Medieval Mystery Authors

I'm looking for recommendations for good Medieval Mystery authors.

I've read all Ellis Peters, and the Bulk of Michael Jecks series.

Rich

Try Sharan Newman's Catherine Levendeur series! It's really good.

There's also Alys Clare's Hawkenlye Mysteries, Margaret Frazer's Sister Frevisse series, and Sharon Kay Penman's Justin de Quincy series.

Roberta Gellis has a series of 4 mysteries featuring Magdalene le Batard- A Personal Devil, A Mortal Bane, Bone of Contention and Chains of Folly

Susanna Gregory has a series of long books.

Paul Doherty has his Hugh Corbett series and Brother Athelstan series and even his Canterbury Tales series (although that is lighter on the mystery).

Candace Robb with her Owen Archer mysteries, or the series featuring Sister Fidelma, the nun sleuth, by Peter Tremayne, and the Brother Cadfael's mysteries by Ellis Peters.
All excellent!

Hi, I'm new to this group but I too would recommend Susanna Gregory, especially the Matthew Bartholomew series set in Cambridge. I haven't finished them all yet but am loving them.

Welcome, dogsapples! The more, the merrier.
:-))

Do read C.J.Sansom's novels, Dark Fire, Dissolution- brilliant!

Have you read any of the "Crowner John" books by Bernard Knight? They are set a little later than the Brother Cadfael novels, in the time of Richard the Lionheart, and feature Crowner John, the coroner of Exeter, whose job it is to investigate suspicious deaths. There is a series of books, twelve at present, the first of which is "The Sanctuary Seeker". I have come in part way through the series, and am half way through book no. 8 "The Witch Hunter".

P.F. Chisolm's series of mysteries involving Sir Robert Carey is set still later, in Elizabethan times. Carey is sent north to be deputy warden on the Scottish border and finds it to be no sinecure. One of the things I most enjoy about the books, apart from the setting and the characters of Carey and his fellows, is the struggle to establish due process among people who are used to exacting their own brand of justice. A Famine of Horses is the first in the series.

((Edward Marston)) has Domesday, Elizabethan Theatre, Restoration, and Edwardian Railway Mysteries. He also writes Ships Detective Mysteries under the name ((Conrad Allan)).
((E.H.Clements))has many World War ll Mysteries with a difference, but these are now hard to find.

((Edward Marston)) has Domesday, Elizabethan Theatre, Restoration, and Edwardian Railway Mysteries. He also writes Ships Detective Mysteries under the name ((Conrad Allan)).
((E.H.Clements))has many World War ll Mysteries with a difference, but these are now hard to find.
Don't overlook ((Bernard Cornwell"s)) three Grail Quest novels or ((Ken Follet's))two Medieval novels - not exactly mysteries but just as exciting.

It's not a series book, but The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco was really good.

I read a lot of medieval mysteries, and the authors that do the best at conveying the feel of the times and putting you there are two who have already been recommended: Umberto Eco and Susanna Gregory in her Mathew Bartholomew Chronicles, set in Cambridge, beginning with A Plague on Both Your Houses.

I would also recommend Priscilla Royal's Wine of Violence, and Ian Morson's William Falconer series set in Oxford, the first being Falconer's Crusade.

For a laugh, the Wolves of Savernake by Edward Marston, although it does not do a very good job of creating the feel of the medieval era, reads like Mel Gibson and Danny Glover transported in time. Their repartee is very funny.

A lot of Edward Marston's books (he also writes under Conrad Allen) have repartee.

I really enjoy Sharon Kay Penman's Justin de Quincy mysteries, which are set in the 12th century. Penman is a wonderful writer and her books are well-researched. The first book in the series is The Queen's Man, where Justin becomes embroiled in political intrigue and murder in England. I also really enjoy Dragon's Lair, where Justin journeys to Wales and meets Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, a future prince of Wales.

The Grail Quest series by Bernard Cornwell. He's most famous for his Sharpe series, which is set in the early 19th century, but I really enjoyed The Archer's Tale.

They don't seem to be too well known, but I discovered pat mcintosh's murder mystery series set in Medieval Glasgow starring the noble and loveable Gill Cunningham and a whole host of other characters. Wonderful.

Nobody has mentioned The Medieval Murderers. (I hate this red-ink fail to touchstone problem!) Anyway it's a group of medieval authors, most already mentioned here, who write serial books together.

For example, in the first one, The Tainted Relic, the story starts in 1100 on one of the crusades with Simon Beaufort's Sir Geoffrey de Mappstone and the theft of a cursed piece of the cross, the relic of the title. Next, the relic turns up in 1195 Essex where Bernard Knight's Crowner John investigates the murder that resulted from it's presence. It's third stop is Oxford in 1269 and Ian Morson's William Falconer confronts a decapitated monk.
Next it moves on to Devon in the early 1300's where Michael Jecks' Templar and sheriff have to deal with the violence it causes. Then on to Cambridge about 30 years later to the dismay of Mathew Bartholomew and Brother Michael, Susanna Gregory's sleuths, who have to investigate the mysterious deaths connected with the relic. And finally, jumping forward to Renaissance London in the early 1600's where Philip Gooden's Nicholas Revill is witness to another murder of a man who possessed the relic.

They've done 4 books like this so far, and it gives you a taste of the writing and characters of each author. Very enjoyable.

I just finished Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin and oh! it was just wonderful! Set in 12th Century Cambridge, it features a woman doctor/coroner from Salerno who is sent to England by the King of Sicily at the behest of Henry II to stop whoever is murdering the children of Cambridge, which murders are being blamed on the city's Jews. Has anyone else read this one yet?

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin was great. Can't wait to get the 2nd book of this new series.

Yeah, me too! I've reserved it from the library, but I'm wondering if I can wait that long. The first truly was special.

I love the Pat McIntosh series. I think it is outstanding, and I love the characters.

I loved Mistress of the Art of Death too! Is the second in paperback yet? If so, I will get a copy.

I'll second C J Sansom. I love his books.

#20

C.J. Sansom has also joined The Medieval Murderers but so far has only written one of the modern-day epilogues in the books. I currently have House of Shadows in my to read pile which I bought from the local remainder shop for next to no money (about a quid).

#27, andyl
The touchstone is wrong. In your post House of Shadows comes up as a Barbara Michaels book.

I, too, enjoyed Sansom's first book, so will look forward to his inclusion in a future book by The Medieval Murderers.

I have just discovered Maureen Ash & her Templar Knight Mystery Series & i'm now reading The Alehouse Murders which i found in our local library. I have read several(7) of the Sister Fidelma Series by Peter Tremayne which were all from the library. I own all but two of the Brother Cadfael Series by Ellis Peters, 2 of Alys Clares Hawkenlye Medieval Mystery series as well as 2 volumes of The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunits in which I have discovered many other authors whose work i intend to read as soon as i can track them down. I having a simply marvelous time w/all of this wonderful reading & learning many tidbits about life in the Middle Ages which is my newly favorite historical period! I do not care for modern day mystery fiction but really love all of the above mentioned! 8^)

A play of Isaac is part of another series by Margaret Frazer... have only read the one, but it was well done.

Peter Tremayne has written an excellent series of mysteries where a nun, Sister Fidelma, is the detective. The stories take place in the seventh century and Tremayne is amazing at capturing the time period because he draws his stories from real history.

I agree that Peter Tremayne is a good read. Apparently he was a historical researcher before he began writing fiction and the history in this series is as interesting as the mystery.

I am trying to locate the name of a medieval mystery that is fairly recent. it involves a woman sleuth who
is very well trained in forensics and she is called upon to investigate a crime in which the community is blaming the Jewish population. Can anyone help?

#33 That's Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

I just found the answer to my question upthread. It
is Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin.
I downloaded it onto my ipod but I couldn't remember the title. I also didn't know there was a second book
in the series so if I like this one I will check that one out. Thanks for all the great suggestions in this group.
I love the Medieval period. Anyone know of any
mysteries that take place during the Great Plague?

#35 There's actually four books currently out in that series--Mistress of the Art of Death, A Serpent's Tale, Grave Goods, and A Murderous Procession. I've read all but the most recent and really enjoyed them myself (I think A Serpent's Tale is my personal favorite, though).

No suggestions about the Plague setting, though :-(

Thanks SaraHope for the information you provided above.

#35 alans -- Susanna Gregory's Mathew Bartholomew Chronicles cover the plague era. The first book in the series A Plague on Both Your Houses takes place during the first time the plague strikes Cambridge. Note, Gregory's writing improved significantly after this first book, and fear of the plague returning permeates the life of the people during that era, which, of course, flavors the rest of the books in the series, 18 total so far.

I, too, love medieval mysteries and imo, Susanna Gregory, along with Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose, are the best mysteries portraying the medieval era.

I can't think of anything other than the Susanna Gregory books for the plague years.
My other favourite medieval detectives are the Sister Fidelma books by Peter Tremayne, mainly because they are set against a totally different legal system to the English one, and, like a lot of people, I love Ariana Franklin. Her new title isn't available in our library system yet but I'm waiting patiently.

I read the second novel by Ariana Franklin:The Death Maze. You are right to wait: it is a very good book. Only: it is less good than its predecessor, Mistress of the Art of Death. It is a pity, but she is still way better than a lot of other crime writers.

> 36, 37

Ariana Franklin has also written City of Shadows which is set in Berlin between the wars (I and II). I know that isn't medieval but it is a good read.

I am new to LibraryThing and have yet to find my way using the pathways for answers. This is my first message. My husband is dyslexic and an ardent fan of Medieval Mystery Writers. He uses audio books and running out of sources for further stories.
Can anyone suggest where we can find a list of audio versions of the many authors listed in your previous messages. Is there a Medieval Mystery Writers in Audio Group? He likes Bernard Knight,
Susanna Gregory, CJ Sansom, Peter Tremayne, and currently into Bernard Cornwell
and anything else he can find.

You might try the websites for Recorded Books and the other audiobook companies. I'm sure they have a list of books by genre.

I received Heresy by S.J. Parris as part of the Early Reviewer program. It takes place in the late 16th century. Because I am relatively new to this genre (I did love The Name of the Rose) I don't know if it was totally historically accurate, but I loved the writing and the characters. You can read my review for more info about my impressions. I do highly recommend it!

Hodder and Stroughton in the UK did some execellent versions of Ellis Peters Cafael books, read by Derek Jacobi (around 2006/2007)

Note, these are not the earlier audios lifted from the TV show, these were new recordings. Very good though now deleted.

The BBC also has a couple of dramatized Cadfaels out which are okay.

There were a couple of other sets of previous Cadfael audio books, and Blackstone is about to put the series out again in the Autumn.

Also: I guess a chunk of the Michael Jecks stuff is listed as coming out from a company called 'Soundings Audio Books' although I couldn't find them anywhere.

(Edit: I guess they changed their name to Isis publishing, if I get anymore info I'll add it here)

The Michael Jecks audio books can be found here:

https://www.isis-publishing.co.uk/osb/showitem.cfm/category/1457

It looks like they only have 13 of the titles.

Michael Jecks is a lovely bloke, he came into the bookstore I used to work at in Chicagoland.

Great sense of humour, it was about the time the OJ book was out. This woman was flourishing it at me saying it's a shame she couldn't get it signed, Michael laughed and said he'd sign it and no one would know it wasn't real...snort.

That girl cracked up, had him inscribe it and bought the book :-)

That's priceless, cosmicdolphin!