Hi again! I hope you enjoyed last week's books. This week we are stepping back in time and trying to solve a murder or two in a different world from our own. That's right. This week we’re tackling Historical Mystery!

What I think of when I hear historical mystery week is basically the game Clue. Candlesticks, butlers, old castles and mansions with secret passages all conspire to make a perfectly proper murder scene.

Again, these books listed are ones I have read and enjoyed. I don't claim to have read everything, but it's on my list, so if you have read these or have one I missed, drop me a comment down below. I'd love to hear from you.

Here are my favorite picks:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot, #1)

Um, I'm not sure we can start this list with anything less than Agatha Christie. Here we first meet the Belgian super sleuth, Hercule Poirot, as he tries to figure out a poisoning case. This book starts of a famous series, which of course includes Murder on the Orient Express.

One memory I have is traveling with my grandmother, and we went on a murder mystery train ride through the Appalachian mountains. I can't remember much of the murder, but the dinner on the train was delicious and very cool.

A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes #1)

I will admit I do not watch much TV. I used to be addicted to Food Network, HGTV, and a few select shows, but I do enjoy Sherlock Holmes and always have. There's something compelling about his cynical view, dry humor, and stunning brilliance that never fails to capture my undivided attention.

Here we first meet Sherlock as he teams up with Dr. Watson for the first time to uncover the truth behind a man's gruesome death.

The Alienist

If you love the psychological element in Sherlock and Murder on the Orient Express, you will love The Alienist. Now considered a modern classic and set in Gilded Age New York a newspaper reporter and alienist must create a profile for a murderer who will likely kill again before it is too late.

Maisie Dobbs

This book is set in England around World War I, which is my first love in studying history in college. Did I mention I have a bachelor's in history? You probably wouldn't know that reading this blog, but there you are.

Maisie starts life work as a servant before her brilliance sets her apart and on the path to Cambridge before going to the front as a nurse in the trenches. Now acting as a private investigator, she must dig into the past to find the truth about a case that reveals a much darker cover up, taking her to the love she left behind.

As a side note, this book reminded me a lot about the movie A Very Long Engagement, which I adore.

Her Royal Spyness

This book and its series are one of my favorites, and not enough people read it! I'm on a personal quest to change that. How can I talk about my theories if no one else reads it?!

Georgie, also know as Lady Georgiana, is thirty-fifth in line to the British throne in 1932 London. She's also totally broke and can't even light a fire for herself. Now, she's trying to make money by acting as a servant, when she finds a body in a bathtub, and the Queen asks her to spy on a suspicious situation.

This series is awesome. It is light-hearted and funny, and while it has twisty plots and violent crimes, reads almost like a cozy. In the book, you meet Kings, Queens, along with cultural icons like Coco Chanel and Georgie's Cockney grandfather leaving in a modest east-end home. Did I mention her hilarious and pretty terrible maid? If you love Janet Evanovich, looking at you best friend, or Downton Abbey with humor, give this book a go. You'll love it.

Did I miss something? Have you read one of these? Drop me a comment below with which one sounds like you below. I'd love to hear from you!

Onward until next week!

Kathryn