Fictional detectives often interact across a wide spectrum of society, from Emperors to Vagabonds, so a good crime novel can give a more interesting and memorable insight into History or Geography than the lives of Kings and Queens, or guidebooks.
Detectives in other times and other places Public
Created and curated by John
-
Death Beside the Seaside by T.E. Kinsey (Lady Hardcastle, #6)
July 1910. Lady Hardcastle and her tireless sidekick Flo have finally embarked on a long-overdue seaside break. But just as …
-
A Quiet Life in the Country by T.E. Kinsey (Lady Hardcastle, #1)
Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert …
John says: Although less credible or broad in scope than some on this list, the pre WW1 social mix is at least plausible.
-
An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey (Lady Hardcastle, #11)
July 1912. Lady Hardcastle and her tenacious lady’s maid, Florence Armstrong, are enjoying a convivial gathering at the home of …
-
The Royal Secret by Andrew Taylor (Marwood and Lovett, #5)
Two young girls plot a murder by witchcraft. Soon afterwards a government clerk dies painfully in mysterious circumstances. His colleague …
-
The King's Evil by Andrew Taylor (Marwood and Lovett, #3)
A royal scandal… In the Court of Charles II, it’s a dangerous time to be alive – a wrong move …
-
A Fire at the Exhibition by T.E. Kinsey (Lady Hardcastle, #10)
May 1912. After the previous year’s deadly heatwave, it’s been an uneventful spring in Littleton Cotterell. Though for Lady Hardcastle …
-
An Act of Foul Play by T.E. Kinsey (Lady Hardcastle, #9)
November 1911. Lady Emily Hardcastle is celebrating her birthday by seeing a play at the Duke’s Theatre in Bristol with …
-
A Man of Some Repute by Elizabeth Edmondson (A Very English Mystery, #1)
Truth is rarely pure and never simple…
Selchester Castle in 1953 sits quiet and near-empty, its corridors echoing with …
-
Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
4 stars
With Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, Man Booker International Prize-winner Olga Tokarczuk returns with a subversive, …
John says: Gives a view of life in rural Poland, with a summer influx of second-homers.
