This list is in no particular order, either alphabetically, chronologically, or otherwise. Sometimes I simply list the author; other times I’ll include which of their works is my favorite.
Agatha Christie:
As a crime writer, I’d be hard pressed not to list her. After burning through all the ‘age-appropriate’ mysteries during childhood, my mother introduced me to the authors of the Golden Age of Mysteries. My favorite book is Death on the Nile. I also quite enjoy the 1977 film with its fabulous cinematography showcasing the wonders of Egypt.
Ngaio Marsh:
Another “Queen of Crime” who perhaps doesn’t get as much attention as her counterpart above. Marsh’s Chief Inspector Alleyn is fabulous.
Jane Austen:
There’s a reason this writer, who only published six novels in her all-too-brief life, is still popular 200 years after her death. All of her books have something to recommend them, but my absolute favorite is Persuasion. After reading it, you can check out two film adaptations from the early part of this century–it’s hard to decide whether Ciarán Hinds or Rupert Penry-Jones makes a better Captain Wentworth.
Elizabeth Gaskell:
A contemporary of Austen and the Bröntes, Gaskell is less well known but equal in the quality of her work. Like Austen, her novels depict the complex workings of the lives of women in a time when they were restrained by custom and class. Wives and Daughters is my favorite of Gaskell’s works (and the BBC adaptation in 1999 does the book justice).
Elizabeth Peters:
The late Peters had the magic touch when telling stories. Her ‘Amelia Peabody’ series introduced readers to the world of archaeology and ancient Egypt through the lives of a spinster Victorian lady who defies convention and seizes control of her life after the death of her father. Amelia is smart, funny, and everything I want to be. Peters also wrote two other series (Vicky Bliss, an art historian and Jacqueline Kirby, a librarian) as well as standalone novels and romantic suspense under the pen name Barbara Michaels. Crocodile on the Sandbank is my favorite Amelia Peabody novel; Trojan Gold in the Vicky Bliss series; Naked Once More in the Jacqueline Kirby series. Houses of Stone and Search the Shadows tie for my favorite titles under her Barbara Michaels pseudonym. I’m sad that there will no longer be any stories coming from the mind of this remarkable woman.
Sujata Massey:
Ms. Massey has two fabulous series: her Rei Shimura series (contemporary novels about a Japanese-American antiquities dealer) and her Perveen Mistry series (about the first female lawyer in India, set in the early 20th century).
Stephanie Barron:
Her Jane Austen mysteries are wonderful and I’m sad to see that the upcoming book will be the last in the series.
More Kick-Ass Heroines:
Lily Wong in the Ninja series by Tori Eldridge
Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn
Charlotte Holmes in the Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas
Jaya Jones series by Gigi Pandian
Charlotte Sloane-Wrexford in Wrexford & Sloane series by Andrea Penrose
Stevie Bell in the Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson
MUSINGS 