Historical Fictionistas discussion

There are various series of mysteries that focus on the art world, written by authors such as Iain Pears, Charlotte Elkins, Estelle Ryan, and B. A. Shapiro, among others.

One oldie but goodie might be the books by Elizabeth Peters. Her nineteenth-century mystery series set in Egypt (first book: Crocodile on the Sandbank) is the best known, but she also wrote some comic mystery/thriller novels set in Europe, with a female protagonist, Dr. Victoria (Vicky) Bliss. Titles include Street of the Five Moons, Silhouette in Scarlet, Borrower of the Night, and The Seventh Sinner. I loved them and found them quite feminist in the 1970s but I haven't read them since and don't know whether sensibilities have changed enough for them to be still enjoyable.

Kate Mosse also wrote a Languedoc trilogy involving some of the Mary Magdalene-related material that Dan Brown drew on. The first one is Labyrinth. I didn't love that one, but it's very popular.

Here are two that I have read and liked.

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith

The Passion of Artemesia by Susan Vreeland

I second Susan Vreeland. Most of her fiction is centered around art and artists. There's also:
Girl with the Pearl Earring and The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier
I Always Loved You by Robin Oliveira (Mary Cassatt)
Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe by Dawn Tripp
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan (Degas)
Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough and Disobedient by Elizabeth Fremantle (Artemisia Gentileschi)
The Velveteen Daughter by Laurel Davis Huber

There is series of books by Estelle Ryan. The main character is a neurodivergent woman who, along with an interesting group, investigates are theft. I like the series because I've learned a bunch about different artists and I like the main character.

Girl Braiding Her Hair by Marta Molnar

I'll second Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Also Lust for Life by Irving Stone (about Van Gogh's life)
The Portrait by Iain Pears (the same author also has a series of books about an art historian detective)
The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau (porcelain making in 18th century England)
The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani (carpet making in 17th century Iran)

Laura Morelli books are great. She is an art historian who writes intriguing dual timeline mysteries.

I have mentioned this elsewhere, but it deserves a place here, and hopefully may reignite this discussion. The series, now three and more to come features the artist Georgia O’Keeffe as a reluctant and definitely amateur detective. The author, Kathryn Lasky, uses artist’s sensibilities to describe landscape and perceptions, with lots of focus on light, color, and such. My wife, Lynn, is an artist, and I tutored her in study methods when she returned to school. relax, I was also employed in the tutorial center at the time on campus.
This series is impressive, and this fictional Georgia O’Keeffe is believable and quite interesting. It is set in the mid-1930s in New Mexico.

Oh, yes, an old favorite, I plan on returning to, now that she has continued her work, and after having my attention diverted for more than a decade, is Tracy Chevalier. She has written a number of historical novels featuring famous paintings and weaves a story into their production. Girl with a Pearl Earring is a great read and other novels follow, such as The Virgin Blue. If you like history, and here in this group, well it goes without saying, then add an appreciation for art history, and Tracy Chevalier may well meet your needs. She has a devoted following, of which I am, as noted above, one :)