The historical mystery, also called a historical whodunit, is a type of story that combines two genres: historical fiction and mystery fiction. These stories take place in times that are considered historical from the author's point of view, and the main plot focuses on solving a mystery or crime, often a murder. Although stories that mix these genres have been around since the early 1900s, many people believe that Ellis Peters' Cadfael Chronicles (1977–1994) helped make the historical mystery widely known. Over the next few decades, this type of story became more popular, leading to its recognition as a separate subgenre by publishers and libraries. In 2010, Publishers Weekly said, "The past decade has seen an explosion in both quantity and quality. Never before have so many historical mysteries been published, by so many gifted writers, and covering such a wide range of times and places." Editor Keith Kahla added, "From a small group of writers with a very specialized audience, the historical mystery has become a highly praised, award-winning genre with a presence on the New York Times bestseller list."

Since 1999, the British Crime Writers' Association has given the CWA Historical Dagger award to books in this genre. The Left Coast Crime conference has honored the Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery award (for mysteries set before 1950) since 2004.

Origins

The term "whodunit" was created in the early 1930s. However, detective stories may have started much earlier. For example, the ancient Greek play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, written in 429 BC, and the tale The Three Apples from One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights), written in the 10th century, are sometimes linked to the origins of detective fiction. In China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644), stories called gong’an ("crime-case") were written. These tales featured government magistrates, such as the historical figures Di Renjie (Tang dynasty, 618–907) and Bao Zheng (Song dynasty, 960–1279), who solved crimes and decided punishments. The stories were set in the past but included some events that did not happen at that time. In the 18th century, a Chinese manuscript titled Di Gong An was discovered. Robert van Gulik believed this work was closer to Western detective fiction than other gong’an stories. He translated it into English in 1949 as Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. He later wrote his own stories about Judge Dee between 1951 and 1968.

The first modern English work that combines historical fiction and mystery is the 1911 story The Angel of the Lord by Melville Davisson Post. It features an amateur detective named Uncle Abner in pre-Civil War West Virginia. Barry Zeman, a member of the Mystery Writers of America, called the Uncle Abner stories "the starting point for true historical mysteries." Post wrote 22 Uncle Abner stories between 1911 and 1928. In these tales, Uncle Abner solves local mysteries using his sharp observation and knowledge of the Bible. In 1943, American writer Lillian de la Torre created a story called The Great Seal of England, which placed 18th-century figures Samuel Johnson and James Boswell in roles similar to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. This began her Dr. Sam: Johnson, Detector series. In 1944, Agatha Christie published Death Comes as the End, a mystery novel set in ancient Egypt, making it the first full-length historical whodunit. In 1950, John Dickson Carr wrote The Bride of Newgate, a historical mystery novel set near the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

Popularization

In 1970, Peter Lovesey started a series of books about Sergeant Cribb, a Victorian-era police detective. Elizabeth Peters began her Amelia Peabody series in 1975, which followed the adventures of Amelia Peabody, a Victorian woman and archaeologist, as she solved mysteries during her excavations in early 20th-century Egypt. However, historical mystery stories were uncommon until the late 1970s, when Ellis Peters' Cadfael Chronicles (1977–1994) gained popularity. This series featured Brother Cadfael, a Benedictine monk, and was set in 12th-century Shrewsbury. Umberto Eco’s book The Name of the Rose (1980) also helped make historical mysteries more well-known. In 1979, Anne Perry began writing two series of Victorian-era mysteries, one featuring Thomas Pitt (1979–2013) and another featuring William Monk (1990–2013). The genre became more popular around 1990 with works like Lindsey Davis’ Falco and Flavia Albia novels (1989–2022), set in the Roman Empire of Vespasian; John Maddox Roberts’ SPQR series (1990–2010); and Steven Saylor’s Roma Sub Rosa novels (1991–2018), both set in the Roman Republic of the 1st century BC. Paul Doherty wrote several series, including the Hugh Corbett medieval mysteries (1986–2010), the Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan (1991–2012), and the Canterbury Tales of Mystery and Murder (1994–2012). For The Mammoth Book of Historical Detectives (1995), F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre wrote “Death in the Dawntime,” a locked room mystery (or sealed cave mystery) set in Australia around 35,000 BC, which is considered the earliest time period for a historical mystery. In 1998, Diana Gabaldon began the Lord John series, featuring Lord John Grey, a nobleman-military officer-amateur detective from her Outlander series, in 18th-century England. Using the pen name Ariana Franklin, Diana Norman wrote four books called Mistress of the Art of Death (2007–2010), which follow 12th-century English medical examiner Adelia Aguilar.

Publishers Weekly noted in 2010 that the genre saw a large increase in both the number of books and their quality. They stated that more historical mysteries were published than ever before, by many talented writers, covering a wide range of times and places. Editor Keith Kahla agreed, saying the genre has grown from a small group of writers with a specialized audience to a well-received, award-winning genre that appears on the New York Times bestseller list.

Awards

In 1999, the British Crime Writers' Association gave the first CWA Historical Dagger award to a book in the mystery category. This award was named the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger until 2012. In 2014, Endeavour Press helped sponsor the award, which was called the Endeavour Historical Dagger for the 2014 and 2015 awards. Since 2004, the Left Coast Crime conference has given the Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery award to books about mysteries that take place before 1950.

Variations

In an early example of the genre, Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time (1951) follows a modern police detective who uses time in the hospital to investigate a 15th-century mystery involving Richard III of England and the Princes in the Tower. Georgette Heyer’s The Talisman Ring (1936), set in 1793 England, is a Regency romance with some mystery elements. Jane Aiken Hodge described it as “very nearly a detective story in period costume.” Many of Heyer’s other historical romance novels include thriller-like details, but not as strongly.

Other types of mystery stories include novels set in alternate history or fantasy worlds. For example, The Ultimate Solution (1973) by Eric Norden and Fatherland (1992) by Robert Harris are police procedurals set in imaginary pasts where Nazi Germany won World War II. Randall Garrett’s Lord Darcy series takes place in a 20th-century world where magic exists. Phyllis Ann Karr’s The Idylls of the Queen (1982) is set in the court of King Arthur, based on Arthurian myths and not focused on historical accuracy.

This genre does not include stories that were contemporary when written, such as Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories set in Victorian England or Dorothy L. Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey books from the Interwar period. However, later books about Holmes and Wimsey written by other authors decades after the original works could be considered historical mysteries.

List of fictional historical detectives

The following list includes made-up detectives from history, arranged in order from the earliest to the latest time periods: