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Quick answer: If you loved Anne Perry, read Anne Perry's The Cater Street Hangman, then Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone and The Woman in White, then C.J. Sansom's Dissolution, and Caleb Carr's The Alienist and Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs. All are Victorian crime stories with social detail.
Anne Perry (1938–2023) wrote the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, starting with The Cater Street Hangman in 1979, and the William Monk novels. Her books mix murder puzzles with class, law and daily life in Victorian London. These picks offer the same period feel.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Cater Street Hangman | Anne Perry | Adult | Victorian crime |
| The Moonstone | Wilkie Collins | Adult | early detective fiction |
| The Woman in White | Wilkie Collins | Adult | readers who like Victorian mysteries |
| Dissolution | C.J. Sansom | Adult | Tudor mysteries |
| The Alienist | Caleb Carr | Adult | readers who like historical thrillers |
| Maisie Dobbs | Jacqueline Winspear | Adult | readers who like historical mysteries |
| Her Royal Spyness | Rhys Bowen | Adult | cozy comedy |
| The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie | Alan Bradley | Adult | readers who like a young detective |
| Murder on the Orient Express | Agatha Christie | Adult | readers who love Christie |
| The Daughter of Time | Josephine Tey | Adult | armchair detection |
| Gaudy Night | Dorothy L. Sayers | Adult | golden-age puzzles |
| Whose Body? | Dorothy L. Sayers | Adult | classic detection |
| A Beautiful Blue Death | Charles Finch | Adult | gentleman detectives |
| And Only to Deceive | Tasha Alexander | Adult | antiquities mysteries |
| Death at Wentwater Court | Carola Dunn | Adult | Daisy Dalrymple book one |
1. The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry
A Victorian family is shaken by murders in London. Class, manners and crime.
Best for: Victorian crime.
2. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
A diamond vanishes from a country house. One of the earliest detective novels.
Best for: early detective fiction.
3. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
A drawing master meets a mysterious woman in white and is drawn into a conspiracy. An early mystery with twists.
Best for: readers who like Victorian mysteries.
4. Dissolution by C.J. Sansom
Lawyer Matthew Shardlake investigates a murder at a monastery in Tudor England. Rich historical atmosphere.
Best for: Tudor mysteries.
5. The Alienist by Caleb Carr
In 1896 New York, a psychologist, a reporter and an illustrator hunt a killer of boys. Historical and atmospheric.
Best for: readers who like historical thrillers.
6. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
A psychologist and investigator in 1929 London takes on cases tied to the Great War. Thoughtful and historical.
Best for: readers who like historical mysteries.
7. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
A penniless royal in 1930s London gets drawn into a murder. Light and funny.
Best for: cozy comedy.
8. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Flavia de Luce, an 11-year-old chemist in 1950 England, investigates a body in the cucumber patch. Charming and sharp.
Best for: readers who like a young detective.
9. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Hercule Poirot investigates a murder on a snowbound train. A classic puzzle.
Best for: readers who love Christie.
10. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
Inspector Grant, bedridden in hospital, investigates whether Richard III really murdered the princes in the Tower. A classic puzzle of history.
Best for: armchair detection.
11. Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers
Harriet Vane returns to her Oxford college, where a poison-pen campaign threatens the women inside. Literate and romantic.
Best for: golden-age puzzles.
12. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
Lord Peter Wimsey investigates a body found in a bathtub. A classic of the Golden Age.
Best for: classic detection.
13. A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch
Charles Lenox, an amateur detective, investigates a death in Victorian London. Well written and cozy.
Best for: gentleman detectives.
14. And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander
A widow takes up study of antiquities and uncovers a mystery. Elegant and lively.
Best for: antiquities mysteries.
15. Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn
A young journalist finds a body at a country house party in 1920s England. Light and witty.
Best for: Daisy Dalrymple book one.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Anne Perry: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Anne Perry. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For classic Victorian puzzles, pick The Moonstone or The Woman in White. For modern historical mysteries, try Dissolution, The Alienist or Maisie Dobbs. For lighter reads, choose Her Royal Spyness or Death at Wentwater Court. For a high-literary mystery, read Gaudy Night.
Related: Anne Perry Printable Book List · What Age Is The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank) Appropriate For? A Parent’s Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Anne Perry?
An English crime writer (1938–2023).
What is her best-known series?
The Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novels.
Where do I start with Perry?
The Cater Street Hangman, the first Pitt novel.
Are her books set in Victorian London?
Most of the Pitt and Monk books are.
Are these cosy or dark?
They range from cosy to dark.
Do I need to read in order?
It helps, but each mystery is self-contained.
What should I read next?
Try The Alienist or Maisie Dobbs.