Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Maybe no answers because your area is so narrow. I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but when I saw your title line, I was about to mention Gone With the Wind and Shogun, but neither fit your narrow category.
Or you could just read works written around the turn of the last century.
Well, Devil in the White City isn't fiction and I've never read Caleb Carr so I can't really recommend anything similar. Perhaps something on Jack the Ripper? That was near the turn of the century and would definitely be a thriller. "The Yard" by Alex Grecian was quite popular and there's a sequel to it. Also, Charles Todd writes WWI murder mystery/thrillers.
The Blackest Bird is one that was suggested on this forum- it's really good background of the era in NYC and NJ (and Baltimore with Edgar Allen Poe woven throughout. I don't remember it all that well (not the best memory lately) but I remember thinking it was extremely well written and also provided some nice historical background.
Ooops, after writing the below saw you just wanted literary mysteries set at the turn of the 20th c. So from the below, read Ragtime, I guess, though it isn't a genre mystery. I'll go ahead and post the below, but will try again for you later.
Historical fiction is my favorite genre, but I read so much I'm having a hard time thinking of something specific. Hmmmm - a quick look at my bookshelves (I only keep books that I LOVE):
The Living by Annie Dillard The Freshour Cylinders by Speer Morgan Wild Life by Molly Gloss Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson Possession by A.S. Byatt The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton by Jane Smiley The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger Ragtime E.L. Doctorow
and it goes without saying, any and all other books written by the same authors.
anything at all by Louise Erdrich - some are very historic while others mix modern/historic. I own ALL of her books. Maybe have a special love for The Master Butcher's Singing Club.
I have Dark Matter by Phillip Kerr waiting to be read, great reviews but I haven't read it yet.
If you haven't yet discovered the Flavia de Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley, you're in for a treat. Set in the 1950s, so not super historic, but still . . .
The Victorian period William Monk mysteries by Anne Perry . . .
The feudal Japan mysteries by Laura Joh Rowland
There are zillions more, of course, these are just what are out on my bookshelves now.
I'm also a lover of historical fiction. If you like historical fiction thrillers/mysteries, you really have to check out C.J. Sansom's Shardlake series! Set during the time of Henry VIII's reign. I loved all 5!
Dissolution
Dark Fire
Soverign
Revelation
Heartstone
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Bump!
with Edgar Allen Poe woven throughout. I don't remember it all that well (not the best memory lately) but I remember thinking it was extremely well written and also provided some nice historical background.
