LEONARDO DA VINCI (1452-1519)
In this trio of books by Martin Woodhouse & Robert Ross, Machiavellian intrigue abounds as Leonardo, artist, court engineer and trusted agent of Lorenzo de Medici, adds sleuthing to his impressive résumé.as he takes on all manner of villains.

The Medici Guns (Dutton, 1975)
The Medici Emerald (Dutton, 1976)
The Medici Hawks (Dutton, 1978)

In 2008, Diane A. S. Stuckart began a series featuring Leonardo and his able apprentice, Dino.

The Queen's Gambit (BPC, 2008)
Portrait of a Lady (BPC, 2009)

ELIZABETH I (1533-1603)
Karen Harper brings to life a spirited young Elizabeth, who, assisted by look-alike herbalist Meg Milligrew, and enterprising actor Ned Topside, take on the dastardly deed-doers of the 16th century while struggling to hold onto her crown.

The Poyson Garden. (Delacorte, 1999)
The Tidal Pool. (Delacorte, 2000)
The Twylight Tower. (Delacorte, 2001)
The Queene's Cure. (Delacorte, 2002)
The Thorne Maze. (T. Dunne, 2003)
The Fyre Mirror. (T. Dunne, 2005)
The Fatal Fashione. (T. Dunne, 2006)
The Hooded Hawke. (T. Dunne, 2007)

SIR ROBERT CAREY (c.1560--1639)
Robert Carey was the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth I's first cousin, Henry Carey. After serving in the military in defense of his nation against the Spanish Armada and with the Earl of Essex in a campaign to Normandy, he was knighted. he later became the 1st Earl of Monmoth. In this mystery series by P. F. Chisholm, Carey is dispatched to the much disputed English-Scotish border where he often has a hard time telling friend from foe.

A Famine of Horses. (Walker, 1995)
A Season of Knives. (H&S, 1995)
A Surfeit of Guns. (Walker, 1997)
A Plague of Angels. (Poisoned Pen, 2000, 1998)

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1706-1790)
It's hard to put anything past the inventor of the stove! In this series by Robert L. Hall, Ben uses his scientific skills and keen wit to solve the crime.

Benjamin Franklin Takes the Case (St. Martin's, 1988)
Benjamin Franklin and a Case of Christmas Murder (St. Martin's, 1990)
Murder at Drury Lane (St. Martin's, 1992)
Benjamin Franklin and a Case of Artful Murder (St. Martin's, 1994)
Murder By the Waters (St. Martin's, 1995)
London Blood (St. Martin's, 1997)

IMMANUEL KANT (1724--1804)
Faced with a series of murders spreading terror in the city of Konigsberg, young magistrate Hanno Stiffeniis calls upon his former mentor, the great philosopher Immanuel Kant, for assistance in Michael Gregorio's Critique of Human Reason (T. Dunne, 2006) .

SIR JOHN FIELDING (1721-1780)
Sir John Fielding was the younger half-brother of novelist Henry (Tom Jones) Fielding. Although an accident left him blind at an early age, Sir John served as a judge, and co-founded the Bow Street Runners--the first established London police force. In this series by Bruce Alexander, Sir John is portrayed as a fair and decent man who is committed to justice and uses his intellect & considerable powers of deduction to solve the most horrible of crimes, probing every stratum of London society to do so. He is aided by Jeremy Proctor, a 13-year-old orphaned printer's apprentice, who acts as his eyes.

Blind Justice (GPPS, 1994)
Murder in Grub Street (GPPS, 1995)
Watery Grave (GPPS, 1996)
Person or Person's Unknown (GPPS, 1997)
Jack, Knave & Fool (GPPS, 1998)
Death of a Colonial (GPPS, 1999)
The Color of Death (GPPS, 2000)
Smuggler's Moon (GPPS, 2001)
An Experiment in Treason (GPPS, 2002)
The Price of Murder (GPPS, 2003)
Rules of Engagement (GPPS, 2005)

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)
In the 1830s (hey, that's why it's called fiction) author Bernard Bastable (aka Robert Barbard) has Mozart giving young Princess Victoria (1819-1901) piano lessons and finding himself up to his ivories in mayhem.

Too Many Notes, Mr. Mozart (C&G, 1995)
Dead, Mr. Mozart (St. Martin's, 1995)

JANE AUSTEN (1775-1817)
Her novels may be genteel, but there is something not-very-nice afoot in Jane's real world in Stephanie Barron's new series.

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor (Bantam, 1996)
Jane and the Man of the Cloth (Bantam, 1997)
Jane and the Wandering Eye (bantam, 1998)
Jane and the Genius of the Place (Bantam, 1999)
Jane and the Stillroom Maid (bantam, 2000)
Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House (Bantam, 2001)
Jane and the Ghosts of Netley. (Bantam, 2003)
Jane and His Lordship's Legacy. (Bantam, 2005)
Jane and the Barque of Frailty (Bantam, 2006)

SIR WALTER SCOTT (1777-1832)
The man who brought sweeping romantic epics to the world has an adventure of his own thanks to Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. After he is appointed Sheriff of Edinburgh, Scott finds himself pitted against a Frankensteinian madman.

Lady in the Loch. (Ace, 1999)

BEAU BRUMMELL (1778-1840)
Rosemary Stevens brings to life George Bryon Brummell, the uncrowned king of genteel society in Regency England, who not only set the style for men's clothes for 20 years, but who proves adept at crime solving as well.

Death On a Silver Tray. (BPC, 2000)
The Tainted Snuff Box. (BPC, 2001)
The Bloody Cravat. (BPC, 2002)
Murder in the Pleasure Garden (BPC, 2003)

EDGAR ALLAN POE (1809-1849)
Poe's dark literary genius is well complimented by his talent for detection in these atmospheric tales by Harold Schechter which embroil Poe in mysteries every bit as bizarre as his own lurid stories.

Nevermore. (Pocket, 1999)
The Hum Bug. (Pocket, 2001)
The Mask of Red Death. (Ballantine, 2004)

CHARLES DICKENS (1812-1870)
William Palmer gives Dickens and fellow author, Wilkie Collins (who wrote one of the first mystery classics--The Woman in White), plenty of "background" for their novels as they become embroiled in the dark and dangerous underworld of Queen Victoria's London.

The Detective and Mr. Dickens (St. Martin's, 1990)
The Highwayman and Mr. Dickens (St. Martin's, 1992)
The Hoydens and Mr. Dickens (St. Martin's, 1996)
The Dons and Mr. Dickens (St. Martin's, 2000)

SAMUEL CLEMENS (1835-1910)
It is the 1890s and the most famous writer in America is flat broke. In these rollicking adventures by Peter J. Heck, Clemens (abetted by his loyal secretary, Wentworth Cabot, and on one occasion, none other than Rudyard Kipling) puts his talents and legendary gift of gab to the test when there is a murder to be solved.

Death on the Mississippi (BPC, 1995)
Connecticut Yankee in Criminal Court (BPC, 1996)
The Prince and the Prosecutor (BPC, 1997)
The Guilty Abroad (BPC, 1999)
The Mysterious Strangler. (BPC, 2000)
Tom's Lawyer (BPC, 2001)

AMBROSE BIERCE (1842-1914?)
In the 1870s, journalist Bierce is working for a newspaper in San Francisco when a serial killer dubbed the Morton Street Slasher--who leaves cards from the suit of spades on his victims-- terrorizes the city. Bierce and his young protege, Tom Redmond, set out to solve the case and uncover a tangled web of conspiracy and corruption. Written by Oakley Hall.

Ambrose Bierce and the Queen of Spades. (Univ, of CA,1998)
Ambrose Bierce and the Death of Kings. (Viking, 2001)
Ambrose Bierce and the One-Eyed Jacks (Viking, 2003)
Ambrose Bierce and the Trey of Pearls. (Viking, 2004)
Ambrose Bierce and the Ace of Shoots. (Viking, 2005)

OSCAR WILDE (1854-1900)
In this book by Walter Satterthwait, the flamboyant and witty Wilde finds that he is the prime suspect when a member of his entourage is murdered during his lecture tour of the American West.

Wilde West (St. Martin's, 1991)

Gyles Brandreth's series has Wilde calling upon his good friend Arthur Conan Doyle (who knows a thing or two about the art of detection; see below) when murder strikes in 1890s London.

Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance (Touchstone, 2007)
Oscar Wilde and a Game Called Murder. (Touchstone, 2008)

ALBERT, PRINCE OF WALES (1841-1910)
His mother did her share of crime-solving in her youth [see Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart] and now Peter Lovesey sets playboy Prince Albert (more familiarly known as "Bertie"), the future King Edward VII, off on some adventures of his own as things get unpleasant in Victorian times.

Bertie and the Tin Man (Mysterious, 1987)
Bertie and the Seven Bodies (Mysterious, 1990)
Bertie and the Crime of Passion (Mysterious, 1993)
"Bertie and the Boat Race" in Crime Through Time (BPC, 1997)

ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (1859-1930)
Mark Frost, the man who gave the world "Twin Peaks," brings his story-telling talents to these Victorian mysteries featuring struggling physician (and creator of Sherlock Homes), Arthur Conan Doyle.

The List of 7 (Morrow, 1993)
The 6 Messiahs (Morrow, 1995)

Doyle turns up again, this time in the company of Harry Houdini, for more murder most foul, courtesy of Walter Satterthwait.

Escapade (St. Martin's, 1995)
Masquerade (St. Martin's, 1998)

Houdini and Doyle team up again, along with psychoanalyst Nandor Fodor, and a mystery writer to solve a pair of mysteries involving families beset by poltergeist pranks and bewitched by inexplicable horrors in this book by Barbara Michaels.

Other Worlds (HarCol, 1999)

Still can't get enough of Doyle the Detective? In this series by Roberta Rogow, he teams up with Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) to take on the bad guys.

The Problem of the Missing Miss (St. Martin's, 1998)
The Problem of the Spiteful Spiritualist (St. Martin's, 1999)
The Problem of the Evil Editor (St. Martin's, 2000)
The Problem of the Surly Servant (St. Martin's, 2001)

BEATRIX POTTER (1866-1943)

Susan Wittig Albert , author of the China Bayles mystery series, travels across the sea and back in time to Near Sawrey, England, where Beatrix Potter has recently bought a farm. The mysteries are definitely on the "cozy" side, and Ms. Potter is given able assistance from the likes of Tom Thumb Mouse, and Josey and Mopsy Rabbit.

The Tale of Hill Top Farm (BPC, 2002)
The Tale of Holly How (BPC, 2005)
The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood (BPC, 2006)

ENRICO CARUSO (1873--1921)
and GERALDINE FARRAR (1882--1967)
Grand opera's "golden age" comes alive when the self-centered but lovable genius, Enrico Caruso, delves into some shady dealings. The second title in Barbara Paul's series introduces the daring & adventurous soprano, Geraldine Farrar. Together they make beautiful crime-solving music.

A Cadenza for Caruso (St. Martin's, 1984)
Prima Donna at Large (St. Martin's, 1985)
A Chorus of Detectives (St. Martin's, 1987)

GERTRUDE STEIN (1874--1946)
and ALICE B. TOKLAS (1877--1967)
Having inherited a sufficient income to live independently, author Stein settled in Paris. In 1903 she meets Toklas, who became her secretary, cook, closest companion and, in these novels by Samuel M. Steward, partner in crime-solving.

Murder is Murder is Murder (Alyson, 1985)
The Caravaggio Shawl (Alyson, 1989)

HARRY HOUDINI (1874--1926)
1897 New York City is teeming with hustlers, con artists, immigrants, and freshly-minted millionaires. It is also here that a rabbi's son who calls himself "Houdini" struggles to make it in the entertainment business while his skills as a magician and escape artist bring him to the attention of local detectives trying to solve the most puzzling murders. This series is by Daniel Stashower.

The Dime Murders (Avon, 1999)
The Floating Lady Murder (Avon, 2000)
The Houdini Specter (Avon, 2001)

THEODORE ROOSEVELT (1882-1945)
His days as a Rough Rider over, Theodore Roosevelt makes waves as the swashbuckling Police Commissioner of 1895 New York City in these bully stories by Lawrence Alexander

The Big Stick (Doubleday, 1986)
Speak Softly (Doubleday, 1987)

Commissioner Roosevelt also appears in Caleb Carr's The Alienist (RH, 1994) and The Angel of Darkness (RH, 1997), featuring criminal psychologist Laszio Kreizler.

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT (1884-1962)
Another Roosevelt who can't seem to steer clear of murder and mayhem (one wonders when Fala is going to get his series). Eleanor's adventures, written by her son, Elliott Roosevelt, began with Murder and the First Lady (1984). All center in and around Washington, DC. Titles marked with an asterisk (*) were written by William Harrington.

The Hyde Park Murder (St. Martin's, 1985)
Murder at Hobcaw Barony (St. Martin's, 1986)
White House Pantry Murder (St. Martin's, 1987)
Murder at the Palace (St. Martin's, 1987)
Murder in the Rose Garden (St. Martin's, 1989)
Murder in the Oval Office (St. Martin's, 1989)
Murder in the Blue Room (St. Martin's, 1990)
First Class Murder (St. Martin's, 1991)
Murder in the West Wing (St. Martin's, 1992)
Murder in the Red Room (St. Martin's, 1992)
Murder in the East Room (St. Martin's, 1993)
Murder in the Executive Mansion (St. Martin's, 1995)
Murder in the Chateau (St. Martin's, 1996)
Murder at Midnight (St. Martin's, 1997)
Murder in the Map Room (St. Martin's, 1998)
Murder in Georgetown (St. Martin's, 1999)
Murder in the Lincoln Bedroom (St. Martin's, 2000)
*Murder at The President's Door. (T. Dunne, 2001)

GROUCHO MARX (1890-1977)
This series by Ron Goulart has funny man Groucho Marx, and his scriptwriter Frank Denby-- who is an ex-crime reporter--doubling as crime-solvers in pre-WW II Hollywood.

Groucho Marx, Master Detective (St. Martin's, 1998)
Groucho Marx, Private Eye (St. Martin's, 1999)
Elementary, My Dear Groucho (Minotaur, 1999)
Groucho Marx and the Broadway Murders (Minotaur, 2001)
Groucho Marx, Secret Agent (Minotaur, 2002)
Groucho Marx, King of the Jungle (Minotaur, 2005)

STEVE ALLEN (1921--2000)
After he'd done just about everything else, comedian, composer, pianist, talk-show host, & television personality Steve Allen turned mystery writer in a series featuring himself and wife Jayne Meadows.

Murder on the Glitter Box (Kensington, 1989)
Murder in Manhattan (Zebra, 1990)
Murder in Vegas (Zebra, 1991)
The Murder Game (Kensington, 1993)
Murder on the Atlantic (Kensington, 1995)
Wake Up to Murder (Kensington, 1996)
Die Laughing (Kensington, 1998)
Murder in Hawaii (Kensington, 1999)

ELVIS PRESLEY (1935--1977)
He sings. He swings. He sleuths. he is none other than Elvis Presley, back from the army and ready to rock 'n roll, both on the stage and off in this series by Daniel Klein.

Kill Me Tender (St. Martin's, 2000)
Blue Suede Clues (Minotaur, 2002)
Viva Las Vengeance (Minotaur, 2003)
Such Vicious Minds (Minotaur, 2004)

ED KOCH (1924--)
He was one of the most colorful mayors in the history of new York City, so it probably comes as no surprise that Ed Koch should make himself the crime-busting mayor of, well, New York City in this series co-authored first with Herbert Resnicow and then with Wendy Corsi Staub.

Murder at City Hall (Kensington, 1995)
Murder on Broadway (Kensington, 1996)
Murder on 34th Street (Kensington, 1998)
The Senator Must Die (Kensington, 1998)

The "Celebrity Mysteries" by George Baxt
Everybody wants to get into the act in this series wherein Hollywood stars and other luminaries take turns solving mysteries.

The Dorothy Parker Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1984)
The Alfred Hitchcock Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1986)
The Tallulah Bankhead Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1987)
The Talking Pictures Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1990)
The Greta Garbo Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1992)
The Noel Coward Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1992)
The Marlene Dietrich Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1993)
The Mae West Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1993)
The Bette Davis Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1994)
The Humphrey Bogart Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1995)
The William Powell & Myrna Loy Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1996)
The Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1997)
The Clark Gable & Carole Lombard Murder Case (St. Martin's, 1997)

Created and maintained by: Lynne M. Kennedy.

© Copyright 2009, 1999 Sachem Public Library. All rights reserved.

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