Historical Mystery Lovers discussion

This is the thread to recommend books set in certain countries.
The first few posts will be a master list by region.

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Asia

China
Li Du books 1 & 2 / Elsa Hart
The Corpse Reader / Antonio Garrido
The Golden Hairpin / Qinghan CeCe
Judge Dee / Robert van Gulik

India
Sam Wyndham books 1 &2 / Abir Mukherjee
Dark Road to Darjeeling / Deanna Raybourn
The Game / Laurie R. King
The Strangler Vine / M. J. Carter
Muzaffar Jang / Madhulika Liddle
Maharaja Mysteries / Arjun Raj Gaind
Superintendent Le Fanu / Brian Stoddart
Inspector Joe Sandilands / Barbara Cleverly

Japan
Akitada series / I.J. Parker
Dreaming Spies / Laurie R. King
Sano Ichiro / Laura Joh Rowland

Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
Inspector de Silva Mysteries / Harriet Steel

Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia

Egypt
Amelia Peabody series / Elizabeth Peters
Death on the Nile / Agatha Christie
Death Comes at the End / Agatha Christie
Mamur Zapt / Michael Pearce

Iraq
Murder in Mesopotamia / Agatha Christie

Israel/Palestine
O Jerusalem / Laurie R. King

Jordan
Appointment with Death / Agatha Christie

Morocco
Garment of Shadows / Laurie R. King

Turkey
The Janissary Tree / Jason Goodwin

Europe

Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Man From Berlin / Luke McCallin

Britain
Barker and Llewelyn / Will Thomas

France
Pardonable Lies / Jacqueline Winspear
The Rhetoric of Death / Judith Rock
Inspector Maigret series / Georges Simenon
The Essence of Malice / Ashley Weaver
Naughty in Nice / Rhys Bowen

Germany
Journey to Munich / Jacqueline Winspear
Hanno Stiffeniis / Michael Gregorio
The Divided City / Luke McCallin

Greece
Athenian Mysteries / Gary Corby

Ireland
To Kingdom Come / Will Thomas

Italy
Island of the Mad / Laurie R. King
Marcus Didius Falco / Lindsey Davis
Gordianus the Finder / Steven Saylor

Romania
Hunting Prince Dracula / Kerri Maniscalco

Russia
Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev / William Ryan
Erast Fandorin Mysteries/ Boris Akunin

Scotland
Murray of Letho / Lexie Conyngham
Royal Flush / Rhys Bowen

Spain
Thomas Barrington series / David Penny
Tejada / Rebecca Pawel

North America

United States
Gaslight Mysteries / Victoria Thompson
Nell Sweeney Mysteries / P.B. Ryan
Glynis Tryon Series / Miriam Grace Monfredo
Laszlo Kreizler / Caleb Carr
Walt Whitman Mystereis / J. Aaron Sanders
Molly Murphy / Rhys Bowen
Louisa May Alcott Mysteries / Anna Maclean
Benjamin January Series / Barbara Hambly

Canada
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust / Alan Bradley
Murdoch Mysteries / Maureen Jennings

Central America and the Caribbean

Trinidad
Mycroft Holmes / Kareem Abdul Jabbar

South America

Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenya
Love and Death Among the Cheetahs / Rhys Bowen
Jade Del Cameron / Mark of the Lion

Australia and Oceania

Australia
Phrynne Fisher series / Kerry Greenwood

New Zealand
Colour Scheme / Naigo Marsh
Died in the Wool / Naigo Marsh

Solomon Islands
Kella and Conchita Series / Graeme Kent

The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters set mostly in Egypt before, during and just after WWI

The Phryne Fisher Mysteries by Kerry Greenwood are set in 1920s Australia

I chose Love and Death Among the Cheetahs - the latest Her Royal Spyness Mystery. It takes place in Kenya.

More suggestions

A Rising Man, and a second in the series are set in India

Jade Dragon Mountain, and a second are set in China

The Janissary Tree, Turkey

Christie has a book set in Egypt, Death Comes as the End, but Amelia Peabody is much better

Lauren wrote: "Asia"
The series is set in the 1930s Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

Lauren wrote: "Europe".

is part of the Thomas Barrington series by David Penny is set in 1400s Moorish Spain.

Lauren wrote: "Australia and Oceania"

Solomon Islands: Kella and Conchita mystery series by Graeme Kent set in 1960s.

Master list updated to here.

Another option is to look at stopyourekillingme.com. There is a location index on the left hand side which then allows you to select a region and country. Once you click on the region you want and then the specific country (say Africa), it will list books set in the country and tell the time period for the book. It requires a little bit of searching but can help you find books from unusual countries.

Lauren wrote: "Asia

Japan
the first in a series by IJ Parker.

China
set in Ancient China

France: Judith Rock's The Rhetoric of Death and sequels. (Set in the France of Louis XIV.) Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear (1910s/1930).

Germany: Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear (1930s).

Palestine: O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King (1918).

India: The Game by Laurie R. King (1920s).

Morocco: Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King (1920s).

Japan: Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King (1920s).

Italy: Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King (1920s).

Canada: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley (1950s).

Greece: The Pericles Commission and sequels by Gary Corby (400s BC)

Ireland: To Kingdom Come by Will Thomas (1880s).

Vietnam: The Quiet American by Graham Greene. (1950s)

India
Dark Road to Darjeeling

France

Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon.

Canada - Murdoch series by Maureen Jennings

UK - Will Thomas' Barker and Llewelyn series.

India
The Englishman's Cameo by Madhulika Liddle (1st book in the series featuring 17th century detective Muzaffar Jang).

A Very Pukka Murder: A Maharaja Mystery (1st book in the Maharajah series) by Arjun Raj Gaind

M.J. Carter’s Blake and Avery series, which takes place in the 1840s. Book one, The Strangler Vine, takes place in India. Subsequent books take place in England.

Egypt

The Mamur Zapt series, which takes place during indirect British rule, between 1908 -WWII. Book one is The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet by Michael Pearce.

Russia

William Ryan’s Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev series, which takes place in 1930’s Moscow. The first is The Holy Thief.

Japan

Laura Joh Rowland’s Sano Ichiro series, which takes place in 1600s Edo, Japan.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/40517

Book one is Shinju.

Spain

Rebecca Pawel’s Tejada series, which takes place in 1930s and 1940’s Spain. Book one is Death of a Nationalist.

At least three Poirot's take place in exotic locales:

Murder in Mesopotamia - Iraq
Death on the Nile - Egypt
Appointment with Death - Jordan

Prussia: Critique of Criminal Reason series by Michael Gregorio

Russia: The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin

Cuba: Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene

Seeing Susanna's suggestion about Graham Greene - It occurs to me that the entire Le Carre series - The Spy Who Came in From the Cold; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (my favorite); Smiley's People; The Honourable Schoolboy, etc are all eligible for this series. They all took place between the 1950s and 1960s. Even though they are almost as much about the spycraft as about "whodunit", the writing is exquisite. There are settings all over Europe, too.

France
The Essence of Malice

Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia
I haven't read this one but it's set in the Ottoman Empire
Tears of Pearl

United States
Seneca Falls Inheritance

Canada
The Complete Murdoch Mysteries Collection: Except the Dying / Under the Dragon's Tail / Poor Tom Is Cold / Let Loose the Dogs / Night's Child / Vices of My Blood / Journeyman to Grief

I've seen a few episodes of the TV series but not read the books

The Le Carres are interesting. The early ones are clearly all eligible (Spy Who Came in from the Cold, etc.). Some of the later ones are also set in the 50s and 60s, but some have a more modern setting; I'd argue the Karla trilogy (Tinker Tailor/Honorable Schoolboy/Smiley's People) all have a 70s setting.

QNPoohBear wrote: "France
The Essence of Malice

Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia
I haven't read this one but it's set in the Ottoman Empire
Tears of Pearl

United States
[..."

See Merle's comment - comment 21 for the Murdoch mysteries authored by [author:Maureen Jennings|212730].

they are very different from the tv series, btw. The Murdoch character in the novels is almost the opposite of Detective Murdoch in The Artful Detective.

The Jade del Cameron books take place in Africa.Mark of the Lion Suzanne Arruda

Speakers of the Dead takes place in the U.S. as well as The Alienist

Carol wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "France
The Essence of Malice

Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia
I haven't read this one but it's set in the Ottoman Empire
[book:Tears of Pearl|634165..."

Actually, the Murdoch point you made is not a bad thing. The TV character was kind of bland; the book character was more interesting.

The Glynis Tryon series is a good one, taking place in New York State in the 1840s and 1850s. Unfortunately, there aren't too many of them.

The Gaslight series by Victoria Thompson is setbin New York and the Nell Sweeney series is set in Boston.

I will update the master list as soon as I get some time. Work is hectic!

India
Brian Stoddart's Superintendent Le Fanu series takes place in 1920s Madras. The first book in the series is A Madras Miasma.

Scotland
Lexie Conyngham's (Charles) Murray of Letho series takes place in the early 1800s. The first in the series is Death in a Scarlet Gown.

Yugoslavia

Luke McCallin's series about Military intelligence officer Captain Gregor Reinhardt, takes place in various countries across WWII Europe. Notwithstanding its title, however, the initial book in the series, takes place in Yugoslavia: The Man from Berlin. The third book, The Divided City takes place in Germany.

China
The Golden Hairpin by Qinghan CeCe is a standalone novel. It takes place in ancient China and features a female sleuth.

The Judge Dee detective series, written by Robert van Gulik, a Dutch diplomat, linguist, and an expert in China, both modern and ancient, takes place in the 600s during the Tang Dynasty. The first book in the series, Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee is a translation of an eighteenth-century Chinese murder mystery by an unknown author. Subsequent books in the series are original to vanGulik.

Please note!

Spy/espionage books do not work for the challenge. These are not mysteries; they are thrillers.

Consequently, the Graham Greene and John Le Carre books do not work. I have removed The Quiet American from the master list.

Thanks :)

Master list updated to here.

Thanks for the clarification, Lauren.

Thanks, Lauren - noted.

Italy:
Two series by Lindsey Davis, Marcus Didius Falco and then his adopted daughter

New Zealand:
A couple of the Inspector Alleyn books by Naigo Marsh, Colour Scheme and Died in the Wool, and maybe others in the series as well.

Central America and the Caribbean:
Trinidad Mycroft Holmes
The next book in the series has Mycroft going to China, but I don't know for how long.

Italy:

Gordianus the Finder series by Steven Saylor

France
Naughty in Nice (Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen

United States
Molly Murphy Series, Books 1-15
Louisa May Alcott mysteries Anna Maclean

United States

Barbara Hambly’s Benjamin January series which takes place in 1800s New Orleans. Book one is A Free Man of Color.

Lauren. hELP I did what you said to open my thread to record my books for the challenge -NOE I can not find it! Could you help me? Sorry to be such a nuisance!

Libby wrote: "Lauren. hELP I did what you said to open my thread to record my books for the challenge -NOE I can not find it! Could you help me? Sorry to be such a nuisance!"

Butting in ...
Libby, see if this works. At the top of this thread there is '2019 Around the Globe Challenge'. Click on it and you will see all the various threads the members have set up. I think your is towards the bottom as they are listed with the most active towards the top.

Hope this solves your problem.