I have linked books to reviews whenever I could find them. Many of the reviews are on Amazon.com. If you happen to purchase a book at Amazon.com when you follow one of my links there, a portion of the proceeds will go to the Real Change Homeless Empowerment Project. |
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This list is sorted roughly by era, but I have chosen to group all books by one author together, even when an author has several series in different eras.
And because of sheer size, I've broken the list into sub-pages.
2000 BC - 1689 AD |
1700 AD - 1877 AD |
1880 AD - 1950 AD |
Author |
Series /
Character |
Titles |
Comments |
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Agatha Christie
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Death Comes As the End, 1945 |
Egypt, c.2000 B.C. |
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Lauren Haney |
Lt. Bak |
Right Hand of Amon, 1997 A Face Turned Backward, 1999 |
Police procedurals in ancient Egypt, 1463 BC |
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Lynda Robinson |
Lord Meren |
Murder in the Place of Anubis Murder at the God's Gate Murder at the Feast of Rejoicing Eater of Souls Drinker of Blood, 1998 |
Egypt, 1356 BC: The investigations of the confidential inquiry agent of Tutankhamun. | |
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Lee Levin |
Eye, Grand Vizier of Thebes |
King Tut's Private Eye, 1996 |
Egypt, 1356 B.C. |
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Anton Gill |
Huy, ex-scribe |
City of the Horizon, 1991 City of Dreams City of the Dead |
Egypt, 1355 B.C. |
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Margaret Doody |
Aristotle |
Aristotle, Detective, 1978 |
Greece, 332 B.C. |
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Steven Saylor |
Gordianus the Finder |
Roman Blood, 1994 Catalina's Riddle, 1994 Arms of Nemesis, 1995 The Venus Throw, 1996 A Murder on the Appian Way, 1997 The House of the Vestals |
"Roma Sub Rosa" Mysteries set in the final years of ancient Rome, c.80 BC |
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John Maddox Roberts |
Decius Caecilius Metellus |
SPQR, 1990 The Catiline Conspiracy The Sacrilege The Temple of the Muses |
Rome, 70 B.C. |
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Marilyn Todd |
Claudia Seferius |
I, Claudia, 1995 Virgin Territory, 1996 Man Eater, 1997 |
Rome, 19 AD |
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David Wishart |
Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus |
Ovid, 1995 Germanicus, 1997 Sejanus, 1998 |
Rome, 19 AD |
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Lindsey Davis |
Marcus Didius Falco |
Silver
Pigs, 1989 Shadows in Bronze, 1993 Venus in Copper, 1993 The Iron Hand of Mars, 1994 Last Act in Palmyra, 1997 Time to Depart, 1997 A Dying Light in Corduba, 1998 Three Coins in the Fountain Historical Fiction: The Course of Honor, 1998 Caenis, mistress of Emperor Vespasian, AD 31 to AD 69 |
Rome, 70 AD |
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Barbara Hambly |
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The Quirinal Hill Affair, 1983 |
Rome, 116 A.D. |
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Benjamin January |
A Free Man of Color, 1997 Fever Season, 1998 |
1830s New Orleans, USA |
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Ron Burns |
Livinius Severus |
Roman Nights, 1991 Roman Shadows, 1992 |
Rome, 180 A.D. |
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Captain Harrison Hull |
The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis, 1993 Enslaved, 1994 |
United States, beginning in 1809. | |
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Charles Connell |
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Meet Me at Philippi Most Delicious Poison |
Rome |
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Joan O'Hagan |
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A Roman Death |
Rome |
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Patricia Finney |
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Shadow of Gulls, 1977 Crown Goddess, 1979 |
Rome, 2nd Century AD |
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Kel Richards |
Ben Bartholomew |
The Case of the Vanishing Corpse, 1990 The Case of the Secret Assassin, 1992 The Case of the Damascus Dagger, 1994 The Case of the Dead Certainty, 1995 |
Roman-occupied Palestine |
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Robert van Gulik |
Judge Dee |
The Chinese Nail Murders The Chinese Bell Murders, 1958 The Chinese Gold Murders The Chinese Maze Murders Dee Goong An (aka Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee) The Emperor's Pearl The Haunted Monastery Judge Dee at Work The Lacquer Screen The Monkey and the Tiger Murder in Canton Necklace and Calabash The Phantom of the Temple Poets and Murder (aka The Fox-Magic Murders) The Red Pavilion The Willow Pattern |
China, 663 A.D. Line art from the original printings |
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Peter Tremayne |
Sister Fidelma |
Absolution by Murder, 1994 A Shroud for the Archbishop Suffer Little Children The Subtle Serpent |
Ireland/England, 664 A.D |
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Raffles |
The Return of Raffles |
A tribute to the famous gentleman burglar of the early 1900's. |
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Ann Woodward |
Lady Aoi |
The Exile Way, 1996 Of Death and Black Rivers, 1998 |
Heian Period (early 11th century), Japan |
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Edward Marston (Keith Miles) |
Roger Delchard: The Domesday Books |
The Ravens of Blackwater The Wolves of Savernake, 1993 The Dragons of Archenfield The Lions of the North The Serpents of Harbledown The Stallions of Woodstock, 1999 |
11th-century England ruled by William the Conqueror, during the 1086 "Domesday Census" |
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Nicholas Bracewell |
The Merry Devils, 1989 The Queen's Head, 1989 The Trip to Jerusalem, 1990 The Nine Giants, 1991 The Mad Courtesan, 1992 Silent Woman, 1994 The Roaring Boy, 1995 The Laughing Hangman, 1996 The Fair Maid of Bohemia, 1997 |
Elizabethan theater mysteries. | |
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Ken Follett |
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The Pillars of the Earth, 1989 |
England, 1135-1170 |
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Ellis Peters |
Brother Cadfael |
A Morbid Taste for Bones, 1977 One Corpse Too Many, 1979 Monks-Hood, 1980 Saint Peter's Fair, 1981 The Leper of Saint Giles, 1981 The Virgin in the Ice, 1982 The Sanctuary Sparrow, 1983 The Devil's Novice, 1983 Dead Man's Ransom,1984 The Pilgrim of Hate, 1984 An Excellent Mystery, 1985 The Raven in the Foregate, 1986 The Rose Rent, 1986 The Hermit of Eyton Forest, 1987 The Confession of Brother Haluin, 1988 A Rare Benedictine, 1988 The Heretic's Apprentice, 1989 The Potter's Field, 1989 The Summer of the Danes, 1991 The Holy Thief, 1992 Brother Cadfael's Penance, 1994 Detail on all |
A monk in 12th Century England investigates suspicious deaths. |
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Bernard Knight |
Crowner John |
The Sanctuary Seeker, 1998 The Poisoned Chalice, 1998 Madoc, Prince of America, 1998 |
12th Century Britain |
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Sharan Newman |
Catherine Levendeur |
Death Comes as Epiphany, 1993 The Devil's Door, 1995 The Wandering Arm, 1996 Strong as Death, 1996 Cursed in the Blood, 1998 |
The series begins in 1139, when Catherine is a novice at the convent of the Paraclete, where Heloise is the Abbess. The history of Heloise and Abelard is woven into the novels, along with observations of the life of Jews in 12th Century France. | |
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Domini Highsmith |
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Keeper at the Shrine, 1994 Guardian at the Gate Master of the Keys |
England, 1180 |
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Philip Boast |
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Deus, 1998 |
London England, 1190 |
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Sharon Kay Penman |
Justin de Quincy |
The Queen's Man, 1996 Cruel as the Grave, 1998 |
1193, in the reign of Richard Lionheart |
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Richard III |
The Sunne in Splendour |
Not a mystery; listed because here is one more literary attempt to redeem the reputation of Richard III. | |
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When Christ and His Saints Slept
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Not a mystery, but another novel set during the civil war between King Stephen and Queen Maud; the time period of both Brother Cadfael and Catherine Levendeur
Also wrote: Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, The Reckoning; 13th Century Wales, the decline of the Welsh kings.
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Ian Morson |
Regent Master William Falconer |
Falconer's Crusade Falconer's Judgement Falconer and the Face of God A Psalm for Falconer |
Oxford University, England, 1264 |
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Umberto Eco
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The Name of the Rose, 1983 |
Italy, early 1300s |
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Michael Jecks |
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The Last Templar, 1995 The Merchant's Partner The Abbot's Gibbet A Moorland Hanging The Crediton Killings The Leper's Return |
begins in 1316 |
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P.C. Doherty |
Hugh Corbett |
Satan in St. Mary's, 1987 The Crown in Darkness, 1988 Spy in Chancery, 1988 Angel of Death, 1990 The Prince of Darkness Murder Wears A Cowl The Assassin In The Greenwood The Song of A Dark Angel Satan's Fire The Devil's Hunt |
13th Century England, investigations by Edward I's senior clerk in chancery.
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The Canterbury Pilgrims |
An Ancient Evil, being the Knight's Tale, 1995 A Tapestry of Murders, being the Man of Law's Tale, 1996 A Tournament of Murders, being the Franklin's Tale, 1997 Ghostly Murders, being the Priest's Tale, 1998 |
14th Century England: filling in tales Chaucer missed. |
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Edmund Beche |
The Death of a King, 1986 |
1345-1347: Edward III sends Edmund Beche, a very junior royal clerk, to investigate whether Edward II was murdered. |
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Matthew Jankyn |
The Whyte Harte, 1988 The Serpent Among the Lilies, 1990 Dove Amongst The Hawks, 1990 |
15th Century |
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The Fate of the Princes, 1991 |
1480's: Doherty addresses the same mystery that Josephine Tey does in The Daughter of Time: did Richard III murder his nephews, the "Princes in the Tower"? |
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The Masked Man, 1992 |
18th Century Paris: Scaramouche investigates The Man in the Iron Mask |
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as Paul Doherty |
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The Rose Demon, 1997 The Soul Slayer, 1998 The Haunting, 1997 The Prince Drakulya, 1986 The Lord Count Drakulya, 1986 The Mask of Ra, 1998 |
Supernatural mystery histories: Medieval, Victorian, and ancient Egyptian. |
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P.C. Doherty as Anna Apostolou |
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A Murder in Macedonia A Murder In Thebes |
in the time of Alexander the Great |
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P.C. Doherty as Paul Harding |
Brother Athelstan |
The Nightingale Gallery,1993 The House of the Red Slayer, 1992 Murder Most Holy The Anger Of God By Murder's Bright Light The House Of Crows The Assassin's Riddle The Devil's Domain |
14th-century London |
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P.C. Doherty as C. L. Grace |
Kathryn Swinbrooke |
A Shrine of Murders,1993 The Eye of God The Merchant of Death The Book of Shadows |
A woman physician in 15th century Canterbury |
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P.C. Doherty as Michael Clynes |
Sir Roger Shallot |
The White Rose Murders, 1993 The Poisoned Chalice, 1994 The Grail Murders, 1994 A Brood of Vipers, 1996 The Gallows Murders, 1996 The Relic Murders |
a rogue operating during the time of Henry VIII |
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P.C. Doherty as Ann Dukthas |
Nicholas Segalla, Time Traveller |
A Time For The Death Of A King - Scotland, 16th c. The Prince Lost To Time - Paris, 1815 The Time Of Murder At Mayerling - Austria, 1899 In The Time Of The Poisoned Queen - England, 1558 |
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Susanna Gregory |
Dr. Matthew Bartholomew & Brother Michael |
An Unholy Alliance, 1996 A Bone of Contention, 1997 |
Cambridge England, beginning in 1348 |
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Candace Robb |
Owen & Lucie Archer |
The Apothecary Rose, 1993 The Lady Chapel, 1994 The Nun's Tale, 1995 The King's Bishop, 1996 The Riddle of St. Leonard's, 1997 A Gift of Sanctuary, 1998 |
York, England, beginning in 1363 |
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Daphne du Maurier |
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Jamaica Inn, 1939 |
14th Century Cornwall |
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The House on the Strand |
14th Century Cornwall |
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My Cousin Rachel, 1951
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Somewhere in Cornwall sometime in the last century -- time and location are never pinned down any more than Philip's suspicions are. |
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Rebecca, 1938, has survived long enough to be a historical mystery, whether intended as one or not. Daphne du Maurier also wrote several historical romances, including Castle Dor, the story of Tristan and Iseult. |
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G. & J. Clancy |
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Death is a Pilgrim, 1993 |
England, 1387 |
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Margaret Frazer |
Sister Frevisse |
The Novice's Tale, 1992 The Servant's Tale, 1993 The Outlaw's Tale, 1994 The Bishop's Tale, 1994 The Boy's Tale, 1995 The Murderer's Tale, 1996 The Prioress's Tale, 1997 The Maiden's Tale, 1998 |
British convent, beginning in 1431 |
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Robert Farrington |
Henry Morane |
The Killing of Richard III, 1971 Tudor Agent, 1974 The Traitors of Bosworth, 1978 |
Richard III & Tudor England |
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Jeremy Potter |
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A Trail of Blood |
1480's England: Another defense of Richard III. | |
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Josephine Tey |
Inspector Alan Grant |
The Daughter of Time, 1951 |
Laid up in a hospital bed, the Inspector investigates the truth of Richard III and the death of the Princes in the Tower. Josephine Tey imparts the thrill of the chase to historical research. The investigation is in modern times but the mystery is in 1483-1485. | |
For further study on Richard III, see the essay Oh Tey Can You See? at the Richard III Society Online Library. | ||||
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Elizabeth Eyre |
Sigismondo |
Death of the Duchess, 1991 Curtains for the Cardinal, 1992 Poison for the Prince, 1993 Bravo for the Bride, 1994 Axe for an Abbot, 1995 Dirge for a Doge, 1996 |
Renaissance Italy |
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George Herman |
Leonardo da Vinci |
A Comedy of Murders, 1994 The Tears of the Madonna, 1996 |
Renaissance, Milan Italy, beginning in 1498
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C.J. Stevermer |
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The Death of a Borgia |
Renaissance Italy |
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George Herman |
Leonardo da Vinci |
A Comedy of Errors, 1994 The Tears of the Madonna, 1996 |
Renaissance Italy |
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David Thompson |
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The Mirrormaker |
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Fiona Buckley |
Ursula Blanchard |
To Shield the Queen, 1997
The Doublet Affair, 1998 |
England, beginning in 1560 |
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P. E. Chisholm (Patricia Finney) |
Sir Robert Carey |
A Famine of Horses, 1994 A Season of Knives, 1995 A Surfeit of Guns, 1996 A Plague of Angels, 1998 |
Elizabethan England, 1592 |
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Judith Cook |
Dr. Simon Forman |
Death of a Lady's Maid, 1997 Murder at the Rose, 1998 |
Elizabethan England |
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Kathy Lynn Emerson |
Susanne, Lady Appleton |
Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie, 1997 Face Down Upon a Herbal, 1998 |
Elizabethan England |
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George Garrett |
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Entered from the Sun, 1990 (There is no review at the Amazon site for this book, but there are a number of other historical fiction titles by the same author, so I include the link anyway.) |
The murder of Christopher Marlowe: England, around 1593 |
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Anthony Burgess |
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A Dead Man in Deptford
, 1995 |
Another investigation of the murder of Christopher Marlowe |
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Charles Nicholl |
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The Reckoning
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Non-fiction: in case you get interested in the history of Christopher Marlowe |
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Faye Kellerman |
Rebecca Lopez & Will Shakespeare |
The Quality of Mercy, 1989 |
England, 1593 |
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Patricia Finney (P.F. Chisholm) |
Simon Ames |
Firedrake's Eye, 1992 Unicorn's Blood, 1998 |
Elizabethan England |
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Leonard Tourney |
Matthew Stock |
The Player's Boy is Dead, 1980 Low Treason, 1983 Familiar Spirits, 1985 The Bartholomew Fair Murders, 1986 Old Saxon Blood, 1988 Knaves Templar, 1991 Witness of Bones, 1992 Frobisher's Savage, 1994 |
England begining 1601, in the reign of Elizabeth I |
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