Fiction has the unique ability to resist time, and move beyond it. This allows the existence of genres that tackle suspense and excitement set in the past, such as 18th century England, 20th century India and more. The Bombay Circle Press has curated a list of recommendations for historical thrillers that capture the atmosphere of the past, weaving it with the genre conventions of mysteries.
Wyndham and Banerjee: 1920s Calcutta by Abir Mukherjee
India, 1919. Captain Sam Wyndham arrives to take up an ambitious post in Calcutta’s police force, desperate to turn a new leaf. Paired with a Bengali – Sergeant Surendranath “Surrender-not” Banerjee, the Englishman solves high profile murders and disappearances in the early years of the Indian Independence Movement.
Award-winning crime novelist Abir Mukherjee paints a compelling picture of the turmoil in Calcutta in six engrossing mystery novels.
- A Rising Man (A historical detective novel set in India following World War I)
- A Necessary Evil (A royal murder in colonial India with hundreds of suspects)
Lizzie Hardwicke: 18th century London by Georgina Clarke
This gripping and vividly imagined mystery series is set in 18th century London. Clarke’s writing sets the peculiar stage of the 1700s well, and has mastered the atmosphere of the time. Lizzie Hardwicke, sex worker and sometime sleuth for the magistrate, is desperate to satiate her ever-existent curiosity. From the smoke-filled rooms of fashionable gambling houses, theatre green rooms, and to the violent streets of Soho, this series follows Hardwicke’s journey navigating these spaces as an outsider, someone judged not only for their work but also as an individual. If you are a fan of Agatha Christie and Enola Holmes, and you want something echoing the atmospheric pull of a Nancy Drew–esque mystery, Georgina Clarke is here for you.
Matthew Shardlake: 16th century London by C J Samson
This historical mystery series written by C J Samson follows barrister Matthew Shardlake during the reign of Henry the VIII. Tudor England as a setting is taken advantage of—the political intrigue, religious reforms, and more form the backdrop of these mysteries solved by this attorney. The first novel covers the dissolution of the monasteries, where he has to investigate why one of Earl Cromwell’s commissioners has been murdered in a (fictitious) monastery, under threat of closure. Murder, mayhem and eerie discoveries erupt.
In the seven novels of the Shardlake series, late C J Samson provides a wide, clear window into the reality of life in England under King Henry VIII.
- Dissolution (In 1536, a lawyer investigates a murder at a monastery)
- Dark Fire (King Henry VIII’s search for an ancient superweapon)
- Sovereign (A lawyer for the Crown in the time of Henry VIII)
This genre explores the inner workings of detective work in the past, a time devoid of modern technology. Deduction, deception and procedural work with peculiar characters form the genre staples. With these recommendations, you should have a great time exploring a time period of your choice.
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