Today I'm introducing the last of my blog's new features -  Favorites Friday - and I've decided to kick it off by providing a listing of some of my favorite historical mystery/suspense authors.  One of my readers, Donna, recently asked me who some of my favorite and/or inspiring historical thriller writers are.  I provided a list on FB, but I also thought it would be nice to post it here, along with a link or two to some of their books and their websites.

First off, the amazing Deanna Raybourn and her Lady Julia Grey series set mostly in Victorian England, which begins with Silent in the Grave, one of my favorite novels. The most recent addition to the series is The Dark Enquiry.  She's releasing a stand-alone title (not part of the Lady Julia series) at the end of the month entitled A Spear of Summer Grass.

I also adore Tracy Grant/Teresa Grant, who writes the Malcolm & Suzanne Rannoch series. (In some of the books in the series the characters are named Charles and Melanie Fraser. A little confusing, I know. But they are the same characters.) These books take place from the last days of the Napoleonic Wars into post-war Regency England.  I recommend starting withVienna Waltz, which is set during the Congress of Vienna, and then reading Imperial Scandal, which highlights events surrounding the battle of Waterloo.

Tasha Alexander also writes an excellent Victorian mystery series which features Lady Emily.  It's best to start at the beginning of this one with And Only To Deceive.

For a fantastic mix of both historical and contemporary settings, check out Susanna Kearsley.  Her books never fail to pull me in and transport me.  It's difficult to pick a favorite, but I'm rather fond of The Shadowy Horses, as well as Mariana, The Winter Sea, and The Rose Garden. Her latest, The Firebird, releases on June 1st, and while it's not a sequel to The Shadowy Horses, it does include some of the characters.

If you're looking for a post-WWI setting, you might give Simone St James a try. Her debut novel, The Haunting of Maddy Clare, is a fellow double RITA® finalist, and the follow up, An Inquiry Into Love and Death has just been released.  Another post-WWI author to try is Charles Todd, whose hero, Inspector Ian Rutledge, is a tortured WWI veteran.  

I also love Victoria Holt, (check out The India Fan). And, though technically not historical, Mary Stewart's books feel somewhat historical now because they are set in the 1950s and 1960s. I adore all of her romantic suspense novels, but you might try The Moonspinners or This Rough Magic first.