Historical Mystery Lovers discussion
2023 - Settings Challenge
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Luny's 2023 Settings Challenge
Goal: Level #1: Bachelor of History - 3 to 10 books in at least 3 categoriesBook 1:Early 20th Century
A. Setting: England 1930
B. Book read: Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie
C. Date read: 1/9/23
D. Comments: First mystery of the year and it was a really good one. Good thing I am not a detective because I missed a major clue. (I don't have the mustache for it!)
Status: 2 books 1 categoryBook 2. Early 20th Century
A. Setting: New York City 1960
B. Book read: Secret Identity by Alex Segura
C. Date read: 1/18/23
D. Comments: Interesting setting in the early comic book industry in the 1960s but book really gets to be tedious in the middle of the book. The motive for murder seems weak.
Status: 3 books 1 categoryBook 3. Early 20th Century
A. Setting: England 1924
B. Book read: Nobody's Sweetheart Now by Maggie Robinson
C. Date read: 1/23/23
D. Comments: I found this interesting. Good characterization. I like Addie and the Scotland Yard crew. Even minor characters got their due. Post WW1 setting interesting and murder was believeable
Cynthia wrote: "Status: 3 books 1 categoryBook 3. Early 20th Century
A. Setting: England 1924
B. Book read: Nobody's Sweetheart Now by Maggie Robinson
C. Date read: 1/23/23
D. Comments: I found this interesting...."
A bit of a spoiler, but I liked it ending with her hoping Rupert might return.
Status: 4 books 2 categoriesBook 4. Medieval England
A. Setting: England 646
B. Book read: Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne
C. Date read: 1/29/23
D. Comments: This is the first of Sister Fidelma series. Took me back to when I first read How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill. I enjoyed all the background. Figured out the murderer early on but not all the motives for everyone.
Achieved Bachelor of History Status: 5 books 3 categoriesBook 5.Ancient Greece
A. Setting: Athens Greece 322 BC
B. Book read: Aristotle, Detective by Margaret Doody
C. Date read: 2/2/23
D. Comments: Step[hanos may essentially be a good person but not very bright. Hard to believe he survives these assaults he gets into through stupidity. At least he was considerate of the women in his life. I don't plan to finish this series.
Achieved Bachelor of History Status: 6 books 3 categoriesBook 6 Medieval England
A. Setting: Medieval England 1363
B. Book read: The Unquiet Bones by Mel Starr
C. Date read: 2/5/23
D. Comments: I really enjoyed this book. I loved the character of Hugh and his complexities and views of the world around him. The mystery was also excellent.
7 books 3 categoriesA. Setting: England 1929
B. Book read: Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie
C. Date read: 2/10/23
D. Comments: Really several short stories based around Blunt's Brilliant Detectives that were amusing as well as the comments based on other fictional detectives. Also some hints of other Agatha projects.
8 books 4 categoriesA. Setting: England 1890
B. Book read: Gods of Gold by Chris Nickson
C. Date read: 2/13/23
D. Comments: First in a new series for me. I enjoyed this book as first time I have read in this time period in England but outside of London. Much more a view of the working class and I enjoyed that,.
9 books 5 categoriesA. Setting: Regency England
B. Book read: And Dangerous to Know by Darci Wilde
C. Date read: 3/14/2023
D. Comments: Already have read the first 2 books in this series so decided #3 was in order for author of the month. I enjoy the character of Rosalind Thorne as an intelligent and realistic character for the time period. In this case I was not enamored by all the Byron-Lamb drama but certainly was an intriguing mystery.
10 books 6 categoriesBook 10 British Empire (any century, countries other than England)
A. Setting: India in 1920s
B. Book read: The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra
C. Date read: 3/23/2023
D. Comments: This book is first in series of Kaveri and Ramu. Ramu is a doctor at a hospital in Bangalore and Kaveri is his wife through a traditional matchmaking situation. Kaveri has just moved to Bangalore to be with her husband and is trying to come to terms with her new life. There is a lot of Indian culture involved as well as the hint of dissatisfaction with British rule. I would call this a cozy as many might feel that the Indian culture portion does not get the emphasis it should have but it is a great tone for those of us who need the basic introduction. I really enjoyed the characterization of Kaveri and Ramu and all the minor characters too.
I listened to the audiobook which is not my norm but found it very satisfying.
11 books 7 categoriesBook 11 Early Japan
A. Setting: Japan in 1100s
B. Book read: The Dragon Scroll by I. J. Parker
C. Date Read: 4/12/2023
D. Comments; This is first in the series of Lord Sugawara Akitada and his adventures. I tried this one in audiobook and found it harder than I ezpected to keep character names straight. There were certainly a lot of irons in the fire to straighten out and really had no idea how he finally figured all of them. I liked the character of Akitada but certainly wasn’t an area kind to women. I will likely read another one of the series in the future.
12 books 7 categoriesBook 12
A. Setting: England 1945
B. Book Read: Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie
C. Date read: 4/21/2023
D. Comments: Really good mystery with a small circle of people and everyone a good suspect. I was surprised with the ending. Some references reflect the time when written and would not be politically correct these days but they do not reflect opinions and are few in number so did not spoil the mystery.
13 books 8 categoriesBook 13
A. Setting: England 1569
B. Book Read: Assassin by Grace Cavendish, Patricia Finney
C. Read: 4/22/23
D. Comments: This is a middle grade book with the story of Grace Cavendish, a 13 year old Maid in Waiting to Queen Elizabeth. Grace has been provided with 3 suitors by the Queen and needs to choose. After she makes her choice, one of the suitors dies and another is blamed. While I am not the chosen audience for this book, I thought the mystery part was good and the diary of her life at court especially for a child were very informative.
Cynthia wrote: "13 books 8 categoriesBook 13
A. Setting: England 1569
B. Book Read: Assassin by Grace Cavendish, Patricia Finney
C. Read: 4/22/23
D. Comments: This is a middle grade book with the story of Grace C..."
Cynthia; I also read this & agree that it's an entertaining read. Would have loved this as a teenager! Since our library only had #1 I've asked them to notify me through their Libby App if they purchase other titles in this series.
14 books 8 categoriesBook 14
A. Setting: Singapore 1936
B. Book Read: The Frangipani Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu
C. Read: 5/1/23
D. Comments: This is the first in a series called The Crown Colony. Colonialism is pretty much the basis of the story of deaths at the Acting Governor’s mansion in Singapore all seen through the eyes of Su Lin, a local mission schooled girl trying to avoid an arranged marriage. The story was interesting but Su Lin is an unreliable narrator so ending comes abruptly out of left field.
15 books 9 categoriesBook 15
A. Setting: New York NY 1880s
B. Book Read: The Nurse’s Secret by Amanda Skenandore
C. Read: 4/18/23
D. Comments: This is a book about a young female grifter who is evading a murder charge by the NY police by entering the first nursing school at Bellevue Hospital as a string of murders follow her. I thought the story was good especially in characterization.
16 books 9 categoriesBook 16
A. Setting: Medieval England
B. Book Read: Master Wycliffe’s Summons by Melvin Starr
C. Read: 5/10/2023
D. Comments: This is a book about mysterious deaths in one of the Oxford colleges. I thought this book was interesting in the search of the how the crime was committed. It seemed otherwise that the crime was lost to the other issues of the day like another plague wave and the efforts to get enough food etc and different religious beliefs.
17 books 10 categoriesBook 17
A. Setting: Antebellum America
B. Book Read: A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley
C. Read: 5/17/2023
D. Comments: This book takes place in Monterey California in 1853 which is after California’s gold rush and statehood but in the conflict between free and slave states before Civil War erupts. Everyone is an immigrant from elsewhere trying to make something of themselves. This is especially difficult for women. The main character is Eliza Ripple a young widow that has turned to work in a brothel out of necessity. She and a friend discover a dead woman and turn their efforts to identifying a suspected serial killer in a town with essentially no law unless the mob decides differently.
18 books 11 categoriesBook 18
A. Setting: 18th Century England/ Georgian England
B. Book Read: A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen (Lady Librarian series)
C. Read: 5/29/2023
D. Comments: One of the chief themes is that people are not treated equally based on their sex, color, and status and generally cannot expect justice. Tiffany is a spinster that has been living with her half-brother Uriah who is a librarian to a duke. Her brother suddenly dies and all her support, house and food are lost. She decides to impersonate him and ends up involved in activities in the “castle” which include 2 deaths. She decides she needs to solve the murders as Uriah was the first to be murdered and she is running risk by imitating him and waiting for the murderer to strike again.
19 books 12 categoriesBook 19
A. Setting: American Civil War
B. Book Read: Murder in the Lincoln White House by C.M. Gleason
C. Read: 6/5/2023
D. Comments: I found this one slow going but a lot of interesting characters were added in the last half of the book so I might be tempted to read another. I did appreciate all the research the author had done to represent the time period. It is almost impossible to imagine Washington DC from what it is now.
20 books 12 categoriesBook 20
A. Setting: Tudor/Stuart England
B. Book Read: The Players’ Boy is Dead by Leonard Tourney
C. Read: 7/6/2023
D. Comments: I found this book a little slow paced ….seems to take a long time to get places and talk to people. It was okay and I did like relationship between Matthew and Joan but there are other mysteries I like better so series low on my priority list.
21 books 12 categoriesBook 21
A. Setting: India in 1920s – British Empire
B. Book Read: Murder Under a Red Moon
C. Read: 5/27/2023
D. Comments: I enjoyed the debut book so I was eager to start this one. The gang is back together! (These have to be read in series order to keep characters straight). A good mystery and more insights to Indian society.
22 books 12 categoriesBook 22
A. Setting: Egypt Early 20th Century
B. Book Read: Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
C. Read: 7/17/2023
D. Comments: Read for #ReadChristie2023 for May theme Betrayal. While a well-known story and many movie adaptions, the plot makes more sense in the book as it portrays the two female MC as significantly younger (Early 20s) which makes the actions seem more likely than mature characters. Also I have seen this as a play where the murderer is someone else! I do recommend the recent Kenneth Branagh version as the exotic location really comes to life.
23 books 12 categoriesBook 23
A. Setting: England Early 20th Century
B. Book Read: They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie
C. Read: 7/23/2023.
D. Comments: Read for #ReadChristie2023 for June theme. Miss Marple does it again
24 books 12 categoriesBook 24
A. Setting: England Early 20th Century
B. Book Read: Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
C. Read: 7/26/2023
D. Comments: Read for #ReadChristie2023 for July Quite the exercise for Hercule Poirot.
25 books 12 categoriesBook 25
A. Setting: Various locations Early 20th Century
B. Book Read: Marple: 12 New Stories
C. Read: 7/23/2023
D. Comments: Quality of stories is uneven and POV not what Marple fans are used to. If an avid Miss Marple fan, you can live without this book!
26 books 13 categoriesBook 26
A. Setting: Britain in Roman Empire
B. Book Read: The Germanicus Mosaic by Rosemary Rowe
C. Read: 7/9/2023
D. Comments: Slow paced for me
27 books 13 categoriesBook 27
A. Setting: Early 20th Century
B. Book Read: A Botanist’s Guide to Parties & Poisons by Kate Khavari
C. Read: 8/6/2023
D. Comments: Thought that Saffron was in over her head trying to play detective so questionable if I will read future books in this series.
28 books 13 categoriesBook 28
A. Setting: Victorian England
B. Book Read: The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries by Emily Brightwell
C. Read: 8/12/2023
D. Comments: This was a reread for me and still I find it a delightful series.
29 books 13 categoriesBook 29
A. Setting: Victorian England
B. Book Read: Jane Steele by Lindsay Faye
C. Read: 8/15/2023
D. Comments: I usually am not a gothic fan nor am I a fan of Jane Eyre but found I enjoyed this book though slow until we got to her part as governess. The start was pretty dark.
30 books 13 categoriesBook 30
A. Setting: Regency England
B. Book Read: The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman
C. Read: 8/17/2023
D. Comments: It was an enjoyable book especially interesting because the ladies are 40+ which gets beyond some of the silly society issues of the age for young females but makes really clear limitations of women in society of the time
31 books 13 categoriesBook 31
A. Setting: Regency England
B. Book Read: The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray
C. Read: 9/2/2023
D. Comments: Fun to image Jane Austen’s characters and how their relationships would have developed. I was anxious because someone had killed Mr. Wickham but I didn’t want it to be any of my favorites.
32 books 14 categoriesBook 32
A. Setting: Pre 19th Century Asia
B. Book Read: The Chinese Maze Murders by Robert Van Gulik
C. Read: 9/6/2023
D. Comments: While it was hard to take on how much torture was casually applied to the average person, the crimes were quite involved and I liked the twists and turns of Judge Dee who is very cunning and brave.
33 books 14 categoriesBook 33
A. Setting: Regency England
B. Book Read: Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder by Catherine Lloyd
C. Read: 9/8/2023
D. Comments: I am not going to go into details or others that might read but I had problems with the end of this story.
34 books 14 categoriesBook 34
A. Setting: Regency England
B. Book Read: A Most Agreeable Murder
C. Read: 9/11/2023
D. Comments: This book is somewhat a made up Regency where a town has made up society rules that are extreme (2 volumes and a travel size) and failure to conform is severe (exile to Paris). Everyone has a secret and some people are very odd. It is quite a pastiche. Also has a murder!
Cynthia wrote: "34 books 14 categoriesBook 34
A. Setting: Regency England
B. Book Read: A Most Agreeable Murder
C. Read: 9/11/2023
D. Comments: This book is somewhat a made up Regency where a town has made up soc..."
I am on my library's wait list and it is good to know what to expect. And you are doing very well with your (first?) challenge.
Cynthia wrote: "34 books 14 categoriesBook 34
A. Setting: Regency England
B. Book Read: A Most Agreeable Murder
C. Read: 9/11/2023
D. Comments: This book is somewhat a made up Regency where a town has made up soc..."
Thanks for asking! It has certainly changed the direction of my reading and has been relatively easy to fit with what I want to read. It has introduced me to new authors also. I have been going thru a reading slump lately so will probably not make History with Honors. I really enjoy the group and see/hear what others are reading and that it is easy to mix with others despite age of reader. (I am in other readathons but sometimes get lost with all the social media requirements therefore came here where reading is the priority.)
35 books 14 categoriesBook 35
1. Setting: Victorian England
2. Book Read: Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings
3. Read 9/17/2023
4. Comments: I listened to the audiobook and found it very entertaining. Violet is a fun character and though it wasn’t difficult to figure out what was going on before it was clear to her, The resolution was still satisfactory with how it came about. I look forward to starting 2024 with the next book in the series.
36 books 15 categoriesBook 36
1. Setting: Ancient Egypt (4300 BC- 642 AD
2. Book Read: Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
3. Read 9/25/2023
4. Comments: This was the book for September #ReadChristie2023 readathon. I did not realize she had ever written a historical book herself much less ancient Egypt. Her formula of basing all motives and detection on the characters works in any time period and I really enjoyed this one.
Cynthia wrote: "36 books 15 categoriesBook 36
1. Setting: Ancient Egypt (4300 BC- 642 AD .. I did not realize she had ever written a historical book herself much less ancient Egypt. ...."
I’ve read a play by Christie : Akhnaton: A Play In Three Acts
that was interesting. My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
37 books 16 categoriesBook 37
1. Setting: Medieval Europe (476-1450
2. Book Read: Murder in the Cloister by Tania Bayard
3. Read 10/26/2023
4. Comments: Partially chose this to fit into The Game Is Afoot! A Whodunnit Readathon as needed a book that was in a series but not the first book. I had not read previous but it wasn’t difficult to catch up. The characters are actually more interesting than the murder portion and was set to read the next one but, alas! There is no followup!
38 books 17 categoriesBook 38
1. Setting: Shogunate Japan (1192-1868)
2. Book Read: The Way of the Traitor by Laura Joh Rowland
3. Read 11/3/2023
4. Comments: Again I read a mid-series book and this time thought it was a mistake as there are too many echoes of previous events. I found it difficult to adjust to the Japanese view of world and their part in it. This book has to do with trade with foreign countries and the difference between what should be happening and what actually is. Not sure if I will revisit this series.
39 books 18 categoriesBook 39
1. Setting: 19th Century Europe
2. Book Read: Vienna Waltz
3. Read 11/25/2023
4. Comments: I enjoyed this book as there were so many suspects and lies. I like how the characters are developing but I am curious as I read His Spanish Bride first and that has a significantly different history for Suzanne. I guess if I want to know I will have to keep reading….
Well, I am calling it early...Level #3: Doctor of History - 15 to 20 books in at least 10 categories which is pretty great because my initial goal for my first year was Bachelor! I ended up with 39 books in 18 categories. I just cannot find a book re: Colonial America that keeps my attention at this time. I started a number of series that I will likely continue. Read my first Jane Smiley book (I know...what took me so long?) and discovered new author Harini Negendra (anxiously waiting for the third book}. Even though it didn't count towards this, I also enjoyed reading translations of mysteries from China and Japan. I really loved hearing what others were reading and their reviews. So hard these days to get good book recommendations. Looking forward to 2024! Happy Holidays to everyone!
You did very well and, best of all, you enjoyed it. Congratulations.
Historical Mystery Lovers
Books mentioned in this topic
Vienna Waltz (other topics)Murder in the Cloister (other topics)
The Way of the Traitor (other topics)
Akhnaton: A Play In Three Acts (other topics)
Death Comes As the End (other topics)
More...
LEVELS:
Level #1: Bachelor of History - 3 to 10 books in at least 3 categories
Level #2: Master of History - 10 to 15 books in at least 5 categories
Level #3: Doctor of History - 15 to 20 books in at least 10 categories
Level #4: History with Honors - 20+ books in all categories
CATEGORIES:
1. Ancient Egypt (4300 BC- 642 AD)
2. Ancient Greece (700-480 BC)
3. Roman Empire (625 BC-476 AD)
4. Early Japan
5. Shogunate Japan (1192-1868)
6. Medieval England (476-1485)
7. Medieval Europe (476-1450)
8. Tudor / Stuart England (1485-1603/1603-1714)
9. 16th-17th Century Europe (1500-1700)
10. Georgian England (1714-1830)
11. Regency England (1811-1820)
12. Victorian England (1837-1901)
13. Edwardian England (1901-1910)
14. Colonial America (1492-1763)
15. Antebellum America (1815-1861)
16. American Civil War (1861-1865)
17. Gilded Age America (1870-1900)
18. British Empire (any century, countries other than England)
19. Pre 19th Century Asia (excluding the British Empire)
20. 19th Century Europe (1801-1900)
21. Early 20th Century (1901-1973)