For the reader who delights in historical fiction, almost always historical mystery though we’ve been known to sneak one or two great historical fictions into the lineup. Picks are often UK. eds. One Signed First per Month.
2025
January: Davis, Fiona. The Stolen Queen
February: Alison Epstein. Fagin the Thief
March: Rosanne Limoncelli. The Four Queens of Crime
April: Lauren Willig. The Girl from Greenwich Street
May: Emily Sullivan. A Death on Corfu.
June: Riley Sager. With a Vengeance
July: Maggie Stiefvater. The Listeners
2024
January: Lawhon, Ariel. Frozen River.
February: Choo, Yangsze. The Fox Wife.
March: McDonough, Patrice. Murder by Lamplight.
April: Shen Yen Nee, John and S.J. Rozan. Murder of Mr Ma.
May: Dugoni, Robert. A Killing on the Hill
June: Lisa Barr. The Goddess of Warsaw
July: Dianne Freeman. An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder
August: Sarah Stewart Taylor. Agony Hill
September: Martin Walker. A Grave in the Woods
October: Anna Rasche. The Stone Witch of Florence
November: David Lewis. A Jewel in the Crown
December:
2023
January: Blauner, Peter. Picture in the Sand (St Martins Press, $27.99).
February: Lasky, Virginia. Light on Bone
March: Black, Cara. Night Flight to Paris
April: Lumsden, Katie. Secrets of Lumsden Hall
May: Mason, Tim. The Nightingale Affair
June: See, Lisa. Lady Tan’s Circle of Women.
July: McGarrity, Michael. The Long Ago.
August: DiVello, Sara. Broadway Butterfly.
September: James R Benn. Proud Sorrows
October: Mukerji, Ritu. Murder by Degrees
November: Pattison, Eliot. Freedom’s Ghost
December: Epstein, Allison. Let the Dead Bury the Dead.
2022
Jan.: Mann, Peter. The Torqued Man
Feb: Davis, Fiona. The Magnolia Palace
March: Quinn, Kate. The Diamond Eye
April. Gelernter, JH. Captain Grey’s Gambit
May: Maz, William. The Bucharest Dossier
June: Morrison, Boyd/Beth. The Lawless Land
July: Martin, William. December ‘41
Aug: Pryor, Mark. Die Around Sundown
Sept: King, Laurie R. Back to the Garden
Oct MacNeal, Susan Elia. Mother, Daughter, Traitor, Spy
Nov: Fredericks, Mariah. The Lindbergh Nanny
December: Hulme, Katie. The Thirty-One Doors (Constable, $30.00).
2021
Jan.: Graves, Stephanie. Olive Bright, Pigeoneer
Feb.: Epstein, Allison. A Tip for the Hangman
March: Penner, Sarah. The Lost Apothecary
April: Scottoline, Lisa. Eternal
May: Hunter, Stephen. Basil’s War
June: Tapper, Jake. The Devil May Dance
July: MacNeal, Susan Elia. The Hollywood Spy
Aug. Hirahara, Naomi. Clark and Division
Sept: Schaffert, Timothy. The Perfume Thief
Oct: Robb, Candace. The Riverwoman’s Dragon
Nov.: Cambridge, Colleen. Murder at Mallowan Hall
2020
Jan.: Montgomery, Jess. The Hollows
Feb.: Hornby, Gill. Miss Austen
March: Watson, Sterling. The Committee
April. Pattison, Eliot. The King’s Beast
May: Quick, Amanda. Close Up
June: Edwards, Martin. Mortmain Hall
July: Wade, James. All Things Left Wild
Aug: Hart, Elsa. The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne
Sept: Clarke, Susanna. Piranesi
Oct. Spotswood, Stephen. Fortune Favors the Dead
Nov: March, Nev. Murder in Old Bombay
Dec.: Goodwin, SW. Absence of Mercy