Historical Mystery

The historical mystery or historical whodunit 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 1900s, many credit Ellis Peters's Cadfael Chronicles (1977-1994) for popularizing what would become known as the historical mystery. ...more

The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives
Daughter of Egypt
The Dreadfuls
A Ghastly Catastrophe (Veronica Speedwell, #10)
Ruby Falls
The Star from Calcutta (Perveen Mistry, #5)
A Love Most Daring (Bow Street #3)
Heiress of Nowhere
A Day of Judgment (Inspector Ian Rutledge #25)
The Harvey Girl
Who Killed The Earl of Moran? (Casebook of Barnaby Adair #13)
Never Spar with a Viscount (Secret Society of Governess Spies, #3)
The Fourth Princess
The Heir of Whitestone
Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin (Enola Holmes #10)
When the Wolves Are Silent (Sebastian St. Cyr, #21)
The Last Secret of Lily Adams
The Murder at World's End (Stockingham & Pike, #1)
The Sicilian Inheritance
Last Twilight in Paris
A Ghastly Catastrophe (Veronica Speedwell, #10)
Homecoming
The Heir of Whitestone
Woman on Fire
The Lost Heiress: A Novel
The Predicament
The Missing Pages
Precipice
The Lost Masterpiece
The Museum Detective
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth PetersWhen Secrets Bloom by Patricia  FurstenbergBlameless by Gail CarrigerBreathe by Sara FujimuraThe Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
History, Adventure, Romance
148 books — 147 voters
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. RowlingThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. LewisOutlander by Diana GabaldonA Game of Thrones by George R.R. MartinMurder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
Best Series With At Least 7 Books
676 books — 387 voters

Jackaby by William  RitterA Spy in the House by Y.S. LeeMurder Most Unladylike by Robin StevensThe Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy SpringerThe Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry
YA & Middle Grade Historical Mysteries
313 books — 148 voters
The Woman in Black by Susan         HillThe Thirteenth Tale by Diane SetterfieldThe Little Stranger by Sarah WatersThe Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. JamesThis House Is Haunted by John Boyne
Historical Ghost Fiction
249 books — 366 voters

Chicago May by Harry DuffinThe Name of the Rose by Umberto EcoSpoils of Victory by John A. ConnellMistress of the Art of Death by Ariana FranklinCrocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
Best Historical Crime Fiction
197 books — 74 voters

What Angels Fear (Sebastian St. Cyr, #1)
A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell, #1)
Silent in the Grave (Lady Julia Grey, #1)
Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody, #1)
Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs, #1)
The Anatomist's Wife (Lady Darby Mystery, #1)
And Only to Deceive (Lady Emily, #1)
A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock, #1)
Silent in the Sanctuary (Lady Julia Grey, #2)
Mistress of the Art of Death (Mistress of the Art of Death, #1)
Murder on Astor Place (Gaslight Mystery, #1)
Her Royal Spyness (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries, #1)
The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, #1)
Murder on Black Swan Lane (Wrexford & Sloane, #1)
When Gods Die (Sebastian St. Cyr, #2)

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PBS - Historical Fiction Divas and Dudes A branch of the PaperBackSwap Historical Fiction forum.
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A page for those interested in discussing Sam Thomas's debut mystery THE MIDWIFE'S TALE…more
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American Historical Fiction American history is fascinating and complex, yet it seems the majority of historical novels are …more
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Tags contributing to this page include: historical-mystery and mystery-historical