10 Favorite Historical Mystery Series
What Cozy Mystery Series Should I Try Next?
I love reading cozy mysteries, particularly those set in the distant past, before television and electronics triumphed over leisurely dinners and evenings of conversation. And I especially adore returning to a much-enjoyed series like the ones I’ve listed below.
I love historic cozies because there’s something about diving into the protagonist’s community, eavesdropping on the protagonist’s inner thoughts, and watching her (because cozy protagonists are mostly women) solve what at first seems to be an unsolvable crime.
Get G.P. Gottlieb’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
And there’s nothing better than knowing that the heroine’s story won’t cease when I get to the end of the book. That only works when it’s part of a series. These are ten series that I go back to again and again:
- Elizabeth Peters, Amelia Peabody Series, 20 adventure novels with a strong, intelligent female lead, set in Victorian England and Egypt. I love the crisp language, the intriguing historical details, and the vivid descriptions.
- Jacqueline Winspear, Maisie Dobbs Series, 18 nearly-cozy, always interesting novels set in 1920s and 30s post-WWI England. Maisie has a winning personality and fabulous trajectory, starting out as a housemaid, then becoming psychologist, and later she turns into a sleuth.
- Jennifer Ashley, Below Stairs Kate Halloway Mystery Series, 9+ sweet novels about a young cook in Victorian England who bakes seedcakes, has a boyfriend, and solves crimes. Kate is kind, gentle, and has a positive attitude, but she’s suffered. Reading one of these novels is both calming and inspires me to get up and bake.
- Kathleen Kaska, The Sydney Lockhart Mysteries, 7 novels focused on a reporter-turned-sleuth in 1950s America who visits various hotels around the American South and is continually called upon to solve a crime or two. I’m a big fan of smart and competent women like Sydney, who manage to get their way in a culture that, like many other cultures, demeaned women and their abilities. Also, she’s about my mom’s age!
- Laurie R. King, Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes Mysteries, 19 early 20th century sort-of-cozy novels (no blood or guts) filled with witty conversations, complex situations, and the novice helper turned wife, Mary Russell. These books are riveting, but I say “sort-of-cozy” because some of the crimes border on gruesome, and the danger is sometimes scarier than in a fully-cozy mystery.
- Lindsey Davis, The Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries, 20 novels about a clever, smartass 1st Century sleuth wondering around the Roman empire. I enjoy detailed descriptions of everything from clothes and food to architecture and travel, but I’m always most interested in the class structure of the period. I also like Davis’s Flavia Albia Mysteries, about Marcus’s smart and beautiful adopted daughter who continues his work in uncovering crime. These are riveting characters from a long gone world.
- Martin Walker, Bruno, Chief of Police Mysteries, 20 food-focused novels featuring a professional police officer, Bruno Courreges, who lives in a small village in the Dordogne region of France and deals with complex crimes. No matter how difficult his day is, Bruno finds time to make the correct wine-paring for whatever he’s planning to serve for dinner. Reading one of these books always feels like a quick vacation in France (except nobody is rude to American tourists).
- Rhys Bowen, Her Royal Spyness Series, 17 novels set in 1930s England, about a charming and witty young spy who continuously bumps into disturbing situations despite being distantly related to the King. She’s an adorable character and I love the breezy language. I’ve enjoyed some of Bowen’s other novels, but this series is my favorite.
- Sherry Thomas, The Lady Sherlock Mysteries, 9 novels about a Victorian detective named Charlotte Holmes, who pretends an imaginary male relative is doing the actual sleuthing from his bed (since women are not allowed much leeway). Not sure why I enjoy these books so much — after all, Holmes is the invention of another author, but Thomas does a good job of reinventing the character into someone with something to say to women.
- Tasha Alexander, Lady Emily Series, 17+ novels set in 19th century Victorian England and Europe revolving around an intelligent and independent aristocratic woman who keeps stumbling across crimes despite being in high society. Love the lush descriptions of clothing and manners, not to mention the steamy (but cozy) romance.
I go back to these mysteries when I’m looking for an intriguing read without gratuitous violence, gore, or sex, and characters I’ve come to know over the years. These are well-written, thoughtful mysteries with just a sweet dallop of romance — my favorite kind of reading.
The only challenge is remembering where I am in the series. I’ve already screwed up a few times by purchasing books I’ve already read. But if a year goes by, I might not remember if Kate Halloway had to find a new position or how close Her Royal Spyness, Georgie got to marrying someone unsuitable.
It’s always a toss-up — start a new series or go back to the comfort of old friends. Now that I’ve compiled this list, I might as well go with nostalgia. And anyway, I’ve missed Sydney Lockhart and wonder what she’s up to these days!
What author or series would you add to my list?
G.P. Gottlieb is the author of the Charred: A Whipped & Sipped Mystery (Anamcara Press, 2026), the third in her culinary cozy mystery series set in Chicago, following Battered, #1 and Smothered, #2. Pounded, Book #4 in the series, will launch later in 2026. Gottlieb is on the board of Sisters in Crime Chicagoland and a member of SinC Colorado, MWA, and Blackbird Writers. As host for New Books in Literature, a podcast channel on the New Books Network, she has interviewed nearly 280 authors. If you enjoy cozy, culinary mysteries set in Chicago, the Whipped & Sipped Mysteries invite you into a world of friendship, coffee, pastries, and crime-solving without nightmares.
