# Historical murder mystery novels -- obscure places/time, with humor! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [September 13, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216 "2024-09-13T15:42:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/1 "2024-09-13T15:42:13Z")
Murder mysteries set in historical eras are always a good read if well researched and written. There are multiple ones set in ancient Rome, for example, or Regency England. But what about times and places not usually mined for stories? And it’s especially delightful when the author can weave humor into the narrative. I’ve just downloaded the eighth book in the [Master Mercurius mysteries series by Graham Brack.](https://www.goodreads.com/series/285508-master-mercurius-mysteries) They’re first-person narratives by a now-elderly professor at the University of Leiden in the era of Louis IV of France and James II of England. The tales of murder and sleuthing amid the events and daily life of that time are leavened with sly wit. I just read the prologue to this latest volume and laughed, yes, out loud at several points in those few pages. Start of the first chapter: “It is, of course, a great sin to rejoice at the misfortune of others, but when I heard that Albrecht, the kitchen master at the university, had injured his arm and would be unable to cook for a while (I use the word ‘cook’ in its loosest sense where Albrecht is concerned) I cannot deny that my heart gave a little skip. Albrecht is a man who can flambe a salad…” Graham Brack also writes modern-era police procedural thrillers with a Czech detective protagonist, books with a very different tone. They’re also good, but the Master Mercurius series is truly a pleasure to read. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/2 "2024-09-13T19:57:47Z")
My favorite is _Death Comes As the End_, set in Ancient Egypt and not coincidentally one of only four Agatha Christie novels that has never been filmed. Not a lot of humor, but it does have some nice romance, and it’s an interesting and unusual setting for a murder mystery. Christie based it on actual letters found in an Egyptian tomb. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/3 "2024-09-13T22:05:42Z")
Too late to edit, it was Louis the XIV. How does the Agatha Christie hold up as a mystery and a read overall? I’ve read the first chapter of the Master Mercurius book and it’s just as delightful as the first seven in the series. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/4 "2024-09-13T22:37:20Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > How does the Agatha Christie hold up as a mystery and a read overall? I thought it was a good mystery. I didn’t predict the ending. I’ve not read it for decades, but I could sketch out the plot pretty easily. That to me is the mark of a good read. There are other Christie novels that I can’t remember the plot at all. In fact, I bought one a few months ago because it didn’t sound familiar. It took me a couple of chapters before I went, “Oh, yeah, I’ve read this one.” ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/5 "2024-09-13T22:37:52Z")
I highly recommend Alan Gordon’s excellent [Fools’ Guild](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S45JKKY?binding=kindle_edition&searchxofy=true&ref_=dbs_s_aps_series_rwt_tkin&qid=1726266210&sr=8-1) mysteries (series completed), set in 13th century Europe and Scandinavia. They’re funny, well-written, and attend to historical detail. The series only improves as it goes on. Allison Montclair’s [Sparks & Bainbridge](https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07STWRG6H/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=86eb4fa9-60fa-49f8-a469-02ebd9365b5e&ref_=ap_rdr) mysteries (series ongoing) are set in London just after WWII. Also funny, well-written, and historically accurate (and also Alan Gordon under a pen name). Some similarities to T.E. Kinsey’s [Lady Hardcastle](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074C6W8F7?binding=paperback&ref_=ast_author_bsi) mysteries (ongoing series) with two single women solving crimes, war-related intelligence background, but in my opinion, Gordon is a better writer and his characters have more depth. All three series are funny. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/6 "2024-09-13T22:39:52Z")
The Brother Cadfael series (set during the reign of King Stephen and the time of troubles) is very good. Not outright funny, but some wry humour. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/7 "2024-09-13T22:41:32Z")
Ah, I’ve read most if not all of the Cadfael books. They’re good, yes. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/8 "2024-09-13T23:11:04Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > I’ve just downloaded the eighth book in the [Master Mercurius mysteries series by Graham Brack.](https://www.goodreads.com/series/285508-master-mercurius-mysteries) I was intrigued by your excerpt, and tried to find them as audiobooks. Rats, not on my library sites. But the first three are available on _Libro.fm_, and currently riding the waves of wi-fi towards my home. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/9 "2024-09-13T23:18:23Z")
Excellent! I hope you enjoy them. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/10 "2024-09-13T23:30:16Z")
_A Cadenza for Caruso_ and _Prima Donna at Large_, both by Barbara Paul, both set during the 1920’s at the Met in New York City, featuring opera stars Enrico Caruso and Geraldine Farrar as amateur detectives. Both have plenty of humor, especially the second. Recommended. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/11 "2024-09-14T01:30:45Z")
_The Name of the Rose_ is good ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/12 "2024-09-14T02:42:57Z")
I always recommend _The Athenian Murders_ by Jose Carlos Somoza. It’s about a detective in ancient Athens investigating the murder of one of Plato’s students. It’s suspenseful, funny, and has one _hell_ of a twist. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/13 "2024-09-14T18:24:07Z")
Thanks for telling me about the Master Mercurius series. It’s on my Audible wish list now. The sample I heard made me want to listen to the whole set. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/14 "2024-09-14T19:04:35Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > _The Name of the Rose_ is good And the film was excellent! [The Name of the Rose (1986) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091605/) ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2024, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-murder-mystery-novels-obscure-places-time-with-humor/1007216/15 "2024-09-15T00:19:19Z")
You won’t regret it! I’m further into the eighth book (“The Moers Murders”) now, and impatient to get back to it when I finish some other stuff I must do first.