Best Historical Mysteries

Reading lists

25 of the best historical mysteries

A haunting historical thriller perfect for fans of The Familiars and The Dutch House

The Witchfinder's Sister

'The number of women my brother Matthew killed, so far as I can reckon it, is one hundred and six . . .' 
 
THE PAGE-TURNING RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB BESTSELLER 
 
'A compelling debut from a gifted storyteller' Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent 
_________________________ 
 
When Alice Hopkins' husband dies in a tragic accident, she returns to the small Essex town of Manningtree, where her brother Matthew still lives. 
 
But home is no longer a place of safety. Matthew has changed, and there are rumours spreading through the town: whispers of witchcraft, and of a great book, in which he is gathering women's names. 
 
To what lengths will Matthew's obsession drive him? 
 And what choice will Alice make, when she finds herself at the very heart of his plan? 
 
Winner of the HWA Debut Crown Award 2017, this beautiful and haunting historical thriller is perfect for fans of The Familiars, Hamnet and Where the Crawdads Sing. 
_________________________ 
 
'Vivid and terrifying' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train 
 
'A clever, pacey read that blends truth and fiction' The Times 
 
'At once a feminist parable and an old-fashioned, check-twice-under-the-bed thriller' Patrick Gale 
 
'A richly told and utterly compelling tale, with shades of Hilary Mantel' Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat 
 
'Beth Underdown grips us from the outset and won't let go . . . at once a feminist parable and an old-fashioned, check-twice-under-the-bed thriller' Patrick Gale, author of Notes from an Exhibition

'A compelling debut from a gifted storyteller'

THE MOST THRILLING HISTORICAL DEBUT OF 2018 
 
Based on the true story of the infamous witchfinder Matthew Hopkins, with one of the most memorable heroines in recent historical fiction, this haunting novel is perfect for fans of The Miniaturist, Sarah Waters and The Essex Serpent.

Beth Underdown grips us from the outset...at once a feminist parable and an old-fashioned, check-twice-under-the-bed thriller

A tense, surprising and elegantly-crafted novel

Atmospheric and filled with foreboding, it's a novel that draws you under its spell

Beth Underdown cleverly creates a compelling atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia... Even from the distance of nearly four hundred years, her Matthew Hopkins is a genuinely frightening monster

Kate Riordan, author of The Girl in the Photograph

A novel for our times. Beth Underdown's The Witchfinder's Sister explores another time and another place to lay bare the visceral horror of what a witch hunt truly is

Entertaining and thought-provoking, with a valuable message for our own times

'Anyone who liked Cecilia Ekback's Wolf Winter is going to love this. [It's] about tiny braveries and small courage... a real David and Goliath story, but far less straightforward'

Natasha Pulley, author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

Beth Underdown lectures in creative writing at the University of Manchester. Her debut, The Witchfinder's Sister, was a Richard &amp; Judy pick, a Sunday Times bestseller and winner of the HWA Debut Crown Award in 2017. The Key in the Lock is her second book and was a Sunday Times historical fiction pick and received wide acclaim. This is her third book.

The number of women my brother Matthew killed, so far as I can reckon it, is one hundred and six... 
 
1645. When Alice Hopkins' husband dies in a tragic accident, she returns to the small Essex town of Manningtree, where her brother Matthew still lives. But home is no longer a place of safety. Matthew has changed, and there are rumours spreading through the town: whispers of witchcraft, and of a great book, in which he is gathering women's names. 
 
To what lengths will Matthew's obsession drive him? 
And what choice will Alice make, when she finds herself at the very heart of his plan?

Beth Underdown

An intriguing, elegantly constructed gothic mystery

A haunting historical mystery steeped in explosive secrets and lost love

The Great War is ending, but it has taken Ivy's son. Ivy is consumed by discovering what happened to her boy out there in the trenches, while her husband only wants to forget. 
 
Then a man comes back into Ivy's life who can help her find out. A man who once stole Ivy's heart. A man who also lost his son to a tragedy. A man whose name she hasn't spoken in thirty years. 
 
As Ivy questions her part in the fire at Polneath House, she unlocks a secret that's been burning ever since. But will the truth destroy her - or set her free?

Beth Underdown

Books by Beth Underdown

Articles featuring Beth Underdown

25 of the best historical mysteries

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