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Quick answer: If you like Charles Todd, read Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs, Anne Perry's The Cater Street Hangman, Rhys Bowen's Her Royal Spyness and Laurie R. King's The Beekeeper's Apprentice. All offer period mysteries with careful plots and strong sense of the past.
Charles Todd is the pen name of a mother and son who write the Ian Rutledge series, set after World War I, and the Bess Crawford series about a nurse in the same war. Their books are known for moody atmosphere and psychological depth. The picks below offer other historical mystery series with elegant writing.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Test of Wills | Charles Todd | Adult | start here |
| A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd | Adult | WWI nurse mysteries |
| Maisie Dobbs | Jacqueline Winspear | Adult | post-war investigators |
| The Cater Street Hangman | Anne Perry | Adult | Victorian crime |
| Her Royal Spyness | Rhys Bowen | Adult | cozy comedy |
| A Curious Beginning | Deanna Raybourn | Adult | adventurous heroines |
| Mr. Churchill's Secretary | Susan Elia MacNeal | Adult | WWII mysteries |
| The Beekeeper's Apprentice | Laurie R. King | Adult | Holmes pastiche |
| Crocodile on the Sandbank | Elizabeth Peters | Adult | archaeology mysteries |
| Whose Body? | Dorothy L. Sayers | Adult | classic detection |
| The Mysterious Affair at Styles | Agatha Christie | Adult | classic puzzles |
| A Beautiful Blue Death | Charles Finch | Adult | gentleman detectives |
| Still Life | Louise Penny | Adult | village mysteries |
| The Alienist | Caleb Carr | Adult | dark historical crime |
| The Moonstone | Wilkie Collins | Adult | early detective fiction |
1. A Test of Wills by Charles Todd
The first Ian Rutledge novel follows a shell-shocked Scotland Yard inspector in 1919. Moody, tense and the start of the series.
Best for: start here.
2. A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd
The first Bess Crawford book finds a nurse in 1916 delivering a dying soldier's message to his family. Warm and puzzling.
Best for: WWI nurse mysteries.
3. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
A former nurse turned psychologist and investigator takes cases in 1929 London. Thoughtful and emotional.
Best for: post-war investigators.
4. The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry
Charlotte Ellison and Inspector Pitt investigate murders in Victorian London. A fine blend of manners and crime.
Best for: Victorian crime.
5. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
A penniless royal in 1930s London gets drawn into a murder. Light and funny.
Best for: cozy comedy.
6. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
Veronica Speedwell, a butterfly hunter, investigates a murder in Victorian London. Witty and adventurous.
Best for: adventurous heroines.
7. Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal
Maggie Hope becomes Churchill's secretary and a codebreaker. Wartime London mysteries.
Best for: WWII mysteries.
8. The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
A young woman meets Sherlock Holmes and becomes his apprentice. Smart and well researched.
Best for: Holmes pastiche.
9. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
Amelia Peabody travels to Egypt and meets a mummy. Funny and adventurous.
Best for: archaeology mysteries.
10. 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.
11. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
Hercule Poirot's first case on an English estate. A gentle puzzle with a clever solution.
Best for: classic puzzles.
12. 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.
13. Still Life by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Gamache investigates a death in the Quebec village of Three Pines. A beloved series.
Best for: village mysteries.
14. The Alienist by Caleb Carr
A psychologist and a journalist hunt a killer in 1896 New York. Dark, atmospheric and gripping.
Best for: dark historical crime.
15. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
A diamond vanishes from a country house. One of the earliest detective novels.
Best for: early detective fiction.
How to Choose
To stay in the same world, read A Test of Wills or A Duty to the Dead. For other post-war settings, choose Maisie Dobbs or Mr. Churchill's Secretary. For Victorian puzzles, pick The Cater Street Hangman, A Beautiful Blue Death or The Alienist. For fun and humour, try Her Royal Spyness or Crocodile on the Sandbank. For classic detective work, read Whose Body? or The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Some books in this list mention war trauma and violence. If you love long-running mysteries, pick one series and read in order for the full effect of the characters' growth. For a gentler read, choose Her Royal Spyness or Crocodile on the Sandbank, which have much more humour than the Rutledge books.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Charles Todd?
A mother-and-son writing team who write the Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford series.
What order should I read the Ian Rutledge books?
Start with A Test of Wills and follow publication order.
What is the Bess Crawford series about?
A British nurse in World War I who solves mysteries.
Are they dark?
The books are moody, with themes of war trauma, but they are not graphic.
Are there audiobooks?
Yes, many of these series are available as audiobooks.
What should I read after Charles Todd?
Maisie Dobbs or Still Life.
Is Ian Rutledge dealing with shell shock?
Yes, he is a Scotland Yard inspector who survived the war and hears the voice of a dead soldier, Hamish.
Are the Bess Crawford books cozy?
They are gentler than the Rutledge books but still have serious mysteries.
How many Ian Rutledge books are there?
More than twenty.
Where do Charles Todd's stories take place?
Mostly in England, with trips to Scotland and France, in the years during and just after the First World War.