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#Historical Mystery
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Mystery-Themed Prompts for Novel Ideas
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The Vanishing Heirloom: In a small, isolated town, a precious family heirloom goes missing, causing chaos. Write a story from the perspective of the investigator who is called to solve the mystery.
The Cryptic Message: A character receives a mysterious message that seems to predict future events. What is the message, and how does it lead to a thrilling mystery?
The Disappearing Artist: A famous artist disappears on the night of their gallery opening. Craft a tale that delves into the secrets of the art world and the clues left behind.
The Locked Room: Describe a seemingly impossible murder in a locked room. How does the detective unravel the truth and uncover the killer's methods?
The Forgotten Diary: A forgotten diary reveals a series of dark secrets from the past. Write a story about the impact of these revelations on those who find it.
The Phantom Stalker: Create a character who believes they're being followed by a mysterious stranger. Explore their paranoia and the truth behind the stalker's motives.
The Unexplained Crop Circles: A series of intricate crop circles appear overnight in a rural field. Craft a story around the investigation to discover their origin and meaning.
The Ghost Ship: Set your story on a deserted ship found adrift at sea. Investigate the ship's eerie past and the events that led to its abandonment.
The Cursed Painting: A haunted painting is said to bring doom to those who possess it. Tell the tale of the individuals connected to this cursed artwork.
The Mysterious Time Capsule: A group of friends unearths a time capsule from their childhood, but inside, they find an item that doesn't belong. Explore the mystery of this unexpected object.
The Secret Society: Your protagonist stumbles upon a secret society operating in plain sight. Explore their motives and the danger they pose in a gripping mystery.
The Disappearing Town: In a remote village, the entire population vanishes without a trace. Write a story about the investigator who arrives to uncover the eerie circumstances.
The Haunting Whisper: A character begins to hear whispered messages from an unknown source. How do these whispers lead them on a mysterious journey?
The Enigmatic Puzzle: A brilliant cryptographer leaves behind a complex puzzle after their death. Follow the efforts to decode it and uncover a hidden secret.
The Phantom Blackmailer: Someone is blackmailing prominent figures using an alias. Craft a story about the detective trying to unmask this cunning blackmailer.
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lgbtqreads · 1 month
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Fave Five: Queer Historical Mystery Series
Harlem Renaissance Mysteries by Nekesa Afia (1920s) The Nightingale Mysteries by Katharine Schellman (1920s) The Simon Sampson Mysteries by David C. Dawson (1930s) Pentecost and Parker by Stephen Spotswood (1940s) Evander Mills by Lev A.C. Rosen (1950s)
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vox-anglosphere · 7 months
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Established in 1585, the entire colony of Roanoke vanished by 1590. The only clue was a strange inscription, 'Croatoan', carved on a tree.
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freckles-and-books · 2 days
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I think I’m gonna continue with 1920s mysteries because I sped through The Curse of Penryth Hall.
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gracehosborn · 1 year
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The February 4th 1781 Letter
So the other day I got all excited over receiving a scan of Hamilton’s February 4th, 1781 letter to Laurens. While I can’t share the entire thing, I at least feel comfortable to share this small part which gained all of my attention. Words in brackets are ones that are lost due to the edge of the page being burned:
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Adieu [my] beloved friend. Do justice to my [page burned off] for you. Assure yourself that [it is] impossible more ardently to w[ish for your?] health safety pleasure and success [than] I do. God send you speedily back to us.
There is so much I want to say, but I’ll start with the first elephant in the room: notice how none of this passage is edited by Hamilton in any way? How fluid and crammed his writing is—much like in his “I wish there was a War” letter to Stevens?
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Source: Alexander Hamilton to Edward Stevens, November 11, 1769, Library of Congress.
Just like when writing “I wish there was a War,” Hamilton really meant what he said to Laurens. The nature of his handwriting saying that there was too little room for all he wanted to say, and thus did not second-guess himself. This is very openly affectionate.
To the second elephant in the room: “Do justice to my” what? We don’t know as this portion of the page is burned off. However each page of this letter has burn spots on the edges just as you see above, so I do not think this was intentional by any means.
When transcribing Hamilton’s papers, the editors of The Papers of Alexander Hamilton assume the word to be regard (“Do justice to my (regard) for you” XX ), however realistically speaking, the word could be a number of things. Regard, esteem, respect, even love, or my particular favorite: partiality.
Partiality appears four times throughout the Hamilton/Laurens correspondence, used in Hamilton’s letters. While I am not going to quote every single example, I will say that in each, the word is used in the possessive (“my self byassed by my partiality for you….,” “However your partiality…”, etc). Another thing to note: it is a common practice that two of a thing is simply coincidental, whereas three or more of a thing—whatever it may be—is indicative of a pattern. As “partiality” appears four times within Hamilton’s letters to one individual, it is clear this is a pattern. This becomes more notable when considering that partiality is a synonym of love, and that these words share other synonyms throughout these letters (particularly “affection”/“affectionate,” “inclination,” and “attachments.”) Further, all of these words are synonymous with each other—ie: they all mean more or less the same thing.
With all of this in mind, I decided to play around and see if partiality could fit within the burned space, using the word as seen in the manuscript of the June 30th 1780 letter:
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Adjusting the cropped word to be the same size as the other writing, and to be as close to how crammed and tall it is here, we can see that the word would indeed fit. Note however that this is very rough and could be done better, I just don’t have the software to test this further. What is very interesting to note, going back to the possibility of a pattern, is that “my partiality for you” is actually seen in the June 30th letter. Considering things, and that these phrases match up almost exactly, it’s not a stretch to say that repetition occurred. 
So, all this said, I’m shocked at the lack of edits, and in my heart the missing word is partially.
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RECENT READS: “Death Comes as the End" by Agatha Christie
“The rottenness comes from within.”
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nastynas1991 · 14 days
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i think it's pretty crazy that nobody knows what happens in portugal. there hasn't been a single mention of it in the historical record since 1580. its still there today but its impossible for anyone today to know what happens there. thats pretty crazy to me
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hannaedits · 4 months
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Book Review: Sub Rosa (Valerius Mystery #1) by Jennifer Burke
In my experience, the best historical fiction involves stories that show the more things change, the more they stay the same. After all, people are people throughout history, just occasionally with better hygiene. Valerius is the highlight of this extended cast of characters for a story in which Burke effortlessly blends modern voice with a historical setting to create an accessible peek into a…
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cozyloislane · 2 months
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A teaser for the book I completed during NaNo. I'm editing it and hope to have it out this year.
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Book Recommendations: New Mysteries Hitting Our Shelves
The Sanctuary by Katrine Engberg
Jeppe Kørner, on leave from the police force and nursing a broken heart, has taken refuge on the island of Bornholm for the winter. Also on the island is Esther de Laurenti, a writer with a mysterious path who is working on a biography. When Jeppe lends a helping hand at the island’s local sawmill, he begins to realize that the island may not be the peaceful refuge it appears to be. Before he knows it, Jeppe unwittingly finds himself in the crosshairs of a sinister mystery rooted in the past, forcing him to team up with Esther to unravel the island’s secrets before it’s too late.
This is the fifth volume in the “Korner and Werner” series. 
Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings
1885: London. When Violet's Aunt Adelia decides to abscond with her newest paramour, she leaves behind her role as the most popular Agony Aunt in London, "Miss Hermione," in Violet's hands. And of course, the first letter Violet receives is full, not of prissy pondering, but of portent. Ivy Armstrong is in need of help and fears for her life. But when Violet visits the village where the letters were posted, she finds that Ivy is already dead. She'll quickly discover that when you represent the best-loved Agony Aunt in Britain, both marauding husbands and murder are par for the course.
This is the first volume in the “Dear Miss Hermione” series. 
Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron
It’s hurricane season in New Orleans and vintage cookbook fan Ricki James-Diaz is trying to shelve her weather-related fears and focus on her business, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop. Repairs on the property unearth crates of very old, very valuable French wine, buried by the home’s builder, Jean-Louis Charbonnet. Ricki, who’s been struggling to attract more customers to Miss Vee’s, is thrilled when her post about the discovery of this long-buried treasure goes viral. When a dead body turns up in Bon Vee’s cheery fall decorations, however, Ricki is determined to uncover the culprit.
This is the second volume in the “Vintage Cookbook Mystery” series. 
Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes
Who hasn’t wondered for a split second what the world would be like if a person who is the object of your affliction ceased to exist? But then you’ve probably never heard of The McMasters Conservatory, dedicated to the consummate execution of the homicidal arts. To gain admission, a student must have an ethical reason for erasing someone who deeply deserves a fate no worse (nor better) than death. The campus of this “Poison Ivy League” college is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate, and where one’s mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder.
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missingmissfisher · 5 months
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Book Review: Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver
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Nothing could take the place of our beloved Miss Fisher, but there's still other fantastic female heroes out there that are worth getting to know.
If you haven't already discovered it, I highly recommend you dive into the wonderful world of Electra McDonnell!
I absolutely devoured 'Locked in Pursuit,' Book Four in the series by Ashley Weaver within two evenings of receiving it, and after constantly checking for updates due to the cliffhanger she left us poor readers dangling from in Electra's previous adventure. I can't wait to go back and re-read it slowly as I rushed through it, in order to savour my favourite passages.
And what a love letter indeed to Ellie/Electra's devotees with enough backstory for any reader joining midway because this latest edition doesn't disappoint!
I was super delighted that this one picked up not too far along after where things left off previously, nor that we didn't have too wait long before Ellie and Major Ramsey are back on the trail of one of the things they do best together: sniffing out enemy spy activities. I was honestly guffawing out loud at the author's deft way of portraying their 'battle-of-the wits' intermingled with their warring personal emotions towards one another, which have been one of my favourite aspects of these characters and this series. I also love the addition of meeting others from the major's world that provide more insights to Ellie's (and us readers) need to discover more about his closed-book life.
Without going into spoilers territory, I also felt Ellie's increased uncertainty and post-traumatic stress from the events of the previous book rang true, especially during war time, as she tries to cope with it on her own. Even though she was keeping things from those she normally trusted, it was good to see her continue to delve into the intel she learned about her parents' past.
On the relationship front, I was glad to see more progress with the dreaded triangle, and Ellie's attempts to muddle through this quagmire. It's good to see her budding maturity in terms of wanting to clarify things with Felix and the major, even if things take heart-beating turns with both of them.
The mystery and sleuthing plot retained more of the wonderful WWII spy caperesque pacing from the first book that I love about this series. Again, without giving too much away, I could not have predicted the ending at all.
Fellow lovers of Electra and Ashely Weaver's writing, you will absolutely LOVE this continuing tale, and new readers, I highly recommend you go back and start at the beginning to get the full meal deal.
Huge thanks to Netgalley and Ashley for providing this advance copy that has actually whetted my appetite for the next one already.
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How to Write a Historical Mystery Novel | Short Guide
Check out my new post on my website.
Photo by Kathrine Birch on Pexels.com Historical mystery novels are a popular genre that combines the intrigue of a mystery with the rich backdrop of a historical setting. If you’re interested in writing a historical mystery novel, there are several key elements that you should keep in mind. In this blog post, I’ll help you explore some tips and tricks for crafting a compelling historical…
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mauvecatfic · 11 months
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(art commissioned from @vacantgodling - thank you, Ren!)
It's 1933 and Danny's having a rough summer.
Even in the middle of the Great Depression, he's making a good living as a mechanic. He's great with cars and radios and anything he can open up with a screwdriver. He's got steady customers who appreciate a mechanic who never asks about the bootleg liquor in the back seat, who never blinks at car windows that got shot out.
Danny understands secrets, you see, and he understands danger.
That's why he never tells anyone why he's suddenly not speaking to his lifelong best friend -- and really, why on earth is he upset that Paul is getting married? That's why he never mentions the voices only he can hear, the faces only he can see. That's why he avoids certain places in his small town, places full of dangers that only he can sense.
Danny keeps his secrets, because they're all he has.
Then he meets a stranger: a stranger who senses the same threats he does, a stranger who instantly sees everything Danny has spent his life hiding. A stranger with plenty of secrets of his own.
Chaak understands secrets, you see, because in the right hands, a secret can be a weapon as much as it can be a shield.
If you want to learn more about Chaak and Danny, they're characters in my novel, Nice Work If You Can Get It, available in its entirety on AO3.
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fangednightowl · 1 year
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Second book in the Matthew Shardlake series - I've really been enjoying getting back into plainly yet well written detective book. Set in London during Henry the 8ths reign (its fun to hear the locals in passing comment about the wife he's currently with and being able to mentally be like oh!! Historical event coming up yall don't even know about yet!)
Out hunchback lawyer (brilliant, kind) whose area is in land disputes is once again roped into a murder case. In the courtroom we get to hear about a larceny charge (couple of people stole a horse) and later on hear the awed tones of alchemy secret that has come to light for napalm.
It's just.. its nice to slip into something engaging yet not worried about unrelated sex scene coming across the eyeballs.
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Book Review: The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
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A sprawling, smart, and labyrinthine tale about an orphaned fortune-teller named Red who's searching for answers about her mother in 18th century England. With a long list of characters, some of whom are wealthy aristocrats embattled in court over a large family inheritance, others who are from much humbler backgrounds, there was a Dickensian edge to this that was impossible to miss. It's an intricately woven narrative. Enveloping, with twists and turns and tangents that keep readers' minds spinning to connect the dots.
There are a lot of moving parts - what with Red's murky origin story, her cartomancy skills, the multitude of lies and deceptions, the changing locales, and the way she insinuates herself into the center of a wealthy family to uncover secrets about her mother only to find much more than she bargained for - but it makes for a complex and compelling mystery. A tad long, perhaps, but one that'll keep readers guessing 'til the end.
Many thanks to Edelweiss and Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my review.
3/5 stars
**Follow me on Goodreads
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verityreadsbooks · 5 months
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Series I Still Love: Royal Spyness
The latest book in Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series came out this week so I’m taking the opportunity to have another little chat about how much I love this series. It’s the 1930s and our heroine is Georgiana, a cousin of the king and granddaughter of Queen Victoria (just go with it and don’t think too hard about that bit) who is trying to build herself a niche in a changing world and runs…
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