Historical Mystery Lovers discussion

Wheel of Historical Mystery
Duration: January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2020

Based on the popular television game show "Wheel of Fortune", in this challenge participants will spin the wheel of history from the "Wheel of Mystery Rules & Questions" discussion thread and read a book that fits the category spun.

GENERAL RULES:
1) Participants may join at any time during the challenge.
2) Definition of historical mystery for this challenge: Any book whose central plot involves a crime of any type (murder, robbery blackmail, etc.) and takes place at any point that is at least 50 years in the past. This includes works set in a time period that is historical from the author’s perspective (for example, The Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters) as well as books written in the past from our perspective and set during the author’s lifetime (for example, Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie).
3) Re-reads and audiobooks are acceptable
4) All books begun on January 1st count toward the challenge
5) Create a personal thread in the challenge folder to keep track of your spins and books. Please make a new post for every task that contains:
A. The wedge spun
B. The book to be read.
C. Once you have finished the book, create a new post with all the details above AND the date read. You can also add a few comments about the book if you want (this is not compulsory).

6) The goal is to read books from all of the wedges.
7) If you spin the wheel and land on a wedge that you have already completed, you have to read another book from the same wedge. You cannot spin the wheel again to get a different wedge.

The Wheel:
The wheel contains 24 wedges.
20 are connected to a specific Goodreads shelf or list related to historical mysteries. Feel free to add books to the various shelves and lists.
2 Bonus read - read any historical mystery of your choice
2 Lose a turn - ask a member of the group to choose a historical mystery for you to read.

SPIN THE WHEEL

Wedges

Click on the link to get to the shelf or list for the wedge.

*Please note that some wedges have more than one associated shelf or list. You can pick your book from any of the shelves or lists next to the name of the wedge.

** Please make sure that your choice of book meets the criteria for an historical mystery as per the rules of the challenge.

1. Historical Mysteries - List #1 / List #2 / Shelf #1
2. Historical Mysteries 2014 - List #1
3. Regency and Victorian Mysteries - List #1 / List #2 / Shelf #1 / Shelf #2
4. Historical Ghost Fiction - List #1
5. Historical Mysteries 2015 - List #1
6. Sleuths in Silks (Female Detectives) - List #1 / List #2 / List #3
7. Historical Mysteries 2016 - List #1
8. Historical Mysteries in Ancient Times (Greece & Rome) - List #1 / List #2 / Shelf #1
9. YA Historical Mysteries - List #1
10. Historical Mysteries 2017 - List #1
11. Dual Time Mysteries - List #1
12. Mysteries with Literary Authors - List #1
13. Sherlock Holmes - List #1 / List #2 / List #3 / Shelf #1
14. Historical Mysteries 2018 - List #1
15. Historical Cozy Mysteries - List #1 / Shelf #1
16. Historical Mysteries 2019 - List #1
17. Best Historical Crime Fiction - List #1 / List #2 / Shelf #1
18. Historical Mysteries 2020 - List #1
19. Medieval Mysteries - List #1 / Shelf #1
20. Great War Veterans as Detectives - List #1

Wheel of Historical Mystery Summary:

1. Historical Mysteries - Blood Moon by Stephen Wheeler, 06/28/20
2. Historical Mysteries 2014 - Plague by CC Humphreys, 07/27/20
3. Regency and Victorian Mysteries - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, 02/22/20
4. Historical Ghost Fiction - Ghostwalk, 04/24/20
5. Historical Mysteries 2015 - Suffer the Little Children by Ann Swinfen, 08/15/20
6. Sleuths in Silks (Female Detectives) - Still Life with Murder by P.B. Ryan, 04/13/20
7. Historical Mysteries 2016 - Keeper of Pleas by Annelie Wendeburg, 05/03/20
8. Historical Mysteries in Ancient Times (Greece & Rome) -
9. YA Historical Mysteries - The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee, 02/18/20
10. Historical Mysteries 2017 -
11. Dual Time Mysteries -
12. Mysteries with Literary Authors - The Play's the Thing by Ann Swinfen, 12/15/20
13. Sherlock Holmes -
14. Historical Mysteries 2018 - What Child is This by Rhys Bowen, 03/19/20
15. Historical Cozy Mysteries - Christmas at the Grange by TE Kinsey, 04/07/20
16. Historical Mysteries 2019 -
17. Best Historical Crime Fiction - The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King, 12/20/20
18. Historical Mysteries 2020 - Murder in the Crypt by Irina Shapiro, 07/09/20
19. Medieval Mysteries -
20. Great War Veterans as Detectives - A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd, 02/05/20
21. Bonus Read 1 - Mission to Athens by Alan Scribner, 01/17/20
22. Bonus Read 2 - The Mask of Ra by Paul Doherty, 09/06/20
23. Lose A Turn 1 - The Murder of Patience Brooke by J.C. Briggs, 03/16/20
24. Lose A Turn 2 - The Final Toll by Denise Domning, 06/12/20

Book 1:

A. Wedge Spun: Bonus
B. Book to be Read: Mission to Athens by Alan Scribner
C. Date Read: 01/17/20
D. Comments: I liked this installment but not as much as some others.

Book 2:

A. Wedge Spun: Great War Veterans as Detectives
B. Book to be Read: A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd
C. Date Read: 02/05/20
D. Comments: I have wanted to read a Charles Todd book for forever but mysteries after the Middle Ages never seem to get high enough on my list. I am very glad that I finally read a book in this series because I really liked it!

Book 3:

A. Wedge Spun: YA Historical Mystery
B. Book to be Read: The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee
C. Date Read: 02/18/20
D. Comments: This is the first in a series that I have had in my TBR for quite a while. While I figured out part of the plot, I didn't guess the whole thing. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more in the series.

Book 4:

A. Wedge Spun: Regency & Victorian Mysteries
B. Book to be Read: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
C. Date Read: 02/22/20
D. Comments: I decided to satisfy two challenges with this book (Wheel of Mystery Regency & Victorian Mystery and Read a Classic in 20 for 20 Challenge). I was especially excited when I found that it was short. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the book. Although I am still taking it, I may read another classic this year since this didn't seem to scratch my "classics" itch.

Book 5:

A. Wedge Spun: Lose A Turn
B. Book to be Read: The Murder of Patience Brooke by J.C. Briggs
C. Date Read: 03/16/20
D. Comments: This is the first in a series and I loved it! Dickens is a great main character and the author seems to have done her research. I want to read more in this series.

Book 6:

A. Wedge Spun: Historical Mysteries 2018
B. Book to be Read: What Child is This by Rhys Bowen
C. Date Read: 03/19/20
D. Comments: This was a short story but I enjoyed it.

Book 7:

A. Wedge Spun: Sleuths in Silk (Female Detectives)
B. Book to be Read: Still Life with Murder by P.B. Ryan
C. Date Read: 04/13/20
D. Comments: This was my first book by P.B. Ryan. It kept me guessing and I enjoyed it. I will eventually read another in this series but I sometimes don't like lead characters who try so hard to be unlikeable... so I will take some time away for now.

Book 8:

A. Wedge Spun: Historical Cozy Mysteries
B. Book to be Read: Christmas at the Grange by TE Kinsey
C. Date Read: 04/07/20
D. Comments: Another short read. I like this series, but it is definitely cozy.

Book 9:

A. Wedge Spun: Historical Mysteries 2016
B. Book to be Read: Keeper of Pleas by Annelie Wendeburg
C. Date Read: 05/03/20
D. Comments: This was a new author for me and I wanted to like it; but that didn't happen. I ended up feeling like it was an okay read, but nothing I would immediately want to look for the next in the series.

Book 10:

A. Wedge Spun: Historical Ghost Fiction
B. Book to be Read: . Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott
C. Date Read: April 24, 2020
D. Comments: I really wanted to like this book and I did enjoy the historical mystery; but the present day plot drove me crazy.

Book 11:

A. Wedge Spun: Historical Mysteries 2019
B. Book to be Read: Death Beside the Seaside by TE Kinsey
C. Date Read: May 21, 2020
D. Comments: This installment had a high body count. I enjoyed it but it wasn't my favorite of the series.

Book 12:

A. Wedge Spun: Lose A Turn 2
B. Book to be Read: The Final Toll by Denise Domning
C. Date Read: June 12, 2020
D. Comments: I love this series! Denise does other series as well (mostly romance which is not my genre), so it had been a long time between the last book and this one. I enjoyed this book and some parts kept me guessing until the end. Now, if she will just write the next one.

Book 13:

A. Wedge Spun: Historical Mysteries
B. Book to be Read: Blood Moon by Stephen Wheeler
C. Date Read: June 28, 2020
D. Comments: This was another good installment in this series. It had quite a complicated plot. I guessed some of the twists immediately but was very surprised by some other twists.

Book 14:

A. Wedge Spun: Historical Mysteries 2020
B. Book to be Read: Murder in the Crypt by Irina Shapiro
C. Date Read: July 9, 2020
D. Comments: This was a new author to me and I enjoyed it very much. It is now added to my series to read!

Book 15:

A. Wedge Spun: Historical Mysteries 2014
B. Book to be Read: Plague by CC Humphreys
C. Date Read: July 27, 2020
D. Comments: I didn't really like this book. I love stories about the Black Death, but this one had a lot going on. I did like the ending, though...

Book 16:

A. Wedge Spun: Historical Mysteries 2015
B. Book to be Read: Suffer the Little Children by Ann Swinfen
C. Date Read: August 15, 2020
D. Comments: This has become one of my favorite series. Christoval has so many interesting things going on, you always wonder what will happen next. Although I prefer Ann Swinfen's other series; I am all caught up with that series while I have several more to go in this series.

Book 17:

A. Wedge Spun: Bonus 2
B. Book to be Read: The Mask of Ra by Paul Doherty
C. Date Read: September 9, 2020
D. Comments: This is the first in a series of Ancient Egypt by Paul Doherty and I really enjoyed it. I had no idea who did it and why until it was revealed at the end. I will definitely be reading more in this series.

Book 18:

A. Best Historical Crime Fiction
B. Book to be Read: The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
C. Date Read: December 20, 2020
D. Comments: I have heard about this series so much, I really had high hopes for this. I ended up liking it but was somewhat disappointed when it wasn't one of my favorites for the year. Oh well, I will be more than happy to read another from the series in the new year.

Book 19:

A. Mysteries with Literary Authors
B. Book to be Read: The Play's the Thing by Ann Swinfen
C. Date Read: December 15, 2020
D. Comments: I really enjoyed this one. I am only a few books from finishing the series but I normally get them as KOLL books which they are stopping in a few weeks. I really enjoy hearing her take on Shakespeare and Marlowe.