What is historical crime fiction

 "After writing some thirty books or more I find writing historical mysteries to be the greatest challenge of all, especially those set in the early medieval period, such as my John Crowner series." Bernard Knight.

Most periods of history have been tackled at one time or another by the scores of historical crime writers out there - From ancient Rome in the entertaining Lindsey Davies novels, to ancient Greece in the works of Margaret Doody. There are crime novels set during the American Civil War and some set in prehistoric times. Roman Britain has been explored in the works of Rosemary Row and the streets of Victorian London brought to life by countless writers.

Perhaps the best known of all historical crime writers is the late Ellis Peters with her hugely entertaining Cadfael series. The character of Cadfael himself is a Welsh Benedictine monk living at Shrewsbury Abbey, in western England, in the first half of the 12th century. The historically accurate stories are set between about 1135 and about 1145, during "The Anarchy", the destructive contest for the crown of England between King Stephen and Empress Maud.

Historical Crime  is a sub-genre of historical fiction which bears elements of the classical mystery novel, in which the central plot involves a crime (almost always a murder) and the setting has some historical significance. One of the big areas of debate within the community of fans is what makes a given setting historical. Most (but not all) agree that it should involve a time before the book was published. But how much before? 25 years? 50 years? 100 years? All have their proponents. Others think the setting should be X number of years before the author's lifetime, or before the readers' lifetime. There's also a lot of debate over how much historical accuracy is required to make a given setting historical rather than fantasy or alternate history or really just a modern story in fancy dress. While there has to be some elements of real life history to the setting under most definitions, the "detective" may be a real-life historical figure, eg. Socrates, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Mozart, or a wholly imaginary character.


"Writing historical fiction is a lot of fun. The research involved in producing medieval mysteries is exciting and absorbing and it seems that however much I do there is always more to learn." Susanna Gregory

I myself have dipped my toes into the historical fiction pond - My novel, Down Among the Dead is set during World War Two and I intend to continue this series just as soon as time allows. The book is on a special FREE promotion at Amazon for the next three days....GO CHECK IT OUT



Possibly the first full-length historical whodunnit. was written by Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime herself when she set Death Comes to an End in ancient Egypt. So what is the appeal of historical crime fiction? Well I'll counter the question with another question, what is the appeal of any genre?

Five highly enjoyable historical mysteries

The Face of a Stranger (Monk series) by Anne Perry

Anne Perry’s much-loved series of novels featuring William Monk explore the richly-described streets and alleys of Victorian London, populated with intriguing and engaging characters. In the first of the series, The Face of a Stranger, William Monk must rediscover his own identity after losing his memory after an accident, at the same as solving a murder in his role as a police detective. This amnesia remains a thread through the following novels, as Monk investigates brutal murders among the elite of London’s glittering, yet deadly, social scene.

The Ashes of London (Marwood and Lovett series) by Andrew Taylor

Set quite literally in the ashes of London following the Great Fire, the first novel in Andrew Taylor’s series introduces readers to James Marwood, who is working, somewhat reluctantly, for Whitehall. As he investigates the discovery of a mutilated body in the ruins of St Paul’s, he meets Cat Lovett, a fugitive with a keen interest in architecture yet constrained by the restrictions of the time on what a woman could do. The geography of London as it rebuilds is key to the novels, with a wealth of period detail against which the intensely thrilling plots unfold. You can almost smell the smoke.

Down Among the Dead by Gary M. Dobbs

It's 1940 - France has fallen, and Britain stands alone against the might of the German war machine; a fierce battle for supremacy of the air rages in the skies as the Battle of Britain hits full stride.

For Chief Inspector Frank Parade and his much-depleted team, there are many challenges to policing the small Welsh mining village of Gilfach Goch, for while miles away from the theatres of war, the home front faces unique challenges of its own. The wartime demands thrown on the country mean that each officer in Parade’s team must do the work of two men - three even.

Soon, the already overwhelming workload is increased when not one, but two bodies turn up, and Parade finds himself having to investigate two murders as well as cope with everything else thrown his way.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr

Caleb Carr’s novel, which promises to be the start of a series, is set in 1890s New York City. In 1919, the narrator, a crime reporter, is reminiscing with Dr Laszlo Kreizler, the ‘alienist’ of the title and early criminal profiler, about working with police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to solve a number of grisly murders on the Lower East Side. The novel weaves together a diverse cast of characters with recognisable historical figures. The sequel, The Angel of Darkness, features the same team investigating the kidnap of the infant daughter of a visiting Spanish dignitary.

A Gentleman’s Murder by Christopher Huang

Set in 1924, Christopher Huang’s novel offers a locked-room mystery, a cast of upper-class characters, an element of the psychological and more, but also addresses issues of race, addiction and the after-effects of the First World War. Mixed-race protagonist Lieutenant Eric Peterkin joins The Britannia, London’s finest and most prestigious club, but finds himself investigating the mystery of a man found dead in the club’s vault. The mystery takes him well beyond the club to the heroin dens of Limehouse, yet all the clues point towards the officers of the club and of Scotland Yard.