BookGuide - Lincoln City Libraries - Booklist: "Murder by Gaslight! A Victorian Mystery Fiction Booklist"

The Victorian Era marked the height of the British Empire. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing, social institutions began to change, art flourished, new inventions appeared and society was rigidly divided by class. The spectrum of wealth and privilege was considerable, ranging from grinding poverty to large wealthy households with servants. A code of strict morals and behaviors developed that would forever be associated with "Victorians."

Mystery novels found their origin and gained popularity during this time. Modern day authors have been drawn to this time period as a setting for their novels also. Though generally speaking, the Victorian Era describes the time covering the reign of Queen Victoria in Britain [from 1837 to 1901], we've expanded our scope to include mysteries set in other countries during this same time period, and for a short time after.

Some of the following novels are "stand alones", while many are entries in popular on-going series. In the cases of stand-alone novels, individual titles are in alphabetical order following the author's name. In the case of series, the novels are arranged in "series order" following the name of the series. There may be titles in this list which are not currently owned by the Lincoln City Libraries. These appear here for the sake of providing complete series listings, or to identify classic Victorian Mysteries which are now out-of-print. All books owned by Lincoln City Libraries are hotlinked to their entries in our library catalog, so that you may check on their current availability. If you see a title on this list that is not hotlinked to our collection, please consider ordering it through our Interlibrary Loan department.

This is, by no means, an all-encompassing list of Victorian Mysteries -- it is primarily a list of recommended titles available through our library system. You can find additional titles by doing a catalog "subject" search under Mysteries, Historical -- Victorian. You may also wish to visit our booklist Elementary..., an exhaustive list of Sherlock Holmes follow-ups, parodies and pastiches, most of which are set in the Victorian period.

Murder by Gaslight!
Victorian Mystery Fiction

AUTHOR	SERIES and/or TITLE [DATE]	SETTING
Ackroyd, Peter	Trial of Elizabeth Cree [1995]	1800s England
Aiken, Joan	Castle Barebane [1976]	1800s Scotland
Akunin, Boris	The Ernst Fandorin Series -- Winter Queen [2003] -- Turkish Gambit [2005] -- Murder on the Leviathan [2004] -- Death of Achilles [2005]	1876-1878 Various - Moscow, Russia, Turkey
Atwood, Margaret	Alias Grace [1996]	1800s Canada
Barnes, Julian	Arthur and George [2006]	1800s England
Barron, Stephanie	A Flaw in the Blood [2008]	1860s England
Barton, Wayne	Lockhart's Nightmare [1998]	1880s USA
Bayard, Louis	Mr. Timothy [2003]	1860 Scotland
	The Pale Blue Eye [2006]	1862 Scotland
Black, Michelle	Solomon Spring [2002]	1878 USA - Kansas
Black, Laura	Glendraco [1977]
	Wild Cat [1979]
Blaine, Michael	Midnight Band of Mercy [2004]	1893 USA - New York
Blake, Jennifer	Midnight Waltz [1984]	1846 USA - New York
Bloch, Robert	American Gothic [1974]	1893 USA - Chicago
	Night of the Ripper [1984]	1888 England - London
Bowen, Rhys	The Molly Murphy Series -- Murphy's Law [2001] -- Death of Riley [2002] -- For the Love of Mike [2003] -- In Like Flynn [2004] -- Oh Danny Boy [2006] -- In Dublin's Fair City [2007] -- Tell Me, Pretty Lady [2008]	1860s Starts in Ireland/England, moves to New York
Boylan, Clare	Emma Brown [2003]
Brightwell, Emily	The Mrs. Jeffries Series -- Mrs. Jeffries Dusts for Clues [1993] -- Mrs. Jeffries Questions the Answer [1997] -- Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Stage [1997] -- Mrs. Jeffries Reveals her Art [1998] -- Mrs. Jeffries Takes the Cake [1998] -- Mrs. Jeffries Rocks the Boat [1999] -- Mrs. Jeffries Weeds the Plot [2000] -- Mrs. Jeffries Pinches the Post [2001] -- Mrs. Jeffries Stalks the Hunter [2004] -- Mrs. Jeffries Sweeps the Chimney [2004] -- Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight [2005] -- Mrs. Jeffries Appeals the Verdict [2006] -- Mrs. Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans [2007]	1800s England - London
Busch, Fred	Night Inspector [1999]	1867 USA - New York

Butler, Gwendoline	The John Coffin Series -- Death Lives Next Door [1960] -- Coffin Waiting [1964] -- Coffin Underground [1988] -- Coffin in Fashion [1990] -- Coffin in the Museum of Crime [1989] -- Coffin and the Paper Man [1991] -- Coffin on Murder Street [1991] -- Cracking Open a Coffin [1992] -- A Coffin for Charley [1993] -- the Coffin Tree [1994] -- A Dark Coffin [1995] -- Coffin's Game [1997] -- A Grave Coffin [1998] -- Coffin's Ghost [1999] -- Coffin Knows the Answer [2003]	1800s England
Carey, Peter	Jack Maggs [1998]	1837 England/Australia
Carr, Caleb	The Alienist [1994]	late 1800s USA - New York
	Angel of Darkness [1997]	1895 USA - New York
	The Italian Secretary [2005]	1800s USA - New York
Carr, John D.	Scandal at High Chimneys [1959]	1863 England
	Hungry Goblin [1972]	1865 England
Chance, Megan	An Inconvenient Wife [2004]	late 1800s USA - New York
Clark, Clare	The Great Stink [2005]	1850s England - London
Clarke, Anne	Lady in Black [1977]	1882 England
Cohen, Paula	Grammercy Park [2002]	1894 USA - New York
Collins, Wilkie	-- Armadale [1866] -- Basil [1852] -- Dead Street [1857] -- Haunted Hotel [1878] -- Hide and Seek [1854] -- The Law and the Lady [1875] -- The Moonstone [1868] -- No Name [1862?] -- Poor Miss Finch [1872] -- The Queen of Hearts [1859] -- A Rogue's Life [1879] -- The Woman in White [1860]
Compton, Ralph	Death Rides a Chestnut Mare [1999]	1800s USA -west
Cooper, Lynna	Hour of the Harp [1975]
Cox, Michael	Meaning of Night [2006]
Crabbe, Richard	Empire of Shadows [2003]	1889 USA - Adirondacks
Crichton, Michael	Great Train Robbery [1994]	1855 England
Crider, Bill	Galveston Gunman [1988]	1800s USA - Texas
Day, Dianne	Cut to the Heart [2002]	1860s USA - Hilton Head
Defoe, Gideon	Pirates! An Adventure With Scientists [2004]	1880s England - London
Desjardins, Maurice	Devil's Alibi [2004]	1800s USA - South Carolina
Dexter, Colin	The Wench is Dead [1991]	1800s England (also modern)
Dibdin, Michael	Rich, Full Death [1988]	1855 Florence
Dickinson, David	The Lord Francis Powerscourt Series -- Death of an Old Master [2004] -- Death on the Nevskii Prospekt [2007]	1899 England - London
Disney, Doris M.	At Some Forgotten Door [1966]	1886 USA - Connecticut
Donnelly, Jennifer	Tea Rose [2003]	1888 England - London
Douglas, Carole	Spider Dance [2004]	1889 USA - New York

Doyle, Arthur Conan	The Sherlock Holmes Series -- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes [1892] -- The Adventure of the Speckled Band -- The Case of the Five Orange Pips -- Famous Tales of Sherlock Holmes -- The Hound of the Baskervilles [1902] -- The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes [1894] -- The Musgrave Ritual -- The Return of Sherlock Holmes [1905] -- The Sign of the Four [1890] -- A Study in Scarlet [1887] -- The Valley of Fear [1915] Other non-Sherlock Holmes Stories -- The Captain of the Polestar and Other Tales [1890] -- The Doings of Raffles Haw [1892] -- The Lost World [1912] -- Masterworks of Crime and Mystery -- Micah Clarke [1889] -- The Mystery of Cloomber [1889] -- The White Company [1891]	late 1800s England
Finch, Charles	A Beautiful Blue Death [2007]	1865 England
Fowler, Karen	Sister Noon [2001]	1890 USA - San Francisco
Frost, Mark	List of Seven [1993]	1880s England
	6 Messiahs [1996]	1880s USA - New York
Gardner, Ashley	Glass House [2004]	1800s England - London
	Sudbury School Murders [2005]
Goodwin, Jason	The Janissary Tree [2006]	1836 Turkey
Granger, Ann	The Companion [2007]	1860s England - London
Gray, John M.	Fiend in Human [2002]	1850s England - London
	White Stone Day [2004]	1850s England - London
Hall, Oakley	The Ambrose Bierce Series -- Ambrose Bierce and the Death of Kings [2001] -- Ambrose Bierce and the One Eyed Jacks [2003] -- Ambrose Bierce and the Trey of Pearls [2004]	1890s USA - San Francisco
Hambly, Barbara	The Benjamin January Series -- Free Man of Color [1997] -- Fever Season [1998] -- Graveyard Dust [1999] -- Sold Down the River [2000] -- Die Upon a Kiss [2001] -- Wet Grave [2002] -- Days of the Dead [2003] -- Dead Water [2004] The Emancipator's Wife [2005] (not Benjamin January)	1830s USA - New Orleans
Harris, Jane	The Observations [2006]	1863 Scotland
Harrison, Ray	The Sgt. Bragg/Constable Morton Series -- Death of an Honorable Member [1984] -- Death of a Dancing Lady [1985] -- Death Watch [1985] -- Counterfeit of Murder [1986] -- Season for Death [1987] -- Harvest of Death [1988] -- Tincture of Death [1989] -- Patently Murder [1991]	1890s England
Hatvary, George	Murder of Edgar Allen Poe [1997]	mid-1800s USA
Haviland, Diana	Death on the Ladies Mile [2006]	1880s
Heck, Peter	The Mark Twain mysteries Series -- Death on the Mississippi [1995] -- A Connecticut Yankee in Criminal Court [1996] -- The Prince and the Prosecutor [1997] -- Tom's Lawyer [2001]	1890s USA
Hervey, Evelyn	Governess [1983]	1870s England
	Man of Gold [1985]	1870s England
	Into the Valley of Death [1986]	1870s England
Hickam, Homer	Keeper's Son [2003]	1841 USA - South Carolina
Hilton, John B.	Gamekeeper's Gallows [1976]	1877 England
Hitchcock, Jane	Social Crimes [2002]	USA - New York
Hjorstberg, William	Nevermore [1994]	1800s USA
Hockensmith, David	Devil's Acre [2003]	1890s USA - Dakotas
Holman, Sheri	Dress Lodger [1999]	1831 England
Hunter, Evan	Lizzie [1984]	1890 USA - Massachusetts
Jennings, Maureen	Except the Dying [1997]	1895 Canada - Toronto
	Under the Dragons Tail [1998]
	Poor Tom is Cold [2001]
Jones, Robert F.	Deadville [1998]	1833 USA
Knight, Alanna	Enter Second Murderer [1988]	1890s USA - New York
	Blood Line [1989]
Kruger, Mary	Masterpiece of Murder [1997]
Kurland, Michael	Empress of India [2006]	1890s England

Lee, Wendi W.	Cannon's Revenge [1995]	late 1800s USA
Leonard, Elmore	Cuba Libre [1998]	1898 USA/Cuba
Linscott, Gillian	Murder I Presume [1992]	1874 Biarritz
Lovesey, Peter	The Sergeant Cribb Series -- Wobble to Death [1970] -- The Detective Wore Silk Drawers [1971] -- Abracadaver [1972] -- Mad Hatter's Holiday [1973] -- Swing, Swing, Together [1976]	1880s England
	The Prince Albert, 'Bertie' Series -- Bertie and the Tinman [1987] -- Bertie and the Seven Bodies [1990] -- Bertie and the Crime of Passion [1994]	1886-1891 England (London) and France (Paris)
Marshall, William	Faces in the Crowd [1991]	1800s USA
Mason, Daniel	Piano Tuner [2002]	1886 Burma
Matsuoka, Takasi	Cloud of Sparrows [2003]	1861 Japan
	Autumn Bridge [2005]	1860s Japan
McCrumb, Sharyn	Ballad of Frankie Silver [1998]	1830 USA - North Carolina
McKinney, Meagan	Fortune Hunter [1998]	1880s USA - New York
	Moonlight Becomes Her [2002]
Michaels, Barbara	Wings of the Falcon [1977]	1880 Italy
	Other Worlds [1999]	Victorian England
Moore, Brian	Magician's Wife [1998]	1850s France/Africa
Moquist, Richard	Eye of the Agency [1997]	1800s USA
Myers, Amy	Murder in Pug's Parlor [1987]	1800s England - London
	Murder Makes an Entree [1992]
O'Connor, Joseph	Star of the Sea [2003]	1847 [At Sea]
Onan, Stewart	Prayer for the Dying [1999]	1870s USA - Wisconsin
Paige, Robin	The Kathryn Ardleigh and Charles Sheridan Series -- Death at Bishop's Keep [1994] -- Death at Gallows Green [1995] -- Death at Daisy's Folly [1997] -- Death at Devil's Bridge [1998] -- Death at Rottingdean [1999] -- Death at Dartmoor [2002] -- Death at Glamis [2003] -- Death at Hyde Park [2004]	1890s England
Palliser, Charles	Unburied [1998]	1870s England
Palmer, William	The Mr. Dickens Series -- The Detective and Mr. Dickens [1990] -- The Highwayman and Mr. Dickens [1992] -- The Hoydens and Mr. Dickens [1997] -- The Dons and Mr. Dickens [2000]	1849-1853 England (some at Oxford)
Parker, Ann	Silver Lies [2003] Iron Ties [2006]	1879 USA - Colorado
Peale, Cynthia	The Beacon Hill Series -- The Death of Colonel Mann [2000] -- Murder at Bertram's Bower [2001] -- The White Crow [2002]	Victorian Boston
Pearl, Matthew	The Dante Club [2003]	1865 USA - Boston
	The Poe Shadow [2006]	1865 USA - New York
Perez-Reverte, Arturo	Fencing Master [1999]	1868 Spain
Perry, Anne	The Thomas and Charlotte Pitt Series -- Cater Street Hangman [1979] -- Callander Square [1980] -- Paragon Walk [1981] -- Resurrection Row [1981] -- Rutland Place [1983] -- Bluegate Fields [1984] -- Death in the Devil's Acre [1985] -- Cardington Crescent [1987] -- Silence in Hanover Close [1988] -- Bethlehem Road [1990] -- Face of a Stranger [1990] -- Highgate Rise [1991] -- Belgrave Square [1992] -- Farrier's Lane [1993] -- Hyde Park Headsman [1994] -- Traitor's Gate [1995] -- Pentecost Alley [1996] -- Ashforth Hall [1997] -- Brunswick Gardens [1998] -- Bedford Square [1999] -- Half Moon Street [2000] -- The Whitechapel Conspiracy [2001] -- Southampton Row [2002] -- Seven Dials [2003] -- Long Spoon Lane [2004] -- Buckingham Palace Gardens [2008]	late 1800s England
	The William Monk and Hester Latterly Series -- A Dangerous Mourning [1991] -- Defend and Betray [1992] -- A Sudden Fearful Death [1993] -- Sins of the Wolf [1994] -- Cain His Brother [1995] -- Weighed in the Balance [1996] -- Silent Cry [1997] -- Breach of Promise [1998] -- The Twisted Root [1999] -- Slaves of Obsession [2000] -- Funeral in Blue [2001] -- Death of a Stranger [2002] -- The Shifting Tide [2004] -- Dark Assassin [2005]	mid-1800s England (Slaves of Obsessions is 1862 US)

Peters, Elizabeth	The Amelia Peabody Series -- Crocodile on the Sandbank [1975] -- Curse of the Pharaohs [1981] -- Mummy Case [1985] -- Lion in the Valley [1986] -- Deeds of the Disturber [1988] -- The Last Camel Died at Noon [1991] -- The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog [1991] -- The Hippopatamus Pool [1996] (the rest of the Amelia Peabody series takes place after the Victorian Era)	1884-1901 Egypt/Sudan/London
Peterson, Audrey	An Unmourned Death [2003]	1885 England - London
Phillips, Scott	Cottonwood [2004]	1872 USA - Kansas
Raybourn, Deanna	The Lady Julia Grey Series -- Silent in the Grave [2007] -- Silent in the Sanctuary [2008]	Mid-1800s England
Robinson, Suzanne	The Rescue [1998]	Victorian England
Rogow, Roberta	Problem of the Missing Miss [1998]	1885 England - Brighton
	Problem of the Spiteful Spiritualist [1999]	1885 England - Brighton
	Problem of the Evil Editor [2000]	1885 England - Portsmouth
Rowland, Laura Joh	The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte [2008]	early-to-mid 1800s England
Ruddick, James	Death at the Priory [2001] [True Crime - 364.152 Rud]	Victorian England
Ryman, Rebecca	Shalimar [1999]	Victorian India
Scarborough, Elizabeth	Lady in the Loch [1998]	1800s Scotland - Edinburgh
Schechter, Harold	Nevermore [1999]	1830s USA - Baltimore
	Hum Bug [2001]	1844 USA - New York
	Mask of Red Death [2004]	1845 USA - New York
Selwyn, Francis	Cracksman on Velvet [1974]	1800s England
	Sgt. Verity and the Imperial Diamond [1975]	1800s India
	Sgt. Verity Presents His Compliments [1977]	1800s England
Sherburne, James	Death's Gray Angel [1981]	1890s USA - Kansas
	Death's Clenched Fist [1982]	1890 USA - New York
Sickels, Noette	Shopkeeper's Wife [1998]	1886 USA - Philadelphia
Silvas, Randall	On Night's Shore [2000]	1840 USA - New York
	Disquiet Heart [2002]	1847 USA - Pittsburgh
Soos, Troy	Island of Tears [2001]	1892 USA - Ellis Island
	Gilded Cage [2002]	1893 USA - New York
Stubbs, Jean	Dear Laura [1973]	1890s England - London
Symons, Julian	Blackheath Poisonings [1978]	1890s England - London
	Sweet Adelaide [1980]	1890s England - London
	Detling Secret [1982]	1890s England - London
Tallman, Shirley	Murder on Nob Hill [2004]	1880s USA - San Francisco
	Russian Hill Murders [2005]
Thomas, Will	The Cyrus Barker Series -- Some Danger Involved [2004] -- To Kingdom Come [2005] -- The Limehouse Text [2006] -- The Hellfire Conspiracy [2007]	1880s England - London
Thompson, Victoria	Murder on Bank Street [2008]	Turn of the century New YOrk
Trow, M.J.	The Inspector Lestrade Series -- The Supreme Adventure of Inspector Lestrade [1985] -- Brigade: The Further Adventures of Inspector Lestrade [1986] -- Lestrade and the Hallowed House [1987] -- Lestrade and the Brother of Death [1988] -- Lestrade and the Ripper [1988] -- Lestrade and the Guardian Angel [1990] -- Lestrade and the Deadly Game [1990] -- Lestrade and the Gift of the Prince [1991] -- Lestrade and the Magpie [1991] -- Lestrade and the Dead Man's Hand [1992] -- Lestrade and the Sign of Nine [1992] -- Lestrade and the Sawdust Ring [1993] -- Lestrade and the Devil's Acre [1996]	1891-1910 England
Waters, Sarah	Affinity [1999]	1870s England - London
	Fingersmith [2002]	1862 England - London
West, Paul	Women of Whitechapel and Jack [1998]	1800s England - London
White, Jenny	The Sultan's Seal [2006]	1886 Istanbul
Wiggs, Susan	The Firebrand [2001]	1800s USA - Chicago
Wikarski, Nancy	Fall of White City [2003]	1890s USA - Chicago
Williams, Gerard	Dr. Mortimer and the Aldgate Mystery [2003]	1890s USA - Chicago
Wilson, James	Dark Clue [2001]	late 1800s England - London
Zimler, Richard	Hunting Midnight [2003]	1800s Portugal

Numerous anthologies of Victorian Era mysteries have been published, many with a focus on Sherlock Holmes. Here are a few titles available at the libraries:

813.08 Doz	Ripper
813.08 Gre	Red Jack
813.08 Gre	Murder, My Dear Watson

Original print booklist is forthcoming - rs
Adapted for the web March 2007 sdc
Last updated June 2008 rs/sdc

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