Fans pick 100 books like A Noble Scheme

This retelling of the Book of Hosea reminded me that love is meant to be unconditional. Patient, healing, hopeful. No matter what Angel does, Michael loves her. I read this entire book in less than two days. I laughed, I cried, and while I couldn’t put the book down, I dreaded closing the cover for the final time. I had a book hangover for days.

If I could choose one book to reread for the first time, it would be this one. I haven’t experienced things that these characters have, but this story still inspired healing and sparked hope. It broke me and put my back together. I walked away with a clearer view of how much God loves me and the lengths He will go to prove it.

This book encompasses why I am passionate about spiritual giftings and how important they are in spiritual warfare. I love high-stakes and adventurous plots, and Lisa kept me turning pages late into the night. I learned so much history regarding the Church before the Reformation and was reminded how easy it is for the enemy to make evil appear attractive.

This book gave me a new awareness of the spiritual realm and the power of prayer and discernment. Besides, it takes place in Italy, and I am obsessed with Italy!

This book contains tough questions that I have struggled with in the past like, “Why would God allow this to happen?” “Does God see me?” “How can God use this for His glory?” I found comfort in these pages. I learned the struggle of many during the Jacobite uprising—something I knew precious little about, and I have Scottish heritage!

Laura always transports me into history, and I love how she combines stories of struggle with hope. I always walk away from her books with new knowledge of history and encouragement for my own life. Besides, I can never say no to a good romance!

A slow-burn story is great, but one mixed with regret and hope? Sign me up! I couldn’t imagine living through the trials and expectations that young ladies had to bear during the Regency era, but Julie gave me a pretty good glimpse through this English countryside window.

I felt compassion for some of these characters and anger toward others. The pain and betrayal felt so tangible that my own heart hurt. I feared for the life of more than one throughout the entire book, and I successfully cost a friend a good night’s sleep after recommending this one to her. I believe that the love and hope found in these pages can be found in real life, too.

This one takes place in London, a city I love and have visited many times, but there’s a bigger reason I enjoy this mystery so much.

Horowitz tackles the writing world as only he can do, with himself as the protagonist, addressing aspects big and small that every writer today will find familiar. And when the murder occurs—well, all I can say is you’ll have to read it.

He calls in his own character Daniel Hawthorne to help. As a mystery writer, I find that so appealing!

This is a historical mystery, but so much more than a whodunit. It’s fourth in the series, but can be read alone if you don’t mind spoiling the earlier books a bit. It’s a stand-out to me because it’s about raising one’s voice against inhumanity, even when it seems commonplace, or necessary.

Maisie is an intuitive detective and as such, has to fight against conventional police interference, client skepticism, and male smugness. But what she’s fighting for is the right outcome for everyone concerned, including the victim of the crime. This novel focuses on an artist ex-soldier of WWI who was using his voice to criticize the powers within government. I just love how Maisie deliberately wields her compassion in order to see the full picture of a case.

I feel that Sherlock Holmes and Cyrus Barker would be friends, but even more so, Dr. Watson and Thomas Llewelyn would have much to discuss. I was hesitant to begin a new series set in Victorian London, but I’m so glad I read this book and every book in the series that followed.

It Involved is a twisty mystery rich in setting and history. Barker and Llewelyn are a formidable duo when it comes to crime fighting and detection, and Llewelyn’s humor offsets (and sometimes ratchets up) the tension.

The tour begins in an elegant London residence, one of my favorite settings for a puzzling murder. What I like in this story of the apparent suicide of a maid is how the careful rendering of scenes made the story’s events more realistic and its characters, especially the gentleman-of-leisure amateur sleuth, more believable.

The author’s deft touch made me feel that I was right there—reading in the library of his West End house, riding in his carriage through clogged London streets, and even being kicked in the stomach in a dark alley. I thoroughly enjoyed this expertly plotted, frequently humorous, well-written mystery, made more enjoyable in my eyes by an effective use of convincing background material.

I love Anne Perry's murder mystery books. Her historical novels take us back to a place that none of us remember but feel familiar through Charles Dickens. We learn about the dark side of Victorian England. Perry shows us the grit and struggle of the times. Her characters are complex, and we see their growth. Detective Thomas Monk (before the television show) is in a field still struggling for professionalism, and he grapples with that status. We also learn about the development of the nursing profession and how women helped and fought for rights through the other main character, Hester Latterly. Perry does an outstanding job of showing not only the surroundings but also the characters' feelings and how they processed their surroundings and pasts.

I've always been fascinated by stories that show what happens to a couple after the wedding.

As wonderful as it is to watch Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane fall in love and finally marry in the previous books in the series, I find it even more interesting to see them adjust to marriage and the challenges it brings. The final scene in particular has been a huge influence on my own writing.