Best Historical Mysteries

Reading lists

25 of the best historical mysteries

Lost and Gone Forever

A man wakes in a cell. 
 
He doesn't know who he is or how long he has been here. 
 
He doesn't even know his name. 
 
All he knows is that someone has left the cell door open . . . 
 
Nevil Hammersmith is a former Metropolitan Police sergeant. He became a private detective when his colleague Walter Day went missing investigating the Ripper case. He's been looking for Day for an entire year, but it is as if his friend has completely vanished from the streets of London. 
 
No one has heard from the Ripper in a long time. 
 
No one knows when he will strike again. 
 
That's just how he wants it. 
 
For the Ripper has plans for the city and the man in the cell - the man he believes is just like himself . . . 
 
 
Praise for Alex Grecian's Scotland Yard Murder Squad Series: 
 
'Will keep you riveted from page one' Jeffery Deaver 
 
'CSI: Victorian London' Daily Express 
 
'Throw in deranged prostitutes, poisonings and throat slittings galore, amidst lashings of London fog. Gory, lurid and tons of guilty fun' Guardian 
 
'Shiver-inducingly creepy. A racy read' Daily Express

Throw in deranged prostitutes, poisonings and throat slittings galore, amidst lashings of London fog. Gory, lurid and tons of guilty fun

Jack the Ripper meets his psychopathic equal in this macabre tale of late Victorian England. In this fifth installment about the hunt for England's most famous serial killer, you're in for quite a ride

Shiver-inducingly creepy. A racy read

Will keep you riveted from page one. Lusciously rich

Completely engrossing. Fans will bask in the Victorian atmosphere

The gritty descriptions of Victorian London are a major highlight

Filled with thrill and suspense from the beginning to the end. Highly recommended

Alex Grecian worked for an ad agency before returning to writing fiction full-time and raising his son. Alex is the author of the long-running and critically acclaimed comic-book series Proof, and the bestselling Scotland Yard Murder Squad series. He lives in Topeka, Kansas, with his wife and son.

A man wakes in a cell. 
He doesn't know who he is or how long he has been here. 
He doesn't even know his name. 
All he knows is that someone has left the cell door open . . . 
 
No one has heard from the Ripper in a long time. 
No one knows when he will strike again. 
That's just how he wants it. For the Ripper has plans for the city and the man in the cell 
- the man he believes is just like himself . . .

Scotland Yard Murder Squad Book 4

The Harvest Man

Murder Squad 4: Alongside Jack the Ripper there is another brutal serial killer roaming the streets of Victorian London. 
 
Spring 1890. 
 
 The spectre of Jack the Ripper still haunts Inspector Walter Day, his injured leg a daily reminder of his violent brush with London's most feared killer. He alone is convinced that the Ripper remains at large. 
 
 But, worse is to come for Scotland Yard's Murder Squad. A new killer is terrorizing the citizens of London. They call him the Harvest Man; he hides away in the attics of the unsuspecting, emerging at night to terrorize his victims. 
 
 This macabre new threat requires Inspector Day to confront his demons, but he soon discovers that the Ripper himself continues to toy with Scotland Yard's finest. The game has only just begun . . . 
 
Praise for Alex Grecian's Scotland Yard Murder Squad Series: 
 
 'Will keep you riveted from page one' Jeffery Deaver 
 
 'CSI: Victorian London' Daily Express 
 
 'Throw in deranged prostitutes, poisonings and throat slittings galore, amidst lashings of London fog. Gory, lurid and tons of guilty fun' Guardian 
 
 'Lusciously rich' Jeffery Deaver 
 
 'Shiver-inducingly creepy. A racy read' Daily Express

Throw in deranged prostitutes, poisonings and throat slittings galore, amidst lashings of London fog. Gory, lurid and tons of guilty fun

Spring 1890. 
 
 The spectre of Jack the Ripper still haunts Inspector Walter Day, his injured leg a daily reminder of his brush with London's most feared killer. Day alone is convinced that the Ripper remains at large. 
 
 But, worse is to come for Scotland Yard's Murder Squad. A new killer is terrorizing the citizens of London. They call him the Harvest Man; he hides away in the attics of the unsuspecting, emerging at night to mutilate his victims. 
 
Inspector Day must confront his demons and clearly, as the Ripper toys with Scotland Yard's finest, the game has only just begun...

Scotland Yard Murder Squad Book 3

The Devil's Workshop

The Devil's Workshop is the third historical thriller in Alex Grecian's acclaimed Scotland Yard Murder Squad series. 
 
 April, 1890. 
 
 London wakes to the shocking news of a mass prison escape. 
 
 Walter Day and the Scotland Yard Murder Squad now face a desperate race against time: if the four convicted murderers aren't recaptured before night settles, they'll vanish into the dark alleys of London's criminal underworld for ever. 
 
 And in the midst of this mayhem and fear the city's worst nightmare is realized: Jack the Ripper haunts the streets of London once more . . . 
 
 From The Yard and The Black Country author, Alex Grecian, comes The Devil's Workshop - and the return of Jack the Ripper. Expect another gruesome foray into the underbelly of Victorian Britain and early crime forensics. This is historical thriller heaven for fans of Sherlock and Ripper Street. 
 
 Praise for Alex Grecian: 
 
 'Will keep you riveted from page one' Jeffery Deaver 
 
 'CSI: Victorian London' Daily Express 
 
 'Throw in deranged prostitutes, poisonings and throat slittings galore, amidst lashings of London fog. Gory, lurid and tons of guilty fun' Guardian 
 
 'Outstanding. If Charles Dickens isn't somewhere clapping his hands for this, Wilkie Collins surely is.' The New York Times Book Review 
 
 Alex Grecian has worked for an ad agency on accounts for Harley-Davidson, Cub Foods and The Great American Smokeout, before returning to writing fiction full time and raising his son. Alex is the author of the long-running and critically acclaimed comic-book series Proof, and he lives in Topeka, Kansas, with his wife and son. The Yard is his first novel, followed by The Black Country.

April, 1890. 
 
London wakes to the shocking news of a mass prison escape. 
 
Walter Day and the Scotland Yard Murder Squad now face a desperate race against time: if the four convicted murderers aren't recaptured before night settles, they'll vanish into the dark alleys of London's criminal underworld for ever. 
 
And in the midst of this mayhem and fear the city's worst nightmare is realized: Jack the Ripper haunts the streets of London once more . . .

A Murder Squad Short Story

The Blue Girl

From the author of The Yard, The Black Country, and the forthcoming The Devil's Workshop - the first three titles in the Scotland Yard Murder Squad series - comes a Murder Squad short story. 
 
 October 1889: Constable Colin Pringle is a man of few illusions, but there is something about the girl in the canal, her skin a delicate shade of blue, that bothers him more than he expected it would. Perhaps it's because Dr. Kingsley's forensic examination suggests that she was a just-married bride. Someone needs to find out just who she was and what happened to her, Pringle decides, and he sets out to do exactly that. But the answers will not be anything like what he expects. In fact, they will shake his view of the world to the core. 
 
 The Blue Girl is a chilling and cautionary tale: be careful what you wish for. 
 
 Praise for Alex Grecian: 
 
 "Will keep you riveted from page one" Jeffery Deaver 
 
 "CSI: Victorian London" Daily Express 
 
 "Throw in deranged prostitutes, poisonings and throat slittings galore, amidst lashings of London fog. Gory, lurid and tons of guilty fun" Guardian 
 
 Alex Grecian has worked for an ad agency on accounts for Harley-Davidson, Cub Foods and The Great American Smokeout, before returning to writing fiction full time and raising his son. Alex is the author of the long-running and critically acclaimed comic-book series Proof, and he lives in Topeka, Kansas, with his wife and son.

October 1889: Constable Colin Pringle is a man of few illusions, but there is something about the girl in the canal, her skin a delicate shade of blue, that bothers him more than he expected it would. Perhaps it's because Dr. Kingsley's forensic examination suggests that she was a just-married bride. Someone needs to find out just who she was and what happened to her, Pringle decides, and he sets out to do exactly that. But the answers will not be anything like what he expects. In fact, they will shake his view of the world to the core.

Scotland Yard Murder Squad Book 2

The Black Country

Alex Grecian's The Black Country sees the Scotland Yard Murder Squad return in a gruesome historical thriller. 
 
When members of a prominent family disappear from a coal-mining village - and a human eyeball is discovered in a bird's nest - the local constable sends for help from Scotland Yard's new Murder Squad. 
 
Inspector Walter Day and Sergeant Nevil Hammersmith respond, but they have no idea what they're about to get into. The villagers have intense, intertwined histories. Everybody bears a secret. Superstitions abound. And the village itself is slowly sinking into the mines beneath it. 
 
Not even the arrival of forensics pioneer Dr. Bernard Kingsley seems to help. In fact, the more the three of them investigate, the more they realize they may never be allowed to leave. . . . 
 
From The Yard author Alex Grecian comes The Black Country- a horrifying journey into the darkest backwoods of Victorian Britain. The Black Country is guaranteed to appeal to fans of recent Ripper TV dramas (BBC's Ripper Street, ITV's Whitechapel) as well as Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films. 
 
Praise for Alex Grecian: 
 
'Will keep you riveted from page one' Jeffrey Deaver 
 
'Outstanding. If Charles Dickens isn't somewhere clapping his hands for this, Wilkie Collins surely is.' The New York Times Book Review 
 
Alex Grecian has worked for an ad agency on accounts for Harley-Davidson, Cub Foods, and The Great American Smokeout, before returning to writing fiction full time and raising his son. Alex is the author of the long-running and critically acclaimed comic book series Proof, and he lives in Topeka, Kansas, with his wife and son. The Yard is his first novel.

When members of a prominent family disappear from a coal-mining village - and a human eyeball is discovered in a bird's nest - the local constable sends for help from Scotland Yard's new Murder Squad. 
 
Inspector Walter Day and Sergeant Nevil Hammersmith respond, but they have no idea what they're about to get into. The villagers have intense, intertwined histories. Everybody bears a secret. Superstitions abound. And the village itself is slowly sinking into the mines beneath it. 
 
Not even the arrival of forensics pioneer Dr Bernard Kingsley seems to help. In fact, the more the three of them investigate, the more they realize they may never be allowed to leave . . .

Scotland Yard Murder Squad Book 1

The Yard

If you were fascinated by The Five, you'll love this gripping and atmospheric historical thriller set in Victorian London in the wake of Jack the Ripper. 
 
A killer is haunting London's streets . . . 
 
A year after Jack the Ripper claimed his last victim, London is in the grip of a wave of terror. The newly formed Murder Squad of Scotland Yard battles in vain against the tide of horror. 
 
When the body of a detective is found in a suitcase, his lips sewn together and his eyes sewn shut, it becomes clear that no one is safe from attack. 
 
Has the Ripper returned - or is a new killer at large? 
 
And for Walter Day, the young policeman assigned the case, is time running out? 
 
Praise for The Yard: 
 
'If Charles Dickens isn't somewhere clapping his hands for this one, Wilkie Collins surely is.' New York Times

A new killer is haunting London's streets . . . 
 
A year after Jack the Ripper claimed his last victim, London is in the grip of a wave of terror. The newly formed Murder Squad of Scotland Yard battles in vain against the tide of horror. 
 
When the body of a detective is found, his lips sewn together and his eyes sewn shut, it becomes clear that no one is safe from attack. Has the Ripper returned - or is a new killer at large? 
 
And for Walter Day, the young policeman assigned the case, is time running out?

Alex Grecian

With Alex Grecian, you're in the hands of a professional. Deft prose, a steady drip of suspense, a blood-soaked secret from another time... My prescription? Purchase and consume immediately

Gregg Hurwitz, No.1 Bestselling author of Orphan X

A compelling, twisty story driven by fascinating characters. The Wolf makes breathless, gripping, up-all-night reading

The Wolf has it all . . . the perfect storm of a story: a can't-put-it-down-until-I find-out-what-happens-next thriller

Lorenzo Carcaterra, New York Times bestselling author of Sleepers

When State Trooper Skottie Foster moves back home to rural Kansas with her daughter, she's hoping for a new start. But then a chance encounter on a snowy highway changes everything. 
 
 Travis Roan is a Nazi hunter, and he needs her help. Roan suspects this isolated region is home to infamous World War Two villain Rudolph Bormann - and Bormann isn't one to give in without a fight. 
 
 As Roan encounters immediate resistance from the deeply suspicious community, it soon becomes clear that Bormann's new life in America is every bit as sinister as his awful past. 
 
Neither Roan nor Foster imagines how dangerous - and how personal - their task will become...

Alex Grecian

Books by Alex Grecian

Series by Alex Grecian

Scotland Yard Murder Squad

Articles featuring Alex Grecian

25 of the best historical mysteries

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