I recently mentioned that I could think of a handful of authors who set their mysteries in the years surrounding WWI. To expand that a bit I wondered if I could come up with at least thirteen and include both WWI and WWII, since I like reading about both periods and in between as well. Some of these are first novels in a mystery series and some of these I just happened upon on their own (though they may well be part of a series). I think I am fairly evenly split between WWI and WWII, though it looks like male protagonists beat out their female counterparts.
- Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear - Maisie Dobbs, private investigator and psychologist (and former WWI nurse)...one of my very favorite series!
- A Duty to the Dead, Charles Todd - Bess Crawford, WWI nurse, first book just recently released
- Stratton's War, Laura Wilson - DCI Ted Stratton, London during the Blitz, supposedly heavy on atmosphere
- Mark of the Lion, Suzanne Arruda - Jade Del Cameron, ambulance driver in WWI, mysteries set in Africa
- Test of Wills, Charles Todd - Inspector Ian Rutledge, veteran of the Great War
- Carousel, J. Robert Janes - Jean-Louis Saint-Cyr of the French Surete and Capt. Hermann Kohler of the Gestapo, these novels are set in occupied France, interesting combination, eh?
- No Graves as Yet, Anne Perry - Reverand Joseph Reavley, the story begins in Cambridge just before WWI
- By a Slow River, Philippe Claudel - Novel/mystery by French author set in an unnamed village in 1917
- Green for Danger, Christianna Brand - Inspector Cockrill, set in a military hospital during the Blitz, excellent classic mystery
- Skeleton in the Grass, Robert Bernard- Mystery set in a country house prior to and during WWII
- The Blood Dimmed Tide, Rennie Airth - Inspector Madden, mystery set in the English countryside between the wars
- The Murdered House, Pierre Magnan - A story of murder and revenge set in Provence just after WWI
- Consequences of Sin, Clare Langley-Hawthorne - Ursula Marlow, Edwardian murder mystery with a suffragette as sleuth, anxiously awaiting next book...
I admit to cheating slightly on the last one, but I expect the author will soon catch up to WWI as the first novel is set in 1910. I could have come up with more, but I listed those that were close at hand on my shelves. England and France are usually the settings for these mysteries, but I wonder if there are any set in Italy or Germany and surely there must be some set in the U.S. Who have I missed? Any good suggestions?