Books like 'Vita Brevis'
Readers who enjoyed Vita Brevis by Ruth Downie also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical mystery action / adventure historical-fiction crime roman-empire suspense law-enforcement ancient-civilization
-
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Hound of the Baskervilles by Malvina G. Vogel, Arthur Conan Doyle
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFor generations, readers have enjoyed classic literature. They have delighted in the romance of Jane Austen, thrilled at the adventures of Jules Verne, and pondered the lessons of Aesop. Introduce young readers to these familiar volumes with Great Illustrated Classics. In this series, literary masterworks have been adapted for young scholars...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure book children children-books -
The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes by Adrian Conan Doyle, John Dickson Carr
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsFrom the son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and one of America's greatest mystery writers, John Dickson Carr, comes twelve riveting tales based on incidents or elements of the unsolved cases of Sherlock Holmes. The plots are all new, with painstaking attention to the mood, tone, and detail of the original stories...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult anthologies classics -
Murder in the Mews by Irina Shapiro
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen the Earl of Granville is skewered with a pitchfork in his own stables, Inspector Haze and Lord Redmond must unearth decades-old family secrets in order to unravel the motive behind the murder. But just when they think they’re making headway, disturbing new revelations come to light and cast doubt on their findings...Categorized as:
historical-fiction suspense crime law-enforcement mystery historical fiction fantasy -
The Diamond Chariot by Boris Akunin
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe first of the interlinked plotlines is set in Russia during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Fandorin is charged with protecting the Trans-Siberian Railway from Japanese sabotage in a pacy adventure filled with double agents and ticking bombs. Then we travel back to the Japan of the late 1870s...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense 21st-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
-
Ohnivé znamenie by Juraj Červenák
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTretí prípad kapitána Steina a notára Barbariča. Nález ľudských ostatkov v podunajských lesoch privedie Barbariča na stopu bezohľadných lupičov a priekupníkov s otrokmi. Notár si musí zavolať na pomoc Steina a Jaroša. Spolu putujú do Prešporka, ktorý sa po páde Budína stal hlavným mestom Uhorska. Zdanlivo jednoduchý prípad sa rýchlo skomplikuje...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense 21st-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
Freedom of the Mask by Robert McCammon
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe year is 1703, and Matthew Corbett, professional “problem solver,” is missing. Last seen by his friends in New York before he departed on a lucrative, seemingly straightforward mission for the Herrald Agency in Charles Town, he's been too long absent. His comrade-in-arms Hudson Greathouse has an increasing sense the young friend he thinks of as a son must have met with some unexpected peril...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
Mission Hindenburg by C. Alexander London
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsNever turn your back on the Cahills . . . The most powerful family history has ever known returns with a vengeance in The 39 Clues: Doublecross!The Cahills are the world's most powerful family, but their strength is being tested. A sinister man calling himself The Outcast has targeted the family and set them an impossible test...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure audiobook book children -
Angels and Demons / The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #1-2) by Dan Brown
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsEnter the labyrinthine world of internationally bestselling author Dan Brown with his first two spellbinding thrillers featuring Robert Langdon:Angels and DemonsWhen a groundbreaking scientist is found brutally murdered, world renowned Harvard professor Robert Langdon is summoned to identify the mysterious symbol seared on to the dead man's chest...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
Fast Ice by Clive Cussler, Graham Brown
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsKurt Austin races to Antarctica to stop a chilling plot that imperils the entire planet in the latest novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling Grand Master of Adventure.After a former NUMA colleague disappears while researching the icebergs of Antarctica, Kurt Austin and his assistant Joe Zavala embark for the freezing edge of the world to investigate... -
The Play of Death by Oliver Pötzsch
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt is 1670 and Simon Fronwieser is in the town of Oberammergau to bring his seven-year-old son to boarding school. As he bids his boy a tearful farewell, news comes of a shocking murder: the man who was to play the part of Christ in the town’s Passion play has been found dead, nailed to the set’s cross. As there is no doctor in town, Simon is brought in to examine the body...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
The Falling Sword: Clash of Empires Book 2 by Ben Kane
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCAN GREECE RESIST THE MIGHT OF ROME? Get ready for the climax of the Roman invasion of Greece in Sunday Times bestseller Ben Kane's latest historical adventure. ONE FINAL CLASHReeling from his defeat at the hands of the Macedonians, Rome's furious General Flamininus gathers his legions for the final strike on King Philip's mighty phalanx...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction roman-empire suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
King Stakh’s Wild Hunt by Uladzimir Karatkevich
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsKing Stakh's Wild Hunt tells the tale of Andrey Belaretsky, a young folklorist who finds himself stranded by a storm in the castle of Marsh Firs, the seat of the fading aristocratic Yanovsky family. Offered refuge by Nadzeya, the last in the Yanovskys’ line, he learns of the family curse and terrible apparitions that portend her early death and trap her in permanent, maddening fear...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense 20th-century action-adventure adult book -
The Raven's Revenge by Kevin Sands
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsChristopher finally uncovers the Raven’s identity in this sixth novel of the award-winning Blackthorn Key series.The stakes are higher than ever when the Raven sets Christopher up for a horrible crime, leading him to be locked away in London’s most notorious prison...Categorized as:
historical-fiction suspense law-enforcement crime middle-grade mystery fantasy young-adult -
A Deadly Affair by Carla Simpson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLondon 1889 — Murder, mystery, and two people in a most unlikely partnership.She's an unconventional lady who has traveled the world, practices the art of self defense most excellently, and has an interesting tattoo in, ahem... a very unusual place...Categorized as:
historical-fiction crime law-enforcement suspense romance mystery historical fiction -
-
Blood of a Gladiator by Ashley Gardner
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLeonidas, champion gladiator of Rome, is set free from the games by a mysterious benefactor who grants him freedom, a place to live, and a servant—Cassia, a scribe—to look after him.But the benefactor is only so generous—Leonidas must pay his own way and Cassia’s, which means hiring himself out. The sharp-witted Cassia quickly lands him a post as a bodyguard, escorting a retired senator to Ostia...Categorized as:
historical-fiction ancient-civilization roman-empire crime europe south-europe italy urban -
The America Ground by Nathan Dylan Goodwin
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratings‘ It’s just a terrific book! It’s great stuff, I’ve read it, and you’re going to enjoy it’Extreme GenesMorton Farrier, the renowned English forensic genealogist, had finally cleared a space in his busy schedule to track down his own elusive father... -
The Coronation by Boris Akunin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGrand Duke Georgii Alexandrovich arrives in Moscow for the coronation, with three of his children. During an afternoon stroll, daughter Xenia is dragged away by bandits, only to be rescued by an elegant gentleman and his oriental sidekick. The passing heroes introduce themselves as Fandorin and Masa, but panic ensues when they realise that four-year old Mikhail has been snatched in the confusion...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense 21st-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
The Saboteurs by Clive Cussler, Jack Du Brul
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIsaac Bell returns for another thrilling mission in a new book from the Grand Master of Adventure, Clive CusslerDetective Isaac Bell's wife has said that he is always in the wrong place at the right time. This is certainly the case when Bell thwarts the attempted assassination of a United States Senator shortly after meeting the man...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
Death in Damascus by Karen Baugh Menuhin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA 1920s Murder Mystery - Death in the desert with intrigue, adventure and a dog of distinction.' There's a damsel in distress and accusations of attempted murder flying around, but it's not in the comfortable confines of the English countryside, it's in the very distant city of Damascus...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult animals audiobook -
The Black Cat Murders by Karen Baugh Menuhin
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDownton Abbey meets Agatha Christie with a touch of Wodehouse and a dog of distinction. Who killed Sir Crispin Gibbons? A wedding invitation and news of mischief that could be murder, takes Lennox to The Earl of Bloxford's country estate. He soon finds himself in a world of purloined artworks, forgeries and a priceless Bloxford Beauty...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult amateur-sleuth aristocracy -
The Lost Brother by Sarah Woodbury
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNovember 1146. Gwynedd is at war with Ranulf, Earl of Chester, who seeks to gain a foothold in Wales against the day peace finally comes to England. On the eve of King Owain’s counter-assault on Mold Castle, the body of a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Gwen is discovered buried in someone else’s grave...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure book cozy fiction -
Turn a Blind Eye by Jeffrey Archer
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsTurn a Blind Eye is the third installment in the gripping story of Detective Inspector William Warwick, by the master storyteller and #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Clifton Chronicles...Categorized as:
crime law-enforcement suspense historical-fiction fiction mystery audiobook police-procedural -
The Centurions by Damion Hunter, Amanda Cockrell
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAgainst the mighty splendour of the glorious Roman Empire, unfolds the magnificent new saga, perfect for fans of Conn Iggulden Correus and Flavius. Half-brothers, sons of a brilliant general. One, son of a slave woman, is a born warrior destined to excel. The other, nobleman by birth, must struggle relentlessly to succeed...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization crime historical-fiction roman-empire action-adventure adult book family -
Death by the Book by Beth Byers
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsInspired by classic fiction and Miss Buncle's Book. Death by the Book questions what happens when you throw a murder into idyllic small town England.July 1936When Georgette Dorothy Marsh’s dividends fall along with the banks, she decides to write a book. Her only hope is to bring her account out of overdraft and possibly buy some hens...Categorized as:
historical-fiction crime law-enforcement mystery cozy historical fiction action-adventure -
-
Нефритовые четки by Boris Akunin
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRussian Book. Publisher: Zakharov, M. Pages: 704. Year: 2013. Cover: Hardcover...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement 21st-century action-adventure adult audiobook book -
The Lost Ancestor by Nathan Dylan Goodwin
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom acclaimed author, Nathan Dylan Goodwin comes this exciting new genealogical crime mystery, featuring the redoubtable forensic genealogist, Morton Farrier. When Morton is called upon by Ray Mercer to investigate the 1911 disappearance of his great aunt, a housemaid working in a large Edwardian country house, he has no idea of the perilous journey into the past that he is about to make... -
The Providence Rider by Robert McCammon
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"The Providence Rider is the fourth installment in the extraordinary series of historical thrillers featuring Matthew Corbett, professional problem solver. The narrative begins in the winter of 1703, with Matthew still haunted by his lethal encounter with notorious mass murderer Tyranthus Slaughter...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
The Marriage of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsLaurie R. King takes readers way back in her bestselling series with this exclusive ebook short story, as Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes embark upon the riskiest adventure of their their wedding. Includes a special preview of the highly anticipated new mystery from Laurie R...Categorized as:
historical-fiction suspense law-enforcement crime romance mystery fiction historical -
Violence of the Mountain Man by William W. Johnstone
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDEAL WITH THE DEVILSmoke Jensen has seen the worst that men can do on the lawless frontier. But even the mountain man is not prepared for the outlaw band that strikes Smoke's ranch, kidnapping Sally and the daughter of Smoke's neighbor. Now, the women are gone and a ranch hand and his young daughter are dead. AND PAY THE PRICE IN BLOOD.. -
The Viking Prince by Sarah Woodbury
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMay 1148. All Dublin is shocked by the murder of a prominent merchant, but only Prince Godfrid knows that the dead man was also a co-conspirator in his brother's plan to take the throne of Dublin. With death stalking his every move, Godfrid must call upon new friends and old to find the killer--and with their help uncover a conspiracy stretching beyond Dublin's walls to every kingdom in Ireland...Categorized as:
historical-fiction crime law-enforcement suspense mystery cozy action-adventure historical -
Blackfoot Messiah by William W. Johnstone
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the seventh book in his bestselling Preacher series, William W. Johnstone gives his millions of avid fans exactly the kind of gritty, action-packed Western novel they look for from this prolific and hugely popular writer. "A Messiah Shall Lead Them..."... -
Matt Jensen, The Last Mountain Man: Deadly Trail by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWilliam W. Johnstone's breathtaking Mountain Man series set the standard for Western adventure. Now, a new saga begins, as Matt Jensen, the adopted son of Smoke Jensen, blazes a name for himself on the lawless frontier. . . The Way Of The Gun He'd done the old man proud... -
A Veil Removed by Michelle Cox
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMurder is never far from this sexy couple . . . even during the holidays! Their honeymoon abruptly ended by the untimely death of Alcott Howard, Clive and Henrietta return to Highbury, where Clive discovers all is not as it should be...Categorized as:
suspense historical-fiction crime law-enforcement romance historical mystery fiction -
Desperate Undertaking by Lindsey Davis
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn Lindsey Davis's next book in the beloved Flavia Albia Series, Desperate Undertaking, a mad killer (or killers!) is strewing bodies around in the most gruesome of manners and, true to form, it is up to Flavia Albia to determine what is really going on and stop this bacchanal of death.In the first century, under Domitian's reign, strange and brutal goings on are nothing new in Rome... -
-
The King’s Evil by Andrew Taylor
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWinner of The HWA Gold Crown 2020From the No.1 bestselling author of The Ashes of Londonand The Fire Court comes the next book in the phenomenally successful series following James Marwood at the time of King Charles II.A royal scandal that could change the face of England forever… London 1667...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
A Body in Berkeley Square by Ashley Gardner
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLondon, 1817. A Bow Street Runner summons Captain Gabriel Lacey to a Berkeley Square ballroom where a young dandy has been found stabbed to death during a society ball. The prime suspect: Lacey’s former commander, Colonel Brandon...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
Special Operations by W.E.B. Griffin, Michael Russotto
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA vicious madman is on a kidnapping and rape spree. Inspector Peter Wohl, commander of the new Special Operations task force, is determined to stop the maniacal reign of violence, facing off against a desperate public, a hostile press and reluctant witnesses...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult book fiction -
Tabula Rasa by Ruth Downie
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe medicus Ruso and his wife Tilla are back in the borderlands of Britannia, this time helping to tend the builders of Hadrian's Great Wall. Having been forced to move off their land, the Britons are distinctly on edge and are still smarting from the failure of a recent rebellion that claimed many lives. Then Ruso's recently arrived clerk, Candidus, goes missing...Categorized as:
historical-fiction crime roman-empire ancient-civilization law-enforcement suspense mystery fiction -
Special Assignments by Boris Akunin, Boris Akunin
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn Special Assignments, Erast Fandorin, nineteenth-century Russia's suavest sleuth, faces two formidable new foes: One steals outrageous sums of money, the other takes lives. The Jack of Spades is a civilized swindler who has conned thousands of rubles from Moscow's residents including Fandorin's own boss, Prince Dolgorukoi...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
The Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin, Boris Akunin
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn 1882, after six years of foreign travel and adventure, renowned diplomat and detective Erast Fandorin returns to Moscow in the heart of Mother Russia. His Moscow homecoming is anything but peaceful...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
The Titanic Secret by Clive Cussler, Jack Du Brul
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratings*PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW*The Titanic's greatest secret is finally revealed . . .When Dirk Pitt raised the Titanic in search of a rare and valuable element he never learned the disturbing true story of its origins. But upon receiving secret testimony from private detective Isaac Bell he's taken back to the year 1911 and a tragedy at Colorado's Little Angel Mine...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
Beekeeping for Beginners by Laurie R. King, Robert Ian MacKenzie
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn this crackling short story, New York Times bestselling author Laurie R. King reveals an unforgettable new twist in the adventure that led supersleuth Sherlock Holmes to discover his first (and finest) apprentice, Mary Russell. Sherlock Holmes is fending off a particularly dark mood as he roams the Sussex Downs, in search of wild bees...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
Over My Dead Body by Jeffrey Archer
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAn unputdownable story of murder, revenge and betrayal from international number one bestseller Jeffrey Archer.THE CLOCK IS TICKING IN THIS ROLLERCOASTER RIDE OF A THRILLER…In London, the Metropolitan Police set up a new Unsolved Murders Unit—a cold case squad—to catch the criminals nobody else can...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
The Adventure of the Empty House by Arthur Conan Doyle
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIn “The Adventure of the Empty House”, Sherlock Holmes reappears in London after a 3-year absence, shocking Dr. Watson who believed his good friend had been killed in a confrontation with Professor Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls. Holmes is compelled to outwit the “second most dangerous man in London” who has a good reason to hope for Holmes’ demise...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
-
The Year of the Cobra by Paul Doherty
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe young Pharoah Tutankhamun is unwell, but there is no heir apparent. Egypt's enemies, the Hittites, are advancing through Canaan, and Ay - First Minister of Akenhaten, father of Nefertiti, brother of Queen Tiye - still plots, like the spider he is. The web is woven, the traps set.. -
The Blooding by James McGee
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHawkwood finds himself behind enemy lines in America during the war of 1812—for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden and Patrick O'Brien1812: Matthew Hawkwood, soldier turned spy, is stranded behind enemy lines, in America, a country at war with Britain...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure adult audiobook book -
Kill the Shogun by Dale Furutani
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn" Kill the Shogun, award winning mystery writer Dale Furutani presents the latest in his popular samurai mystery series. He returns to the journey of Matsuyama Kaze, the masterless warrior destined to travel the seventeenth-century Japanese countryside until he fulfills the dying wish of his murdered lord's wife... -
An Evil Spirit Out of the West by Paul Doherty
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsKnown as the Veiled One, the ugly and deformed Akenhaten is a shadowy figure. As a child he is overlooked and despised by his own father. As an adult he is thrust into the political limelight when his elder brother dies. Mahu, ambitious and ruthless, watches the young prince carve his own path to power... -
Midnight Flit by Elin Gregory
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMiles Siward and Briers Allerdale return for another thrilling Jazz Age adventure.“Silk stockings on expenses.” Miles’s aristocratic mother has information of importance to the British Government and he must escort her home from Bucharest immediately, but their plans go violently awry and Miles and Lady Siward find themselves on a train to Belgrade - where Miles’s lover is posted... -
Death Magic by C.S. Quinn
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings'Quinn is a brilliant new talent!’ —Peter JamesFrom author of the bestselling Thief Taker seriesLondon 1663. A murdered girl. An attic full of charms …Charlie Tuesday has a new case. A maid-servant has been brutally murdered, leaving an array of strange protectorates in her attic room. Stolen from her body was a silver thimble which no-one can explain how she came to have...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction law-enforcement suspense action-adventure book early-modern fiction
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.