Novels of Nineteenth Century Europe
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Nineteenth century Europe featured the English Regency period, which gave rise to the "Regency romance" genre. Jane Austen wrote during this time, and a number of modern authors have borrowed her characters to create a distinct new Jane-Austen-inspired genre of historical fiction. From 1837-1901, England's Queen Victoria presided over an era known for the expansion of the British Empire and rigid social rules that masked a surge in poverty and crime. In both the British Isles and the European Continent, the Industrial Revolution brought impressive advances in technology, made fortunes for many, and trapped others in lives of oppressive drudgery. The 1845 Irish Potato Famine (not limited to Ireland) caused enormous suffering and a surge in emigration. George MacDonald Fraser's popular Flashman series about a British soldier is set in the British Empire period. For novels set during the time of Napoleon, see the Napoleonic Era page. The Jane Austen genre and some classic Regency romance novels (specifically Georgette Heyer's) are listed below; for a more complete listing of Regency romances, consult a website devoted to historical romance.
The British and Irish in the 19th Century
Click on the title for more information from Powell's Books or another online source. Peter Ackroyd, The Case Book of Victor Frankenstein (2009), a literary novel which imagines that the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and Victor Frankenstein, creator of the Frankenstein monster, were students together at Oxford. Review at The Independent
Lyn Andrews, Maggie May (2009), about a young woman who grew up in the slums of Liverpool burdened with the name her father gave her, that of a notorious prostitute. Evelyn Anthony, Victoria and Albert (1958; also titled Victoria), about the young Queen Victoria and her marriage to Prince Albert. Aileen Armitage, Conflict of Interest (2005 reissue; originally published 1972 as Shadow of Dungeon Wood under the name Aileen Quigley), about a mill town in Yorkshire in 1812 during the Industrial Revolution. Gaynor Arnold, Girl in a Blue Dress (2008), about the widow of a famous writer (a fictionalized version of Charles Dickens) and her memories of their troubled marriage. Beryl Bainbridge, Master Georgie (1998), about a homosexual British physician who volunteers to serve as a medical officer in the Crimean War. Mary Balogh, First Comes Marriage (2009), Regency romance about a young viscount who has promised to find a wife by Christmas and three very different sisters; #1 in the Huxtable series.
Mary Balogh, Then Comes Seduction (2009), Regency romance about a young baron who makes a wager while in his cups that he will succeed in seducing a wealthy and exceptionally virtuous young woman; #2 in the Huxtable series. Mary Balogh, At Last Comes Love (2009), Regency romance about a woman tricked into a betrothal who gives her fiancé an ultimatum; #3 in the Huxtable series. Mary Balogh, Seducing an Angel (2009), Regency romance about a young woman wrongly branded a murderess and driven into destitution who comes to London to find a wealthy man she can tempt into taking her as his mistress; #4 in the Huxtable series. Review Jonathan Barnes, The Somnambulist (2008), a darkly comic literary satire of nineteenth century detective novels, about a stage magician investigating a plot to destroy London.
Julian Barnes, Arthur and George, nineteenth century author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses his insights as a writer of detective stories to help a man wrongly convicted of a crime. Andrea Barrett, Servants of the Map, a collection of short stories set mostly in the early nineteenth century. Andrea Barrett, Voyage of the Narwhal, about an 1855 expedition to the Arctic. Susan Barrett, Fixing Shadows (2005), about a duchess who takes a governess's illegitimate baby when her own baby dies in 1873, in order to secure an inheritance. Peter Behrens, The Law of Dreams, a young Irishman journeys from famine-stricken Ireland to England, Wales and across the ocean to America. Jessica Blair, Stay With Me (2009), about a young woman who expected to inherit a share of her father's shipping business, only to see the entire business go to her stepbrother after her parents die in the 1879 collapse of the Tay Rail Bridge. Jill Blee, Brigid, set during the nineteenth century Irish potato famine. Faye L. Booth, Trades of the Flesh (2009), about a young prostitute in 1888 London who wishes to change her trade after she meets a surgeon and begins helping him find corpses for dissection, an activity equally as dangerous as prostitution. Clare Boylan, Emma Brown: A Novel From the Unfinished Manuscript by Charlotte Brontë, about a plain young woman enrolled at a ladies' boarding school who turns out not to be the heiress she claimed to be; based on a fragment by Charlotte Brontë. James Bradley, The Resurrectionist (2007), about the grave robbers who supplied cadavers for nineteenth century medical students. Melvyn Bragg, Maid of Buttermere (1988), about John Hatfield, a bigamist, and the lovely and unsuspecting shepherdess, Mary Robinson, whom he married in England's Lake District in 1802. Gerri Brightwell, The Dark Lantern (2008), about a late nineteenth century housemaid who must conceal the fact that her mother was hanged as a murderess when she takes a job with a forensic scientist and his wife, who has secrets of her own. Sian Busby, McNaughten (2009), about a despairing Scotsman who shoots at the Prime Minister's private secretary on a London Street in 1843, and his trial, the outcome of which will have a permanent effect on English law. A.S. Byatt, Possession, a literary novel about two young scholars in contemporary Britain researching a pair of Victorian writers and their love affair. Elizabeth Byrd, The Famished Land: A Novel of the Irish Potato Famine , about a young woman’s struggle to survive during the nineteenth century potato famine. Peter Carey, Jack Maggs, about an outlaw recently returned to London from an Australian prison colony. Jamie Carie, The Duchess and the Dragon, a Regency romance about a woman torn between two men; Christian message. Angela Carter, Nights at the Circus, about a trapeze artist. Jonatha Ceely, Mina, about a young woman who loses her family during the Irish potato famine and goes to work on an English estate after her attempt to emigrate to America fails. Jonatha Ceely, Bread and Dreams, about a young Irish woman who dresses as a boy and takes a job on a ship so she can emigrate to America after losing her family in the potato famine; sequel to Mina. Loretta Chase, Don't Tempt Me (2009), a Regency romance about a woman whose travels in the East have taught her more about the sensual arts than is proper for a young Englishwoman to know. Tracy Chevalier, Remarkable Creatures (2009), about Mary Anning, the working class woman who discovered ichthyosaur and plesiosaur fossils near Lyme Regis in the early nineteenth century, but was never given credit for her discoveries. Review Clare Clark, The Great Stink, about the engineer building a new system to replace the overwhelmed London sewers in the mid-nineteenth century. Lindsay Clarke, The Chymical Wedding (1989), a literary novel about a contemporary poet and a nineteenth century alchemist, united across time by mysterious dreams. James Conan, The Coburg Conspiracy (2008), a thriller about a terrorist plot to assassinate Queen Victoria, the Kaiser, the Tsar and 26 other members of the Saxe-Coburg family in 1894. Gloria Cook, Keeping Echoes (2005), about three young women struggling to make ends meet and find love in a poor copper-mining village; #1 in the Meryen Saga.
Gloria Cook, Out of Shadows (2007), about the young widow of a tyrannical husband whose stepson creates problems for her and her village; #2 in the Meryen Saga. Gloria Cook, All in a Day (2008), about the women in a poor copper-mining village and their struggles to survive and find love; #3 in the Meryen Saga. Gloria Cook, Holding the Light (2008), about a sixteen-year-old girl whose bullying father takes over the farm she has inherited; #4 in the Meryen Saga. Gloria Cook, Dream Chasers (2009), about a young woman in a poor copper-mining village who is unaware of the squire's love for her; #5 and last in the Meryen Saga. Catherine Cookson, The Glass Virgin (1969), about a young woman raised by aristocratic parents in Victorian England who is forced into the lower class after learning a long-kept secret about her birth.
Catherine Cookson, The Black Velvet Gown (1984), about a working-class widow in the 1830s whose ability to read and write is both a gift and a problem. Catherine Cookson, The Harrogate Secret (1988), about a young smuggler in Tyneside. Catherine Cookson, The Gillyvors (1990, also titled The Love Child), about the six children of an unmarried couple and their efforts to rise above the shame of being born gillyvors, bastards. Catherine Cookson, The Rag Nymph (1991), about a woman who works as a rag trader in the 1850s and the seven-year-old girl who transforms her life. Catherine Cookson, The Maltese Angel (1992), about a man condemned by his rural community for marrying a beautiful dancer from outside the village instead of his childhood sweetheart. Catherine Cookson, The Golden Straw (1993), about a young woman whose life is changed by the gift of an exceptional straw hat when she wears it on a holiday trip in Nice. Catherine Cookson, The Desert Crop (1997), a coming-of-age story about a boy in a farming family whose widowed father marries in the hope of receiving his new wife's expected inheritance. Review Amy Corwin, Smuggled Rose , historical romance about a woman living in obscurity in Dover after being ruined by a scandal, who makes a hazardous living by receiving smuggled goods, including roses.
Thomas B. Costain, The Tontine , about financial schemes in nineteenth century England. Michael Crichton, The Great Train Robbery (1973), about an audaciously clever plot in Victorian London to rob a train carrying a fortune in gold. Elaine Crowley, Kilgoran , about an Irish woman during the nineteenth century potato famine. John Crowley, Lord Byron's Novel (2005), about Lord Byron's daughter Ada and a novel Byron might have written. John Crowley, Little, Big (2002), literary historical fantasy about a man who marries a woman living in a nineteenth century mansion designed by a visionary architect and becomes acquainted with other dimensions of time and possibility. Saul David, Zulu Hart (2009), about the bastard son of an English general and a Zulu mother who grows up in England, but then becomes a soldier in South Africa just before the Zulu War begins. R.F. Delderfield, God Is an Englishman, a former soldier sets out to raise a fortune after returning from the Crimea and India; #1 in the Swann Family Saga. R.F. Delderfield, Theirs Was the Kingdom, #2 in the Swann Family Saga. R.F. Delderfield, Give Us This Day, #3 in the Swann Family Saga. Leslie Dicken, A Tarnished Heart, about a pastor's daughter in Victorian England who is in love with her father's curate, but instead is forced into an unhappy marriage with an aristocrat. Elaine diRollo, A Proper Education for Girls (forthcoming in April 2009), a comic novel set in 1857 about twin sisters in England who are separated when their father marries one to a missionary in India and makes the other curator of his artifact collection. Jennifer Donnelly, The Tea Rose, a young woman in 1888 London strives for a better life; #1 in the Tea Rose trilogy. Jennifer Donnelly, The Winter Rose, a nineteenth century woman doctor in London becomes involved with a gangster; #2 in the Tea Rose trilogy. Emma Donoghue, The Sealed Letter (2008), about an unmarried woman active in the nineteenth century women's movement who becomes embroiled in a scandalous divorce case when she tries to help a friend. Review Daphne du Maurier, Jamaica Inn, a young woman faces danger in nineteenth century Cornwall. Daphne du Maurier, Julius, about an ambitious French peasant who builds a fortune in nineteenth century England. Daphne du Maurier, My Cousin Rachel, a novel of suspense set in nineteenth century Cornwall. Daphne du Maurier, The Loving Spirit, a family saga set in nineteenth century Cornwall. Catherine Dunne, Another Kind of Life, about three middle class Dublin sisters and two working class sisters in Belfast in late nineteenth century Ireland. Robert Edric, Gathering the Water (2006), a literary novel about a man charged with the task of overseeing the flooding of a valley in northern England in 1847. Robert Edric, The Broken Lands: A Novel of Arctic Disaster (1992), a literary novel about an 1845 British expedition to find "the Northwest Passage" which became trapped in Arctic ice. Erica Eisdorfer, The Wet Nurse's Tale (2009), about a working-class mother in 1847 England who becomes a wet-nurse after becoming pregnant and losing her job, and must leave her own baby to nurse those of other women. Review or Interview with Erica Eisdorfer Erastes, Standish (2006), gay historical erotica about two men and their love affair in Georgian England. Erastes, Frost Fair (2008), historical gay erotica set in Regency England. Bernardine Evaristo, Blonde Roots (2008), alternative history about a white European child kidnapped and sent into slavery on a Caribbean island controlled by black overlords. Barbara Ewing, Rosetta (2006), about a nineteenth century English woman interested in heiroglyphics. Barbara Ewing, The Mesmerist (2007), about a nineteenth century English actress who becomes a phreno-mesmerist when she is unable to find work on the stage. Michel Faber, The Crimson Petal and the White (2002), a bestselling literary novel about a prostitute striving for a better life in Victorian London. Sebastian Faulks, Human Traces, about the fledgling years of psychiatry during the late nineteenth century. Laura Fish, Strange Music (2008), about ailing English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning and two women in Jamaica, a maidservant and a field worker. Richard Flanagan, Wanting (2009), about Charles Dickens and his efforts to assist the widow of Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin in clearing his name from accusations of cannibalism. James Fleming, Thomas Gage (2003), about a man whose happy life turns to tragedy when the railroad crosses his land. Ken Follett, A Dangerous Fortune (1993), about a banking family in Victorian England whose fortunes are built on a foundation of corruption and murder. Margaret Forster, Lady's Maid (1991), about "Wilson," the lady's maid of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. John Fowles, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, a literary novel about a love affair in Victorian England, with alternative endings. George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman (1969), a humorous novel about a charming scoundrel who becomes a British soldier after being expelled from Rugby for drunkenness, and his subsequent adventures in Scotland, India and Afghanistan; #1 in the Flashman series.
George MacDonald Fraser, Royal Flash (1970), a humorous novel about a charming scoundrel and his adventures as a British soldier during the 1848 Revolutions in Europe; #2 in the Flashman series. George MacDonald Fraser, Flash for Freedom! (1971), a humorous novel about a charming scoundrel and his adventures as a British soldier after being captured by the U.S. Navy; #3 in the Flashman series. George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman at the Charge (1973), a humorous novel about a charming scoundrel and his adventures as a British soldier during the Crimean War; #4 in the Flashman series. George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman in the Great Game (1975), a humorous novel about a charming scoundrel and his adventures as a British soldier in India during the Sepoy Mutiny; #5 in the Flashman series. George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman's Lady (1977), a humorous novel about a charming scoundrel in the British army who must rescue his wife when she is kidnapped in Singapore; #6 in the Flashman series. George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman and the Redskins (1982), a humorous novel about a charming scoundrel in the British army and his adventures when he flees across the American West with a New Orleans madam; #7 in the Flashman series. George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman and the Dragon (1985), a humorous novel about a charming scoundrel in the British army who discovers he is carrying guns to the Taiping Rebels in China rather than the opium he thought he was smuggling; #8 in the Flashman series. George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman and the Mountain of Light (1990), a humorous novel about a charming scoundrel and his adventures as a British soldier in India, where he acquired the Koh-i-Noor Diamond; #9 in the Flashman series. George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman and the Angel of the Lord (1994), a humorous novel about a charming scoundrel in the British army and his adventures in the U.S. where he becomes involved in John Brown's Harper's Ferry Raid; #10 in the Flashman series. George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman and the Tiger (1999), a collection of three stories about a charming scoundrel in the British army; #11 in the Flashman series. George MacDonald Fraser, Flashman on the March (2005), a humorous novel about a charming scoundrel and his adventures as a British soldier in Abyssinia; #12 in the Flashman series. Catherine Gaskin, Falcon for a Queen, about a young woman raised in China who returns to her grandfather's estate in Scotland, where he runs a whiskey distillery.
Denise Giardina, Emily's Ghost (2009), about Emily Brontë and the idealistic clergyman William Weightman, a champion of rights for mill workers. Elizabeth Goudge, Green Dolphin Street, about a pair of sisters from the Channel Islands and the man they both love, who emigrates to New Zealand and sends for one sister to become his wife, but absent-mindedly writes the other sister's name in his letter. Christina Green, The Far Land (2009 in the U.K.), historical romance about a young woman in a seaside village in Devon in 1888 who longs to travel, but is not sure who would make the best companion for her travels or her life. Julia Gregson, The Water Horse (2004), about a young Welsh woman who becomes one of Florence Nightingale's nurses during the Crimean War. George Hagen, Tom Bedlam (2007), a sprawling novel about a boy born into poverty in Victorian London who emigrates to South Africa after his education is sponsored by a wealthy relative and he becomes a physician. Helen Halstead, The Imaginary Gentleman: A Regency Intrigue, about a woman who encounters a mysterious gentleman as a storm is brewing in 1806 Lyme Regis; not readily available outside the U.K. Charlotte Hardy, The Road Home (2009), a coming-of-age story about a young man from a rural Irish background who knows the uncle and aunt who raised him are not his real family, and his search for identity and love. Jane Harris, The Observations, a young woman works as a maid for an odd employer in nineteenth century Scotland. William Harrison, Burton and Speke (1982; titled The Mountains of the Moon in movie tie-in editions), about the expedition to Africa of Sir Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke to find the source of the Nile. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, The Reckoning, a family saga set in 1916 England; #15 in the Morland Dynasty series.
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, The Devil’s Horse, a family saga set in 1820 England; #16 in the Morland Dynasty series. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, The Poison Tree, a family saga set in 1831 England; #17 in the Morland Dynasty series. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, The Abyss, a family saga set in 1833 England; #18 in the Morland Dynasty series. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, The Hidden Shore, a family saga set in 1843 England; #19 in the Morland Dynasty series. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, The Winter Journey, a family saga set in 1851 England; #20 in the Morland Dynasty series. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, The Outcast, a family saga set in 1857 England and America; #21 in the Morland Dynasty series. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, The Mirage, a family saga set in 1870 England; #22 in the Morland Dynasty series. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, The Cause, a family saga set in 1874 England; #23 in the Morland Dynasty series. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, The Homecoming, a family saga set in 1885 England; #24 in the Morland Dynasty series. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, The Question, a family saga set in 1898 England; #25 in the Morland Dynasty series. Philip Hensher, The Mulberry Empire, about the British invasion of Afghanistan in the 1830s. Review
Georgette Heyer, Regency Buck (1935), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about two young women who, after their father's death, are chagrined to discover they have been made wards of a man not much older than they are.
Georgette Heyer, An Infamous Army (1937), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a beautiful young widow whose behavior leaves much to be desired amid the social whirl in Brussels as the Battle of Waterloo rages nearby; a sequel to Regency Buck that can be read as a stand-alone. Georgette Heyer, The Corinthian (1938; also titled Beau Wyndham), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about two young people who meet by chance while both are fleeing from the prospect of unwanted marriages. Georgette Heyer, Faro's Daughter (1941), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a young woman who manages a gaming house for her aunt but hopes to repair their reputations while fending off unwanted marriage proposals. Georgette Heyer, Friday's Child (1944), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about an impetuous young man who, on being rejected by the woman he proposes to, vows to marry the next woman who crosses his path, who happens to be the impoverished girl who has adored him all her life. Georgette Heyer, The Reluctant Widow (1946), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a woman who boards the wrong stagecoach and lands on the doorstep of a ruined estate, where she is persuaded to marry the dying heir. Georgette Heyer, The Foundling (1948), a less romance-driven Regency about a wealthy young aristocrat about to dutifully enter an arranged marriage when he jumps at an unexpected chance to masquerade as a man without title or fortune. Georgette Heyer, Arabella (1949), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a parson's daughter who, in a fit of pique, pretends to be an heiress who has no interest in the season's most eligible bachelor. Review Georgette Heyer, The Grand Sophy (1950), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about an independent young woman who returns from her tour of the Continent and begins managing her relatives' lives, inspiring a plan to find her a husband. Georgette Heyer, The Quiet Gentleman (1951), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a war hero and heir who returns home to his resentful stepmother and half-brother and faces as much peril at home as he did fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. Georgette Heyer, Cotillion (1953), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a young woman who must wed one of her cousins in order to inherit a fortune and sets her cap at the rakish cousin with no inclination to marry. Georgette Heyer, The Toll-Gate (1954), a Regency romance that is also a mystery, about a military officer who stumbles across a case of murder when he takes pity on a boy collecting tolls on a rainy night. Georgette Heyer, Bath Tangle (1955), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a young woman who discovers after her father's death that she cannot marry without the approval of the man she once jilted. Georgette Heyer, Sprig Muslin (1956), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a long-bereaved bachelor who finally decides to marry out of duty and chooses an apparently unremarkable spinster. Georgette Heyer, April Lady (1957), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about an inexperienced young wife who conceals her money-management problems from her husband. Georgette Heyer, Sylvester; or the Wicked Uncle (1957), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a aristocrat looking for a wife who is startled when a young woman he assumed would be overjoyed by his interest reacts coolly. Georgette Heyer, Venetia (1958), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a woman on the verge of spinsterhood who resolves never to marry except for love, despite the responsibilities she has taken on after her parents die. Georgette Heyer, The Unknown Ajax (1959), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a young man spurned by his father's relatives because his mother is a commoner, who is suddenly accepted as heir when the previous heir dies. Georgette Heyer, A Civil Contract (1961), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a plain heiress in love with an impoverished aristocrat who loves someone else. Georgette Heyer, The Nonesuch (1962), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a governess struggling to restrain her beautiful but badly behaved charge as a pair of wealthy and eligible men arrive in their country village. Georgette Heyer, False Colours (1963), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a man who impersonates his missing twin brother in order to please his mother by proposing to a young woman on his brother's behalf. Georgette Heyer, Frederica (1965), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a young woman who sets out to persuade a titled distant cousin to sponsor her beautiful younger sister's debutante season in London. Georgette Heyer, The Black Sheep (1966), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, a 28-year-old spinster who is impatient with the proprieties finds herself responsible for instilling them in her impetuous niece. Georgette Heyer, Cousin Kate (1968), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about an innocent young woman who accepts an invitation to stay with an aunt who pressures her to marry her mentally disturbed cousin. Georgette Heyer, Charity Girl (1970), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a viscount who encounters a naive young woman running away to find her grandfather, feels honor-bound to protect her from harm, and then must go to great lengths to protect both her and himself from social ruin. Georgette Heyer, Lady of Quality (1972), classic Regency romance from the queen of the genre, about a spinster who enjoys her independence and a man with a notorious reputation. Elizabeth Hickey, The Wayward Muse (2008), about the plain slum girl who became the model for the pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rosetti and married his protégé William Morris.
Jack Higgins, Pay the Devil, about a Confederate colonel who migrates to Ireland and becomes involved in the Fenian Rising. Pauline Holdstock, The Turning , about a nineteenth century French family whose lives are changed when an English ship is wrecked nearby. Linda Holeman, The Linnet Bird, about the respectable wife of a British colonial officer in India haunted by her past as a London prostitute. Sheri Holman, The Dress Lodger, a poor young woman struggles to keep a son with a birth defect alive in nineteenth century England. Audrey Howard, The Flight of Swallows (2009), historical romance about a sixteen-year-old Yorkshire girl who marries a man she does not love in order to escape her cruel father. Victor Hugo, The Toilers of the Sea, set on Guernsey Island in the nineteenth century. Brenda Jagger, The Clouded Hills (1980; also titled Verity ), about a young textile mills heiress in Yorkshire and her arranged marriage to her handsome cousin, a ruthless businessman, during the upheavals of the Industrial Revolution; #1 in the Barforth trilogy.
Brenda Jagger, Flint and Roses (1981; also titled The Barforth Women ), about two families in nineteenth century Yorkshire amid the class tensions between the old landed gentry and the wealthy new industrialists in the textile business; #2 in the Barforth trilogy. Brenda Jagger, The Sleeping Sword (1982; also titled An Independent Woman ), about a well-educated young woman who marries into a dysfunctional family and struggles for independence; #3 in the Barforth trilogy. Brenda Jagger, A Song Twice Over (1985), about two women in nineteenth century Yorkshire, an industrialist's daughter and an Irish immigrant, who are in love with the same man, who devotes his life to improving conditions for factory workers. Brenda Jagger, Distant Choices (1986), about two young half-sisters, one legitimate, the other illegitimate, who fall in love with the same man in mid-nineteenth century Yorkshire. Syrie James, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë (2009), about the novelist Charlotte Brontë and her romance with Arthur Bell Nichols.
Mary Pat Kelly, Galway Bay (2009), about an Irish family who decide to emigrate to America during the potato famine. Sean Kenny, The Hungry Earth (1995), a modern Irishman travels back in time to the Great Famine. Garry Douglas Kilworth, The Devil's Own , about a British soldier from the upper classes who enlists in the ranks instead of buying a commission; set during the nineteenth century Crimean War; #1 in the "Fancy Jack" Crossman series.
Garry Douglas Kilworth, The Valley of Death , about a British soldier from the upper classes who enlists in the ranks instead of buying a commission; set during the nineteenth century Crimean War; #2 in the "Fancy Jack" Crossman series. Garry Douglas Kilworth, Soldiers in the Mist , about a British soldier from the upper classes who enlists in the ranks instead of buying a commission; set during the nineteenth century Crimean War; #3 in the "Fancy Jack" Crossman series. Garry Douglas Kilworth, The Winter Soldiers (2004), about a British soldier from the upper classes who enlists in the ranks instead of buying a commission; set during the nineteenth century Crimean War; #4 in the "Fancy Jack" Crossman series. Garry Douglas Kilworth, Attack on the Redan (2004), about a British soldier from the upper classes who enlists in the ranks instead of buying a commission; set during the nineteenth century Crimean War; #5 in the "Fancy Jack" Crossman series. Garry Douglas Kilworth, Brothers of the Blade , about a British soldier from the upper classes who enlists in the ranks instead of buying a commission; set in nineteenth century India; #6 in the "Fancy Jack" Crossman series. Garry Douglas Kilworth, Rogue Officer (2007), about a British soldier abducted and accused of desertion before he can get back to his unit, just as the Indian Mutiny is coming to an end; #7 in the "Fancy Jack" Crossman series. Garry Douglas Kilworth, Kiwi Wars (2008), about a British officer sent to New Zealand in 1860 to set up a spy network among the Maori, who are in revolt; #8 in the "Fancy Jack" Crossman series. Peg Kingman, Not Yet Drown'd, about a Scottish woman who travels to India in search of her twin brother in 1822.
Rudyard Kipling, Kim (1901), about the orphaned son of an Irish soldier who grows up as a street urchin in India and is recruited as a spy in the "Great Game" of the British to control central Asia. Rudyard Kipling, The Man Who Would Be King and Other Stories (1888 for The Man Who Would Be King), a collection of short stories; the title story is about a pair of nineteenth century British adventurers who scheme to become kings in Afghanistan. Matthew Kneale, Sweet Thames (1992), about a young engineer in 1849 as a cholera epidemic threatens who dreams of redesigning London's sewers to clean up the city and its river. Sheila Kohler, Becoming Jane Eyre (2009), a biographical novel about Charlotte Brontë, the author of Jane Eyre, and her family. Johanna Lindsey, The Heir (2000), historical romance about a newly minted aristocrat who discovers his station in life requires him to marry a woman he dislikes rather than the woman he finds entrancing; #1 in the Reid Family series.
Johanna Lindsey, The Devil Who Tamed Her (2007), historical romance about a beautiful woman who, having spurned the man she was engaged to marry, finds that her parents have arranged her (carefully chaperoned) kidnapping by a man who vows he can tame her sharp tongue and make her marriageable; #2 in the Reid Family series. Johanna Lindsey, A Rogue of My Own (2009), historical romance about a woman appointed a maid of honor in Queen Victoria's court who is forced into marriage with a reluctant suitor after he seduces her and she becomes pregnant; #3 in the Reid Family series. Jonathan Lunn, Killigrew R.N., about an officer in the British Royal Navy who risks his life to help stop the illegal slave trade; #1 in the Killigrew series.
Jonathan Lunn, Killigrew and the Golden Dragon, about an officer in the British Royal Navy on a mission against Chinese pirates; #2 in the Killigrew series. Jonathan Lunn, Killigrew and the Incorrigibles, about an officer in the British Royal Navy on a mission in the Pacific Ocean; #3 in the Killigrew series. Jonathan Lunn, Killigrew and the Northwest Passage, about an officer in the British Royal Navy on a mission to find a sea passage through the Arctic from the Atlantic to the Pacific; #4 in the Killigrew series. Jonathan Lunn, Killigrew's Run, about an officer in the British Royal Navy on the eve of the nineteenth century Crimean War; #5 in the Killigrew series. Jonathan Lunn, Killigrew and the Sea Devil, about an officer in the British Royal Navy on a mission involving espionage in nineteenth century Russia; #6 in the Killigrew series. R.A. MacAvoy, The Grey Horse, historical fantasy about a horse who becomes a man; set in late nineteenth century Ireland during the risings against the English.
Walter Macken, The Silent People, set in Ireland during the famine of 1826. Verna MacLean, Farewell Rhilochan (2004), about the Highland Clearances of the early nineteenth century, when Scottish Highlanders were forced from their homes. Allan Mallinson, Honorable Company: A Novel of India Before the Raj, about a British soldier forced into political maneuvering in India; part of the Light Dragoons series (see “Napoleonic Era” for others). Mathias Malzieu, The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2009), whimsical historical fantasy set in 1874 Edinburgh about a young man with a clock for a heart; written by a French rock star. Benjamin Markovits, Imposture (2007), about a doctor dismissed from the service of Lord Byron who falls in love with a young woman who is under the impression he is Byron; #1 in the Byron trilogy. Benjamin Markovits, A Quiet Adjustment (2008), about the romantic triangle among Lord Byron, his sister and Lady Annabella Milbanke; #2 in the Byron trilogy. Daniel Mason, The Piano Tuner (2002), a London piano tuner travels to Burma in 1886. Eugene McCabe, Death and Nightingales, about a Protestant landlord and his Catholic stepdaughter during the strife in Ireland in 1883 after the murder of the British Chief Secretary for Ireland. Roger McDonald, Mr Darwin's Shooter (1999), about Syms Covington, the young sailor befriended by Charles Darwin when they meet aboard the Beagle, who assists in shooting animal specimens in the Galapagos Islands, and is later troubled by the implications of Darwin's theory of evolution. Katharine McMahon, The Rose of Sebastopol (2007), about two young Englishwomen who take separate paths from Victorian London to the ravaged battlefields of the Crimean War, one dedicated to nursing the wounded, the other to finding and caring for her army surgeon fiance after she learns he has fallen ill. Patrick Mercer, To Do and Die (2009), about a British officer fighting in the Crimean War. James A. Michener, The Journey, about four English aristocrats and their Irish servant who cope with disaster as they search for gold in 1897 Canada. Jean Jardine Miller, The Family History (2008), about a modern Canadian widow whose research uncovers the story of an ancestor in Victorian London who was also a widow; self-published. Susanna Moore, One Last Look, about the experiences of two English sisters and their brother in 1836 Calcutta, where he is serving as governor-general. Jude Morgan, Indiscretion (2006), a romantic comedy about a young woman whose well-meaning but hapless father arranges for her to become the companion of a wealthy widow after he loses all their money. Jude Morgan, The Taste of Sorrow (2009), about novelists and poets Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë and their family. Review at Reading the Past Nancy Moser, How Do I Love Thee? (2009), about poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who was an invalid and recluse oppressed by her controlling father until her future husband Robert came into her life. Janet Mullany, A Most Lamentable Comedy (2009), a Regency romance about a young widow who sets her sights on a handsome gentleman without realizing he is as penniless as she is. Lilian Nattel, Singing Fire (2005), a novel with a touch of magical realism about two immigrant women in London, one in the East End Jewish ghetto and the other in the wealthy West End, and the child who brings them together. Elizabeth Newark, Jane Eyre's Daughter (2008), about the daughter of Jane Eyre; a sequel to Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre. Kate Noble, Compromised (2008), a Regency romance about the less beautiful of two sisters whose wit and spirit nevertheless attract the viscount engaged to marry her sister. Kate Noble, Revealed (2009), a Regency romance about a beauty whose rivalry with another woman over the attentions of a marquis causes her to stumble upon the identity of a famous spy. Joseph O’Connor, The Star of the Sea, about the conflicts among the passengers on a ship sailing from Ireland to New York during the nineteenth century potato famine; a sequel, Redemption Falls, is listed in the Civil War section of the 19th Century America page. Liam O’Flaherty, Famine, about tenant farmers in County Galway, Ireland, during the nineteenth century potato famine. Jean-Pierre Ohl, Mr. Dick; Or, The Tenth Book (2008), about a modern French journalist who discovers a memoir describing the final days of English novelist Charles Dickens. Matthew Pearl, The Last Dickens (2009), a thriller about Charles Dickens's American publisher's efforts to find and publish the end of his unfinished last novel, despite murderous opposition. Arthur Phillips, Angelica, in 1880s London, a mother consults a spiritualist after seeing a spectral figure attack her daughter. Matthew Plampin, The Street Philosopher (2009; currently available in the U.K. only), about a journalist who becomes a gossip columnist ("street philosopher") on his return from the Crimean War in an unsuccessful effort to forget the horrors he saw there. Jem Poster, Courting Shadows (2008), about a young architect and his conflicts with the villagers when he takes on a restoration job for a neglected country church and decides to clear out elements he considers superstitious and unsound. Christopher Priest, The Prestige, magical realism about a stage magician in the late nineteenth century. Julian Rathbone, A Very English Agent, about a man who has been a police spy for the past 40 years and wants a pension badly enough to use blackmail; #1 in the Charlie Boylan series. Julian Rathbone, Birth of a Nation, a man who has been a police spy for the past 40 years tells about his adventures in the Galapagos and America; #2 in the Charlie Boylan series. Julian Rathbone, The Mutiny, about a British spy who becomes personally involved in a conspiracy in India; #3 in the Charlie Boylan series. Douglas Reeman, Badge of Glory, about a young man serving in the Royal Marines in 1850, in Africa and then the Crimean War; #1 in the Royal Marines Saga. Douglas Reeman, The Horizon, about a young man serving in the Royal Marines during the Boxer Rebellion; #2 in the Royal Marines Saga; for later novels in this series, see the WWI and WWII pages. Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea, about the Caribbean first wife of Mr. Rochester in Charlotte Brontë’s classic nineteenth century novel Jane Eyre. Meg Rosoff, The Bride's Farewell (2009), about a young woman in rural England during the 1850s who understands horses better than people and flees to the Salisbury Fair instead of marrying her childhood sweetheart. Frances Sands, Daughters of Hunger (2008), about a woman who dies of malnutrition during the Irish Potato Famine and her daughters and granddaughters over the course of 150 years. Susan Sellers, Vanessa and Virginia (2009), about the relationship between novelist Virginia Woolf and her sister Vanessa Bell from Vanessa's perspective. Miranda Seymour, Count Manfred , about a woman who becomes engaged to the mysterious tenant of a mansion belonging to Lord Byron. Jacqueline Sheehan, Now and Then (2009), about a modern woman who wakes up one morning to find herself among her ancestors in 1844 Ireland. Sara Sheridan, The Secret Mandarin (forthcoming in Sept. 2009 in the U.K. only), about Robert Fortune, a British botanist who brought tea plants from China to India in the course of his work as a spy for the British in China. George Shipway, The Chilian Club , about a group of retired British army officers who decide to redeem the honor of their disgraced regiment by assassinating union leaders and other leftists. George Shipway, Free Lance , about two English friends who join the East India Company. George Shipway, Strangers in the Land , about a well-meaning but ignorant English general, newly arrived in India, whose seemingly minor changes in the regulations result in disaster. Eve Silver, Dark Desires, gothic romance set in London during the 1820s. Eve Silver, His Dark Kiss, gothic romance set in Wales during the 1820s. Eve Silver, Dark Prince, gothic romance set on the coast of Cornwall during the 1820s. Eve Silver, His Wicked Sins, gothic romance set in Yorkshire during the 1820s. Dan Simmons, Drood (2009), a horror novel about the final years of author Charles Dickens. Review Susan Squires, The Burning (2006), a vampire romance set in 1821 England. Wesley Stace, Misfortune (2005), about an orphaned boy raised as a girl by a befuddled lord in nineteenth century England. Irving Stone, The Origin (1980), a biographical novel about Charles Darwin, who pioneered the concept of evolution after his voyage of discovery on The Beagle. Rebecca Stott, The Coral Thief (2008), about a Scottish medical student and the beautiful young woman who steals from him when they share a stagecoach while traveling to Paris in 1815 in the wake of Napoleoon's defeat. V.A. Stuart, The Valiant Sailors, about a nineteenth century First Lieutenant in the British Navy who must cope with a despotic and possibly insane ship captain; #1 in the Phillip Hazard series.
V.A. Stuart, Brave Captains , about a British naval officer fighting on the plains of Balaclava during the Charge of the Light Brigade; #2 in the Phillip Hazard series. V.A. Stuart, Hazard's Command, about a British naval officer during the Crimean War; #3 in the Phillip Hazard series. V.A. Stuart, Hazard of Huntress, about a newly promoted ship captain in the British navy sent to spy on the Russians during the Crimean War; #4 in the Phillip Hazard series. V.A. Stuart, Hazard in Circassia , about a British naval officer sent to negotiate an alliance with the mountain-dwelling Circassians during the Crimean War; #5 in the Phillip Hazard series. V.A. Stuart, Victory at Sebastopol, about a British naval officer during the Crimean War who faces court martial after making a difficult choice during the press of warfare; #6 in the Phillip Hazard series. V.A. Stuart, Guns to the Far East, about a British naval officer in China after the Crimean War who learns his sisters may be in danger during the Sepoy Mutiny; #7 in the Phillip Hazard series. V.A. Stuart, Escape from Hell, about a British naval officer who volunteers to help rescue a besieged British garrison during the Sepoy Mutiny; #8 in the Phillip Hazard series. V.A. Stuart, Victors and Lords, about a British captain in the East India Company during the Crimean War; #1 in the Alexander Sheridan series. V.A. Stuart, The Sepoy Mutiny, about a British officer in India during the Sepoy Mutiny; #2 in the Alexander Sheridan series. Harry Thompson, This Thing of Darkness (2005; titled To the Edge of the World in the U.S. and published as a trilogy), about the manic-depressive, devoutly Christian captain of the Beagle, the ship that brought Charles Darwin to the Galapagos.
Leon Uris, Trinity, a saga of four families beginning in the time of the Irish Potato Famine. Sarah Waters, Affinity, about a women’s prison in Victorian London. Sarah Waters, Fingersmith, an orphan girl grows up among a family of petty thieves in nineteenth century London. Review Sarah Waters, Tipping the Velvet, about a woman who impersonates men on the stage in Victorian London. Deborah Weisgall, The World Before Her (2008), about the nineteenth century British novelist Marian Evans, who wrote under the pen name George Eliot, and a twentieth century woman sculptor, both of whom spend their honeymoons in Venice. Paul West, The Women of Whitechapel and Jack the Ripper, about the infamous murders in Victorian London. Anne Whitfield, Her Shadowed Heart, about a troubled young Yorkshire woman who believes her mother hates her, and learns the reason for her coldness only after falling in love with a man who owns a mining business in South America. John Wilcox, The Horns of the Buffalo (2004), about a young British officer in Africa during the 1879 Zulu war; #1 in the Simon Fonthill series.
John Wilcox, The Road to Kandahar (2005), about a young British officer during the 1880 Afghanistan campaign; #2 in the Simon Fonthill series. John Wilcox, The Diamond Frontier (2006), about a young British officer in South Africa during the late nineteenth century; #3 in the Simon Fonthill series. John Wilcox, Last Stand at Majuba Hill (2007), about a young British officer in Africa during the late nineteenth century; #4 in the Simon Fonthill series. John Wilcox, The Guns of El Kebir (2008), about a young British officer in Egypt during the late nineteenth century; #5 in the Simon Fonthill series. John Wilcox, Siege at Khartoum (2009), about a young British officer on an urgent mission to Khartoum to rescue a general besieged by a band of religious warriors; #6 in the Simon Fonthill series. John Wilcox, The Shangani Patrol (2010), about a British officer who, while held captive by an African tribal leader in 1893, discovers a Portuguese plot to undermine the treaty between the tribe and Cecil Rhodes, Africa's richest man; #7 in the Simon Fonthill series. Niall Williams, The Fall of Light, about four brothers during the nineteenth century Irish Famine.
James Wilson, Consolation (2008), about an Edwardian author of children's books whose life and marriage begin to fall apart after the death of his baby daughter. Sandra Wilson, Lady Jane's Ribbons (2009), historical romance about a young woman who sets out to win a stagecoach race in 1820. Janet Woods, The Coal Gatherer , about a friendship between women of different social backgrounds in Victorian England. Sally Zigmond, Hope Against Hope (2009), about two sisters whose lives are disrupted after they are forced to sell their pub to make way for a railroad, when one ends up in a high-class brothel, the other in a boarding house where she is preyed on by the landlady's son.
Mysteries: 19th Century Britain
Click on the title for more information from Powell's Books or another online source. Tasha Alexander, And Only to Deceive (2005), about a young widow who discovers how interesting her husband was only after his death and, while learning more about his interest in ancient Greece, stumbles across a dangerous secret involving stolen Greek artifacts; #1 in the Lady Emily Ashton mystery series.
Tasha Alexander, A Poisoned Season (2007), about a young widow being stalked by a cat-burglar who has been stealing treasures that once belonged to Marie Antoinette; #2 in the Lady Emily Ashton mystery series. Tasha Alexander, A Fatal Waltz (2008), about a young widow whose friend's husband is arrested on the accusation of murdering a nobleman during a party; #3 in the Lady Emily Ashton mystery series. Tasha Alexander, Tears of Pearl (2009), about a bride who, during her honeymoon in Turkey, is asked to find out who murdered one of the Sultan's harem girls; #4 in the Lady Emily Ashton mystery series. T.F. Banks, The Thief Taker (2001), a mystery about a Bow Street Runner investigating the death of a respectable gentleman who had been seen at very unrespectable taverns; #1 in the Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner series.
T.F. Banks, The Emperor's Assassin (2003), a mystery about a Bow Street Runner investigating the murder of a count's French mistress amid impassioned controversies over the fate of the defeated Napoleon; #2 in the Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner series. Stephanie Barron, A Flaw in the Blood (2008), a stand-alone mystery exploring the possibility that Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, may have committed suicide or been murdered. Gyles Brandreth, Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance (titled Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders in the U.K.) (2008), a mystery in which the famous London playwright and witty man-about-town discovers the body of a murdered boy and sets out to find the killer with the help of his friend Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes; #1 in the Oscar Wilde mystery series. Gyles Brandreth, Oscar Wilde and a Game Called Murder (2008; titled Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death in the U.K.), a mystery in which the famous London playwright and witty man-about-town plays a game of "Who would you kill if you had no chance of being caught?" and discovers to his horror that the suggested victims are beginning to turn up dead; #2 in the Oscar Wilde mystery series. Gyles Brandreth, Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile (2009), famous London playwright and witty man-about-town encounters a series of suspicious deaths after he finishes a lecture tour to the U.S. and takes an ocean liner to France; #3 in the Oscar Wilde mystery series. Jump to #26 in the Mrs. Jeffries series
Emily Brightwell, The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries (1993), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a doctor is found dead in his office; #1 in the Mrs. Jeffries series; first three mysteries available in an omnibus edition, Mrs. Jeffries Learns the Trade. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Dusts for Clues (1993), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when the inspector finds a missing brooch on a dead woman; #2 in the Mrs. Jeffries series; first three mysteries available in an omnibus edition, Mrs. Jeffries Learns the Trade. Emily Brightwell, The Ghost and Mrs. Jeffries (1993), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a woman is murdered after her death is predicted at a seance; #3 in the Mrs. Jeffries series; first three mysteries available in an omnibus edition, Mrs. Jeffries Learns the Trade. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries on the Ball (1994), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a woman is murdered during a Jubilee Ball in the Queen's honor; #4 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Takes Stock (1994), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a businessman accused of swindling his shareholders is murdered; #5 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries on the Trail (1995), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a flower-seller is murdered; #6 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Plays the Cook (1995), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when she must fill in for the inspector's cook and try to nab a killer as well; #7 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries and the Missing Alibi (1996), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when the inspector himself is suspected of murder; #8 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Stands Corrected (1996), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when the inspector decides to investigate a case without her assistance; #9 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Stage (1997), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a theatre critic is drowned; #10 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Questions the Answer (1997), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when an unlikeable woman is stabbed in the back; #11 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Reveals Her Art (1998), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when an artist's houseguest is murdered; #12 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Cake (1998), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a man is killed at a table set with two dessert plates; #13 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Rocks the Boat (1999), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a visitor from Australia dies in a garden, the gate to which is securely locked; #14 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Weeds the Plot (2000), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when an eccentric heiress's bloodhound digs up a corpse; #15 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Pinches the Post (2001), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a shady businessman is murdered and his maid subsequently disappears; #16 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Pleads Her Case (2003), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a man's death is ruled a suicide after a less-than-rigorous investigation; #17 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Sweeps the Chimney (2004), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a corpse dressed as a vicar perplexes the police; #18 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Stalks the Hunter (2004), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a man is murdered and a young lady is accused of the crime; #19 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight (2005), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a man's head is bashed in during a family Christmas holiday distinctly lacking in cheer; #20 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Appeals the Verdict (2006), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when an innocent man is convicted of murder; #21 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans (2007), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a reclusive miser is found dead; #22 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen (2007), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when the host of a Christmas dinner dies during the meal; #23 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries Holds the Trump (2008), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a much-loved businessman is found drowned; #24 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries in the Nick of Time (2009), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a train enthusiast is murdered; #25 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings (2009), about a Victorian police inspector whose housekeeper is the genius behind his crime-solving success, when a murder occurs amid preparations for a long-awaited wedding; #26 in the Mrs. Jeffries series. Kenneth Cameron, The Frightened Man (2009), about an American novelist and former lawman living in London who is drawn to investigate after a stranger turns up at his door claiming to have seen Jack the Ripper; #2 in the Denton series.
Kenneth Cameron, The Bohemian Girl (2009), about an American novelist and former lawman living in London whose search for a woman in trouble takes him to the Bohemian quarter where artists and their models live; #2 in the Denton series. Caleb Carr, The Italian Secretary: A Further Adventure of Sherlock Holmes (2005), Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go to Scotland to solve a murder mystery with connections to a sixteenth century murder and a variety of seemingly supernatural manifestations. David Stuart Davies, Sherlock Holmes and the Hentzau Affair (1991), a tale inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's detective stories and Alexandre Dumas's The Prisoner of Zenda in which Sherlock Holmes travels to Ruritania to get to the bottom of a political plot; #1 in the Sherlock Holmes Adventures series.
David Stuart Davies, The Tangled Skein (1995), Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson must battle a plague of vampires and come face-to-face with Count Dracula himself; #2 in the Sherlock Holmes Adventures series. David Stuart Davies, The Scroll of the Dead (1998), Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson set out to prevent a fake medium from using an ancient Egyptian papyrus to make himself immortal; #3 in the Sherlock Holmes Adventures series. David Stuart Davies, The Shadow of the Rat (1999), Holmes and Watson pursue the Giant Rat of Sumatra; #4 in the Sherlock Holmes Adventures series. David Stuart Davies, The Veiled Detective (2004), a prequel to the Sherlock Holmes stories imagining how Holmes, Watson, and their nemesis Professor Moriarty might have met; #5 in the Sherlock Holmes Adventures series. David Dickinson, Goodnight, Sweet Prince (2002), an Irish investigator is asked to discreetly find out who killed Queen Victoria's grandson Prince Eddy in 1892, while the royal family gives out the story that he died of influenza; #1 in the Lord Powerscourt series.
David Dickinson, Death and the Jubilee (2002), an Irish investigator discovers the royal family is in danger during the Jubilee celebration as he tracks down who killed the corpse found in the Thames; #2 in the Lord Powerscourt series. David Dickinson, Death of an Old Master (2004), an Irish investigator tracks down a master forger; #3 in the Lord Powerscourt series. David Dickinson, Death of a Chancellor (2004), an Irish investigator tries to discreetly find out who killed the Chancellor of Compton Cathedral during the preparations for its millennium celebration in 1901; #4 in the Lord Powerscourt series. David Dickinson, Death Called to the Bar (2006), an Irish investigator tries to find out who is killing barristers and why; #5 in the Lord Powerscourt series. David Dickinson, Death on the Nevskii Prospect (2006), a retired Irish investigator travels to Russia on the eve of the Revolution to find out who cut the throat of a British diplomat; #6 in the Lord Powerscourt series. David Dickinson, Death on the Holy Mountain (2007), an Irish investigator is looking into a series of art thefts from wealthy Protestant homes in Ireland when people begin disappearing too; #7 in the Lord Powerscourt series. David Dickinson, Death of a Pilgrim (2009), an Irish investigator goes to France in 1905 to find out who is killing pilgrims on their way to the shrine at Santiago de Compostela, Spain; #8 in the Lord Powerscourt series. David Dickinson, Death of a Wine Merchant (2010), about an Irish investigator the case of a murder apparently committed by the uncle of a bridegroom immediately after a wedding uniting two wealthy families; #9 in the Lord Francis Powerscourt series. John Dickson Carr, The Bride of Newgate (1950), about a woman who, to gain an inheritance, marries a convict scheduled to be hanged an hour later; possibly the first historical mystery novel ever written. Review
John Dickson Carr, Fire, Burn! (1957), about the first British police force, Sir Robert Peel's "Peelers" and their investigation of a murder in 1829. John Dickson Carr, The Scandal at High Chimneys (1959), about a ghostly apparition and a murder in a London mansion in 1865. John Dickson Carr, The Demoniacs (1962), about a member of the Bow Street Runners, London's first police force, whose rescue of a naive young woman from a school for prostitutes leads to his investigation of the mysterious murder of an old woman with a scandalous past. John Dickson Carr, Papa La-Bas (1968), about a senator who investigates a murder in 1858 New Orleans. John Dickson Carr, Deadly Hall (1971), about a novelist who returns to his boyhood home, New Orleans, in 1927 to investigate a murder connected with a friend's inheritance. John Dickson Carr, The Hungry Goblin (1972), a mystery set in 1869 featuring real-life novelist Wilkie Collins as the detective. Joanna Challis, Eye of the Serpent, romantic suspense about a nineteenth century Englishwoman in Austria.
Bernard Cornwell, Gallows Thief (2001), a stand-alone mystery novel about a hero of Waterloo who returns to London in 1820 to find himself destitute in a country where poverty and injustice are rife, and takes a job as a private investigator both for the money and for the chance to free an innocent man convicted of murder. Michael Cox, The Meaning of Night: A Confession (2006), a dark thriller about an educated man who is also a brutal, amoral killer seeking to reclaim his usurped inheritance. Michael Cox, The Glass of Time (2008), a dark thriller about an orphaned young woman who takes a job as lady's maid in 1876 in order to spy on her employer. Lyndsay Faye, Dust and Shadow (2009), a thriller which pits Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional creation Sherlock Holmes against the historical killer Jack the Ripper. LA times review Philip Gooden, The Salisbury Manuscripts (2008), about a London lawyer who must investigate the murder of a Salisbury canon in 1873 in order to clear himself of suspicion; #1 in the Tom Ansell series. Philip Gooden, The Durham Disappearance (2009), about a lawyer and his novelist wife who must investigate the death of a famous medium when she is suspected of his murder; #2 in the Tom Ansell series. Rebecca Gowers, The Twisted Heart (2009), about a modern literature student immersed in research for her thesis which attempts to establish a link between a murder in a Dickens novel and the unsolved murder of a prostitute in 1838. Ann Granger, A Rare Interest in Corpses (2006) (also titled the Companion), about a woman who, while working as a companion to a wealthy London widow who is also a slum landlord, discovers the corpse of her prececessor; #1 in the Lizzie Martin mystery series. Ann Granger, A Mortal Curiosity (2008), about a woman working as a lady's companion who takes a job comforting a mother whose baby has died; #2 in the Lizzie Martin mystery series. Michael Hardwick, Prisoner of the Devil (1979), the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes investigates the Dreyfus Case.
Michael Hardwick, Sherlock Holmes: My Life and Crimes (1984), a novel narrated by the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes as an aging man looking back on his life. Michael Hardwick, The Private Life of Dr. Watson (1983), the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes's sidekick Dr. Watson recalls his own youthful travels and adventures. Michael Hardwick, The Revenge of the Hound (1987), as the notorious hound of the Baskervilles reappears, the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes investigates the theft of Oliver Cromwell's bones. Michael Hardwick, Nightbone (1989), a police procedural set in Victorian England. C.S. Harris, What Angels Fear (2005), about a young English nobleman haunted by his experiences in the recent Napoleonic Wars who is accused of the murder of a beautiful young woman in 1811 Georgian England; #1 in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series.
C.S. Harris, When Gods Die (2006), about a young English nobleman drawn into a murder investigation when a necklace that once belonged to his mother is found around the dead woman's neck; #2 in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series. C.S. Harris, Why Mermaids Sing (2007), about a young English nobleman who becomes obsessed with solving a series of strange murders of young men of prominent families in 1811 Georgian England; #3 in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series. C.S. Harris, Where Serpents Sleep (2008), about a young English nobleman who teams up with the daughter of a cousin of the Prince Regent in 1812 London to bring to justice the murderer of eight prostitutes; #4 in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series. C.S. Harris, What Remains of Heaven (2009), about a young English nobleman who must investigate the deaths of two men whose bodies are discovered in an ancient crypt, with a suspect list that includes the son of Benjamin Franklin; #5 in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series. Jane Jakeman, Let There Be Blood (1997), about a reclusive aristocrat who sets out to find the truth when a gypsy is accused of murdering a farmer in the West Country in 1830; #1 in the Lord Ambrose Malfine mystery series.
Jane Jakeman, The Egyptian Coffin (1997), about a reclusive aristocrat who travels to Egypt to protect an heiress after he learns of a young girl's death; #2 in the Lord Ambrose Malfine mystery series. Jane Jakeman, Fool's Gold (1998), about a reclusive aristocrat who investigates the murder of a physician by poisoning; #3 in the Lord Ambrose Malfine mystery series. Edward Marston, The Railway Detective, about a railway detective in Victorian England; #1 in the Railway Detective series.
Edward Marston, The Excursion Train, about a railway detective in Victorian England; #2 in the Railway Detective series. Edward Marston, The Railway Viaduct, about a railway detective in Victorian England; #3 in the Railway Detective series. Edward Marston, The Iron Horse , about a railway detective in Victorian England; #4 in the Railway Detective series. Nicholas Meyer, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1974), a mystery that imagines what might have happened if Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud had collaborated on an investigation.
Sena Jeter Naslund, Sherlock in Love (1993), about Dr. Watson's investigations into a previously unreported adventure of the recently deceased Sherlock Holmes. Robin Paige, Death at Bishop's Keep, about an American writer of "penny dreadfuls" who joins a local amateur in investigating a death connected with an archaeological dig near near Essex, England; #1 in the Sir Charles Sheridan mystery series.
Robin Paige, Death at Gallow's Green, an American writer, an amateur scientist and Beatrix Potter collaborate to investigate the murder of a constable; #2 in the Sir Charles Sheridan mystery series. Robin Paige, Death at Daisy's Folly, an American writer and an amateur scientist team up to investigate two murders at an aristocratic woman's weekend party; #3 in the Sir Charles Sheridan mystery series. Robin Paige, Death at Devil's Bridge, after their wedding, an American writer and an amateur scientist host an automobile exhibition that turns deadly; #4 in the Sir Charles Sheridan mystery series. Robin Paige, Death at Rottingdean, on holiday, a pair of amateur sleuths collaborate with Rudyard Kipling to find out who murdered the coast guard whose body turned up on the beach; #5 in the Sir Charles Sheridan mystery series. Robin Paige, Death at Whitechapel, a pair of amateur sleuths come to the aid of Jennie Churchill when someone claims the father of her son, Winston, was Jack the Ripper; #6 in the Sir Charles Sheridan mystery series. Robin Paige, Death at Epsom Downs, a pair of amateur sleuths are asked to investigate murder and jewel theft at the races; #7 in the Sir Charles Sheridan mystery series. Robin Paige, Death at Dartmoor, a pair of amateur sleuths collaborate with Arthur Conan Doyle when a body is found on the moor; #8 in the Sir Charles Sheridan mystery series. Robin Paige, Death at Glamis Castle, a pair of amateur sleuths discover that a prince believed to have been dead for years is actually alive and suspected of a grisly murder; #9 in the Sir Charles Sheridan mystery series. Review Robin Paige, Death in Hyde Park, a pair of amateur sleuths are called to investigate after a bomb goes off at King Edward's coronation ceremony; #10 in the Sir Charles Sheridan mystery series; with this mystery, the series continues past the Victorian period into the early twentieth century Edwardian period, but the complete series is listed here. Robin Paige, Death at Blenheim Palace, a pair of amateur sleuths discover there may be a link between a recent kidnapping and the 700-year-old unsolved murder of the mistress of Henry II; #11 in the Sir Charles Sheridan mystery series. Robin Paige, Death on the Lizard, a pair of amateur sleuths investigate murder connected to the latest in modern technology, the wireless telegraph; #12 in the Sir Charles Sheridan mystery series. Charles Palliser, The Quincunx, a dark mystery about a boy and his mother whose lives spiral into disaster because of a secret his mother is keeping about an inheritance. Review from Steven Wu's Book Reviews
Caro Peacock, The Foreign Affair, about a young woman who poses as a governess in 1837 England in order to spy on a man believed to be involved in a treasonous plot; #1 in the Liberty Lane mystery series. Caro Peacock, A Dangerous Affair (2009), a young woman on her own in London after her father's death becomes involved in a murder investigation after a handsome young politician named Benjamin Disraeli asks her to find out more about a notorious prima ballerina; #2 in the Liberty Lane mystery series. Iain Pears, Stone's Fall (2009), about a wealthy English businessman's childless widow who must find the child to whom he willed his fortune shortly before dying in a fall from an upper-story window in 1909. Andrew Pepper, The Last Days of Newgate (2006), a violent, hard-boiled thriller about a Bow Street Runner investigating a series of grisly murders in 1829 London; #1 in the Pyke Mystery series.
Andrew Pepper, The Revenge of Captain Paine (2007), about a former Bow Street Runner asked to unofficially investigate a decapitation in 1834 as the Industrial Revolution brings railways and oppressive conditions for workers to England; #2 in the Pyke Mystery series. Andrew Pepper, Kill-Devil and Water (2008), about a former Bow Street Runner down on his luck who is freed from debtor's prison so he can investigate the murder of a poor Jamaican immigrant while the rest of the force concentrates on the suspicious death of an important aristocrat; #3 in the Pyke Mystery series. Andrew Pepper, The Detective Branch (2010, also titled The Detective Bureau), about a member of London's new "Detective Bureau" who investigates the death of a policeman and finds it is linked to a tavern landlord's murder; #4 in the Pyke Mystery series. Anne Perry, The Face of a Stranger, a Victorian police officer with amnesia must investigate his own past along with the murder he’s been assigned to; #1 in the William Monk mystery series.
Anne Perry, A Dangerous Mourning, a Victorian police officer with amnesia must investigate his own past as, with the help of a nurse who once worked with Florence Nightingale, he tries to find out who murdered an aristocrat's daughter; #2 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, Defend and Betray, when a general's wife confesses to his murder, a detective with amnesia must find out who really killed her husband; #3 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, A Sudden, Fearful Death, a private investigator with amnesia discovers frightening clues about his own past as he investigates the strangling death of a nurse; #4 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, The Sins of the Wolf, a private investigator with amnesia must find the real killer when a nurse who has assisted him in several previous investigations is charged with murder; #5 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, Cain His Brother, a private investigator with amnesia tries to find a missing man who may have been murdered by his twin brother; #6 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, Weighed in the Balance, a private investigator with amnesia is hired to find evidence for a countess's claim that the prince of a small German principality was murdered by his wife; #7 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, The Silent Cry, a private investigator with amnesia discovers that the murder of a solicitor is connected with a series of brutal attacks on local prostitutes; #8 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, The Whited Sepulchres (titled A Breach of Promise in the U.S.), a private investigator with amnesia and a nurse who worked with Florence Nightingale investigate a breach of promise suit that turns into a murder case; #9 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, The Twisted Root, a private investigator is hired to find a man's missing fiancé; #10 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, Slaves of Obsession, a private investigator and his wife travel to America on the trail of a murderer and a missing cache of weapons during the Civil War; #11 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, A Funeral in Blue, a private investigator with amnesia tries to find out who murdered two women in an artist's studio, one of them the wife of a surgeon who is his wife's colleague; #12 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, Death of a Stranger, a private investigator with amnesia is hired to look into the background of a woman's fiancé, a railway executive, and rediscovers traumatic lost memories of his own; #13 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, The Shifting Tide, a private investigator tries to find out who murdered a ship's watchman and stole a cargo of African ivory; #14 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, Dark Assassin, a Thames River Police superintendent tries to find out whether a couple's death by drowning was a tragic accident, suicide or murder; #15 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, Execution Dock (2009), about a detective with the Thames River Police who, after the man he arrested is freed from prison, discovers murkier depths in a case he thought he had solved; #16 in the William Monk mystery series. Anne Perry, The Cater Street Hangman (1979), about a Victorian police inspector who, while investigating the murder of a garrotted maid, and falls unsuitably in love with a young woman from a wealthy family; #1 in the Thomas Pitt mystery series.
Anne Perry, Callander Square (1980), about a Victorian police inspector with a lower-class background who with the help of his upper-class wife investigates the murder of two babies; #2 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Paragon Walk (1981), about a Victorian police inspector with a lower-class background who with the help of his upper-class wife investigates the murder of a young woman; #3 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Resurrection Row (1981), about a Victorian police inspector with a lower-class background who with the help of his upper-class wife investigates the strange case of a dead and buried gentleman whose corpse turns up in a hansom cab; #4 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Rutland Place (1983), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who look into the disappearance of her mother's locket, a compromising memento, and find they have embarked on a search leading to far more terrible secrets; #5 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Bluegate Fields (1984), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate the death of an upper-class boy whose body was found in the slums; #6 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Death in the Devil's Acre (1985), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate the brutal murder of a doctor; #7 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Cardington Crescent (1987), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who attempt to clear her sister of a murder charge after the sister's philandering husband is murdered; #8 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Silence in Hanover Close (1988), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate an unsolved case from three years earlier, which the authorities want handled in a quiet, diplomatic way; #9 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Bethlehem Road (1990), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate a series of murders of Members of Parliament who voted against women's suffrage; #10 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Highgate Rise (1991), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate a case of arson; #11 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Belgrave Square (1992), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate the murder of a seedy money-lender with a list of distinguished aristocrats in his office; #12 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Farriers' Lane (1993), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate the murder of a judge about to reopen an old case; #13 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, The Hyde Park Headsman (1994), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate a series of beheadings, with a strange lack of support from his superiors; #14 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Traitors Gate (1995), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate a death that may be linked to a spy operating in the government's Colonial Office; #15 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Pentecost Alley (1996), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate the murder of a prostitute under whose body was found a badge from the Hellfire Club; #16 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Ashworth Hall (1997), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate the murder of a government official in charge of negotiations over the prospect of Irish home rule; #17 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Brunswick Gardens (1998), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate the death of an outspoken women who championed feminism and Darwin's theory of evolution; #18 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Bedford Square (1999), about a Victorian police inspector and his wife who investigate why a dead body was found on the doorstep of a general's home; #19 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Half Moon Street (2000), about a Victorian police inspector who tries to uncover the identity of a dead man discovered floating down the Thames in a punt; #20 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, The Whitechapel Conspiracy (2001), about a Victorian police inspector transferred to a Special Branch investigation while Jack the Ripper remains at large; #21 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Southampton Row (2002), about a Victorian police inspector who investigates the murder of a clairvoyant whose seances are attended by London's fashionable aristocrats; #22 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Seven Dials (2003), about a Victorian police inspector who investigates the murder of a junior diplomat found in the garden of a mansion where a beautiful Egyptian woman lives; #23 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Long Spoon Lane (2005), about a Victorian police inspector who discovers police corruption when he investigates an anarchist bombing and, with his wife's assistance, sets out to thwart a dangerous conspiracy; #24 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Anne Perry, Buckingham Palace Gardens (2008), about a Victorian police inspector who must investigate the murder of a prostitute whose body was discovered during a party given by the Prince of Wales; #25 in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, Crocodile on the Sandbank (1975), about an independent young heiress who travels to Egypt, where she encounters both an aggravating archaeologist and a murderous mummy; #1 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series.
Elizabeth Peters, The Curse of the Pharaohs (1981), about a husband-and-wife archaeology team who take over another archaeologist's excavation after his sudden death, and then begin to suspect murder; #2 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, The Mummy Case (1985), about a woman archaeologist who tries to find out who murdered a dealer in Egyptian antiquities; #3 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, Lion in the Valley (1986), about a woman archaeologist whose exciting new dig is delayed when her eight-year-old son is abducted; #4 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, The Deeds of the Disturber (1988), about a woman archaeologist who is skeptical of the theory that a night watchman in the British museum died as the result of an Egyptian mummy's curse; #5 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, The Last Camel Died at Noon (1991), about a woman archaeologist and her family who travel to the Sudan, hoping an ancient map will lead them to a secret oasis; #6 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog (1992), about an amateur sleuth who must rescue her archeologist husband when he is kidnapped after they return to Amarna, where they fell in love; #7 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, The Hippopotamus Pool (1996), about a woman archaeologist and her family menaced by a resourceful villain as they begin to excavate an undisturbed royal tomb in Egypt; #8 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, Seeing a Large Cat (1997), about a woman archaeologist who stumbles across a case of modern murder when she and her family excavate an ancient Egyptian tomb; #9 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, The Ape Who Guards the Balance (1998), about a woman archaeologist whose son obtains a rare papyrus copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, a harbinger of trouble; #10 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, The Falcon at the Portal (1999), about a woman archaeologist who lands in the middle of a murder mystery as she attempts to clear her son of the accusation of stealing artifacts; #11 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, He Shall Thunder in the Sky (2000), about a woman archaeologist and her family whose Egyptian dig is complicated by WWI, the threat of a Turkish invasion, and spies; #12 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, Lord of the Silent (2001), about a woman archaeologist who discovers a recently murdered corpse in an ancient tomb as her son and his bride cope with treachery; #13 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, The Golden One (2002), about a woman archaeologist who must solve the modern murder of a tomb robber as her son undertakes a mission for British intelligence amid the First World War; #14 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, Children of the Storm (2003), about a woman archaeologist who must face her most formidable adversary at the end of World War I; #15 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, Guardian of the Horizon (2004), about a woman archaeologist and her family who travel to a lost oasis; #16 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, The Serpent on the Crown (2005), about a woman archaeologist who agrees to help a widow identify and return to its tomb a priceless gold statuette said to be cursed; #17 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Elizabeth Peters, Tomb of the Golden Bird (2006), about a family of archaeologists lured into a dangerous mystery as Carnarvon and Carter excavate the magnificent tomb of Tutankhamen, which they had hoped to excavate themselves; #18 in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. Audrey Peterson, An Unmourned Death, about a young widow employed as a private investigator who is sent to find the missing daughter of an upper class family.
Amanda Quick, Second Sight (2006), romantic suspense about a woman photographer in Victorian England who can see auras and witnesses a murder; #1 in the Arcane Society series. Amanda Quick, The Third Circle (2006), romantic suspense about a woman in Victorian England who reads crystals and encounters a psychic mesmerist standing over a murdered woman's body; #2 in the Arcane Society series. Deanna Raybourn, Silent in the Grave, about the widow of an aristocrat who is first outraged to be told her husband was murdered, then chagrined when she discovers the evidence and realizes she never really knew him; #1 in the Lady Julia Grey series. Review
Deanna Raybourn, Silent in the Sanctuary, an aristocratic young widow and a private enquiry agent investigate the murder of a curate; #2 in the Lady Julia Grey series. Deanna Raybourn, Silent on the Moor, an aristocratic young widow visiting an ancient Yorkshire family's decrepit house tries to track down a poisoner; #3 in the Lady Julia Grey series. Review Laura Joh Rowland, The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë, a thriller which imagines the nineteenth century author Charlotte Brontë actually lived the exciting life for which she secretly yearned.
Nicola Slade, Murder Most Welcome (2008), a humorous novel about a reformed thief who, believing herself widowed, goes to live with relations of her husband, a minor English aristocrat who reappears unexpectedly and is murdered shortly thereafter; not readily available outside the U.K. Review Martin Cruz Smith, Rose (1996), a thriller about a man assigned to find a missing curate in a nineteenth century Lancashire coal mining town. D.J. Taylor, Kept: A Victorian Mystery (2006), a literary mystery about London police captain investigating the case of a mentally frail widow abducted by an odd naturalist in the 1860s. Will Thomas, Some Danger Involved (2004), about an enquiry agent and his new assistant who investigate the murder by crucifixion of a young scholar in Victorian London's Jewish quarter; #1 in the Barker and Llewelyn series. Review
Will Thomas, To Kingdom Come (2005), about an enquiry agent and his assistant in Victorian London who infiltrate a group of violent Irish dissidents; #2 in the Barker and Llewelyn series. Review at "Novels, Stories, and More" Will Thomas, The Limehouse Text (2006), about an enquiry agent and his assistant in Victorian London who investigate a Chinese killer using ancient martial arts illegal in England; #3 in the Barker and Llewelyn series. Will Thomas, The Hellfire Conspiracy (2007), about an enquiry agent and his new assistant who investigate a serial killer of young women who may belong to the infamous Hellfire Club; #4 in the Barker and Llewelyn series. Will Thomas, The Black Hand (2008), about an enquiry agent and his new assistant who investigate the murder of an Italian assassin which leads to a vendetta of rival Italian gangs; #5 in the Barker and Llewelyn series. Brian Thompson, The Widow's Secret (2008), about a widow in her thirties who writes novels under a male pseudonym to expose wrongdoers who might otherwise escape justice; #1 in the planned Bella Wallis mystery series.
Novels by and Inspired by Jane Austen
Click on the title for more information from Powell's Books or another online source. Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility (1811), about two sisters, one reserved and responsible, the other romantic and expressive, each hoping for a satisfying marriage; technically not a historical novel, since Austen's classic novels were set in her own time.
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813), about a young woman who spurns the attentions of Mr. Darcy, a wealthy and attractive single man; technically not a historical novel, since Austen's classic novels were set in her own time. Jane Austen, Mansfield Park (1814), about an orphaned young woman whose mother married for love, and who must live with wealthy relatives who consider her a poor relation; technically not a historical novel, since Austen's classic novels were set in her own time. Jane Austen, Emma (1815), about a well-meaning young woman who meddles in the lives of others by trying to arrange their romances; technically not a historical novel, since Austen's classic novels were set in her own time. Jane Austen, Persuasion (1817), about a woman who broke her engagement with a young naval officer because her relatives considered him a social inferior; technically not a historical novel, since Austen's classic novels were set in her own time; published posthumously. Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey (1817), about a romantic young woman who imagines dramatic situations because of her habit of reading Gothic novels; technically not a historical novel, since Austen's classic novels were set in her own time; published posthumously although it was the first novel she wrote. Anonymous and Jane Austen, Sanditon: Jane Austen’s Last Novel Completed, a modern writer completes a story fragment by Jane Austen. Julia Barrett, Jane Austen's Charlotte (2000), a completion of Jane Austen's unfinished last novel, Sanditon. Joan Aiken, Emma Watson (1996), a completion of Jane Austen's unfinished novel The Watsons Pamela Aidan, An Assembly Such as This, a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy’s viewpoint; #1 in the Darcy trilogy.
Pamela Aidan, Duty and Desire, a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy’s viewpoint; #2 in the Darcy trilogy. Pamela Aidan, These Three Remain, a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy’s viewpoint; #3 in the Darcy trilogy. Joan Aiken, Mansfield Park Revisited (1984; originally titled Mansfield Revisited), a sequel to Mansfield Park about Fanny Price's younger sister, who replaces her as Lady Bertram's companion after Fanny marries Edmund Bertram.
Joan Aiken, Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine in Jane Austen’s Emma (1990), a story spun off from Emma. Joan Aiken, Eliza's Daughter (1994), about the free-spirited illegitimate child Eliza, befriended by poets Wordsworth and Coleridge during her jaunts about the countryside, and her quest to find out about her paraents; a sequel to Sense and Sensibility. Joan Aiken, Lady Catherine's Necklace (2000), a sequel to Pride and Prejudice revolving around Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Elizabeth Aston, Mr. Darcy’s Daughters, a sequel to Pride and Prejudice about the daughters of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy; #1 in the Darcy series.
Elizabeth Aston, The Exploits and Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy, the youngest daughter of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy regrets having married; #2 in the Darcy series. Elizabeth Aston, The True Darcy Spirit, Mr. Darcy’s artistic cousin tries to make a living as a painter while evading the unwelcome attentions of a lord; #3 in the Darcy series. Elizabeth Aston, The Second Mrs. Darcy, the young widow of Captain Christopher Darcy returns to London to discover she is a wealthy woman; #4 in the Darcy series. Elizabeth Aston, The Darcy Connection (2008), about the daughters of Mr. Collins and his wife Charlotte; #5 in the Darcy series. Elizabeth Aston, Mr. Darcy's Dream (2009), about two unmarried girls visiting Pemberley as preparations for a ball are underway; #6 in the Darcy series. Joan Austen-Leigh, A Visit to Highbury/Another View of Emma (1995), about some of the minor characters in Emma
Joan Austen-Leigh, Later Days at Highbury , about some of the minor characters in Emma Janet Aylmer, Darcy’s Story, a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy’s perspective. Ted and Marilyn Bader, Desire and Duty : A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1997), a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Ted Bader, Virtue and Vanity (2000), about the governess for Georgiana's children and the son of Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy; sequel to Desire and Duty. Julia Barrett, Presumption: An Entertainment (1993), about Mr. Darcy’s sister Georgiana. Linda Berdoll, Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife (originally published under the title The Bar Sinister), #1 in the author's series of spicy sequels to Pride and Prejudice. Linda Berdoll, Darcy and Elizabeth: Nights and Days at Pemberley, #2 in the author's series of spicy sequels to Pride and Prejudice. Rachel Billington, Emma and Knightley: Perfect Happiness in Highbury (2008), a sequel to Emma about the early married life of Emma and Mr. Knightley. Diana Birchall, Mrs. Darcy’s Dilemma, a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Dorothy Bonavia-Hunt, Pemberley Shades, a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Sybil G. Brinton, Old Friends and New Fancies: An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen, borrows characters from all six of Jane Austen’s novels. Skylar Hamilton Burris, Conviction, a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Rebecca Ann Collins, The Pemberley Chronicles (1997), a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice about life at Pemberley after the Darcys' wedding; #1 in the Pemberley Chronicles series.
Rebecca Ann Collins, The Women of Pemberley (2008), a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice which follows the lives of five women into the early Victorian period; #2 in the Pemberley Chronicles series. Rebecca Ann Collins, Netherfield Park Revisited (2008), a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice about the daughter of Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy; #3 in the Pemberley Chronicles series. Rebecca Ann Collins, The Ladies of Longbourn (2008), about a young woman in the third generation of the Darcys and their neighbors in Victorian England; #4 in the Pemberley Chronicles series. Rebecca Ann Collins, Mr. Darcy's Daughter (2008), a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice about the son of Charles and Jane Bingley; #5 in the Pemberley Chronicles series. Rebecca Ann Collins, My Cousin Caroline (2008), a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice about Elizabeth Darcy's cousin Caroline Gardiner; #6 in the Pemberley Chronicles series. Rebecca Ann Collins, Postscript from Pemberley (2008, new Sourcebooks edition 2009), a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice about the generation of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy's grandchildren; #6 in the Pemberley Chronicles series. Review Jane Dawkins, Letters from Pemberley: The First Year, a sequel to Pride and Prejudice.
Jane Dawkins, More Letters from Pemberley: 1814-1819, a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Joan Ellen Delman, Miss de Bourgh's Adventure , a short novel about one of the young women Mr. Darcy didn’t marry. Joan Ellen Delman, Lovers' Perjuries; Or, the Clandestine Courtship of Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill, a re-telling of Jane Austen's Emma. Anne Fafoutakis, Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Other Stories, short stories about the Darcys’ marriage. Monica Fairview, The Other Mr. Darcy (2009; available in the U.K., forthcoming in the U.S. in October 2009), about an unlikely romance between Caroline Bingley and Fitzwilliam Darcy's American cousin; a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Marjorie Fasman, The Diary of Henry Fitzwilliam Darcy , the story of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy’s viewpoint. Phyllis Furley, The Darcys : Scenes from Married Life , a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Jane Gillespie, Aunt Celia , about the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Weston from Emma. Jane Gillespie, Teverton Hall , about Charlotte from Pride and Prejudice. Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009), a send-up of Pride and Prejudice in which words and scenes are added to Austen's original text to create a tale of zombie mayhem. Review Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (2009), a send-up of Sense and Sensibility in which words and scenes are added to Austen's original text to create a tale of seaside horror. Amanda Grange, Mr. Darcy's Diary (titled Darcy's Diary in hardback), the story of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's perspective.
Amanda Grange, Edmund Bertram’s Diary, the story of Mansfield Park from Edmund Bertram’s perspective. Amanda Grange, Mr Knightley’s Diary, the story of Emma from Mr. Knightley’s perspective. Amanda Grange, Captain Wentworth’s Diary, the story of Persuasion from Captain Wentworth's perspective. Amanda Grange, Colonel Brandon's Diary (2008), the story of Sense and Sensibility from Colonel Brandon's perspective. Helen Halstead, Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride (originally titled A Private Performance), a sequel to Pride and Prejudice.
Anne Hampson, Pemberley Place (1997), based on characters from Pride and Prejudice Syrie James, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, a novel that imagines events in Jane Austen’s life. Review by Arleigh at historical-fiction.com Regina Jeffers, Darcy’s Passions (2008), a version of Pride and Prejudice told from Mr. Darcy’s point of view. Regina Jeffers, Darcy’s Dreams (2008), a sequel to Pride and Prejudice and Darcy's Passions; self-published. Susan Kaye, None But You, the story of Persuasion from Frederick Wentworth’s point of view; #1 in the Frederick Wentworth, Captain series. Susan Kaye, For You Alone, the story of Persuasion from Frederick Wentworth’s point of view; #2 in the Frederick Wentworth, Captain series. Sharon Lathan, Two Shall Become One, a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Kara Louise, Pemberley’s Promise, a romance novel based on the characters from Pride and Prejudice; self-published. Colleen McCullough, The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet (2008), a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice about Elizabeth Bennet Darcy's apparently unmarriageable sister Mary, who has cared for her mother until, twenty years after the close of Pride and Prejudice, she is freed to pursue her own adventures. Review Nancy Moser, Just Jane, a biographical novel about the author Jane Austen. Elizabeth Newark, The Darcys Give a Ball: A Gentle Joke, Jane Austen Style (2008), about Fitzwilliam Darcy’s younger brother. Elizabeth Newark, Consequence; Or, Whatever Became of Charlotte Lucas (1997), about a minor character in Pride and Prejudice. Abigail Reynolds, Impulse and Initiative (2008), a novel that explores what might have happened if a character had made a different choice at one point in the Pride and Prejudice story; #1 in the Pemberley Variations series.
Abigail Reynolds, The Last Man in the World, A Pride and Prejudice Variation, a novel that explores what might have happened if a character had made a different choice at one point in the Pride and Prejudice story; #2 in the Pemberley Variations series. Abigail Reynolds, Without Reserve, A Pride and Prejudice Variation, a novel that explores what might have happened if a character had made a different choice at one point in the Pride and Prejudice story; #3 in the Pemberley Variations series. Abigail Reynolds, By Force of Instinct: A Pride & Prejudice Variation , a novel that explores what might have happened if a character had made a different choice at one point in the Pride and Prejudice story; #4 in the Pemberley Variations series. Abigail Reynolds, From Lambton to Longbourn, A Pride and Prejudice Variation, a novel that explores what might have happened if a character had made a different choice at one point in the Pride and Prejudice story; #5 in the Pemberley Variations series. Laurie Viera Rigler, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict (2007), about a modern young woman who slips back into the time of Jane Austen and finds romance.
Laurie Viera Rigler, Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict (forthcoming in 2009), about a young woman from Regency England who slips forward into the modern world, where at first she relishes her freedom but then feels bewildered by the dating customs; sequel to Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway, Lady Vernon and her Daughter (2009), a full-length novel based on Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan, about a mother and daughter left in dire financial straits when the father of the family dies and the son who inherits his money fails to support his mother and sister. Juliette Shapiro, Excessively Diverted , a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Mary Street, The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy, the story of Pride and Prejudice told from Mr. Darcy’s point of view. Emma Tennant, Pemberley, Or Pride and Prejudice Continued, a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Emma Tennant, An Unequal Marriage, picks up nineteen years after the close of Pride and Prejudice, with Mr. and Mrs. Darcy regretting their marriage. Emma Tennant, Emma in Love (1996), four years after marrying Mr. Knightley, Emma becomes bored and starts matchmaking again.
Mysteries Inspired by Jane Austen
Click on the title for more information from Powell's Books or another online source. Stephanie Barron, Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor (1996), a fictional Jane Austen investigates the surprising death of the Earl of Scargrave; #1 in the Jane Austen mystery series.
Stephanie Barron, Jane and the Man of the Cloth (1997), a fictional Jane Austen investigates the mysterious identity of a smuggler known as "the Reverend"; #2 in the Jane Austen mystery series. Stephanie Barron, Jane and the Wandering Eye (1998), a fictional Jane Austen investigates the shocking death of a theatre manager; #3 in the Jane Austen mystery series. Stephanie Barron, Jane and the Genius of the Place (1999), a fictional Jane Austen investigates a murder at the races; #4 in the Jane Austen mystery series. Stephanie Barron, Jane and the Stillroom Maid (2000), a fictional Jane Austen investigates a savage murder amid the beauty of the Derbyshire countryside; #5 in the Jane Austen mystery series. Stephanie Barron, Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House (2001), a fictional Jane Austen investigates a murder at sea; #6 in the Jane Austen mystery series. Stephanie Barron, Jane and the Ghosts of Netley (2003), a fictional Jane Austen investigates a suspected case of high treason that leads to murder; #7 in the Jane Austen mystery series. Stephanie Barron, Jane and His Lordship's Legacy (2005), a fictional Jane Austen receives an unusual legacy and stumbles across a corpse; #8 in the Jane Austen mystery series. Stephanie Barron, Jane and the Barque of Frailty (2006), a fictional Jane Austen investigates the murder of a beautiful Russian princess; #9 in the Jane Austen mystery series. Carrie Bebris, Pride and Prescience (2004), newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Darcy turn sleuth when various spooky and fatal incidents mar Caroline Bingley's wedding plans; #1 in the Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery series.
Carrie Bebris, Suspense and Sensibility (2005), when Mr. and Mrs. Darcy arrange a marriage for her sister Kitty, an alarming and potentially fatal puzzle ensues; #2 in the Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery series. Carrie Bebris, North by Northanger (2006), when Mr. Darcy and the pregnant Mrs. Darcy are invited to Northanger Abbey, secrets from the past arise to bedevil their visit; #3 in the Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery series Carrie Bebris, The Matters at Mansfield (2008), after the birth of their first child, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy visit Mansfield Park, where they must track down a murderer; #4 in the Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery series.
The European Continent in the 19th Century
Click on the title for more information from Powell's Books or another online source. Sholem Aleichem, Wandering Stars (1910), a love story about the daughter of a poor cantor and the son of a rich man who run away from a Jewish shtetl at the end of the nineteenth century to join a traveling theater company; technically not historical fiction.
Alla Avilova, Revelation of Fire (published 1998 in Russian; 2008 in English), about a fictional 200-year-old manuscript with links to many important developments in Russian history beginning in 1870 when the first socialists appeared. David Ball, Empires of Sand, set in nineteenth century Paris and the Sahara Desert. Julian Barnes, Flaubert’s Parrot, a literary novel about an amateur Flaubert scholar trying to track down a stuffed parrot that belonged to the nineteenth century French author. Alessandro Baricco, Silk, a nineteenth century Frenchman has an affair while in Japan trying to buy silkworm eggs. Sarah Bayliss, Utrillo's Mother (1987), about the late nineteenth century Parisian artist Suzanne Valadon, whose reputation was eclipsed by that of her son, Maurice Utrillo. Sheramy Bundrick, Sunflowers (2009), about a young prostitute who falls in love with the artist Vincent van Gogh during the last two years of his life. Review C. John Coombes, Claus: A Christmas Incarnation: The Child (2000), an adult Christmas story that begins in Scandinavia and ends on the American frontier in the early nineteenth century; self-published ebook. C. John Coombes, Claus: A Christmas Incarnation: The Woman (2009), sequel to Claus; self-published ebook. Jill Dawson, Wild Boy (2003), about an autistic boy found running wild in the woods in the years after the French Revolution and brought to Paris by a young doctor who studies him while training him to live in civilized society. Gioia Diliberto, I Am Madame X, about the artist John Singer Sargent, the beautiful Paris socialite he painted in a low-cut black dress in 1884, and the controversy over the painting that ruined her reputation. Susanne Dunlap, Liszt’s Kiss, about a sheltered young woman pianist during a cholera epidemic in nineteenth century Paris. Arabella Edge, The God of Spring (titled The Raft in the U.K.), a literary novel about an early nineteenth century French artist who paints a shipwreck. Selden Edwards, The Little Book, about a California man who suddenly finds himself transported from 1988 San Francisco to 1897 Vienna. Rachel Field, All This and Heaven Too (1938), about the young governess Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, who takes a job with a couple whose marriage is failing and soon finds herself at the center of a scandalous murder trial; based on historical events. Jon Fosse, Melancholy (1995), about the nineteenth century Norwegian landscape painter Lars Hertervig and his struggle with mental illness. Laurent Gaudé, The House of Scorta, a family saga set in a small village in Italy, beginning in the late nineteenth century. Noah Gordon, La Bodega (2000; apparently available only in Spanish and Catalan editions), about the second son of a Spanish vineyard owner who becomes caught up in the Carlist War. Ron Hansen, Exiles (2008), about the Jesuit seminarian Gerard Manley Hopkins and the 1875 shipwreck of a steamship with five exiled nuns aboard which goaded him to become a poet. Zsolt Harsanyi, Immortal Franz: The Life and Loves of a Genius (titled Hungarian Rhapsody in the U.K.), a biographical novel about the Hungarian-born piano virtuoso and composer Franz Liszt. Review Stella K. Hershan, The Naked Angel (1973), about Count Metternich’s affair with Princess Bagration in nineteenth century Austria. Elizabeth Hickey, The Painted Kiss (2005), about a student of the controversial Viennese artist Gustav Klimt and the romantic relationship that develops between them. Frederick Highland, The Ghost Eater, an adventure story about an American riverboat captain in late nineteenth century Dutch Sumatra. Dara Horn, The World to Come (2006), about the modern-day theft of a Marc Chagall painting and about the young artist himself, a Russian Jew who lived and worked in France during the early twentieth century. Christian Jacq, Champollion the Egyptian, about the nineteenth century Frenchman who first deciphered heiroglyphics and traveled to Egypt to safeguard the treasures in the Egyptian tombs. Mor (or Maurus) Jokai, A Hungarian Nabob (1853), about a wealthy Hungarian aristocrat who marries a young girl in order to foil his scheming heir. Rosalind Laker, Brilliance, about a love affair in the late nineteenth century Paris film industry. Guiseppe di Lampedusa, The Leopard (1958), about a middle-aged Sicilian prince during the 1860s during the decline of the aristocracy amid Garibaldi's unification of Italy. The author died in 1957 after publishers had rejected this novel, his only one; it was published the following year, stirring controversy and winning critical acclaim. Pierre La Mure, Clair de Lune (1962), a biographical novel about the French composer Claude Debussy. Pierre La Mure, Moulin Rouge (1950), about the nineteenth century French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Mary Lancaster, A World to Win, set during the 1848 Hungarian Revolution. J.D. Landis, Longing, about the composer Robert Schumann and his pianist wife. Mario Vargas Llosa, The Way to Paradise (2003), about the contrasting but similar lives of artist Paul Gauguin and the Peruvian grandmother he never knew, Flora Tristan. Robert Masello, Blood and Ice (2009), historical vampire fantasy about a contemporary journalist who discovers a man and a woman frozen into a block of ice in Antarctica, whose story goes back to the Crimean War. Jason C. Mavrovitis, Remember Us, a novel based on the lives of the authors' Bulgarian ancestors, beginning in the late nineteenth century during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire; self-published. Jude Morgan, Symphony (2007), about the nineteenth century French composer Berlioz and the actress who was his muse. Kate Mosse, Sepulchre (2008), spooky historical fantasy about a young woman in 1891 Paris who lives in the same apartment as the composer Claude Debussy, and a modern woman researching both the composer and her own ancestry. Lilian Nattel, The River Midnight (1999), about a free-spirited midwife in a fictional Jewish village in Poland in 1894. Alyson Richman, The Last Van Gogh (2006), a love story set in 1890 about the artist Van Gogh in the despairing last months of his life and the twenty-one-year-old daughter of his doctor, who flirts with him as he paints her. Elizabeth Robards, With Violets (2005), a romantic novel exploring the possibility that the impressionist painters Edouard Manet and Berthe Morisot may have been lovers. Eva Stachniak, Garden of Venus (2005, titled Dancing with Kings in the U.K.), about Sophie Potocka, who was born the daughter of a poor Greek peasant, became the toast of Europe as a courtesan, and eventually married a wealthy Polish count. Irving Stone, The Passions of the Mind (1971), a biographical novel about Sigmund Freud, the Austrian founder of psychoanalysis. Irving Stone, The Greek Treasure (1975), about Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered and excavated the site of Troy. Colm Toibin, The Master (2004), about the nineteenth century American expatriate author Henry James and his life among the artists and writers of Paris, Rome, Venice and London. Jonathan Tulloch, A Winding Road (2009), a thriller that weaves together stories about characters in three time periods: the last years of artist Vincent Van Gogh; a German folklorist coerced by the Nazis into writing propaganda; and a present day art expert confronted with what may be a lost Van Gogh masterpiece. Mariolina Venezia, Been Here a Thousand Years (2009, titled Here for a Thousand Years in the U.K.), about an eccentric, poor Italian family from the 1860s through the 1980s. Susan Vreeland, Luncheon of the Boating Party (2007), about the men and women the nineteenth century French artist Renoir portrayed in his famous impressionist painting. Susan Vreeland, Life Studies (2004), short stories about artists and the people their art touches, most but not all set in the nineteenth century Impressionist and Post-Impressionist periods. Sylvia Townsend Warner, Summer Will Show (1936), about a British woman who travels to Paris in 1848 after her children die, and falls in love with another woman. David Weiss, Naked Came I (1963), about the nineteenth century French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Sally Zigmond, Chasing Angels (2006), about Henriette d'Angeville, the daughter of French aristocrats who survived the Revolution, and her climb up Mont Blanc in 1838. Richard Zimler, Hunting Midnight (2004), about a man in early nineteenth century Portugal who discovers he is secretly descended from Portuguese Jews, who travels in search of his friend Midnight, a black man betrayed, sold as a slave, and sent to America.
Mysteries: 19th Century European Continent
Click on the title for more information from Powell's Books or another online source. Boris Akunin, The Winter Queen (2003), about a Russian gentleman who investigates the suicide of a young law student in Moscow's Alexander Gardens; #1 in the Erast Fandorin mystery series.
Boris Akunin, Turkish Gambit (2004), after his capture by the Turks, a Russian gentleman soldier investigates a devious plot; #2 in the Erast Fandorin mystery series. Boris Akunin, Murder on the Leviathan (2004; also titled Leviathan), about a Russian gentleman sleuth competing with a French detective to find out who murdered an Englishman in Paris; #3 in the Erast Fandorin mystery series. Boris Akunin, The Death of Achilles (2005), about a Russian gentleman who investigates the death of his old friend, a famous Russian general; #4 in the Erast Fandorin mystery series Boris Akunin, Special Assignments (2007), about a Russian gentleman on the trail of a serial killer; #5 in the Erast Fandorin mystery series Boris Akunin, The State Counsellor (2008), about a Russian gentleman who investigates the murder of the governor-general of Siberia; #6 in the Erast Fandorin mystery series Boris Akunin, The Coronation (2009), about a Russian detective who must investigate the kidnapping of a grand duke's child during the 1894 celebration of the last Tsar's coronation; #7 in the Erast Fandorin mystery series. Boris Akunin, She Lover of Death (2009), about a Russian detective who infiltrates a secret society linked to a wave of suicides; #8 in the Erast Fandorin mystery series. Boris Akunin, Pelagia and the White Bulldog (2006), about a nineteenth century Russian nun who finds her investigation of a pet bulldog's death complicated by a pair of human murders; #1 in the Sister Pelagia mystery series.
Boris Akunin, Pelagia and the Black Monk (2007), about a nineteenth century Russian nun who has difficulty investigating the mysterious deaths in a monastery because women are not allowed in its precincts; #2 in the Sister Pelagia mystery series. Boris Akunin, Pelagia and the Red Rooster (2008; titled Sister Pelagia and the Red Cockerel in the U.S.), about a nineteenth century Russian nun investigating a self-proclaimed prophet amid a series of sinister events, from murder to miracles; #3 in the Sister Pelagia mystery series. Louis Bayard, The Black Tower (2008), a literary thriller about a French police detective in 1818 who suspects that the son of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette, believed to have died after the Revolution, may still be alive. Review
Ann Dukthas, The Prince Lost to Time, about a time-travelling Jesuit in 1815 France investigating the mystery behind the death of Charles, the son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette; Nicholas Segalla mystery series #2; Ann Dukthas is a pen name of Paul (P.C.) Doherty. Ann Dukthas, The Time of Murder at Mayerling, about a time-travelling Jesuit in 1899 Austria investigating the mystery behind the death of the Hapsburg Prince Rudolph; Nicholas Segalla mystery series #3; Ann Dukthas is a pen name of Paul (P.C.) Doherty Claude Izner, Murder on the Eiffel Tower (2008), about a young bookseller who investigates an unlikely death on the newly built Eiffel Tower during the 1889 Universal Exposition; #1 in the planned Victor Legris mystery series. J. Sydney Jones, The Empty Mirror (2009), about an 1898 hunt for a serial killer in Vienna who has murdered a woman who modeled for Gustav Klimt, leading the police to suspect the artist of the crimes; #1 in the Karl Werthen series. J. Sydney Jones, Requiem in Vienna (2010), about an 1899 investigation into a series of fatal and potentially fatal "accidents" plaguing composer Gustav Mahler; #2 in the Karl Werthen series. Review R.N. Morris, A Gentle Axe, about a new case of murder investigated by the fictional St. Petersburg police detective from Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment”. R.N. Morris, A Vengeful Longing, about a nineteenth century Russian police inspector investigating a case of poisoning during a hot St. Petersburg summer; #2 in the St. Petersburg mystery series. Michael Pearce, Dmitri and the Milk-Drinkers (1997), about a reform-minded lawyer of Scottish-Russian descent who must find a beautiful young woman the officials of Tsarist Russia have "lost;" #1 in the Dmitri Kameron series. Michael Pearce, Dmitri and the One-Legged Lady (1999), about a reform-minded lawyer of Scottish-Russian descent who must find a missing icon in Tsarist Russia; #2 in the Dmitri Kameron series. Barbara Pope, Cézanne's Quarry (2008), about an inexperienced young magistrate whose investigation of the murder of a young woman in Aix-en-Provence, France, suggests she may have been killed by the artist Paul Cézanne. Review or Author Interview
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