Charlie Harris from the best-selling "Cat in the Stacks" series by Miranda James

Last week, during one of my volunteer stints at the reference desk at Athena Public Library, a woman came to the desk and asked for recommendations. She was looking for historical mysteries, and since I love reading historical mysteries, I had no trouble talking to her about them. She wanted to know what my most favorite historical mysteries are, and I gave her a list. Others have since asked to see the list, so here it is. The books are in no particular order, except for number one, basically as they came to mind.

1. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters -- the first Amelia Peabody novel
2. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters -- the first Brother Cadfael novel
3. The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry -- the first William Monk/Hester Latterly novel
4. Catilina's Riddle by Steven Saylor -- the third Gordianus the Finder novel
5. Dissolution by C. J. Sansom -- the first Matthew Shardlake novel
6. Cursed in the Blood by Sharan Newman -- the fifth Catherine le Vendeur novel
7. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winsper -- the first Maisie Dobbs novel
8. The Murder Stone by Charles Todd -- a standalone
9. Alexandria by Lindsey Davis -- the nineteenth Marcus Didius Falco novel
10. The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller -- the first Laurence Bartram novel
11. A Mortal Bane by Roberta Gellis -- the first Magdalene la Batarde novel
12. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen -- the first Lady Georgie novel
13. Remedy for Treason by Caroline Roe -- the first Isaac of Girona novel
14. A Famine of Horses by P.F. Chisholm -- the first Sir Robert Carey novel
15. Hearts and Bones by Margaret Lawrence -- the first Hannah Trevor novel
    
16. The Anatomist's Wife by Anna Lee Huber -- the first Lady Darby novel
17. India Black by Carol K. Carr -- the first India Black novel
18. O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King -- the fifth Mary Russell novel
19. Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn -- the first Lady Julia Grey novel
20. The Vanished Child by Sarah Smith -- the first Alexander von Reisden novel

I could have given her more, but I thought twenty was a fair start. One of the joys of being a librarian is being able to share the books you love with readers who are looking for good books. I dare say that the woman to whom I give the list might not like every book or author on it, but she ought to a lot of excellent reading here.

What are your favorite historical mysteries?