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Boris Akunin, The Winter Queen.
In 1876, new detective Erast Fandorin is determined to learn why a student from a wealthy family shot himself in Moscow's Alexander Gardens. First in a series.

Bruce Alexander, Blind Justice.
Sir John Fielding—magistrate of the Bow Street Court—investigates the death of a man found in a locked room. First in a series.

James Benn, Billy Boyle.
During World War II, Billy Boyle—a Boston cop on Eisenhower’s staff—is assigned to unmask a spy who could compromise Allied plans to drive the Nazis out of Norway. First in a series.

Rhys Bowen, Murphy’s Law.
In 1901, Molly Murphy arrives at Ellis Island but finds herself suspected of murdering a man she argued with aboard the ship. First in a series.

Tom Bradby, The White Russian.
In 1917 Russia, the body of a nanny who worked for the Tsar’s family is found on a frozen river outside the Winter Palace.

Fiona Buckley, To Shield the Queen.
Queen Elizabeth sends a lady in waiting to care for Robert Dudley’s sickly wife, but a suspicious accident threatens scandal. First in a series.

Caleb Carr, The Alienist.
Police Commissioner Teddy Roosevelt enlists a reporter and a psychologist to help track a serial killer on the prowl in New York City.

Barbara Cleverly, The Last Kashmiri Rose.
In 1920s India, Scotland Yard detective Joe Sandilands investigates suspicious deaths among the British officers’ wives. First in a series.

Lindsey Davis, Silver Pigs.
In ancient Rome, Marcus Didius Falco tries to help a damsel in distress and uncovers a plot involving silver ingots from Britain. First in a series.

David Dickinson, Goodnight Sweet Prince.
When the Prince of Wales’s eldest son dies in 1892, Lord Francis Powerscourt uncovers the scandalous activities that led to his murder. First in a series.

P.C. Doherty, The Mask of Ra.
Amerotke, the Chief Judge of Thebes, investigates the death of the Pharaoh who died from a snake bite. First in a series.

Carola Dunn, Death at Wentwater Court.
In 1922, Inspector Alec Fletcher is called to a country estate to investigate a skating death and finds journalist Daisy Dalrymple already on the case. First in a series.

Kathy Lynn Emerson, Face Down in the Bone-Marrow Pie.
In Elizabethan England, Lady Susanna Appleton investigates the death of a steward at her husband’s ancestral home. First in a series.

Charles Finch, A Beautiful Blue Death.
In Victorian England, Charles Lenox investigates the alleged suicide of a servant working for the director of the Royal Mint. First in a series.

Ariana Franklin, Mistress of the Art of Death.
A female coroner in the Middle Ages is summoned to Cambridge by Henry II to find out who's behind the murders of four children. First in a series.

Margaret Frazer, Novice’s Tale.
At a convent in 1431, Sister Frevisse hopes to prove a novice innocent of poisoning her overbearing aunt. First in a series.

David Fulmer, Chasing the Devil’s Tail.
In 1907 New Orleans, Creole detective Valentin St. Cyr investigates the murders of prostitutes in Storyville. First in a series.

Brad Geagley, Year of the Hyenas.
In ancient Egypt, luckless clerk Semerket uncovers a nefarious scheme while investigating the murder of a Theban priestess. First in a series.

Jason Goodwin, The Janissary Tree.
At the Ottoman Sultan’s court, eunuch Yashim Togalu thinks a series of crimes may indicate the reemergence of the Janissaries. First in a series.

Alan Gordon, Thirteenth Night.
In a sequel to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Feste the Fool suspects that Malvolio may have murdered Orsino. First in a series.

C. S. Harris, What Angels Fear.
In Regency England, Sebastian St. Cyr is accused of murdering an actress with connections to men in high places. First in a series.

Laurie King, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice.
In 1915, Mary Russell becomes an apprentice to Sherlock Holmes, who has retired to Sussex to keep bees. First in a series.

Simon Levack, Demon of the Air.
Disgraced Aztec priest Yaotl is assigned to find out why a man intended as a human sacrifice made an ominous prophecy and then committed suicide. First in a series.

David Liss, A Conspiracy of Paper.
In 18th century London, a thief-taker is hired to investigate a murder that may be related to his own father’s death.

Edward Marston, The Queen’s Head.
Nicholas Bracewell suspects a plot to ruin his acting troupe when an actor is murdered. First in a series.

Pat McIntosh, The Harper’s Quine.
In 15th century Glasgow, lawyer Gilbert Cunningham finds the body of a woman who had left her noble husband for a harper. First in a series.

Walter Mosley, Devil in a Blue Dress.
In 1940s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins takes a job tracking down a mysterious Frenchwoman last seen in the company of a gangster. First in a series.

Beverle Graves Myers, Interrupted Aria.
At the Venetian opera in 1731, castrato Tito Amato tries to clear the name of a friend accused of murdering a prima donna. First in a series.

Sharan Newman, Death Comes as an Epiphany.
Novice Catherine LeVendeur is sent on a mission by Abbess Heloise to find out who is trying to destroy the reputation of their convent. First in a series.

I.J. Parker, Dragon Scroll.
In 11th century Japan, junior clerk Sugawara Akitada is assigned to track down missing imperial tax convoys. First in a series.

Owen Parry, Faded Coat of Blue.
During the Civil War, convalescing soldier Abel Jones is assigned to investigate the death of an abolitionist at a Union encampment. First in a series.

Anne Perry, The Cater Street Hangman.
In Victorian England, Inspector Thomas Pitt is called in when a maid is strangled in an upper-class household. First in a series.

Elizabeth Peters, Crocodile on the Sandbank.
In 1884, Amelia Peabody sets out for Egypt to indulge in her passion for archaeology and encounters murder, a mummy, and a passionate archaeologist. First in a series.

Ellis Peters, A Morbid Taste for Bones.
Brother Cadfael is sent to Wales to obtain a saint’s relics and encounters opposition that leads to murder. First in a series.

Laura Joh Rowland, Shinju.
In 17th century Tokyo, samurai Sano Ichiro investigates an apparent murder-suicide of a peasant man and a noblewoman. First in a series.

C.J. Sansom, Dissolution.
In 1537, Cromwell sends lawyer Matthew Shardlake to investigate the murder of one of his commissioners at a monastery. First in a series.

Steven Saylor, Roman Blood.
In ancient Rome, Gordianus the Finder is hired by Cicero to help establish a legal defense for a man charged with killing his father. First in a series.

Kate Sedley, Death and the Chapman.
In 1471, Roger leaves the monastery to become a chapman—or peddler of wares—and becomes involved in solving the disappearance of a wealthy tradesman’s son. First in a series.

Troy Soos, Murder at Fenway Park.
In 1912, utility infielder Mickey Rawlings is called up by the Red Sox and discovers a body at Fenway Park. First in a series.

Shirley Tallman, Murder on Nob Hill.
In 1880 San Francisco, Sarah Woolson becomes an attorney and defends a woman accused of killing her abusive husband. First in a series.

Will Thomas, Some Danger Involved.
Enquiry agent Cyrus Barker and his assistant Thomas Llewelyn investigate the gruesome murder of a scholar in the Jewish quarter of Victorian London. First in a series.

Victoria Thompson, Murder on Astor Place.
In turn-of-the-century New York, midwife Sarah Brandt joins forces with Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to find a girl’s killer. First in a series

Charles Todd, A Test of Wills.
A shell-shocked veteran of World War I returns to duty at Scotland Yard and takes a murder case where the prime suspect is a decorated war hero. First in a series.

Jacqueline Winspear, Maisie Dobbs.
After World War I, a former nurse opens a private investigations agency a takes a case that uncovers a wartime tragedy. First in a series.