The CozyMystery.com Top Ten
Historical Mysteries
You might think it would take a lot to make it into a Top Ten list, and you’d be right.
When it comes to historical mysteries, there are a lot of choices, so to be top ten is special. In fairness, since top tens are very subjective, we do have to say our list today might not be the same in a week or a month or a year.
We also have to say that all of history is a lot of time to cover, and we really haven’t read every single historical cozy out there. It might sound like a fun challenge, but it would take a lot of work to do so.
This list is in roughly chronological order, and is not a particular preference list. Find the period you enjoy and you’ll find a series to enjoy.
The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael
by Ellis Peters
We start all the way back in the early days of England, with the well-known monk Cadfael. Famous in both book, radio, and television form, this series would be a contender for best historical cozy of them all, if there was such a thing.
Of all the historical mysteries I’ve read, these are the ones which taught me the most, and made me want to go and find more books set in the era, cozy or not. I think that might be the highest compliment I could give to a series.
The Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries
by Lynn Messina
Set in the early 1800s, this series is a little over-the-top in every way, but all of them good. From the overly talkative parts (reminiscent of books of the time), to irreverent humor, to a wild sense of whimsy throughout, they are a joyous ride through an interesting world.
The series consists of eleven books so far, and I have to say developments throughout the series will keep you coming back for more.
The Below Stairs Mysteries
The Victorian era comes to life in this series, with the focus on the servants rather than the masters. Kat Holloway is a chef who seems to keep being asked to help the people upstairs solve the various crimes they have been faced with.
As always in historical fiction, the setting plays an important role in bringing us deeper into the story. There are enough sidelights to make me want to stop and research everything about the period, but the story pulls me away from those distractions.
The Newport Gilded Age Mysteries
Naturally if you’re interested in the various Gilded Age television shows, you’ll gravitate toward this series. I’m not saying it should be a series too, but it certainly could be.
Deanna is an heiress in the 1890s, and a little too quick to be independent, despite her mother’s wishes and efforts. An enjoyable look at another aspect of the past, with today’s perspective helping us to see things from both the wealthy people and from their servants.
The Milliner Mysteries
by Kate Parker
The first thing I’ll say about these stories is how good they are. As always, I rate something higher when I learn from it, and when I feel like it is putting me in the right time and place for the story.
The second thing to say is about the author, Kate Parker. I forced myself to only take one series from each time period, and only one from an author. Kate has three historical series, set in different periods, and honestly all three could be on this list. In my opinion Kate Parker might be the best historical cozy author writing today.
The Sophie Strong Mysteries
by Amy Renshaw
Normally to call something a series, it implies there’s more than one book. There’s only been one Sophie Strong so far, and it was released in 2021. This book was so good I’m desperately waiting for the sequel.
Sophie is a reporter in 1912 who is pushed into solving a mystery when her friend is accused. It’s the depth of the story and the time period which really makes me eager for more.
The Harlem Renaissance Mysteries
by Nekesa Afia
Recently there’s been a small surge of books set in India, but for the most part there are disappointingly few cozy mysteries about people of color. Finding a series like this gives a wonderful feeling of not only good stories, but learning about different subcultures too.
Set in 1920s Harlem, Louise is a character to easily identify with and to follow as she solves the puzzles in front of her. I couldn’t help wonder though about how much of it could actually happen. I suspect that’s a gap in my knowledge though, because the book is very well written.
The Phyllida Bright Mysteries
Talk about heavy lifting! It’s one thing to set your novel within actual history, it’s quite another to set it where the grand dame of mystery, Agatha Christie, is a character.
It does put us in the frame of mind of the kinds of characters Christie would write, and that makes it enjoyable in itself. You really could believe Agatha is just upstairs, or that Poirot would come walking in to investigate at some point.
The Women of World War II Mysteries
by Tessa Arlen
When it comes to war, a lot of intended historical stories become fantastical. They either add anachronistic weapons to help win the war, or they do things like putting women on the fighting front. These become books which are more properly labeled alternate history.
Books like this series do a much better job of the history. Instead of placing a female character in a position she would never have been in, they find the position women would have been in and expand it around the character. This makes the book much more compelling, especially when the other parts are already somewhat fantastical (the entire concept of the amateur sleuth!).
The Rosa Reed Mysteries
by Lee Strauss
Rosa Reed has run from England to California in the 1950s. Look forward to surf, sun, sand, and the early days of rock ‘n roll. The series jumps to a number of well-known locations around Southern California and provides an interesting look at the life of the time.
The series does bring up one of our conundrums, which is the change in a character over time. She starts as a police officer in England, but she’s obviously not one in the US. However, in this case she becomes a private investigator, which wouldn’t normally be part of our site. Fortunately she started as an amateur, so we can invoke the rule of ‘once a cozy, always a cozy.’
Do you have anything to say about this article? Agree or disagree with what we have to say? Let us know in the comments below.
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