "Hi everybody!"

Hi D.G. *waves*

I've heard from a few people that they stopped reading Perry's books once they learned who she really was.

Monica wrote: "Hello!."

Hi Monica. I'm also a huge Poe fan. I also teach him to my students. My favorite is The Murders in the Rue Morgue.

Lauren wrote: "Hi Happy,

I've seen a few of the Brother Cadfael episodes. That's the one with Derek Jacobi, right?"

Yep

Hi! I'm Meghan; my favorite genres are historical fiction and mystery, so it's no surprise that historical mystery is my cup of tea.

I read mostly in the Regency and Victorian eras, though I am branching out into the 20th century up to World War II as well. I generally like books set in Europe best, though I'm not very picky about the country. Some favorites have been:

Tasha Alexander
Rhys Bowen
Charles Finch
Ariana Franklin (I am hoping the rumors of a new one are, in fact, true.)
Michael Gregorio
C.S. Harris
Anna Lee Huber (a recent find and fast favorite)
J. Sydney Jones
Laurie R. King
Deanna Raybourn (particularly the first 3 Lady Julia)
Kate Ross
Frank Tallis (hoping for a new installment soon!)
Charles Todd (I've only read Bess Crawford but will start Inspector Rutledge soon.)

I love reading everyone's comments and recommendations and have found a lot of great series that way!

Oh, forgot to mention a recent discovery: Gary Corby. His are set in ancient Athens. (First one is The Pericles Commission.)