Today we met to discuss historical mysteries (descriptions
from Amazon).
Twelve in attendance:
Holley, O’Neal
Melanie, Hoover
Shawn, Pinson
Lora, Vestavia
Reba, BPL Titusville
Fontaine, BPL Books-By-Mail
Pam, BPL Southside
S. Lewis, BPL Smithfield
Lynn, BPL West End
Kenyata, BPL East Ensley
Samuel, BPL Springville Road
C. Gilliam
Here are the books we talked about!
HISTORICAL MYSTERY AUTHORS OF NOTE:
Chester Himes
Patricia Raybon
Diane Setterfield
Deanna Raybourn
Laurie R. King
C.S. Harris
Rhys Bowen
Anne Perry
Jacqueline Winspear
Amy Stewart
Louise Penny
S.J. Bennett
INDIVIDUAL TITLES FROM THE MEETING:
Clark & Division by Naomi Hirahara
Set in 1944 Chicago, Edgar Award-winner Naomi Hirahara’s eye-opening and
poignant new mystery, the story of a young woman searching for the truth about
her revered older sister's death, brings to focus the struggles of one Japanese
American family released from mass incarceration at Manzanar during World War
II.
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
In New York Times bestselling author
Fiona Davis's latest historical novel, a series of book thefts roils the iconic
New York Public Library, leaving two generations of strong-willed women to pick
up the pieces.
The Flavia de Luce Mystery series by Alan Bradley
The series follows 11-year-old Flavia de Luce—a precocious amateur detective
and aspiring chemist with a passion for poison—as she solves the never-ending
mysteries of her small English village.
The Swifts by Beth Lincoln
On the day they are born, every Swift child is brought before the sacred Family
Dictionary. They are given a name, and a definition. A definition it is assumed
they will grow up to match.
Meet Shenanigan Swift: Little sister. Risk-taker. Mischief-maker. Shenanigan is
getting ready for the big Swift Family Reunion and plotting her next great
scheme: hunting for Grand-Uncle Vile’s long-lost treasure. She’s excited to
finally meet her arriving relatives—until one of them gives Arch-Aunt
Schadenfreude a deadly shove down the stairs. So what if everyone thinks she’ll
never be more than a troublemaker, just because of her name? Shenanigan knows
she can become whatever she wants, even a detective. And she’s determined to
follow the twisty clues and catch the killer.
Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart
On the mountainous border of China and Tibet in 1708, a detective must learn
what a killer already knows: that empires rise and fall on the strength of the
stories they tell.
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
1920s India: Perveen Mistry, Bombay's only female lawyer, is investigating a
suspicious will on behalf of three Muslim widows living in full purdah when the
case takes a turn toward the murderous. The author of the Agatha and Macavity
Award–winning Rei Shimura novels brings us an atmospheric new historical
mystery with a captivating heroine.
Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March
In 1892, Bombay is the center of British India. Nearby, Captain Jim Agnihotri
lies in Poona military hospital recovering from a skirmish on the wild northern
frontier, with little to do but re-read the tales of his idol, Sherlock Holmes,
and browse the daily papers. The case that catches Captain Jim's attention is
being called the crime of the century: Two women fell from the busy
university’s clock tower in broad daylight. Moved by Adi, the widower of one of
the victims — his certainty that his wife and sister did not commit suicide —
Captain Jim approaches the Parsee family and is hired to investigate what
happened that terrible afternoon.
Murder by Lamplight by Patrice McDonough
For fans of Andrea Penrose and Deanna Raybourn, and anyone who relishes
riveting, well-researched historical fiction, this inventive and enthralling
debut mystery set in Victorian London pairs the unconventional, trailblazing
Dr. Julia Lewis with a traditional and skeptical police inspector, as they try
to stop a wily serial killer whose vengeance has turned personal.
Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian
A jaded spy and a shell shocked country doctor team up to solve a murder in
postwar England. James Sommers returned from the war with his nerves in
tatters. All he wants is to retreat to the quiet village of his childhood and
enjoy the boring, predictable life of a country doctor. The last thing in the
world he needs is a handsome stranger who seems to be mixed up with the first
violent death the village has seen in years. The war may be over for the rest
of the world, but Leo Page is still busy doing the dirty work for one of the
more disreputable branches of the intelligence service. When his boss orders
him to cover up a murder, Leo isn't expecting to be sent to a sleepy
village. As he starts to untangle the mess of secrets and lies that lurk
behind the lace curtains of even the most peaceful-seeming of villages, Leo
realizes that the truths he's about to uncover will affect his future and those
of the man he's growing to care about.
Slippery Creatures by K.J. Charles
Will Darling came back from the Great War with a few scars, a lot of medals,
and no idea what to do next. Inheriting his uncle’s chaotic second-hand
bookshop is a blessing...until strange visitors start making threats. First a
criminal gang, then the War Office, both telling Will to give them the
information they want, or else. Will has no idea what that information is, and
nobody to turn to, until Kim Secretan—charming, cultured, oddly
attractive—steps in to offer help. As Kim and Will try to find answers and
outrun trouble, mutual desire grows along with the danger.
The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
Quick-witted, ambitious Ji Lin is stuck as an apprentice dressmaker,
moonlighting as a dancehall girl to help pay off her mother's Mahjong debts.
But when one of her dance partners accidentally leaves behind a gruesome
souvenir, Ji Lin plunges into a dark adventure: a mirror world of secrets and
superstitions.
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
A detective novel about a mysterious murder in a vacant house, one man’s
lifelong hunt for justice, and the powers of deduction and reason.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate the eerie tale of a devil-beast that haunts
the moors around the Baskerville ancestral home after Sir Charles Baskerville
is found dead--and the footprints of a giant hound are found near his body.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The novel follows an unnamed Narrator in her twenties as she tells the story of
how she became involved with a widower and the strange occurrences that plagued
her after marrying him.
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Enchanting, beautiful, and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a
magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance
and truth. Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam--a city ruled by glittering
wealth and oppressive religion--a masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and
shimmering with mystery.
Lone Women by Victor LaValle
Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes.
It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide
start to disappear.
The Hacienda by Isabel Canas
Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in
the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a
sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches...
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice,
Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. But
when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an
accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own. Over
the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices
mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of
the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where
her own loyalties lie.
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
When Elsie married handsome young heir Rupert Bainbridge, she believed she was
destined for a life of luxury. But pregnant and widowed just weeks after their
wedding, with her new servants resentful and the local villagers actively
hostile, Elsie has only her late husband’s awkward cousin for company. Or so
she thinks. Inside her new home lies a locked door, beyond which is a painted
wooden figure—a silent companion—that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie
herself. The residents of the estate are terrified of the figure, but Elsie
tries to shrug this off as simple superstition—that is, until she notices the
figure’s eyes following her.
House of Whispers by Laura Purcell
A gothic tale set in a rambling house by the sea in which a maid cares for a
mute old woman with a mysterious past, alongside her superstitious staff.
Harlem After Midnight by Louise Hare
A body falls from a town house window in Harlem, and it looks just like the
newest singer at the Apollo...in this evocative, twisting new novel from the
author of Miss Aldridge Regrets.
Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia
Following a harrowing kidnapping ordeal when she was in her teens, Louise is
doing everything she can to maintain a normal life. She’s succeeding, too. She
spends her days working at Maggie’s Café and her nights at the Zodiac, Harlem’s
hottest speakeasy. Louise’s friends, especially her girlfriend, Rosa Maria
Moreno, might say she’s running from her past and the notoriety that still
stalks her, but don’t tell her that. When a girl turns up dead in front of the
café, Louise is forced to confront something she’s been trying to ignore—two
other local Black girls have been murdered in the past few weeks. After an
altercation with a police officer gets her arrested, Louise is given an
ultimatum: She can either help solve the case or wind up in a jail cell.
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Calahan Henry
In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. But the unthinkable happens when young Flora suddenly vanishes while playing near the banks of the river. Twenty years later, Hazel is in London, ready to move on from her job at a cozy rare bookstore to a career at Sotheby’s. Her future seems determined. But her life is turned upside down when she unwraps a package containing an illustrated book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars . Hazel never told a soul about this imaginary world she created just for Flora.
GENERAL DISCUSSION:
Advance Listener Copy and Advance Reader Copy programs for
librarians and teachers:
https://blog.libro.fm/alc-program-free-audiobooks-for-teachers-and-librarians/
https://www.netgalley.com/auth/register
New York Public Library: “30 Historical Mystery Series to
Get You Through Any Crisis”
https://www.nypl.org/blog/2020/04/24/historical-mystery-series
Stop You’re Killing Me website is a great genre website
aggregating mystery books. You can
search by awards, series, topics, historical periods, and more!
www.stopyourekillingme.com
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase
Stunning and atmospheric, this debut novel is a thrilling spiral into the
hearts of two women separated by decades but inescapably linked by the dark and
tangled secrets of Black Rabbit Hall.
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
This novel is a genre-bending novel combining elements of historical fiction,
murder mystery, and horror. Set in 1634, it features a detective trying to
solve a series of inexplicable crimes aboard an East Indiaman ship.
The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox
World War I England, a young woman inherits a mysterious library and must
untangle its powerful secrets.
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Young, feisty Maisie Dobbs has recently set herself up as a private detective.
Such a move may not seem especially startling. But this is 1929, and Maisie is
exceptional in many ways. This is a long-running series.
The Lost Carousel of Provence by Juliet Blackwell
An artist lost to history, a family abandoned to its secrets, and the
woman
whose search for meaning unearths it all in a sweeping and expressive story.
A Sudden Light by Garth Stein
When a boy tries to save his parents’ marriage, he uncovers a legacy of family
secrets in a coming-of-age ghost story.
