5 Historical Mysteries & Thrillers We’re Loving
There’s something irresistible about a mystery set in the past. Add secrets, shifting loyalties, and the high stakes of another era, and every clue feels heavier—every misstep more dangerous. Whether unraveling crimes in shadowy Victorian streets or navigating intrigue against the backdrop of global upheaval, these stories prove that while methods may change, human motives rarely do.
Her father, in his grief, fumbles through his nascent knowledge of ancient texts and old magic to bring her back. By some miracle, Yetta is returned—but although she looks the same, she is not the girl she once was. Yetta senses there is a secret her family is keeping from her. The answer resides, in part, in the creature lurking in the woods beyond the shtetl―something that may be of her father’s making, and a being that has plans of its own.
Now the Czech Republic wants the codex back, and Sweden has agreed to return it, but forces are at work to stop that deal from happening. The likely instigator? Russia. Who is also top of the list for possible kidnappers. It’s up to Cotton and Cassiopeia Vitt to locate the king’s sister, secure the codex, and thwart the Russians. Yet nothing is as it seems.
From the cobbled streets of Stockholm with its placid waterways and picturesque islands, to the hostile skies over the Baltic Sea, and finally onto a fabled 16th century Swedish warship, Cotton and Cassiopeia come face-to-face with the unthinkable—changing both of their lives forever.
New York, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organising the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the ‘Party of the Year.’ Though Annie soon realises she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.
Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Egyptian Art Collection, wants little to do with the upcoming Gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare – a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant. That is, until the night of the Gala. When one of the Egyptian Art Collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing…and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening. As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past – which may mean leading them both directly into danger.
Abby, the Bethany Home’s treasurer, thinks the rumors swirling around Faith are nonsense, but she recognizes the danger of a good story. Abby tasks Faith’s roommate, May, with tracing Faith’s path to the Bethany Home. Desperate to end her year at Bethany Home engaged and on track to her happily-ever-after, May begins digging into Faith’s shadowy background. But the more May learns, the more she’s forced to question the dubious motives of everyone around her, and as the body count rises, May must reevaluate her future, and which lies she’s willing to tell, for whom. Inspired by a true crime that rocked the nation, Caroline Woods reimagines a classic American story through the eyes of three unforgettable women.
