Silence in the Library (Lily Adler Mystery #2)
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Regency widow Lily Adler didn't expect to find a corpse when visiting a family friend. Now it's up...
Historical Mystery
The Dogon Initiative (The Deniables #1)
7.0
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A group of foreign mercenaries hired as deniable assets by a newly-formed humanitarian division of...
Murder on the Home Front
10.0
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Disrespect, disdain - and dead bodies! It's all in a day's work for WPC Billie Harkness, a...
Cartier's Hope
6.0
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From M.J. Rose, New York Times bestselling author of Tiffany Blues, “a lush, romantic historical...
ClareR (5859 KP) rated Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter in Books
Jul 19, 2022
Historical fiction ✅
Set somewhere completely out of my previous knowledge ✅
A strong female character, operating in a difficult situation ✅
A bit of a mystery ✅ (I don’t really want to try and solve it, I just like the big reveal!)
As is often the case, the expectation of women in historical fiction is to stay at home, look after the house, wait to get married and have babies. But Eliza won’t stay at home when her father goes missing - she doesn’t assume he’s dead like the rest of the townsfolk.
There’s a real feeling of danger in a town where there appears to be no law keepers - not honest one’s, anyway. And if the corrupt, prejudiced townsfolk don’t get you, the climate and the wildlife (jellyfish, crocodiles!!) will.
This is a gripping, descriptive novel, that puts the reader firmly in Eliza’s world. I certainly had more of an idea of the hardships of living in NW Australia at this time. What will stay with me however, is Eliza’s determination to save her father and her family. She’s single-minded in her quest to find him, and determined not to let anyone else take the blame for his supposed death. It’s unnerving at times, when the attitudes of the white settlers towards the Aboriginals and other people of colour are starkly described.
A dark time in history, indeed.
And I’d highly recommend this. It’s wonderfully told.
Brushstrokes from the Past (Soli Hansen Mysteries #4)
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WWII and the mid-seventeenth century are entwined in this fourth dual timeline novel about Nazi art...
Historical Fiction Mystery Sweet
The Feathered Nest (The Thornton Mysteries #4)
Book
Murder comes to Norfolk Island, but is the killer after Alexandra Archer’s Tahitian black pearl or...
Historical Fiction Historical Mystery Suspense Romance
The Beauty Doctor
Book
"Beauty is power," Dr. Rome told her. "And with enough power, one can achieve anything." ...
Historical Mystery Suspense Edwardian
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Havana Sleeping in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>Havana Sleeping</i> is a historical mystery novel by British author Martin Davies, which is based on real events that occurred in Cuba during the 1850s. Although the Slave Trade had been abolished in England, there were still people in America and Cuba who would be happy for slavery to remain legal. George Backhouse was posted to Havana, Cuba as a British Judge to take a stand against the illegal slave trading.
Backhouse ends up getting involved in a lot of complicated situations that could potentially spark a devastating war. His path also becomes tied up with the other main character, Leandra Leigh. Whilst most of the characters are real historical figures, Leandra appears to be fictional. A dear friend of hers, a watchman, was murdered during a supposed robbery and although the matter has been closed for a couple of years Leandra is determined to find out the truth – something of limited value in Havana. To begin with Backhouse and Leandra’s investigations seem unrelated, but a connection begins to build up as the story goes on.
In all honesty, the novel was very difficult to get into. There is nothing wrong with the actual writing as such, it is in fact written well and grammatically correct, however there was a lack of excitement in the narrative. It was also difficult to keep track of the characters – admittedly that may have been the point in the case of a couple of people, but as a result it was impossible to connect story. There were a few attempts of showing emotion, mostly surrounding Leandra’s character, yet this failed to arouse much interest.
From a historical point of view, those interested in Cuban and British history of this time period may be interested in reading <i>Havana Sleeping</i> and the author also includes some factual notes at the end of the book, but anyone hoping to get a story of some kind is bound to be disappointed.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Burial Rites in Books
Nov 5, 2017
It isn't a murder mystery, more a fictional portrayal of Agnes Magnusdottir, who was condemned to death after the murder of two men, one of whom was her employer. It surrounds her last months kept in the home of a lawman and his family, as they grew closer to her and as she revealed more about the case to them. She confides in a young assistant priest, Toti, appointed as her spiritual guardian.
Here we find a rather ambiguous story about her so-called heroic employer, who seems to be more callous than what most thought about him. It is moving to read about the intense poverty she faced, and the loveless life she led, forcing people to behave in many different ways. There is a recurrent theme of jealousy throughout the book which shows what people are truly capable of. It is a battle for survival in a harsh, wintry landscape.