Raymie's 2026 Historical Mystery Monoply > Likes and Comments

A bit late to the game, but it looks like fun!

Properties:
OLD KENT ROAD / MEDITERRANEAN AVENUE: Read a book with a brown cover OR one set in a Mediterranean country

COMMMUNITY CHEST #1: Read a book by one of your favorite authors.

WHITECHAPEL ROAD / BALTIC AVENUE: Read a book set in Victorian England
OR one set in a Baltic country

INCOME TAX: Read a book from the Historical Mystery shelf with a Goodreads rating lower than 3.5. (state the rating in your post).

KING'S CROSS / READING RAILROAD: Rail travel has existed since the 6th century. However, railways as a form of mass transportation began in the 1800s in England. Read a book set in the 19th century (1800-1899).


THE ANGEL ISLINGTON / ORIENTAL AVENUE: Read a book with a blue cover (the cover I have is different, in pale blue!) OR a book set in the Orient

CHANCE #1: Read a book recommended by another challenge participant. Request your book HERE.

EUSTON ROAD / VERMONT AVENUE: Read a book from the Cozy Historical Shelf OR a book set in one of the New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont)

PENTONVILLE ROAD / CONNECTICUT AVENUE: Read a book set in a city with a famous prison

VISITING JAIL: Roll the die again, move forward and do the task for the property you land on.

PALL MALL / ST. CHARLES PLACE: Read a book whose title has a word with double letters OR a book that contains paranormal elements.

ELECTRIC COMPANY: The first serious study of electricity and magnetism was conducted in 1600 by the English scientist William Gilbert. Read a book set in 17th century (1600-1699).

WHITEHALL / STATES AVENUE: Read a book that is set during or in the immediate aftermath of a war in which either the United Kingdom or the United States participated - War of the Roses, Jacobite Uprising, Napoleonic Wars, Crimean War, Boer War, Revolutionary War, American Civil War, War of 1812, WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War.

NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE / VIRGINIA AVENUE: Read a book set during the Roman Empire (27 BC - 1453 AD)

OR during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603). The book can take place in any country.

MARYLEBONE STATION / PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD: Read a book set in a place you’d like to visit.

BOW STREET / ST. JAMES PLACE: Read a book with a character who is a private investigator OR a book in which a character is a member of a royal family from any country or historical time period.

COMMUNITY CHEST #2: Read a book from any page of the Favorite Historical Mystery Series Listopia.


MARLBOROUGH STREET / TENNESSEE AVENUE: Read a book with a white cover No Graves As Yet


OR one set in the Southern Hemisphere

VINE STREET / NEW YORK AVENUE: Read a book with a protagonist who is a police detective or a book set in a large city.

FREE PARKING: Read any book of your choice.

THE STRAND / KENTUCKY AVENUE: Read a book from the Regency and Victorian Mysteries Listopia OR a book with a red cover.

CHANCE #2: Read a book by a new to you author.

FLEET STREET / INDIANA AVENUE: Read a book in which the protagonist or narrator is a member of the clergy, a writer or a journalist OR a book set in a rural locale.

TRAFALGAR SQUARE / ILLINOIS AVENUE: Read a book with a statue, monument or building on the cover
OR a book set in the Northern Hemisphere


FENCHURCH ST. STATION / B&O RAILROAD: Read a book where the protagonist sets out on a journey at some point during the investigation.


LEICESTER SQUARE / ATLANTIC AVENUE: Read a book with a yellow cover or one set in a country located on the Atlantic Ocean

COVENTRY STREET / VENTNOR AVENUE: Read a book that contains at least one real historical figure as a character or a book set in Medieval times.

WATER WORKS: Read a book with a body of water on the cover (sea, lake, river, stream, etc.)

PICCADILLY / MARVIN GARDENS: Read a book from the Historical Mysteries and Thrillers Featuring Women Listopia OR a book with a flower, tree or garden on the cover.

GO TO JAIL: Roll the die again; move backwards that many spaces, and complete the task for the property you land on.

REGENT STREET / PACIFIC AVENUE: Read a book set during the Regency period (1795-1837)

or a book set in a country located on the Pacific Ocean
(Canada)

OXFORD STREET / NORTH CAROLINA AVENUE: Read a book set at a university or any place of higher learning OR a book with a green cover.

COMMUNITY CHEST #3: Read any book from the Historical Mystery Lovers group shelf.


BOND STREET / PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE: Read a book with a purple cover OR a book from the Historical Suspense Shelf.

LIVERPOOL ST. STATION / SHORT LINE RAILROAD: Read a book of 150 to 250 pages in length.

CHANCE #3: Read a book from any page of the Best Historical Mystery Listopia.

PARK LANE / PARK PLACE: Read a book in which either the victim of the crime or the protagonist is very wealthy and/or titled.

Crooked House

LUXURY TAX: Read a book from the Historical Mystery shelf with a Goodreads rating higher than 3.5.

MAYFAIR / BOARDWALK: Read a book set in London or one set in a seaside town.

Dice: 3

WHITECHAPEL ROAD / BALTIC AVENUE: Read a book set in Victorian England OR one set in a Baltic country

A Study in Scarlet - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I chose this as I have never read any of the Holmes books, and wanted to try them. As this is #1 it seemed the obvious one to start with. Shows how Holmes and Watson met and decided to share lodgings, and gives an insight to Watson (and the reader) the methods Holmes uses to solve mysteries. Pleasantly surprised by how readable it was.

Dice: 2

KING'S CROSS / READING RAILROAD: Rail travel has existed since the 6th century. However, railways as a form of mass transportation began in the 1800s in England. Read a book set in the 19th century (1800-1899).

The Mystery of the Yellow Room

Another author I hadn't read and was interested to try. Written approx 20 years after A Study in Scarlet that I'd just finished, but far less readable. I managed about 2/3 and then found it a struggle. However, for anyone who wants to give it a try for the challenge, it has two scientists as main characters.

Dice: 1

THE ANGEL ISLINGTON / ORIENTAL AVENUE: Read a book with a blue cover OR a book set in the Orient

Gunpowder Plot

Raymie wrote: "Dice: 1

THE ANGEL ISLINGTON / ORIENTAL AVENUE: Read a book with a blue cover OR a book set in the Orient

Gunpowder Plot

I've changed my mind about this, and think I might use this for "author never read" instead. The cover is more bluey-black than blue anyway. Instead have decided to re-read Agatha Christie's After the Funeral. I have an old copy on my shelves which has a pale blue cover. Whether it was first published that colour I don't know, but I'm going with what I've got!

After the Funeral

Very enjoyable re-read. It's a Poirot book, although he doesn't appear for a long while. Throughout my reading, I was in awe of Christie's writing. I think that this is because it was a re-read. Before I began I had remembered who the killer was, and why s/he committed the murder and why it was carried out at that time. This increased, rather than decreased the enjoyment of the book.

It is so skilful the way Christie drops in seemingly innocuous details throughout, uses a complete scene that, besides pushing the story forward, also adds another layer of information about the murder or murderer. Everything and everyone can be seen from different angles - false trail or path to the solution. As a reader, this pulled me through the story, and as someone who has written a GA style mystery, it is a superb lesson in craft.

Poirot assembled everyone in the drawing room for the denouement, where he explained what happened, why and who. I preferred this to the method of going round each suspect making the reader think that this is "the one" until finally revealing the murderer.

Definitely one of Christie's best.

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Dice: 4 Visiting Jail. Roll again.
Dice: 4

NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE / VIRGINIA AVENUE: Read a book set during the Roman Empire (27 BC - 1453 AD) OR during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603). The book can take place in any country.

The Third Nero

It's been a long time since I read the Didius Falco novels. Falco has retired, and his adopted daughter from Britain, Flavia Alba, has stepped into his shoes. In this, the fifth of the Flavia Alba novels, she has to locate an imposter, who is posing as the thought-to-be-dead emperor Nero, as well as the imposter's backer, who is trying to overthrow emperor Domitian.

Dice: 3
COMMUNITY CHEST #2: Read a book from any page of the Favorite Historical Mystery Series Listopia.

Whose Body?

I chose this as I have not read any of Sayers' books about Lord Peter Wimsey, yet he is such a literary icon. I enjoyed the depiction of his character, as a rather foppish persona which masks his intelligence. He has a hidden side, as a PTSD sufferer, which we see later in the book when it surfaces as a result of lack of sleep and working too hard at the case. The murder was clever, although I thought parts would have been difficult to carry out. I must admit that I guessed who the murderer was and the likely reason, but that did not detract from enjoyment of the book.

Dice: 1

MARLBOROUGH STREET / TENNESSEE AVENUE: Read a book with a white cover OR one set in the Southern Hemisphere



I found this quite hard going as there was not a lot of action, but an awful lot of being in one of the main character's heads, thinking and evaluating other characters. (300+ pages) In contrast, the way the main protagonist worked out where the murder weapon had been hidden seem too simplistic, too easy, similarly for the the murderer was. This was comparatively rapidly done at the end after what felt like an interminable read. Also, one character who appeared from time to time, remained mysterious, which leads me to believe that they will feature in a following book. I was disappointed by this, as I have previously enjoyed Anne Perry's work.

Dice: 6

TRAFALGAR SQUARE / ILLINOIS AVENUE: Read a book with a statue, monument or building on the cover OR a book set in the Northern Hemisphere

I was going to do the first part, but for that I had previously picked out a book by Anne Perry. Given I did not enjoy the book I have just finished, which was also by her, instead I am going to do the "Northern Hemisphere" part.



Agatha Christie's first published novel. It introduces Poirot, Captain Hastings and Inspector Japp. I thought the book was well-written; all the characters could have been the murderer. So many seemed to have knowledge of and / or access to poisons, which is how the murder was committed. There is also an element of romance, which is often an element of Christie's novels, when Poirot helps reconcile a married couple.

Dice: 1

FENCHURCH ST. STATION / B&O RAILROAD: Read a book where the protagonist sets out on a journey at some point during the investigation.



Set in the 1660s England and New England. The whole book effectively, is a journey. Two colonels who were among many who signed the execution order for King Charles I are forced to go on the run when the republic established by Oliver Cromwell, after the English Civil War, collapses and Charles II becomes king. All those who signed the death warrant are hunted down and imprisoned or horribly executed for regicide when caught.

Edward Whalley and his son-in-law William Goffe, who fought in Cromwell's army, flee to America where they are hidden for years by the Puritan communities. They move from place to place, hunted by a royalist agent who is further motivated by hatred as he blames the two colonels for the death of his wife.

As well as an adventure story, the backdrop is fascinating with its details of life in both places in the 1660s.

Dice 6:

REGENT STREET / PACIFIC AVENUE: Read a book set during the Regency period (1795-1837)

or a book set in a country located on the Pacific Ocean

(Canada)

Atwood's novel is based on the real-life person of Grace Marks, who was convicted in 1843 for her part in the double murders of Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper/mistress Nancy Montgomery.

Grace was convicted along with another servant, James McDermott. James was hanged, but Grace, who was only sixteen at the time, was sentenced to prison, and also spent some time in a lunatic asylum. Grace divided opinion: a weak female, young, and a victim herself or a jealous seductress who was the driving force behind the murders?

The book is written from the POV of Grace and a doctor specialising in the mind, who visits her in prison. A big read, about someone whom I had not heard of, set against a fascinating background and period in time, and it held my attention throughout.

Dice 2:

COMMUNITY CHEST #3: Read any book from the Historical Mystery Lovers group shelf.



I wanted a lighter read after my last big book, so I chose a cozy murder mystery. I didn't strictly follow the guideline as I opted for the first in the Emily Brightwell's "Mrs Jeffries" series, but I found two later ones in the series at a thrift sale (along with a lot more books LOL) so decided to read one of those instead. Another reason, this was an author unknown to me.

I liked the premise, a likable, well-meaning detective whose success, unknown to himself, is down to his staff, in particular his housekeeper, Mrs Jeffries. The staff do the sleuthing, using their contacts, and Mrs Jeffries subtly directs the inspector in the right direction.

But, while I liked the staff, and could envisage them easily, I found the suspects less easy to picture and differentiate, so I struggled to finish this. As I enjoyed the sleuthing team, I shall try another in the series, to see how that goes.

Dice 4:

PARK LANE / PARK PLACE: Read a book in which either the victim of the crime or the protagonist is very wealthy and/or titled.

Crooked House