Paraic O’Donnell inserts touches of humor and insight without lessening the tension in his breathtaking gothic historical mystery, The Naming of the Birds.
Murder Takes the Stage is a clever and delicious spin on Agatha Christie’s The A.B.C. Murders.
John Banville’s The Drowned is mystery fiction that rises to the level of full-on, capital L literature.
Lady Emily’s latest case takes place in the shadow of Neuschwanstein Castle, and stumped even our expert columnist.
Billy Boyle breaks up a Nazi art smuggling ring in James R. Benn’s enthralling The Phantom Patrol, which will delight history buffs, art lovers and thrill-seekers alike.
Caroline Woods exposes the plight of Victorian women and transforms history into an intricately plotted mystery in The Mesmerist.
With Agony Hill, Sarah Stewart Taylor kicks off a thoughtful, thought-provoking historical mystery series set in a time with shocking parallels to the present.
In Alan Bradley’s 11th mystery starring preteen sleuth Flavia de Luce, the chemistry prodigy faces murder by mushroom and her own impending adulthood.
In Alan Bradley’s 11th mystery starring preteen sleuth Flavia de Luce, the chemistry prodigy faces murder by mushroom and her own impending adulthood.
Rough Pages, Lev AC Rosen’s third postwar noir starring gay PI Andy Mills, is as unsettling as it is vital.
Regency romance author Vanessa Kelly hops genres but not time periods for this series starter, which follows Emma Knightley (née Woodhouse) as she solves crimes in her little town of Highbury, England. Mysteries inspired by or starring Jane Austen are certainly common, but Emma is an inspired choice for a sleuth: She loves gossip, has a great deal of freedom thanks to her status as Highbury’s queen bee, and is in desperate need of a meaningful hobby so she doesn’t fall back into old habits and start matchmaking again. Equally inspired is Kelly’s choice of first victim: the detestable Mrs. Elton.
Lindsey Davis’ brutally funny Death on the Tiber is a series high mark for the author’s ancient Rome-set mysteries starring Flavia Albia.
Murder at the White Palace sees Allison Montclair’s terrific Sparks & Bainbridge series continuing in fine fettle.
A Ruse of Shadows is an unmissable high point of Sherry Thomas’ Lady Sherlock, a joyfully original historical mystery series with a romantic twist.
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