Mystery Books Podcast

Do you enjoy enjoy the “Upstairs, Downstairs” contrasts of Downton Abbey, but wish it had the added element of a murder mystery? Then you’ll want to check out "Murder at Mallowan Hall" by Colleen Cambridge, which features a mashup of fiction and real life as it considers the the question, "What if Agatha Christie’s housekeeper had to solve a murder?" My read-a-like book recommendations include lists of country home mysteries, “Upstairs, Downstairs” mysteries, and historical figures as sleuths.

If you’d like a fresh take on 1920s historical mysteries, check out “The Bangalore Detectives Club” by Harini Nagendra, which takes readers to India. Newly married to a doctor, Kaveri is juggling her own ambitions to get a degree in mathematics with society’s pressure to be a good wife. When a murder occurs, Kaveri is compelled to investiagate. Besides catching the culprit, she also creates a unique position for herself in her new world.

Mystery Books Podcast is back with a new season of spoiler-free discussions of mystery fiction along with “read-alike” book recommendations to keep your TBR (to be read) pile stocked.

If you enjoy eccentric sleuths of a certain age, crosswords, and ensemble cast mysteries, you'll want to check out The Marlow Murder Club. Seventy-seven year old Judith Potts is just fine on her own, thank you very much. That is, until she overhears a murder. Her questions bring her into contact with two women who are quite different from her. The three ladies set out to discover the truth and find friendship along the way. If you're a fan of The Thursday Murder Club, The Marlow Murder Club is a read-alike. 

We return to Singapore for “Revenge in Rubies” by A. M. Stuart, but this time we're seeing things through the British Colonial perspective. The 1910s are a bit of an underserved time period for historical readers, so if you're fond of books set during the Edwardian era you'll want to check this novel with a sleuthing couple. However, this time the pairing is more platonic than romantic (at least for now).The Bookish Sleuth is a journal and planner designed exclusively for mystery readers. Find it at  Sara Rosett.com/journal. 

Travel to romantic Hawaii in the 1920s for Charlie Chan's first case in The House Without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers. Chan’s "Watson" is a stuffy Bostonian who thaws out in the tropics. We have another exotic locale for a murder plus a black sheep victim trope along with something a bit different from the usual love triangle subplot— a love rectangle. The Bookish Sleuth is a journal and planner designed exclusively for mystery readers. Find it at  Sara Rosett.com/journal. 

If you want a look at a little-known aspect of World War II, check out the historical mystery "Olive Bright, Pigeoneer" by Stephanie Graves. It's got an English village full of quirky characters, a romantic subplot with a pretend relationship, and the classic trope of a name spoken as the victim dies. Poirot references also abound! The Bookish Sleuth is a journal and planner designed exclusively for mystery readers. Find it at  Sara Rosett.com/journal. 

If you like to experience other cultures through reading, you'll enjoy The Mimosa Tree Mystery. Ovidia Yu gives us a look at Singapore in the 1930s during the Japanese occupation. Her brainy young female protagonist must figure out not only codes and ciphers but also her place in society.The Bookish Sleuth is a journal and planner designed exclusively for mystery readers. Find it at  Sara Rosett.com/journal. 

Murder, Mystery, and . . . Subtitles! I've discovered two foregin language TV shows, Crimes of Passion and The Art of Crime. Find out how the shows work in hints of Agatha Christie, Jurassic Park Syndrome, tension triangles, lost Old Masters, and the always popular tropes of crime in beautiful locations. One is a mid-century modern mystery (think Mad Men, but with murder). The other is art history and mystery.The Bookish Sleuth is a journal and planner designed exclusively for mystery readers. Find it at  Sara Rosett.com/journal. 

Mix together a World War II setting and a heist story, and you’ve got the very entertaining novel, A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver. This book has so many twists on tropes--cat burglars, Cinderella, and opposites attract, to name just a few. Plus, a safecracker protagonist torn between loyalty and revenge. So much to unlock! See what I did there? :) The Bookish Sleuth is a journal and planner designed exclusively for mystery readers. Find it at  Sara Rosett.com/journal. 

If you have a soft spot for rather dense sidekicks and you miss detectives from the 1920s, you'll enjoy The Sloane Square Mystery, a novel from one of Golden Age fiction's prolific writers, Herbert Adams. Published in 1925, The Sloane Square Mystery gives us a look at how the Bright Young People lived in High Society and how they handled the stress of the Great War. Plus we get a look at a well-rounded female secondary character who embodies the Plucky Young Woman trope.The Bookish Sleuth is a journal and planner designed exclusively for mystery readers. Find it at  Sara Rosett.com/journal. 

The Thursday Murder Club was the feel-good hit of 2020—and we certainly needed that in 2020! I think the novel is also an example of a new type of subgenre, upscale mystery book club fiction. Join me for a look at this new subgenre, plus an exploration of the Gang of Misfits trope and what it all has to do with yet another possible new trope, retirement club fiction. #SoManyTropesThe Bookish Sleuth is a journal and planner designed exclusively for mystery readers. Find it at  Sara Rosett.com/journal. 

Mystery Books Podcast is back (finally!) with Season Two.

Are you fond of a jolly little Christmas mystery? I certainly am. Join me for a look at the inspiration and research behind Murder on a Midnight Clear, a 1920s Christmas mystery.I can’t pass up a mystery set at a snowbound country estate, so that’s exactly the situation I put my characters in for the sixth book in the High Society Lady Detective series. In this episode I delve into the wonderful world of vintage luggage, American slang from the 1920s, and my research trip to London and what it has to do with a world-wide lockdown. 

S1 E10 / This American-set 1920s mystery with an odd-couple pairing is a madcap American twist on Downton Abbey, with a murder mystery added, of course. Full show notes at https://www.sararosett.com/mbps1e10

S1 E9 / A small town cozy with plenty of humor and lots of Southern tropes? Yes, please! In this episode, we take a look at the clever set-up of this amateur sleuth mystery that features an obit writer who suspects the death of her old school friend wasn't suicide, but murder.Full show notes at https://www.sararosett.com/mbps1e9

S1 E8 / If you like Agatha Christie's mystery The Secret Adversary, you'll want to check out Patricia Wentworth's The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smtih. It features a plucky young woman set on adventure, a dashing Scotland Yard man, and a mansion on a cliff by the sea. Gothic tropes abound! Plus find out the connection between Jane Smith and Ethan Hunt of the Mission Impossible franchise. #BonusTriviaFull show notes at https://www.sararosett.com/mbps1e8

S1 E7 / Sara  pivots to look at mystery television in this episode. By-the-book British detective Miranda Blake goes to sunny Mallorca to escort a prisoner back to the UK, but things go very wrong. She must work with a relaxed German detective to solve the case, which results in some funny scenes and an enteratining odd couple pairing. Full show notes at https://www.sararosett.com/mbps1e7

If you love Downton Abbey, Miss Fisher, and The Crown, this episode is for you. Her Royal Spyness is a historical mystery set in the 1930s London with fun tidbits of royal trivial and intrigue. Why are country house mysteries such an enduring trope and what is a discreet sleuth? Find out in this episode of Mystery Books Podcast.

MBP S1 E5 / Does the world need another Sherlock Holmes spinoff? If the answer involves Enola Holmes, the answer is yes. Join USA Today mystery author Sara Rosett for an in-depth look at the much younger sister of Sherlock Holmes. Discover the secret language of Victorian women and how Enola co-ops fashion for her own ends. Plus, find out what Enola Holmes has in common with A Series of Unfortuante Events and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.Full show notes at https://www.sararosett.com/mbps1e5