Do your reading tastes change with the seasons? While I can enjoy a great piece of historical fiction anytime of year, fall is always when I start wanting something a little spookier- it’s the spooky time of year after all right? While I’m a wimp when it comes to scary I do like something slightly eerie! Mysteries are usually where I turn for that spine tingling spookiness! Below are several historical fiction mysteries, some a little spooky, others not so much, but all were book I really enjoyed and if you decide to pick them up I hope that you enjoy them too!
Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson
A young girl is found dead in her rented room, and it appears she was pregnant…. Sarah Brandt is a widow, who has now taken over her dead husband’s medical practice, effectively casting her out of polite society. She knows she shouldn’t get too wrapped up in the death of this girl, but the girl bears an uncanny likeness to one of Sarah’s childhood friends- and thus she find herself trying to put the pieces together in what looks like a murder case. As always I one of my main criteria for judging how good a book is, is weather it keeps my interest- forget the deep literary meat of a book until that first box has been checked! This book definitely checked that box! Set in New York in the late 1800s/early 1900s, Murder on Astor Place, is not only a good mystery but also good historical fiction- we learn a lot about the corruption among the police that was happeneing at this time.
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
This is an oldie but it is still good! The main character is so peppy and delightful she will have you laughing to yourself the whole way through this book. Amelia Peabody is the heiress of a large fortune. She has always wanted to see the world and has decided to do some extended travel to visit parts of Egypt, she is fascinated by archeology! Finding it lonely to travel alone she hires a companion to accompany her, a young woman named Evelyn, who feels that she has a few skeletons in her personal closet, but Amelia Peabody is unconcerned about this. The two women find themselves at an archeological dig when odd things start occurring, for instance a walking breathing mummy! Amelia is sure there has to be a reasonable explanation for this, but a reasonable explanation may prove even more frightening than a mummy that has come back to live! Who could be trying to scare them? Why? To what lengths will whoever go to to frighten Amelia and Evelyn?
The Anatomist’s Wife by Anna Lee Huber
Set in Scotland in the late 1830s Lady Kiera Darby finds herself precariously implicated when a woman is found dead on her sister’s and brother-in-law’s estate during a large party they were hosting. She is implicated, not because of anything she has done, but rather because of what she used to do- paint detailed diagrams of cadavers for a book her late husband had hopes of publishing to enhance his medical career. Since those days Lady Darby has been an outcast. Now everyone but her sister and brother-in-law believe her possible of the crime. The medical examiner is on his way to investigate the case- Lady Darby has 3 days to prove her innocence or most likely be found guilty of murder.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
You’ve no doubt heard of this one before ( I talked about it in my post: why I challenged myself in my reading life last year) but this is a small town southern mystery/coming of age story with a strong female heroine. The man who was the star quarterback in highschool is found dead at the bottom of the water tower- did he fall, or was he pushed to his death? Kya is known as the marsh girl, abandoned by her family she has raised herself in the swamplands of Georgia. Who else could be to blame but this girl who is an outsider in her own town?
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
Set in the library in New York this story follows of a fictional family who lives in the library’s upper apartment, in 1913. The story contrasts between then, and the 1990’s where we meet the granddaughter of this family, and who also works in the library. In 1913 we meet Laura Lyons whose husband in charge of the Library. Laura is feeling stifled and has decided to finally pursue her dream of becoming a journalist- a resolution that will be put to the test as life becomes strenuous as precious volumes begin to disappear from the library. The Lyon’s family may be out on the street if they are not able to stop the books from isappearing, and fast! Fast forward to 1993 and Sadie Donovan is experiencing the same problem as as rare manuscripts and books start disappearing from the library’s valuable Berg Collection. Sadie begins to investigate and ends up learning a lot more about her family- and herself- than she had originally bargained for.