Mystery Monday

I love a good mystery novel. In fact, there is nothing I enjoy so much as to curl up somewhere cozy with a mystery that grips my attention. So I thought I would take the opportunity to share some of the mystery series I have enjoyed lately.

First up in the most recent: the Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber. There are currently five books in the series and the sixth, A Brush with Shadows, is scheduled to be published this year.  Set in the 1830s in Scotland the books follow Lady Kiera Darby who is unwillingly versed in human anatomy after being forced to draw the dissections conducted by her late husband for his anatomy book.  Fortunately light on gore, but filled with well developed characters, tight mysteries, and great chemistry between Lady Darby and the inquiry agent she joins forces with, Sebastian Gage. I highly recommend these books. The first is The Anatomist's Wife.

Next is another historical fiction mystery series set in the 1810s in England: the Sebastian St. Cyr novels by C.S. Harris.  This series has twelve books out already and the thirteenth book, Why Kill the Innocent is due out in April of this year.  St. Cyr is a gentleman sleuth who finds himself forced to investigate a murder in the first book in order to prove his innocence.  Being a series the author is forced to repeat certain information so if you binge them as I did you may get a little fed up, especially with his moping over his lost love Kat.  However, the individual mysteries are fantastic and the over arching  mysteries of the series (the truth about St. Cyr's parentage) is teased out slowly so that you'll want to keep reading. (And he finally gets over Kat for which I cheered).  I do hope more progress is made on that front in the next book.  I have had my fill of series that have ended without resolution because the author has passed away suddenly and I really need to know! The first book is What Angels Fear.

I don't know why both authors picked Sebastian for their dashing hero's first name. It is a rather odd coincidence. The library owns all of these books with the newest volumes on shopping lists for purchase once published. 

Tell me, what types of books do you enjoy? What's your favorite mystery?