Books like 'An Excellent Mystery'
Readers who enjoyed An Excellent Mystery by Ellis Peters also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical mystery thriller historical-fiction medieval crime law-enforcement cozy religion whodunit
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Brother Cadfael's Penance by Ellis Peters
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhile Cadfael has bent Abbey rules, he has never broken his monastic vows--until now. Word has come to Shrewsbury of a treacherous act that has left 30 of Maud's knights imprisoned. All have been ransomed except Cadfael's secret son, Olivier. Conceived in Cadfael's soldiering youth and unaware of his father's identity, Olivier will die if he is not freed...Categorized as:
amateur-sleuth cozy crime historical-fiction law-enforcement medieval religion spirituality -
When Blood Lies by C.S. Harris
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, has spent years unraveling his family’s tragic history. But the secrets of his past will come to light in this gripping new historical mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of What the Devil Knows.March, 1815. The Bourbon King Louis XVIII has been restored to the throne of France, Napoleon is in exile on the isle of Elba, and Sebastian St...Categorized as:
amateur-sleuth cozy crime historical-fiction law-enforcement thriller adult audiobook -
Murder at the Folly by Beth Byers
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSeptember 1923. When Violet and Victor run into an old friend in Belgium, they have an idea of what to expect. What they don’t expect is to be followed back to England, persuaded to spend an additional weekend away from home, or to have their group experience another murder. This time, the suspect is their long-time friend Tomas St. Marks—-a shell-shocked former soldier...Categorized as:
cozy historical-fiction crime law-enforcement amateur-sleuth mystery historical fiction -
Kennington House Murder by Beth Byers
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsApril 1923. After a winter on the Amalfi Coast, Lady Violet Carlyle returns home for her little sister’s wedding. The last time Vi was with her family, she was the pauper daughter who needed to wed before she lost her chance. After the events of the holidays, Vi’s richer than Midas. When Violet meets her sister’s fiancé Violet knows something must be done...Categorized as:
cozy historical-fiction crime law-enforcement amateur-sleuth mystery historical fiction -
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Feu d'artifice mortel by Faith Martin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratings‘An explosive read… Characters, dialogue and plot were superb.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars As the Hughes family celebrate bonfire night, a terrible accident leaves the garden shed in flames – and father and grandfather Thomas trapped inside. Tragic though it is, Thomas’s death passes without suspicion – until a local journalist makes accusations of a police cover-up in the press...Categorized as:
amateur-sleuth cozy crime historical-fiction law-enforcement whodunit adult audiobook -
A Fatal Secret by Faith Martin
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOxford, 1961A family day out at Briar’s Hall ends in tragedy when a young boy goes missing – and his body is found at the bottom of a disused well in the orchard.It looks like a simple case of an eleven-year-old exploring where he shouldn’t: a tragic accident. But Coroner Clement Ryder and Probationary WPC Trudy Loveday aren’t convinced...Categorized as:
amateur-sleuth cozy crime historical-fiction law-enforcement whodunit adult audiobook -
The Worthy Soldier by Sarah Woodbury
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMay 1147. Gareth and Gwen have traveled to Deheubarth in the retinue of Prince Hywel. The Prince of Gwynedd has temporarily allied himself with King Cadell and his Norman relations in order to finally evict the hated Flemings from south Wales. But while the battle goes well, the celebratory feast afterwards does not, leaving Gareth and Gwen among the few left standing... -
The Favored Son by Sarah Woodbury
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNovember 1147. Gareth and Gwen have again been called to a castle belonging to Robert, Earl of Gloucester, this time by Prince Henry, who insists his uncle was murdered. Allying with Normans doesn't come easily to Gareth and Gwen, but initial doubts are swept aside as more losses come to light... -
The Fateful Marriage by Elizabeth Bailey
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA brand new mystery featuring Lady Fan! For fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Barbara Erskine and Jane Austen. Wherever Lady Fan goes, murder follows… 1791, England Lady Ottilia and Lord Francis Fanshawe are holidaying in Tunbridge Wells when they stumble across the scene of a horrific accident... -
A Vigil of Spies by Candace Robb
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA callous murder. A devastating secret. A crime of passion.York, 1373: John Thoresby, the Archbishop of York, lies dying... -
By Murder's Bright Light by Paul Doherty, P. Harding
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsScandal, murder and treason… Athelstan and Cranston are back with a bang. Winter, 1379. French privateers are attacking the southern coast and threaten London itself, the very heart of the nation... -
The Anger of God by Paul Doherty, P. Harding
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn autumn 1379, the power of the British crown is invested in John of Gaunt, and the kingdom is seething with discontent. The French are attacking the southern ports and peasants are planning a revolt organized by a mysterious leader who proclaims himself “IRA DEI,” the anger of God. Meanwhile Gaunt's tenuous plans are plunged into chaos by a series of bloody murders in London... -
Murder Most Holy by Paul Doherty, P. Harding
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the early summer of 1379 in London, Sir John Cranston, Coroner of the city, is trapped into a wager with Signior Gian Galeazzo, Lord of Cremona, who challenges him to resolve a certain murder mystery within two weeks. Men have been found dead in the scarlet chamber of one of Cremona's manors... -
Murder on the Boardwalk by Lee Strauss, Denise Jaden
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBrand New 1950s Cozy Mystery series by USA TODAY bestselling author Lee Strauss! Murder's such a shock! When Rosa Reed, aka CPW Reed of the Metropolitan Police, and her cousin Gloria decide to spend a carefree and fun-filled afternoon in 1956 at the fair on the boardwalk in Santa Bonita, California, they're in for a shocking surprise... -
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Murder in the Library by Martha Bond
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMurder mystery at the manor!After months of travel, former maid, Lottie Sprigg, returns to Fortescue Manor in the rolling hills of Shropshire. Her arrival coincides with a celebratory dinner to mend a family feud. But the flow of champagne dwindles to a trickle when a body is found in the library…Who committed the atrocity? Suspicion falls on several some above stairs and some below... -
Murder Among the Roses by Beth Byers
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMay 1924. Spring has arrived, the roses are blooming, and Violet and Victor are off to discover the state of his recent purchase. When Violet decides to explore a local ramble through the woods, she believes she knows how her day will go. Who would expect to stumble over a body? Or just how scandalous the life of a gardener could be? Book FIVE in The Violet Carlyle Mysteries...Categorized as:
cozy historical-fiction law-enforcement amateur-sleuth mystery fiction historical murder -
The Bookseller of Inverness by S.G. MacLean
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAfter Culloden, Iain MacGillivray was left for dead on Drumossie Moor. Wounded, his face brutally slashed, he survived only by pretending to be dead as the Redcoats patrolled the corpses of his Jacobite comrades.Six years later, with the clan chiefs routed and the Highlands subsumed into the British state, Iain lives a quiet life, working as a bookseller in Inverness...Categorized as:
historical-fiction crime law-enforcement thriller mystery historical fiction audiobook -
The Rose Rent by Ellis Peters
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA late spring in 1142 brings dismay to the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, for there may be no roses by June 22nd. On that day the young widow Perle must receive one white rose as rent for the house she has given to benefit the abbey or the contract is void. When nature finally complies, a pious monk is sent to pay the rent - and is found murdered beside the hacked rose-bush...Categorized as:
amateur-sleuth cozy crime historical-fiction law-enforcement medieval religion spirituality -
The Leper of Saint Giles by Ellis Peters
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsOctober 1139. A savage murder interrupts an ill-fated marriage set to take place at Brother Cadfael's abbey, leaving the monk with a terrible mystery to solve. The key to the killing is hidden among the inhabitants of the Saint Giles leper colony, and Brother Cadfael must ferret out a sickness not of the body, but of a twisted mind...Categorized as:
amateur-sleuth cozy crime historical-fiction law-enforcement medieval religion spirituality -
A Conspiracy of Wolves by Candace Robb
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen a prominent citizen is murdered, former Captain of the Guard Owen Archer is persuaded out of retirement to investigate in this gripping medieval mystery.1374. When a member of one of York’s most prominent families is found dead in the woods, his throat torn out, rumours spread like wildfire that wolves are running loose throughout the city... -
The Unexpected Ally by Sarah Woodbury
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMarch 114 7. Assassination, espionage, betrayal. King Owain has ridden east to confront King Madog of Powys with the attempt on the life of his son. Rhys, now abbot of St. Kentigern's monastery, hopes for peace and calls both Madog and Owain to the negotiating table. Peace, however, is the last thing on Madog's mind... -
The Cursed Writer by Holly Hepburn
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPreorder the BRAND NEW instalment in Holly Hepburn's page-turning Baker Street Mystery series Join Harriet White in 1930's London for another glorious Sherlock Holmes-inspired mystery, for fans of Nita Prose and Janice...Categorized as:
cozy historical-fiction crime amateur-sleuth whodunit law-enforcement mystery fiction -
The Council of the Cursed by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Bishop Leodegar of Autun calls upon the church leaders from western Europe to attend a council, it is to be a meeting haunted by sudden death and intrigue.It's AD 670, and the Council of Autun is meeting to discuss serving a final devastating blow to the Celtic Church... -
Murder in Canton by Robert van Gulik
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA.D. 681Murder In Canton takes place in 680 A.D. Judge Dee, recently promoted to Lord Chief Justice, is sent incognito to Canton to investigate the disappearance of a court censor... -
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Our Lady Of Darkness by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn mid-seventh-century Ireland, Sister Fidelma of Cashel-sister to the King of Muman, an advocate of Brehon Courts, and religieuse of the Celtic Church-returns hastily from a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. James. The news that brings her back is that her companion and friend, the Saxon monk Brother Eadulf, is under arrest for a serious crime in the neighboring kingdom of Laigin... -
The House of the Red Slayer by Paul Doherty
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn December 1377 a great frost has the city in its icy grip; even the Thames is frozen from bank to bank. Murder, revenge and treachery also make their presence felt. The Constable of the Tower of London, Sir Ralph Whitton, is found murdered in a cold bleak chamber in the North Bastion...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement medieval spirituality whodunit thriller adult -
The Leper's Bell by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn November of 667 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel has returned home to her brother's castle to discover that a servant, her son's nurse, has been found brutally murdered in the woods near town, and her son is missing, presumed kidnapped or worse... -
Act of Mercy by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the year 666 C.E., Sister Fidelma embarks on a pilgrimage to reflect upon her commitment to the church and her relationship with the Saxon monk Eadulf. Seabound to the Shrine of St. James, she encounters her first love Cian, who abandoned her ten years earlier. But before she can sort out her feelings-she must discern if a murderer has also set sail with her.. -
The Red Hill by David Penny
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA killer who can’t be stopped. A request that can’t be refused.In 1482 the Englishman Thomas Berrington is living in the last remnants of Moorish Spain. A physician, he is an unwilling friend to the most powerful man in the kingdom. When bodies start to turn up, each showing the marks of a savage attack, Thomas is asked to investigate... -
An Unwelcome Guest: An unputdownable Victorian mystery by Emily Organ
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA luxurious hotel. Ten guests. One killer.London, 1884. When journalist Penny Green is invited to stay at the grand reopening of the Hotel Tempesta, she expects an evening of opulence and intrigue. But the night takes a sinister turn when the charismatic American owner is found brutally murdered at the foot of the stairs.The suspicion falls on his guests. Ten suspects in total...Categorized as:
historical-fiction crime cozy whodunit religion amateur-sleuth thriller spirituality -
The Bookseller's Tale by Ann Swinfen
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOxford, Spring 1353. When young bookseller Nicholas Elyot discovers the body of student William Farringdon floating in the river Cherwell, it looks like a drowning. Soon, however, Nicholas finds evidence of murder... -
O Noviço do Diabo by Ellis Peters
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn the autumn of 1140 the Benedictine monastery at Shrewsbury finds its new novice Meriet Aspley a bit disturbing. The younger son of a prominent family, Meriet is meek and biddable by day, but his sleep is rife with nightmares so violent that they earn him the name of "Devil's Novice". Shunned by the other monks, Aspley attracts the concern of Brother Cadfael...Categorized as:
amateur-sleuth cozy crime historical-fiction law-enforcement medieval religion spirituality -
The Potter's Field by Ellis Peters, Elsa Pelitti
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAugust, 1143. The body of a woman is unearthed in the freshly plowed fields that once belonged to a local potter -- now a Benedictine monk. The woman is revealed to be his beautiful young wife, thought to have run away. Medieval Benedictine monk Brother Cadfael must determine if one of his own order is guilty of the crime...Categorized as:
amateur-sleuth cozy crime historical-fiction law-enforcement medieval religion spirituality -
The Hermit of Eyton Forest by Ellis Peters
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBrother Cadfael’s pastoral life is upended by the disappearance of a young boy and the arrival of a saintly hermit.The year is 1142, and England is in the grip of civil war. Within the cloisters of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, there begins a chain of events no less momentous than the upheavals of the outside world...Categorized as:
amateur-sleuth cozy crime historical-fiction law-enforcement medieval religion spirituality -
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The Confession of Brother Haluin by Ellis Peters, Patrick Tull
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAfter a miraculous escape from death, Brother Haluin wishes to confess that he was responible for the death of the girl he loved and the baby she was to bear, 18 years previously. Brother Cadfael accompanies a crippled young monk on his journey of penance - a path that leads them into a web of old jealousy and deceit...Categorized as:
amateur-sleuth cozy crime historical-fiction law-enforcement medieval religion spirituality -
The Heretic's Apprentice by Ellis Peters
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn the Summer of 1143, two visitors arrive at the gates of the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul bearing a corpse. But another violent death follows in their wake, and Brother Cadfael is called upon to investigate the connection between these two gory events...Categorized as:
amateur-sleuth cozy crime historical-fiction law-enforcement medieval religion spirituality -
The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWinter, 1139. Brother Cadfael's tranquil life in the monastery gardens at Shrewsbury is once again interrupted by violent, mysterious happenings. Raging civil war has sent many refugees north from Worcester, among them two orphans of a great family and a nun. But they seem to have disappeared somewhere in the wild winter landscape of frost and snow, and Cadfael sets out to find them...Categorized as:
amateur-sleuth cozy crime historical-fiction law-enforcement medieval religion spirituality -
Alchemy by S.J. Parris
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsPrague, 1588A COURT IN TURMOILThe Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II, wants to expand the boundaries of human knowledge and his court is a haven for scientists, astrologers and alchemists. His abiding passion is the elusive hunt for the philosopher’s stone and thus immortality...Categorized as:
historical-fiction crime law-enforcement thriller religion medieval spirituality mystery -
Without a Trace by Melvin R. Starr
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe wife of a knight disappears while traveling from her husband's manor to Bampton, on the way to another of the knight's properties. She and her maid are travelling in an enclosed wagon, whilst her husband and his grooms and a squire are mounted. When the party arrives at Bampton Castle neither the lady nor her maid are within the enclosed wagon: they have simply vanished... -
Death at Thorburn Hall by Julianna Deering
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDrew Farthering finds a new mystery on his hands when he arrives at Thorburn Hall in Scotland for the 1935 British Open. His host, Lord Rainsby, asks Drew to investigate a suspected embezzler--then dies in a suspicious accident the next day. However, the house is full of guests with potential motives... -
Betrayal at Iga: A Hiro Hattori Novel by Susan Spann
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAutumn, 1565: After fleeing Kyoto, master ninja Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo take refuge with Hiro's ninja clan in the mountains of Iga province. But when an ambassador from the rival Koga clan is murdered during peace negotiations, Hiro and Father Mateo must find the killer in time to prevent a war between the ninja clans... -
Chains of Folly by Roberta Gellis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThat Nelda Roundheels had been murdered would have been of little interest to anyone - except that her body turned up in the bishop of Winchester's bedchamber with a letter to the bishop, from the king's most important enemy, rolled up in her breastband... -
A Roman Ransom by Rosemary Rowe
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGlevum, AD 188. Lying in his sick bed, weak and disoriented, Libertus is strictly forbidden visitors. But when Marcus Septimus forces his way in, desperate to speak to the pavement-maker, Libertus knows that something is seriously wrong. Marcus's beloved wife Julia and their baby son have disappeared without a trace... -
The Dragons of Archenfield by Edward Marston
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDOMESDAY IS COMINGIn 1086, England's mighty king, William the Conqueror, sends out surveyors and census takers to record the resources of his land and its people. Some welcome these inquisitive royal agents and their day of judgment. Others hate them. But wherever the king's men go they bring excitement; *and sometimes murder. . . -
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An Ancient Evil by Paul Doherty
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn Ancient Evil inaugurates an ingenious new series of historical mysteries by P. C. Doherty, each one using characters from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. In Chaucer's poem, the pilgrims narrate tales to pass the time during their journey to the sacred shrine of Canterbury; Doherty's pilgrims entertain their companions with stories of mystery, terror, and murder... -
The Mad Monk of Gidleigh by Michael Jecks
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAlone in his isolated, windswept chapel on the edge of Dartmoor, his only companions moor men and poverty–stricken serfs, who could blame the young priest, Mark for seeking affection from Jane, the local miller’s daughter? But when Jane’s body is found brutally stabbed, Mark is the obvious suspect—and the discovery that Jane was pregnant seems to confirm his guilt... -
The Noble Outlaw by Bernard Knight
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRenovations of a school in 12th-century Exeter are disrupted by the shocking discovery of a partially mummified corpse hidden in the rafters, and the county coroner Sir John de Wolfe is called in to investigate. Richard de Revelle, Sir John's brother-in-law and founder of the school, immediately blames Nicholas de Arundell, a young outlawed knight... -
Ashes to Ashes by Melvin R. Starr, Tim Bruce
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMaster Hugh, Kate, and their children attend the Midsummer's Eve fire. Early next morning, Hugh hears the passing bell ring from the Church of St. Beornwald, and moments later is summoned. Tenants collecting the ashes to spread upon their fields have found burned bones. Master Hugh learns of several men of Bampton and nearby villages who have gone missing recently... -
The Traitor of St Giles by Michael Jecks
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn 1321, the King's favorite, Hugh Despenser, is using his position to steal land and wealth from the other lords. His rapacity has divided the nation, and civil war looms. In Tiverton, rape and murder have unsettled the town, which is preparing for the feast of St. Giles; Philip Dyne has confessed and claimed sanctuary in St. Peter's church... -
Master of Souls by Peter Tremayne
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn January of 668 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel - sister to the king of Muman, an advocate of the Brehon law courts and a religieuse in the Celtic Church - is called to investigate the brutal murder of Abbess Faife and the mysterious disappearance of six young female religieuse accompanying her on a short pilgrimage away from her abbey...
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