Historical mysteries and thrillers ranging from pre-history to the mid 1900s (plus or minus); includes Golden Age
A fun airplane or beach book… I tend to think of Jeri Westerson as an author of historical mysteries set in medieval England, since I’ve read and enjoyed many books in her Crispin Guest and Will Somers series. But I’m aware that she writes in other genres too, and was interested to learn that she […]
A review of The Mummy of Mayfair by Jeri Westerson – just published Read More »
Still an awesome series… When a series has been going for more than 20 years and more than 20 books, I imagine it might be hard for the author to keep coming up with intriguing plots; to keep the characters feeling real while still allowing them to develop and grow; and to keep the backgrounds
A review of To Seize a Queen by Fiona Buckley – recently published Read More »
A sharp mystery, although maybe a few too many historical personages… I am a big fan of mysteries that use real historical figures as protagonists and/or supporting characters, and I also like mysteries set in the US Southwest, where my dad’s family mostly lives. So I was intrigued by the possibilities for Kathryn Lasky’s new
A review of Mortal Radiance by Kathryn Lasky – coming tomorrow Read More »
Joan Wolf is one of my favorite Regency romance authors, but she also wrote two medieval mysteries many years ago. Now both are on sale for $1.99 in the US, and discountable at Kobo. There are definitely romance elements in them, but I think of them more as mysteries, and SYKM lists them too. I
Two historical mysteries by Joan Wolf are on sale right now in the US Read More »
A classic and fun British mystery… I had read a few Michael Innes/Inspector Appleby books many (many) years ago in paperback, and remember them favorably, but without much detail. And I usually have a soft spot for British mysteries anyway, so I was happy to receive a review copy of The Long Farewell from the
A review of The Long Farewell by Michael Innes Read More »
I’ve long been quite fond of the four humorous/ghostly mysteries by Manning Coles – a pen name for Cyril Henry Coles and A.K.O. (Adelaide Frances Oke) Manning. Three of them are the books in the too-short James and Charles Latimer series, and one is a stand-alone. They’ve been on my “wish they were e-books” list
Two fun Manning Coles books are now available as ebooks Read More »
A compelling mix of spy thriller and mystery… Long ago, on a pre-pandemic trip to Las Vegas, my husband and I visited the National Atomic Testing Museum, which showcases the history of the dawn of the nuclear age and the bomb tests that occurred at the nearby Nevada Test Site. Although going to a museum
A review of The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos, coming on July 18 Read More »
The Physicists’ Daughter was one of my four or five most favorite mysteries of 2022, so I’ve been eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series, The Traitor Beside Her. And it doesn’t disappoint! All of the same elements that I loved in the first book are still there in this one, however
A review of The Traitor Beside Her by Mary Anna Evans – published today Read More »
A fun YA mystery that’s good for adults too… I hadn’t realized that The Starlet Letter was a young adult mystery when I requested a review copy. But that didn’t really matter too much – it was still a fun mystery with an engaging pair of protagonists, and a really nicely developed historical background. Vivian
Review of The Starlet Letter by Julie Mathison – out tomorrow Read More »
It’s hard to believe that The Net of Steel is Fiona Buckley’s twenty-second Ursula Blanchard (now Ursula Stannard) mystery, and the series is still going strong. And in fact, it might even be getting better… As The Net of Steel opens, Ursula faces a number of life’s milestones: her son, Harry, has gotten engaged;
A review of The Net of Steel by Fiona Buckley – coming soon Read More »
