Mystery Reading List: Historical
The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy HooblerIn 18th-century Japan, fourteen-year-old Seikei, longs to be a samurai, although he knows that this is an inherited honor he can never hope to attain. While on a business trip, Seikei and his stern father take shelter at the Tokaido Inn where a cruel and oafish samurai, Lord Hakuseki, is also staying. A precious jewel is stolen from the lord, and a young girl whom Seikei has just met is accused of the theft. He risks his life by speaking out to defend her and Judge Ooka, called in to solve the crime, is taken with the boy’s bravery and enlists his help to solve the mystery.
Never Trust a Dead Man by Vivian Vande Velde
Wrongly convicted of murder and punished by being sealed in the tomb with the dead man, seventeen year old Selwyn enlists the help of a witch and the resurrected victim to find the true killer in this medieval mystery.
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Set in 1906 against the backdrop of the murder that inspired Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy, this coming-of-age novel weaves together romance, history, and a murder mystery. Mattie Gokey struggles with the fresh pain of her mother's death and the burden of raising her sisters while her father struggles with the farm work. Mattie dreams of finishing high school, going to college in New York City, and becoming a writer.Her life is turned even more upside down when the drowned body of a young woman turns up at the hotel where Mattie works.
Ruby in the Smoke by Phillip Pullman
In 19th century London, sixteen-year-old Sally, a recent orphan, becomes involved in a deadly search for a mysterious ruby and clues to explain her father’s death. Pursued by villains at every turn, the intrepid Sally uncovers two dark mysteries and realizes that she is the key to both. (first in a trilogy)
The Case of the Missing Marquess: an Enola Holmes Mystery by Nancy Springer
When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared, she quickly embarks on a journey to London in search of her. But nothing can prepare her for what awaits. Because when she arrives, she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess, fleeing murderous villains, and trying to elude her shrewd older brothers all while attempting to piece together clues to her mothers strange disappearance. Amid all the mayhem, will Enola be able to decode the necessary clues and find her mother?
The Printer’s Devil by Paul BajoriaTwelve-year-old Mog works for as a printer’s apprentice. He enjoys printing off the wanted posters, but he recognizes one of the faces. With the help of his new friend, Nick, the two are soon on the trail of murderous thieves in Victorian London.
The Callender Papers by Cynthia Voigt
In 19th century Massachusetts, orphan Jean is employed to sort out the family papers of a reclusive artist and becomes curious about the mysterious, long-ago death of his wife and the subsequent disappearance of their young child.
Something Upstairs by Avi
When 12-year-old Kenny Huldorf moves with his family to Providence, Rhode Island, he
finds himself embroiled in the century-old murder of a teenage slave named Caleb. Not only is Kenny haunted by the injustice of the murder, but also by the ghost of Caleb himself, who summons Kenny back in time to the early 19th century, where the boy must solve Caleb's murder to return to his own century.The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks
On a storm-ravaged night, a 19-year-old girl is kidnapped, raped, and killed. Three days later, her two younger brothers set out in search of her murderer. Cole, 17, is a dark-eyed devil who doesn't care if he lives or dies, while Ruben, 14, is a strange child who sometimes, feels and knows things that only his siblings have experienced. This is the story of the boys' journey from their gypsy home in London to the ghostly moors of Devon, where they hope to find the truth about their sister's death.