Murder in the Past: The Best Historical Mystery Books You Need to Read

Murder is even more intriguing when it happens in the past. Historical mystery books mix page-turning crime stories with fascinating settings from another time.

From quiet English villages to ancient cities and wartime streets, these novels pull you into history while keeping you guessing until the very end. If you enjoy easy-to-read mysteries with rich settings and unforgettable characters, this list of historical mystery books is the perfect place to start!

Historical mystery books don’t get the love or attention they deserve. But when it is done right, you are left with an amazing novel that is impossible to put down. That is why we will be sharing some of our favorite historical mystery books for you to read! You can see the full list below!

The Best Historical Mystery Books You Need to Read

• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco   
• An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears 
• The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
• The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
• Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
• I, Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis
• Theodosia and the Serpent’s Shadow by R. L. LaFevers
• The Alienist by Caleb Carr
• The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency by Jordan Stratford

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

There is a good chance that you have heard of or have seen The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. It is Eco’s debut novel and was originally published in Italian. The novel went on to sell over 50 million copies and win numerous awards.

The novel takes place in 1327 and follows Brother William of Baskerville as he is summoned to investigate a case. The Benedictines are accused of heresy and what was supposed to be a delicate mission turn to seven bizarre deaths.

Now, Brother William will use his detective skills to solve this case. In order to do so, he will need to deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts and dive into the abbey to find out who is behind the murders.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Wilkie Collins is an author that many people don’t know but they should. He is credited with writing one of the first detective novel with The Woman in White. And he was also a good friend of Charles Dickens and they collaborated together on plays and books.

Walter Hartright has an eerie encounter with a woman in white on a moonlit road in London. Soon after, Walter is hired as a  drawing teacher and realizes that Laura resembles the woman in white that he encountered.

They fall in love but Laura is engaged to Sir Percival Glyde. A series of events follow that make Walter question of Percival Glyde’s motives. Can Walter save Laura from Percival Glyde before it is too late?

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

When you talk about historical mystery novels, you have to mention Agatha Christie. You can choose many books written by Christie but we decided to choose Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie. This novel is a standout novel by Christie and utilizes the setting effectively.

The Reverend Leonard Clement, the vicar of St Mary Mead, is the one narrating the story. During dinner one night Clement says the anyone who kills Protheroe would be doing the world a favor. A few days later, Clement returns from a farm and learns that Protheroe was killed by a gunshot to the back of his head.

The police gather clues and come across a note from Protheroe that contradicts the time of death that has been established. Two people are arrested for the murder but are exonerated soon after. Miss Marple has some suspects in mind but she isn’t sure who the killer is. That leads her to gathering more clues.

A suitcase was seen being carried to the woods and Miss Marple believes it is an important clue. Things take a turn for the worst as another murder takes place. Can Miss Marple solve this mystery before anyone else is killed?

The Alienist by Caleb Carr 

A novel that does the historical mystery novel thing perfectly is The Alienist by Caleb Carr. This novel was published in 1994 and takes place in New York City in 1896. The novel includes famous people such as Theodore Roosevelt and J. P. Morgan and has Roosevelt investigate the murder of a young immigrant.

It is 1896 in New York City and news reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned by his friend Dr. Laszlo Kreizler. He is told to view a mutilated body of an 14-year old boy.

The two try to solve the murder using new advances in criminology. They have to try to understand the mind of the murderer based on the clues they have found. And they have to find him and stop him before he strikes again.

Conclusion

These are some of the best historical mystery books that we recommend. Many of these novels are iconic and considered classics by many people. And we also included lesser known novels that you might not have heard of but are just as good.

I love being transported to the past and these novels do just that. You can tell that the authors did their research and it feels like you are traveling back in time. And with a good mystery at hand, you will be lost in these incredible books.

How many of these historical mystery books have you read or plan to read? What other books would you include in this list? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!

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