Reading List

Here are some of the books I have been reading

Sherlock Holmes and the king's evil : and other new adventures of the great detective by Donald Thomas

Thoroughly researched, with some interesting historical heft, however Thomas, whose forte is history, revels in the history and leaves the adventure out, but this is an easy read. Other works by Thomas about Holmes are (Source Wikipedia)

The Secret Cases of Sherlock Holmes (Macmillan 1997) ISBN 0-330-36977-6 (Pan Books 1997) ISBN 0-333-64729-7 (Carroll & Graf Publishers 1997) ISBN 0-7867-0636-8
Sherlock Holmes and the Running Noose (Macmillan 2001) ISBN 0-333-90522-9 (Pan Books 2002) ISBN 0-330-48647-0 (the UK edition of Sherlock Holmes and the Voice from the Crypt, see below)
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice from the Crypt (Carroll & Graf Publishers 2002) ISBN 0-7867-0973-1 (the US edition of Sherlock Holmes and the Running Noose, see above)
The Execution of Sherlock Holmes (Pegasus 2007) ISBN 1-933648-22-8
Sherlock Holmes and the King's Evil (2010)

The laughter of dead kings / Elizabeth Peters. I am familiar with Elizabeth Peters work but only the Amelia Peabody series, which I have read a larger number. I was not familiar with her work on the Vicky Bliss seies. This book was written with the, I think the understanding that one was familiar with earlier books in the series, which made it hard to follow at time. I was interested in how the author connected the Amelia Peabody series and the Vicky Bliss series. I enjoyed the book and I hope to read more of this series, titles which include:

Borrower of the Night (1973)
Street of the Five Moons (1978)
Silhouette in Scarlet (1983)
Trojan Gold (1987)
Night Train to Memphis (1994)
Laughter of the Dead Kings (2008)

A rag, a bone, and a hank of hair : the twenty-first Lovejoy novel / Jonathan Gash.
I was a big fan of the Lovejoy TV series. Lovejoy is a British antiques dealer based in East Anglia whose scruples are not always the highest. So I was glad when I stumbled on this novel, which is not an easy read as the author takes you through the shadier side of antique dealings in London. The other books in this series are:

The Judas Pair (1977)
Gold from Gemini (1978), U.S. edition: Gold by Gemini (1979)
The Grail Tree (1979)
Spend Game (1981)
The Vatican Rip (1981)
Firefly Gadroon (1982)
The Sleepers of Erin (1984)
The Gondola Scam (1984)
Pearlhanger (1985)
The Tartan Ringers (1986), U.S. edition: The Tartan Sell (1986)
Moonspender (1988)
Jade Woman (1988)
The Very Last Gambado (1989)
The Great California Game (1991)
The Lies of Fair Ladies (1992)
Paid and Loving Eyes (1993)
The Sin within Her Smile (1993)
The Grace in Older Women (1995)
The Possessions of a Lady (1996)
The Rich and the Profane (1998)
A Rag, a Bone and a Hank of Hair (1999)
Every Last Cent (2000)
Ten Word Game (2001)
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovejoy_(novel_series)

The boy-bishop's glovemaker / Michael Jecks.I first read Jecks last summer and recently found that he has written a series of novels featuring Sir Baldwin Furnshill, a former Knight Templar, and his friend Simon Puttock, Bailiff of Lydford Castle. These books are interesting and paint an interesting picture of medieval England and France. I enjoyed the books I have read in this series, they are easy and fun to read. Some of the other titles in this series are:

Knights Templar Mysteries
The Last Templar (March 1995
The Merchant's Partner (November 1995)
Moorland Hanging (May 1996)
The Crediton Killings (June 1997)
The Abbot's Gibbet (April 1998)
The Leper's Return (November 1998)
Squire Throwleigh's Heir (June 1999)
Belladonna at Belstone (December 1999)
The Traitor of St. Giles (May 2000)
The Boy Bishop's Glovemaker (December 2000)
The Tournament of Blood (June 2001)
The Sticklepath Strangler (November 2001)
The Devil's Acolyte (June 2002)
The Mad Monk of Gidleigh (December 2002)
The Templar's Penance (June 2003)
The Outlaws of Ennor (January 2004)
The Tolls of Death (May 2004)
The Chapel of Bones (December 2004)
The Butcher of St Peter's (May 2005)
A Friar's Bloodfeud (June 2006)
The Death Ship of Dartmouth (November 2006)
The Malice of Unnatural Death (December 2006)
Dispensation of Death (June 2007)
The Templar, The Queen and Her Lover (December 2007)
The Prophecy of Death (June 2008)
King of Thieves (November 2008)
No Law in the Land (June 2009)
The Bishop Must Die" (November 2009)


The monk who vanished / Peter Tremayne. Valley of the shadow / Tremayne Peter. I have read a number of works by Peter Tremayne and love his description of the early days of the church in Ireland and the adventures of Sister Fidelma. I look forward to reading the rest of this series, although not in the correct reading order as listed on her website.
Absolution By Murder (1994)
Shroud for the Archbishop (1995)
Suffer Little Children (1995)
The Subtle Serpent (1996)
The Spider's Web (1997)
Valley of the Shadow (1998)
The Monk Who Vanished (1999)
Act of Mercy (1999)
Our Lady of Darkness (2000)
Hemlock At Vespers (2000)
Smoke in the Wind (2001)
The Haunted Abbot (2002)
Badger's Moon (2003)
Whispers of the Dead (2004)
The Leper's Bell (2004)
Master of Souls (2005)
A Prayer for the Damned (2006)
Dancing With Demons (2007)
The Council of the Cursed (2008)
The Dove of Death (2009)
The Chalice of Blood (2010)

The Stargazey / Martha Grimes. I first read a Richard Jury mystery novel a few years ago and enjoyed the interplay between the characters and the visions of London they evoked. Grimes is best known for her series of novels featuring Richard Jury, an inspector with Scotland Yard, and his friend Melrose Plant, a British aristocrat who has given up his titles. Each of the Jury mysteries is named after a pub. Her page-turning, character-driven tales fall into the mystery subdivision of "cozies." The Richard Jury series consists of the following titles:
Man With a Load of Mischief (Boston: Little, Brown, 1981)
Old Fox Deceiv'd (Boston: Little, Brown, 1982)
Anodyne Necklace (Boston: Little, Brown, 1983)
The Dirty Duck (Boston: Little, Brown, 1984)
The Jerusalem Inn (Boston: Little, Brown, 1984)
Help the Poor Struggler (Boston: Little, Brown, 1985)
Deer Leap (Boston: Little, Brown, 1985)
I Am the Only Running Footman (Boston: Little, Brown, 1986)
The Five Bells and Bladebone (Boston: Little, Brown, 1987)
The Old Silent (Boston: Little, Brown, 1989)
The Old Contemptibles (Boston: Little, Brown, 1991)
The Horse You Came In On (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993)
Rainbow's End (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995)
Case Has Altered (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997)
The Stargazey (New York: Holt, 1998)
The Lamorna Wink (New York: Viking, 1999)
The Blue Last (New York: Viking, 2001)
The Grave Maurice (New York: Viking Penguin, 2002)
Winds of Change (New York: Viking Penguin, 2004)
The Old Wine Shades (New York: Viking Penguin, 2006)
Dust (New York: Viking Penguin, 2007)
The Black Cat (New York: Viking Penguin, 2010)