Crime Through Time

by Miriam Grace Monfredo (Editor/Contributor), Sharan Newman (Editor/Contributor), Anne Perry

For those who like to perambulate through the past in their mysteries, Crime Through Time is the perfect companion. Edited by Sharan Newman (medieval mysteries) and Miriam Grace Monfredo's (mid-Victorian American mysteries), this collection of historical mystery stories spans ancient Egypt to World War II and features some of the most well known names in the field. Of particular note is Nicholas diChario's "The Soldier and His Dead Companion," which posits a new solution to a wartime mystery; and the welcome returns of diva Geraldine Farrar and the prank-loving Great Caruso in Barbara Paul's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Corpse," and Peter Lovesey's lecherous but amiable Bertie, Prince of Wales, in "Bertie and the Boat Race."

—Elizabeth Foxwell

Death of a place-seeker / Lynda S. Robinson --
Archimedes' tomb / Steven Saylor --
Solomon's decision / Sharan Newman --
Murder at anchor / Edward Marston --
The hangman's apprentice / Leonard Tourney --
Suffer a witch / Miriam Grace Monfredo --
The lullaby cheat / Kate Ross --
Anything in the dark / Edward D. Hoch --
Bertie and the boat race / Peter Lovesey --
The high constable and the visiting author / Maan Meyers --
Look to the lady / Alanna Knight --
Mrs. Hudson's case / Laurie King --
Exit centre stage / M.J. Trow --
Decision of the umpire / Troy Soos --
Uncle Charlie's letters / Anne Perry --
Killing the critic / Gillian Linscott --
Portrait of the artist as a young corpse / Barbara Paul --
The Mamur Zapt and the Kodaker's eye / Michael Pearce --
Storm in a tea shoppe / Carola Dunn --
The enemy / Ken Kuhlken --
The soldier and his dead companion / Nicholas A. DiChario.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, Anthologies

373 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Miriam Grace Monfredo, a former librarian and a historian, lives in Rochester, New York. This is the seventh Seneca Falls Mystery. A previous Seneca Falls Mystery, The Stalking-Horse, was chosen by the Voice of Youth Advocacy as one of 1998's best adult mysteries for young adults and received a "best" review in Library Journal's young adult section.

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a bit of everything is this old collection of historical mysteries. The earliest example is set in Tutankhamen's Egyptian court; the latest recounts a tale of WWII Berlin. In between are tales ranging from ghost stories, to crime on a buccaneer's ship, to the Salem witch trials. There is a fine tale of basebal and corruption by Troy Soos, and the combination of two historical mysteries handily linked by Edward Hoch.
I suspect this has resided on my bookshelf largely because of a single story by one of my favorite author's, Laurie R. King, featuring Mary Russell and her mentor Sherlock Holmes' inimitable housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson. Otherwise, this collection is typical of many such collections. Some stories are fun, others a bit dull. At least one left me befuddled, as there seemed no actual resolution. My favorite is probably "Killing the Critic" by Gillian Linscott.
All of the late-20th-century authors write (or wrote) historical mystery series. It is a fine way to discover authors you might want to search out.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical mystery short stories, often without much detecting, and relying an awful lot on what you might know about a detective from reading a series. The idea of spanning history is cool, but too many of the stories failed for me - it is not so easy to write a perfect short story if the author is used to a longer form, I guess. Still, the late 90s was the waning of the great mystery boom and these are better than a lot of mysteries coming out today. I did enjoy the Kate Ross Julian Kestrel story, which was the reason I borrowed this book.

[Kristi Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short stories by a wide variety of authors, which makes it difficult to rate. I originally read it because it included a short story by an author (now sadly deceased) that I wanted to read. As is true of most compilations, some of the stories were excellent and others were weaker. If you have an interest in Kate Ross (the Julian Kestrel series), Laurie King (the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series) or Carola Dunn (Daisy Dalrymple series) this book would be worth reading.

[Anne Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

I loved the idea of a collection of historical mysteries, but felt that many of the stories were too short. There was either 1 obvious solution, or a drastic one that there was literally no way to predict because not enough information had been given. Several of the stories didn't even have a real mystery, they were just about someone dying who "had it coming." Many were enjoyable at least.

(2017 Reading Challenge: Book with Multiple Authors)

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the short story format. If you don't like one, it will be over soon. All the stories in this volume have an historical setting. Some mixed actual people and events with fictional ones. It was fun.

[Dzesima Mehulic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kein Mittel kann das Feuer in meinem Herzen kühlen.

[Catherine Siemann]

Some really wonderful stories and some that, for me, didn't stick the landing.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ordered this book so I could read the Julian Kestrel short story (set in Regency England) by Kate Ross, who died too young after writing three Kestrel novels and this one story. Crime through Time is an anthology of historical mystery short stories, some related to novel series and others standalones. (Laurie L. King's "Mrs. Hudson's Case," which I read on Kindle and reviewed earlier this year, is also included.)

I enjoyed all the stories in this collection, including some from periods I don't usually go for -- ancient Egypt, for example. Books of short detective stories are great to have stashed about one's person to while away waiting time in medical offices and elsewhere. I'm glad I also bought Crime through Time II and III, as well as a similar collection, Past Poisons. Recommended.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of twenty-one historical mystery short stories presented in chronological order.

I bought this book solely to read Kate Ross' "The Lullaby Cheat," but I found I really enjoyed most all the stories in this collection. They range in length from eight to twenty-five pages, with the average seeming to be about fifteen to twenty pages.

I think there should be something here to appease any historical mystery fan as there's a wide range of settings and eras. The first story is set in Egypt during the reign of King Tut, the final is set (through a flashbacks) in Berlin in the final days of WWII.

Not every author's writing was to my liking, nor was every historical era, and I think a few of the stories could have been a lot better if they'd had a few more pages worth of fleshing out, but overall this is a top-notch anthology.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little collection of short historical mysteries by mostly-established writers. Each author was limited to about 20 pages, and some truly shown in this format, crafting a tight, satisfying mystery plot. Others, unfortunately, suffered from the need to resort to telling us how to solve the mystery rather than giving us the necessary resources to follow along. Still, it was a nice way to get a small taste of a wide variety of authors, and some I'm definitely planning to seek out and read more of.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bought this book to read the Julian Kestrel short story by Kate Ross. The stories are all fine, but I found the book overall a little disappointing. I think for me the crime/mystery genre doesn't translate well to the short story format. I felt a little bit like a was reading a lot of teasers for mystery series rather than full-fledged stories.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standouts for me were The Lullaby Cheat by Kate Ross and Bertie and the Boat Race by Peter Lovesey.

[Jamie Collins]

This has a Julian Kestrel story in it, by Kate Ross.

[Ange · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read only the stories by Anne Perry and Kate Ross. Didn't care for them.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just read the Julian Kestrel story.