Okay, I've been working on some topics for this challenge. Choose 6 of these topics or do all of them if you are so inclined.

1. OMG, it's True! - HM based on actual events.

2. Choose a HM from a country other than England.

3. Find a HM from your own state or the state of your birth.

4. Your favorite: author or time period.

5. HM from a new to you author.

6. It's getting even creepier. HM with paranormal or fantasy element.

7. Spies or Intelligencers. HM involving these.

8. Detectives or Inspectors. HM involving these (including Bow Street Runners).

9. Resurrectionists or Body Snatchers. HM involving these.

10. HM involving water - a river, ocean, lake, etc.

Challenge will start on Jan 1. 2016 and end on Dec. 31, 2016. this thread will be for discussions and I will post another for lists only.

Have Fun!!!!!

Thank you Jeanne love the topics

Great Jeanne.  I'll probably have trouble with one of the topics but one never knows.  Might discover a new author!

I've just started dipping my toes into this genre, so I may need a lot of suggestions along the way but I think I'm going to try the challenge.

Welcome Una and also the other members interested!

Aw, Jeanne....thank you!!!

For my favorite author or time period I just read Silence of Stones by Jeri Westerson.I actually gave this book 4.5 stars but it doesn't show that way on my rating. I thought that this was one of the best in this series. Jack Tucker plays a very big role in this plot and his character is delightful. I am always amazed at Westerson's ability to describe the settings so vividly since she is not from GB - the research she must do! Great mystery plot as well. For me, some series start to wane after a while but this one just seems to keep picking up the pace. Highly recommend this book.

Thanks for that great endorsement, Jeanne! For me, the main appeal of the Crispin Guest series is Jack Tucker, so I'm pleased to know this book features him. 

As for me, for the "Real Events" category, I read Lyndsay Faye's Dust and Shadow, "An account of the Ripper Killings by Dr.John H. Watson." What a fun book! In this book, Lindsay Faye weaves known facts and people involved with the Jack the Ripper case with a plausible solution and then skillfully and cleverly borrows Sherlock Holmes as her consulting detective.

And, while I'm not any kind of a Holmes' expert, I think she did a great job! I think she stayed true to the voices and personalities developed in the 19th century by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for Holmes and Watson. She also did an outstanding job of creating the atmosphere of London as it would have been during the late 1880's when a diabolical murderer stalked the city streets.

This one gets the full 5 stars for me!

Kelly
 

Good to know, Kelly!  I have Dust and Shadow on my shelf  

Still working my way through the Brehon Mara series by Cora Harrison.

I finished Sting of Justice by Cora Harrison. Very good!!

Find a HM from your own state or the state of your birth.

HELP!  I have no clue.........the state is Texas.  Anybody have any suggestions?

Wow I can not find any. I don't recall reading one either

Cindy Steven Saylor is from Austin   He write an excellent series on ancient one (another all time favorite) Worse comes to worse maybe you substitue that at least he is a texas native.

If you want to go to Texas HF there is always Texas by James Michner

Don't worry about it Cindy! Pick a state - maybe one you've lived in previously? Otherwise, pick any state. I'm okay with that.

James Michener lived here in Austin.  I loved Hawaii, I've read it several times.  I think I finally had to trash my copy, the pages were all falling out!  Maybe I'll try Texas.  It's just so long......I've gotten away from reading those huge doorstoppers.  But, hopefully it's one I can read in between my swap books.

If anyone has other suggestions - I'd definitely appreciate them.  All I could find on Amazon was Romance......and Christian fiction.  Not that there is anything wrong with them, but didn't see any mysteries.

Cindy,

Here is a link to novels set in Texas. Not all are historical but many are. You will have to check to see if any are of the mystery variety.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Novels_set_in_Texas

I live in PA and found two historical mysteries set in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War - on my shelf, no less!

This one sounds good Cindy: 

The Bottoms Paperback – December 7, 2010

by Joe R. Lansdale  (Author)

I went to Amazon and did advanced search in the BOOKS section. Key words were Historical Mysteries Texas. At first all I saw were Romances but as I kept going, I found the mysteries. You may want to check that out.

Donna and Jeanne.  THANKS!

I tried the search at Amazon earlier, guess I gave up too soon!

I tried a similar search at Goodreads......but started with Historical Mystery.  Probably would be easier to search for books set in Texas, then check out the historical ones!  DUH........

That Joe Lansdale book does look good!

Found a hardback copy of The Bottoms at HPB tonight!  YAY!!!  Then, I got home and started reading my next book from the GRIN pile.  Longhorns  by Victor J Banis.  Looks like it probably would have worked too.  It isn't listed as HF, but it does take place probably in the early 1900's.  

For the OMG, It's True category, I took a little liberty and used Plague by C C Humphreys. This is loosely based on the black plague of the 1600's but it is primarily a mystery involving a hunt for serial killers during this same time period. I have to say that Humphrey's writing was very good and it kept me turning the pages. I haven't finished a book this quickly in some time (2 days!). I gave it 4 stars but was sorely tempted to give it 5. The reason I didn't was because even though there is a twist at the end, I had my suspicions. (I know, poor excuse!)

Choose a HM from a country other than England.

Finally, I read The Child Thief by Dan Smith since it takes place in 1930 in the Ukraine. why did I wait so long? The writing is excellent and oh, the characters are so real .It has heart wrenching moments but then there are the moments of human resilience and empathy.All I can say is "what a book"! I'm giving it 5 stars and I'm thinking about getting his other one titled Red Winter.

I've got that one on the wishlist, Jeanne.

Good grief.  I went to enter another book into one of the categories in this challenge, and discovered I already completed the challenge with the last book I read.  

So, thanks for the challnege, Jeanne!

Congratulations Carolyn! Hope you had fun with it!

For some reason I never "watched" this topic so I've missed all of the discussion!

Cindy - I have struggled all year to come up with a Texas book.  I recently found The Jealous Kind by James Lee Burke (If you are still searching) Now that I've read through the messages here, I will probably read The Bottoms since I already have a copy.  The wait list for Jealous Kind is so long at my library, I may not get it until January!