This is the third installment of the Period Mysteries theme, or better said: MYSTERY SERIES THAT TAKE PLACE IN DIFFERENT PERIODS OF TIME. The authors who are included in this particular segment are mystery authors whose last names begin with the letters G-L:
Kaye George (aka Janet Cantrell): People of the Wind Mystery Series – Enga Dancing Flower is a Neanderthal sleuth.
Alan Gordon: The Fools’ Guild Mystery Series is set in the early 1300s and features medieval court jesters who double as secret agents.
Ashley Gardner: The Regency England Mystery Series (1811-1820) features an ex-cavalry captain as the sleuth.
Roberta Gellis: Magdâline la Batarde Mystery Series, 12th century London
Debra H. Goldstein: The Denney Silber Mystery Series (1970s) has, as its sleuth, a student at the University of Michigan.
Ron Goulart: The Groucho Marx Mystery Series takes place in 1930s Hollywood.
Celina Grace: Asharton Manor Mystery Series takes place during different periods of time throughout history.
Celina Grace: Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate Mystery Series takes place in the 1930s.
Pip Granger: Granger’s Rosie Featherby Mystery Series is set in a cafe during post WW II London.
Susanna Gregory (aka 1/2 of Simon Beaufort): The Chronicles of Matthew Bartholomew Mystery Series takes place in the 1300s and the Thomas Chaloner Mystery Series takes place in the 1600s… both are set in Great Britain.
Kerry Greenwood: The Phryne Fisher Mystery Series takes place in the 1920s in Australia. Phryne Fisher is a very “modern woman” who enjoys solving a mystery (or two!)
Carolyn Haines: Pluto’s Snitch Mystery Series stars a young widow just after WWI
Kathryn Miller Haines: The Rosie Winter Mystery Series takes place in New York, during WW II
Victoria Hamilton (aka Amanda Cooper & Donna Lea Simpson): A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder Mystery Series – Emmeline St. Germaine is a spinster in England during the Regency period.
Karen Harper: With titles that contain the words “poyson, poole, and twylight”… how could Harper’s historical mystery series be anything but an Elizabeth I Mystery Series?
C.S. Harris: Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery Series
Tessa Harris: Dr. Thomas Silkstone Mystery Series – 18th century London
Tessa Harris: Constance Piper Mystery Series – late 1880s London
L.B. Hathaway: Posie Parker Mystery Series – 18th century London
Nancy Herriman: Mystery of Old San Francisco Mystery Series – 1860s San Francisco
Teri Holbrook: The Gale Grayson Mystery Series is actually not historical, but the main character happens to be an historian.
Victoria Holt: Here are some historical Stand Alone mysteries with a little romance tossed in.
Anna Lee Huber: The Lady Darby Mystery Series is set in 1830’s Scotland.
Anna Lee Huber: Verity Kent Mystery Series – Verity worked for the Secret Service during WW I, and was widowed during the war.
D.E. Ireland: The Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins Mystery Series is based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion characters, set during Edwardian times.
Maureen Jennings: The Murdoch Mystery Series takes place in Canada, during the 1880s. Her Detective Inspector Tom Tyler Mystery Series features one of the only detective inspectors in England during WW II.
Cathie John: This writing duo is comprised of Cathie & John Celestri (a mother/son duo). Their Little Mexico Mystery Series takes place in Kentucky during the 1940s.
Abigail Keam: 1930s Mona Moon Mystery Series – Mona receives a huge inheritance from her uncle during the Depression.
Laurie R. King: The Mary Russel Mystery Series takes place in England in the early 1900s, and features Mary as the sleuth, and she happens to be a protege of Sherlock Holmes.
Peter King: The Jack London Mystery Series takes place in the late 1800s, in California. (Do you remember the classic novel The Call of the Wild… by Jack London?)
Kate Kingsbury: The Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery Series takes place in England during the very early 1900s and features Cecily Sinclair as the owner of the hotel, and the sleuth of the series. Kingsbury’s World War II Manor House Mystery Series is also set in England… during WW II.
Mary Kruger: The Gilded Age Mystery Series takes place in Rhode Island during the 1890s and features an author of mysteries.
Deryn Lake writes the John Rawlings Mystery Series which features Sir John Fielding (the blind British magistrate who started the Bow Street Runners – the first British police force) along with John Rawlings, a young apothecary, set during the 1700s.
Clare Langley-Hawthorne: Ursula Marlowe Mystery Series takes place in early 1900’s London.
Janet Laurence: The Canaletto Mystery Series is set in London and features an Italian painter/sleuth during the 1700s.
Margaret Lawrence: The Hannah Trevor Mystery Series is set during the Revolutionary War in New England and the main character is a midwife.
Gillian Linscott: The Nell Bray Mystery Series features a suffragette in England.
Catherine Lloyd: The Kurland St. Mary Mystery Series stars the daughter of a vicar in a small English town in the 1810s.
Anna Loan-Wilsey: The Hattie Davish “Have Typewriter Will Travel” Mystery Series features a traveling secretary/typist in the late 19th century. Hattie travels to different locales in the USA.
M. Louisa Locke: The Victorian San Francisco Mystery Series has an owner of a boardinghouse as its sleuth. She also works as a clairvoyant.
♦To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link.♦
Linda says
Great Site….Useful….I visit it often! Keep up the good work…Thanks
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you, Linda. I’m glad you’re enjoying it!
Louise says
Hi, just discovered your wonderful site and have happily searched it for unknown authors.
Perhaps I have another series to add to your list. I’m a great fan of Deryn Lake’s John Rawlings mysteries set in Georgian England. John Rawlings is an apothecary who works with Sir John Fielding solving murders.There are about 12 or 13 books in the series.
Deryn Lake is the pen name of historical novelist Dinah Lampitt.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks so much, Louise, for the recommendation. It’s always nice to hear about new Cozy Mystery series! I have added both Dinah and Deryn to my list of authors to post…
Walt says
You should add The Rosie Winter Mystery Series to this area of the site. They are set during WWII (and are very well done). The author is Kathryn Miller Haines
Jackie says
What? No Maureen Jennings?
William Murdoch, a police detective in 1890s Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 7 books so far, plus television series.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Jackie, thank you for telling us about Maureen Jennings.
(The reason Maureen Jennings hasn’t been added to this Historical theme is that I only include the authors from the Cozy Mystery site on these lists.)
Jackie says
Ah, ok so as Murdoch is a police detective, it is not a cozy as per your definition – although they are very “cozy-ish” is my view. Sorry.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
No reason to be sorry, Jackie. Again, thank you for telling us about Maureen Jennings. I have many police detective mystery series on the site… (When I first started the site, I only included those Cozy Mystery authors I was familiar with, plus a few of my favorite NON-Cozy authors. Since then, however, I have added many recommended authors to the site.)
Ricky says
How about Simon Hawke? I just read A Mystery of Errors (main characters Willliam Shakespeare and Tuck Smythe) and liked it very much. He hasn’t written anything lately. I wonder what happened to him?
Ricky
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks, Ricky, for telling us about Simon Hawke.
Janice says
Have you included Victoria Holt? Your site is WONDERFUL & VERY INFORMATIVE! PLEASE CONTINUE! Thank You!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Janice, I’m going to go add Victoria Holt to the Historical Theme Mysteries page right now. Thanks!
linda says
I read Victoria Holt years and years ago. At one time she was one of my favorite but I just haven’t read any of her’s for quite awhile. Her books were very good.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Linda, I remember visiting my grandmother up in Northwood, Iowa and reading a whole lot of Victoria Holt’s while there…
Linley says
Great list, I am an historial mystery buff and you have given me some food for thought (plus a few more books to read). I am currently in love with the Flavia de Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley, the Liberty Lane mysteries by Caro Peacock and the Sebastian St Cyr mysteries by CS Harris.
Happy reading!
linda says
Linley, I too love to read books that have some history set in the theme. What I don’t like though, is when the author will use phrases and expressions that would not have been used during that particular time period. I also don’t like it when an author will have some sort of product in their story that couldn’t have been used during that time. An example of this is a few days ago I read a book that was set during the 1920’s and our sleuth bought some “Shout” from the grocery store. “Shout” wouldn’t have been used back in the twenties.
Another thing I don’t like is when some authors will have certain supposedly historical facts that are just not true. I love American history, or I should say the history of Americans. I just want to read the truth when I read about history.
What I do like about books that are based on some period of American history is how Americans lived through those years. I like to learn how they learned to cope, how they endured. But when I read the history of Americans I want true facts.
I read quite a bit of books where the storyline takes place in one or more of the southern states. It doesn’t bother me that the people of those states tell a different viewpoint of their take of the Civil War. I like to read or hear other people’s point sof view. Being from Ohio, I really am interested in what the people of today really think about that war. But I still want the truth when it comes to historical facts.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Linda, you have to wonder what in the world that author was thinking to bring up “Shout” in an historical novel… and how in the world didn’t that author’s editor pick up on it?!?
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Linley, thanks for telling us about Caro Peacock’s Liberty Lane mysteries and C. S. Harris’ Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries. Now that Malice Domestic’s Agatha Awards are recognizing Best Historical Novels (mysteries), perhaps more authors will be delving into that subgenre.
linda says
Danna, I am glad to see other people go through your older postings. I think it is fun going through these and seeing what people have had to say. It’s also good to find some older books and series’ mysteries!
M. J. says
A book titled “Her Highness’ First Murder,” by Peg Herring, caught my eye – and lightened my purse! – recently. Someone is killing beautiful women in 1546 London, dressing them in nuns’ habits, and cutting off their heads. The 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth and a boy named Simon Maldon, the son of her household physician, become involved in assisting the investigation when one of her ladies falls victim. There is also a sequel, titled “Poison, Your Grace,” for which I will be keeping an eye out!
Abra says
Homer Kelly (of the Jane Langton series) is not a detective or professor in the 1800s. He is a contemporary character, working in the 1970s to the 1990s.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you, Abra, for the info. I have corrected the page.
John C says
A historical police detective series, based in London England during World War I, is the Divisional Detective Inspector Ernie Hardcastle series by Graham Ison. The books include the slang of the time period in the front of the book so you can look up the strange terminology. While you enjoy the progress to the solution of the murder(s), you get a good sense of what it might have been like to live in that era.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Here’s another thanks to you, John C, for telling us about Graham Ison’s Divisional Detective Inspector Ernie Hardcastle series.
Asha says
What a wonderful website !
I have sent it to a couple of my friends
I will mention it in my bookclub too
Thanks!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Asha, welcome to the Cozy Mystery site. I’m glad you are enjoying it, and hope you will find a whole lot of new Cozy Mysteries that you enjoy reading. Also, thank you for getting the word out about it!
Susan* says
Another – and somewhat unusual – addition to this page is Jason Goodwin’s ‘Yashim the Eunuch’ mysteries. (I said it was different! Lol!)
Yashim is the eunuch harem guard for the Sultan in 19th century Istanbul, who also acts as investigator for any little mysteries – and murders – that may crop up.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susan*, sounds unusual! Is it a Cozy?
Susan* says
Yes. At least, the one I’m currently reading, is.
There’s no explicit sex and whilst there are murders, there’s no explicit violence, either. Political intrigues, yes, but no physical violence. No profanity either.
I think the books qualify as cozies. A little dark and over-detailed for my personal taste, but I’m not a big fan of historicals. (I picked it up at work, when I wanted something to read. Lol!)
Cheers!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susan*, thanks for telling us about Jason Goodwin’s Yashim the Eunuch mysteries.
Susan* says
Qualification to my last post – ‘Over-detailed’, simply in descriptions of places. It seems that the author is a historian, and (to my mind at least) can’t resist showing it. 🙂
Veronica says
Why is C.S. Harris’ wonderful historical mystery series, Sebastian St Cyr, never mentioned? He’s a Viscount who gets drawn into solving murders in regency London, often aided by his wonderfully capable wife.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Veronica, thank you for telling us about C.S. Harris’ Sebastian St. Cyr series.
Kathy says
I always come to your site to look for new cozy mysteries to read. I first got hooked on cozy mysteries because of the Laura Child’s tea shop mysteries.
When I was in Barnes & Noble with my son last night, I discovered two new authors. I bought the first book, Left Fur Dead, from J.M. Griffin, which I can’t wait to read because it has rabbits in it. I also bought book 7, Death by Café Mocha, from Alex Erickson, whose book I have enjoyed so far.