David Baldacci’s last novel was a stand alone called “One Good Deed” which was an historical novel taking place in 1949. Historical mystery novels are very popular and very prolific. I enjoy a good historical where the times they are set in come to life and become an important character in the book. When it is obvious that the author takes time to research the time the book is set in and it feels authentic then the book and characters really come alive.

Reading right now:

“The Wolf and the Watchman” by Niklas Natt och Dag which is a mystery set in 1793 in Stockholm where a mutilated corpse is discovered in a local swamp. Watchman Mikel Cardell and lawyer Cecil Winge combine their skills to uncover the murderer before someone else dies.

On hold right now:

Oscar De Muriel’s Frey and McGray series takes place in 1880s England. “Loch of the Dead” is the fourth book in this series. While the series has two fairly standard police detectives as the heroes, the time period allows the books to feel Gothic with a twist of romance and terror. A fine series and a great fourth novel in the series which was nominated for the McIlvanney Prize.

Erin Lindsey’s Rose Gallagher series takes place in Gilded Age Manhattan. Gallagher is a Pinkerton who deals with paranormal cases. In the second book of the series, “A Golden Grave” finds Gallagher and her partner trying to solve the murder of six delegates to a local political convention where the next victim could well be Theodore Roosevelt.

Bella Ellis’ debut novel is the first in the new Bronte Sisters series which takes place in 1800s England and make the three Bronte Sisters into amateur detectives ("The Vanished Bride"). I’ve mentioned this book before, but it belongs in historical mysteries and deserves another comment. Don’t miss the fun.

Others to watch out for include the Nicholas Meyers latest historical mystery where he revisits John Watson of Sherlock Holmes fame. This is the fourth book in the series which is called “From the Memoirs of John H. Watson.” The first book in the series was called “The Seven Percent Solution” and came out in 1974 and the latest is called "The Adventures of the Peculiar Protocols."

John Farrow’s “Ball Park” is the seventh book in the Detective Emile Cinq-Mars series which takes place in Montreal in 1975. Raymond Benson’s stand along novel is a 1940s Hollywood Crime novel called “Blues in the Dark.” Frances Brody’s eleventh novel in the Kate Shackleton series is “The Body on the Train.” Our hero is a female amateur detective in 1920s England. Also watch for Victoria Thompson’s latest and Charles Todd’s new historical.

Other Mysterious Things:

After years of writing two very famous historical series, Anne Perry finally has a new series which just came out with photographer Elena Standish as the hero in 1930s Europe. Hopefully Perry will find inspiration with this new character.

Here we go with more debut novels you may have missed. In 1996 David Baldacci wrote “Absolute Power” and in 1997 the movie came out with Clint Eastwood. Since that debut, Baldacci has written almost 50 books which include adult, children, and young adult books. Not everyone’s debut novel catapults them into best selling novelist. Sometimes it takes years to hit that breakthrough book. Despite that knowledge, I think most of us are excited to hear about a debut novel that gets a big push from the publisher and starts getting great word of month because if we’re lucky we’ll still be loving that author’s work 20 years from now. 

Reading right now:

“Too Close” by actress and screenwriter Natalie Daniels is the debut novel of a writer who lives in London and Spain. This psychological mystery is about two neighbors who become “Too Close.” Connie and Ness become inseparable until one day Connie wakes up in a psychiatric hospital with no memory of the crime she supposedly committed.

On hold right now:

 Playwright Trish Harnetiaux’s “White Elephant” is a thriller Christmas novel. Claudine and Henry Calhoun’s real estate office hold a White Elephant gift exchange every Christmas, but this year the competition gets out of control. Unexpectedly an antique cowboy statue shows up in the mix. This ugly statue was used by Henry to commit a murder and hidden by Claudine. Who found the statue and how much do they know? This year’s White Elephant party will prove murderous.

“Girl in the Rearview Mirror” by Kelsey Rae Dimberg centers around Finn Hunt who leaves her past behind when she moves to Phoenix and become the nanny for a US Senator’s four-year-old daughter. One day a woman walks into her life and threatens to bring everything down.

Scriptwriter Soren Sveistrup’s first book is “The Chestnut Man.” Sveistrup’s new novel is a more traditional mystery with detectives Naia Thulin and Mark Hess trying to find the killer called the “Chestnut Man.”

“The Vanished Bride” by Bella Ellis the first book in a new series as well as her first novel. This Bronte Sisters mystery features Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte solving crimes long before they starting writing.

Felicity McLean’s first novel “The Van Apfel Girls are Gone” In the summer of 1992, the Van Apfel sisters disappeared leaving their friend Tikka and her old sister haunted by the loss of their friends. Years later Tikka returns home to try to solve the disappearance.

Also don’t miss: “Her Daughter’s Mother” by Daniele Petrova and “Theme Music” by T. Marie Vandelly.

Other Mysterious Things:

New historical mystery authors are cropping up every day giving those of us who love Anne Perry some new blood to look forward to reading. A.M. Stuart’s new book is her first book and the first in a new historical series (“Singapore Sapphire” a Harriet Gordon mystery). A new spy novel by Lara Prescott is called “The Secrets We Kept.”