by David Stafford — Funny, quirky, clever, entertaining and well written historical crime fiction. Book 2 in the Skelton’s Guide series
Tag: UK
Murder in the Cloister
by Tania Bayard — Atmospheric mystery set in 1399 in a French convent. Featuring feminist writer Christine de Pizan, who really worked under King Charles VI.
Lullaby Beach
by Stella Duffy — A rich, engrossing novel about women’s lives, abusive relationships, lifelong trauma, and speaking out.
Rags of Time
by Michael Ward — Politics, religion, commerce and science collide in this intriguing, fast-paced historical mystery set in London in 1640. First of a trilogy.
Exit
by Belinda Bauer — Unusual, well plotted and well written British crime; a highly readable/page turner that’s intriguing and funny.
The Strange Adventures of H
by Sarah Burton — A wonderfully written, bawdy, vivid, thrilling romp set to a backdrop of plague, fire, brothels and playhouses.
Murder at the Ritz
by Jim Eldridge — Murder at the Ritz is a well-written, well-paced police procedural set in London in 1940, to the backdrop of blackouts and German bombings.
The Moonflower Murders
by Anthony Horowitz — Moonflower Murders is a marvelous, intriguing, page-turning, fun puzzle that’s fiendishly complex yet very readable.
Legacy of Death
by Judith Cutler — Legacy of Death has all the ingredients of a 19th century sensational mystery novel, with a 21st century ethos and style. Book 2 in a series.
Journal of the Plague Year
by Daniel Defoe — An intimate, readable, day-to-day account of life in London during the plague of 1665, remarkably similar to life during a pandemic today.
Just Ignore Him
by Alan Davies — A glimpse into the lifelong effects of terrible childhood events. Just Ignore Him is a a beautiful, unforgettable, sad, funny and brave book.
Don’t You Want Me
by Richard Easter — Race riots, royals and gender bending. No, it’s not 2020. It’s 1981 and there’s a serial killer at large in this indy British crime novel.
Extraordinary Hope
by Jessica Ryn — Plenty of sugarcoating in this feelgood novel about the homeless, junkies, alcoholics and people with mental health problems.
The Forsyte Saga
by John Galsworthy — An incisive depiction of the decline of the Victorian era and the rise of the Modern era, and a gripping multi-generational family saga.
Die Alone
by Simon Kernick — Action-packed distraction. A serial killer politician faces an ex-cop duo determined to stop him. But he’s not going down without a fight…
Three Hours
by Rosamund Lupton — A school is under siege by gunmen for three hours on a snowy morning. A tense, gripping and very moving story. Superbly written and plotted.
The Things We Left Unsaid
by Emma Kennedy — Parents, if they love you, will never fully reveal the past. No matter how much you know, you’ll never have the full, lived story.
Mary Elizabeth Braddon – The Queen of Victorian sensation fiction
Best known for her sensationalist novels, Mary Elizabeth Braddon (née Maxwell) published more than 80 wonderful novels between1860 and 1910.
Servants
by Lucy Lethbridge — Vivid, informative and well written account of the lives of servants, drawn from the letters and memoirs of servants, from the 19C to today.
Under Violent Skies
by Judi Daykin — Police procedural. Set in ‘Escape to the Country’ territory, but there’s nothing twee here. Racism, sexism, human trafficking, murder…