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Historical Mysteries: Twentieth Century
Mysteries set in historical periods of the Twentieth Century.
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Authors & Titles
20th Century General
1900-1919
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
Historical Mysteries: Twentieth Century General
(Scroll up/down for other 20th Century periods.)
- Collins, Max Allan: Nathan Heller series (Listed in order of publication)
- True Detective
- True Crime
- The Million-Dollar Wound
- Neon Mirage
- Stolen Away
- Carnal Hours
- Blood and Thunder
- Damned in Paradise
- Flying Blind
- Majic Man
- Angel in Black
- Chicago Confidential
- Bye Bye, Baby
(short stories) Dying in the Postwar World
(short stories) Kisses of Death
- Karp, Larry: Ragtime series
- The Ragtime Kid
- The King of Ragtime
- The Ragtime Fool
Historical Mysteries: 1900s-1910s
(Scroll up/down for other 20th Century periods.)
- Dams, Jeanne M.: Hilda Johansson series (1900)
- Death in Lacquer Red
- The Red, White and Blue Murder
- Green Grow the Victims
- Silence is Golden
- Crimson Snow
- Indigo Christmas
- Day, Dianne: Fremont Jones series (San Francisco, c. 1900)
- The Strange Files of Fremont Jones
- Fire and Fog
- The Bohemian Murders
- Emperor Norton's Ghost
- Death Train to Boston
- Beacon Street Mourning
- Jakeman, Jane: Claude Monet series
- In the Kingdom of Mists
In the City of Dark Waters
- Linscott, Gillian: Nell Bray series (1900s)
- Sister Beneath the Skin
- Hanging on the Wire
- Stage Fright
- An Easy Day for a Lady
- Crown Witness
- Dead Man's Sweetheart
- Dance on Blood
- Absent Friends
- A Perfect Daughter
- Dead Man Riding
- Blood on the Wood
- Monahan, Brent: John Le Brun series
- The Jekyl Island Club
- The Sceptred Isle Club
- The Manhattan Island Clubs
- Tallis, Frank: Oskar Rheinhardt series
- A Death in Vienna
Vienna Blood
- Fatal Lies
- Thompson, Victoria: Gaslight series (New York, 1900s)
- Murder on Astor Place
- Murder on St. Mark's Place
- Murder on Gramercy Park
- Murder on Washington Square
- Murder on Mulberry Bend
- Murder on Marble Row
- Murder on Lenox Hill
- Murder in Little Italy
- Murder in Chinatown
- Murder on Bank Street
- Murder on Waverly Place
- Murder on Lexington Avenue
- Chesney, Marion: Rose Summer & Harry Cathcart series (aka Edwardian Murder Mystery series)
- Snobbery With Violence
- Hasty Death
- Sick of Shadows
- Our Lady of Pain
- Langley-Hawthorne, Clare: Consequences of Sin
- Martin, Andrew: Jim Stringer series
- The Necropolis Railway
- The Blackpool Highflyer
- The Lost Luggage Porter
- Murder at Deviation Junction
- Pintoff, Stefanie: Simon Ziele series
- In the Shadow of Gotham
- A Curtain Falls
- Albert, Susan Wittig: Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series
- The Tale of Hill Top Farm
- The Tale of Holly How
- The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood
- The Tale of Hawthorn House
- The Tale of Briar Bank
- The Tale of Applebeck Orchard
- The Tale of Oat Cake Crag
- Pearce, Michael: Sandor Seymour series (1906)
- A Dead Man in Trieste
- A Dead Man in Istanbul
- A Dead Man in Athens
- A Dead Man in Tangier
- A Dead Man in Barcelona
- A Dead Man in Naples
- Curzon, Clare: Guilty Knowledge (1908)
- Eccles, Marjorie: The Cuckoo's Child (1909)
- Allen, Conrad: George Porter Dillman & Genevieve Masefield series
- Murder on the Lusitania
- Murder on the Mauretania
- Murder on the Minnesota
- Murder on the Caronia
- Murder on the Marmora
- Murder on the Salsette
- Murder on the Oceanic
- Murder on the Celtic
- Pearce, Michael: Mamur Zapt series
- The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet
- The Mamur Zapt and the Night of the Dog
- The Mamur Zapt and the Donkey-Vous
- The Mamur Zapt and the Men Behind
- The Mamur Zapt and the Girl in the Nile
- The Mamur Zapt and the Spoils of Egypt
- The Mamur Zapt and the Camel of Destruction (aka The Camel of Destruction)
- The Mamur Zapt and the Snake Catcher's Daughter (aka The Snake Catcher's Daughter)
- The Mingrelian Conspiracy
- The Mamur Zapt and the Fig Tree Murder (aka The Fig Tree Murder)
- Death of An Effendi
- A Cold Touch of Ice
- The Last Cut
- The Face in the Cemetery
- The Point in the Market
- The Mark of the Pasha
- Casey, Donis: Alafair Tucker series (1912)
- The Old Buzzard Had It Coming
- Hornswoggled
- The Drop Edge of Yonder
- The Sky Took Him
- Shields, Joy: The Fig Eater
- McCarver, Sam: John Darnell series
- The Case of Cabin 13
- The Case of Compartment 7
- The Case of the 2nd Seance
- Aycliffe, Jonathan: A Garden Lost in Time (1917)
- Bradby, Tom: The White Russian (1917)
- Winspear, Jacqueline: Maisie Dobbs series
- Maisie Dobbs
- Birds of a Feather
- Pardonable Lies
- Messenger of Truth
- An Incomplete Revenge
- Among the Mad
- The Mapping of Love and Death
- Ison, Graham: Hardcastle series
- Hardcastle's Spy
- Hardcastle's Armistice
- Hardcastle's Conspiracy
- Rabb, Jonathan: Nikolai Hoffner series
- Rosa
- Shadow and Light
- Boyne, John: Crippen
- Kingsbury, Kate: Pennyfoot Hotel series (Edwardian England)
- Room With a Clue
- Do Not Disturb
- Service for Two
- Eat, Drink, and Be Buried
- Check-Out Time
- Grounds For Murder
- Pay the Piper
- Chivalry is Dead
- Ring For Tomb Service
- Death With Reservations
- Dying Room Only
- Maid to Murder
- No Clue at the Inn
- Slay Bells
- Shrouds of Holly
- Ringing in Murder
- Decked with Folly
Historical Mysteries: 1920s
(Scroll up/down for other Early Modern periods.)
- Arruda, Suzanne: Jade del Cameron series
- Mark of the Lion
- Stalking Ivory
- The Serpent's Daughter
- The Leopard's Prey
- Treasure of the Golden Cheetah
- Cleverly, Barbara: Laetitia Talbot series
- The Tomb of Zeus
- Bright Hair About the Bone
- A Darker God
- Culhane, Patrick: Black Hats: A Novel of Wyatt Earp and Al Capone
- The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunits (edited by Mike Ashley)
- Todd, Charles: Inspector Ian Rutledge series (England, 1920)
- A Test of Wills
- Wings of Fire
- Search the Dark
- Legacy of the Dead
- Watchers of Time
- A Fearsome Doubt
- A Cold Treachery
- A Long Shadow
- A False Mirror
- A Pale Horse
- A Matter of Justice
- The Red Door
- Atkins, Ace: Devil's Garden
- Cleverly, Barbara: Joe Sandilands series
- The Last Kashmiri Rose
- Ragtime in Simla
- The Damascened Blade
- The Palace Tiger
- The Bee's Kiss
- Tug of War
- Folly du Jour
- Strange Images of Death
- Dunn, Carola: Daisy Dalrymple series (1920s)
- Death at Wentwater Court
- The Winter Garden Mystery
- Requiem for a Mezzo
- Murder on the Flying Scotsman
- Damsel in Distress
- Dead in the Water
- Styx and Stones
- Rattle His Bones
- To Davy Jones Below
- The Case of the Murdered Muckraker
- Mistletoe and Murder
- Die Laughing
- A Mourning Wedding
- Fall of a Philanderer
- Gunpowder Plot
- The Bloody Tower
- Black Ship
- Sheer Folly
- Fulmer, David: The Dying Crapshooter's Blues
- Gold, Glen David: Carter Beats the Devil
- Gordon-Smith, Dolores: Jack Haldean series
- A Féte Worse Than Death
- Mad About the Boy
- As If By Magic
- A Hundred Thousand Dragons
- Greenwood, Kerry: Phryne Fisher series
- Cocaine Blues
- Flying Too High
- Murder on the Ballarat Train
- Death at Victoria Dock
- The Green Mill Murder
- Blood and Circuses
- Ruddy Gore
- Urn Burial
- Raisins and Almonds
- Death before Wicket
- Away with the Fairies
- Murder in Montparnasse
- The Castlemaine Murders
- Queen of the Flowers
- Death by Water
- Murder in the Dark
- Murder on a Midsummer Night
- Hoopes, Roy: Our Man in Washington
- Irby, Lee: Frank Hearn series
- 7,000 Clams
- The Up and Up
- Kellerman, Faye: Straight Into Darkness
- Kilian, Michael: Jazz Age Mystery series
- The Weeping Woman
- Satterthwait, Walter: Pinkerton Detectives series
- Escapade
- Masquerade
- Cavalcade
- Thompson, Mike: Curse of Al Capone's Gold
- McPherson, Catriona: Dandy Gilver series
- After the Armistice Ball
- The Burry Man's Day
- Bury Her Deep
- The Winter Ground
- Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains
- Walker, Persia: Harlem Redux
- Woodworth, Deborah: Sister Rose Callahan series (aka Shaker series)
- Death of a Winter Shaker
- A Deadly Shaker Spring
- Sins of a Shaker Summer
- A Simple Shaker Murder
- Killing Gifts
- Meyers, Annette: Olivia Brown series
- Free Love
- Murder Me Now
- Randall, Brant: Blood Harvest
- Williamson, Penn/Penelope: Daman Rourke series
- Mortal Sins
- Wages of Sin
Historical Mysteries: 1930s
(Scroll up/down for other 20th Century periods.)
- Adams, Harold: Carl Wilcox series (1930s)
- Murder
- Paint the Town Red
- The Missing Moon
- The Naked Liar
- The Fourth Widow
- The Barbed Wire Noose
- The Man Who Met the Train
- The Man Who Missed the Party
- The Man Who Was Taller Than God
- A Perfectly Proper Murder
- A Way With Widows
- The Ditched Blonde
- Hatchet Job
- The Ice Pick Artist
- No Badge, No Gun
- Lead, So I Can Follow
- Albert, Susan Wittig: Darling Dahlias series
- The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree
- The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies
- Baxter, Holly: Elodie Browne series
- Tears of the Dragon
- Bowen, Rhys: Lady Georgiana series (aka Her Royal Spyness series)
- Her Royal Spyness
- A Royal Pain
- Royal Flush
- Boyne, John: Next of Kin
- Churchill, Jill: Grace & Favor series (aka Lili & Robert Brewster series) (1930s)
- Anything Goes
- In the Still of the Night
- Someone to Watch Over Me
- Love For Sale
- It Had to Be You
- Who's Sorry Now?
- Collins, Max Allan: The War of the Worlds Murder
- Dold, Gaylord: The Last Man in Berlin
- Epperson, Tom: The Kind One
- Grand, David: The Disappearing Body
- Harris, Fred: Okie Dunn series
- Coyote Revenge
- Easy Pickin's
- Lansdale, Joe R.: Sunset and Sawdust
- Meade, Amy Patricia: Marjorie McClelland series
- Million Dollar Baby
- Ghost of a Chance
- Shadow Waltz
- Meyers, Annette: Repentances
- Roberts, David: Lord Edward Corinth & Verity Browne series (1930s)
- Sweet Poison
- Bones of the Buried
- Hollow Crown
- Dangerous Sea
- The More Deceived
- A Grave Man
- The Quality of Mercy
- Something Wicked
- No More Dying
- Rosen, Dorothy & Sidney: Belle Appleman series
- Death and Blintzes
- Death and Strudel
- Roosevelt, Elliott: Eleanor Roosevelt series (Washington, 1930s)
- Murder and the First Lady
- The Hyde Park Murder
- Murder at Hobcaw Barony
- A White House Pantry Murder
- Murder at the Palace
- Murder in the Oval Office
- Murder in the Rose Garden
- Murder in the Blue Room
- A First-Class Murder
- Murder in the Red Room
- Murder in the West Wing
- Murder in the East Room
- A Royal Murder
- Murder in the Executive Mansion
- Murder at the Chateau
- Murder at Midnight
- Murder in the Map Room
- Murder in Georgetown
- Murder in the Lincoln Bedroom
- Murder at the President's Door
- Roosevelt, Elliott: "Blackjack" Endicott series
- The President's Man
- New Deal for Death
- Clarke, T.E.B.: Murder at Buckingham Palace (London, 1935)
- Satterthwait, Walter: Dead Horse
- Collins, Max Allan: Eliot Ness series
- The Dark City
- Butcher's Dozen
- Bullet Proof
- Murder By the Numbers
- Engel, Howard: Murder in Montparnasse
- Kaminsky, Stuart M.: Toby Peters series (Hollywood, 1930s-1940s)
- Bullet for a Star
- Murder on the Yellow Brick Road
- You Bet Your Life
- The Howard Hughes Affair
- Never Cross a Vampire
- High Midnight
- Catch a Falling Clown
- He Done Her Wrong
- The Fala Factor
- Down for the Count
- The Man Who Shot Lewis Vance
- Smart Moves
- Think Fast, Mr. Peters
- Buried Caesars
- Poor Butterfly
- The Melting Clock
- The Devil Met a Lady
- Tomorrow is Another Day
- Dancing in the Dark
- A Fatal Glass of Beer
- A Few Minutes Past Midnight
- To Catch a Spy
- Mildred Pierced
- Now You See It
- Hayes, John R.: Catskill (1938)
- McClendon, Lise: Dorie Lennox series
- One O'Clock Jump
- Sweet and Lowdown
- Pastor, Ben: Lumen (1939)
- Pawel, Rebecca C.: Carlos Tejada series
- Death of a Nationalist
- Law of Return
- The Watcher in the Pine
- The Summer Snow
- Quinn, Peter: Hour of the Cat
- Jefferson, M.T.: The Victory Dance Murder
- Janes, J. Robert: St. Cyr and Kohler series
- Mirage (aka Mayhem)
- Carousel
- Kaleidoscope
- Salamander
- Mannequin
- Dollmaker
- Stonekiller
- Sandman
- Woods, Stuart: Rick Barron series
- The Prince of Beverly Hills
- Beverly Hills Dead
- Santa Fe Dead
Historical Mysteries: 1940s
(Scroll up/down for other 20th Century periods.)
- Baron, Aileen G.: Lily Sampson series
- A Fly Has a Hundred Eyes
- The Torch of Tangier
- Glatzer, Hal: Katy Green series (1940s)
- Too Dead to Swing
- A Fugue in Hell's Kitchen
- The Last Full Measure
- Benn, James R.: Billy Boyle series
- Billy Boyle
- The First Wave
- Blood Alone
- Evil for Evil
- Collins, Max Allan: The Pearl Harbor Murders (1941)
- Little, Constance & Gwenyth: The Black Shrouds (1941)
- Dunning, John: Two O'Clock, Eastern Wartime (1942)
- Gardner, John: Suzie Mountford & Tommy Livermore series
- Bottled Spider
- The Streets of Town
- Angels Dining at the Ritz
- Troubled Midnight
- No Human Enemy
- Haines, Kathryn Miller: Rosie Winter series
- The War Against Miss Winter
- The Winter of Her Discontent
- Winter in June
- When Winter Returns
- Hart, Carolyn: Letter From Home
- Kingsbury, Kate: Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton series (aka Manor House series) (World War II)
- A Bicycle Built for Murder
- Death is in the Air
- For Whom Death Tolls
- Dig Deep for Murder
- Paint By Murder
- Berried Alive
- Fire When Ready
- Wedding Rows
- Wilson, Laura: The Innocent Spy
- Lucarelli, Carlo: De Luca series
- Carte Blanche
- The Damned Season
- Via Delle Oche
- Mrazek, Robert J.: The Deadly Embrace
- Haines, Carolyn: Fever Moon
- Coffey, Tom: Blood Alley
- Monroe, Steve: '46, Chicago
- Bergman, Andrew: Jack LeVine series (1940s-50s)
- Hollywood and LeVine
- The Big Kiss-Off of 1944
- Tender is LeVine
- Steinhauer, Olen: Inspector Brod series
- The Bridge of Sighs
- Victory Square
- Broadbent, Tony: The Smoke
- Davidson, Jim: Mine Work
- Dunn, Hilda: The Hanged Man
- Hoff, Benjamin: The House on the Point
- Wright, Edward: John Ray Horn series
- Clea's Moon
- While I Disappear
- Abbott, Megan: The Song is You
- Mackle, Elliott: It Takes Two (1949)
- Muller, Eddie: Billy Nichols series
- The Distance
- Shadow Boxer
Historical Mysteries: 1950s
(Scroll up/down for other 20th Century periods.)
- Black, Benjamin: Quirke series
- Christine Falls
- The Silver Swan
- Elegy for April
- A Death in Summer
- Hills, Kathleen: John McIntire series
- Past Imperfect
- Hunter's Dance
- Witch Cradle
- The Kingdom Where Nobody Dies
- Levinson, Robert: Neil Gulliver & Steve Marriner series (1950s)
- The Elvis & Marilyn Affair
- The James Dean Affair
- The John Lennon Affair
- Hot Paint
- Blank, Hannah: A Murder of Convenience (Paris, 1953)
- Davis, J. Madison: Alfred Hitchcock series
- The Vertigo Murders
- Gorman, Ed: Sam McCain series
- The Day the Music Died
- Wake Up Little Susie
- Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?
- Save the Last Dance for Me
- Everybody's Somebody's Fool
- Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
- Fools Rush In
- Ticket to Ride
- Smith, Tom Rob: Leo Demidov series
- Child 44
- The Secret Speech
- Matetsky, Amanda: Paige Turner series (1954)
- Murderers Prefer Blondes
- Murder is a Girl's Best Friend
- How To Marry a Murderer
- Atkins, Ace: White Shadow (1955)
- Steinhauer, Olen: The Confession (1956)
- Ludwig, Jerry: Getting Garbo
- Granger, Pip: No Peace for the Wicked
- Granger, Pip: Rosie series
(prequel) Trouble in Paradise
- Not All Tarts Are Apple
- The Widow Ginger
- Horwitz, David R.: Ben Carey series
- Murder Bay
- McDonald, Craig: Hector Lassiter series (1957)
- Head Games
- Toros and Torsos
- Print the Legend
- Latour, José: Havana World Series (1958)
Historical Mysteries: 1960s
(Scroll up/down for other 20th Century periods.)
- Carter, Charlotte: Cook County series
- Jackson Park
- Daniel, David: White Rabbit
- Duchin, Peter & Wilson, John Morgan: Philip Damon series
- Blue Moon
- Good Morning, Heartache
- Dunn, Carola: Cornish Mystery series
- Manna From Hades
- A Colourful Death
- Faherty, Terence: Scott Elliott series (1960s)
- Kill Me Again
- Come Back Dead
- Raise the Devil
- Fulmer, David: The Blue Door
- Klein, Daniel: Elvis Presley series
- Kill Me Tender
- Blue Suede Clues
- Viva Las Vengeance
- Such Vicious Minds
- Martin, Rosemary: Murder-a-Go-Go series
- It's a Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod Murder
- Twist and Shout Murder
- Randisi, Robert J.: Rat Pack series
- Everybody Kills Somebody Sometime
- Luck Be A Lady, Don't Die
- Hey There (You With the Gun in Your Hand)
- You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Kills You
- Spencer, Sally: Charlie Woodend and Bob Rutter series
- The Salton Killings
- Murder at Swann's Lake
- Death of a Cave Dweller
- The Dark Lady
- The Golden Mile to Murder
- Dead on Cue
- The Red Herring
- Death of an Innocent
- A Death Left Hanging
- The Enemy Within
- The Witch Maker
- Dying in the Dark
- The Dead Hand of History
- Nelscott, Kris: Smokey Dalton series
- A Dangerous Road
- Smoke-Filled Rooms
- Thin Walls
- Stone Cribs
- War at Home
- Days of Rage
(short story) A Smokey Dalton short story appears in Chicago Blues (edited by Libby Fischer Hellmann)
- Crider, Bill & Wilson, Clyde: Ted Stephens series
- Houston Homicide
- Mississippi Vivian
- Parker, T. Jefferson: California Girl
- Wilson, Clyde & Crider, Bill: Ted Stephens series
- Houston Homicide
- Mississippi Vivian
Historical Mysteries: 1970s
(Scroll up/down for other 20th Century periods.)
- Stansberry, Domenic: Manifesto for the Dead (1971)
- Gebhard, Pat: Motives for Murder (1970s)
- Hoopes, Roy: A Watergate Tape (1973)
- Peace, David: 1974
- Pelecanos, George P.: King Suckerman
- Lin, Ed: Robert Chow series
- This is a Bust
- Snakes Can't Run
- Wildwind, Sharon: Some Welcome Home
Historical Mysteries: 1980s
(Scroll up/down for other 20th Century periods.)
- Carr, Jess: Murder on the Appalachian Trail (1981)
- Lehane, Con: Brian McNulty series
- Beware the Solitary Drinker
- What Goes Around Comes Around
Other Historical Mysteries
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updated: Saturday, July 23, 2011
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