94 books like Death at Devil's Bridge

Who wouldn’t love a fun book about royals and murder?

Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, Georgie for short, is waaay down the line of people to inherit, 34th in the queue, to be precise. And she’s flat broke. Thrown out of the Scotland castle that is her childhood home by her greedy sister-in-law, Georgie cleans homes in secret to earn a bit of money.

Things are just beginning to look up when she finds a dead Frenchman in her bathtub! If being suspected of murder is not enough, she’s also been given a job by the Queen to spy on the playboy Prince of Wales.

Georgie is irrepressible and full of spunk. She’s clumsy, makes mistakes, and fails often, but never gives up. A most relatable heroine.

Anne Perry is too well known for me to add anything about her or her many books.

This particular one, though, the first in the William Monk series, intrigues me particularly because of the startling idea of a detective who doesn’t know who he is, knows nothing about his past. What a challenge to the writer!

Monk is understandably ill-tempered and extremely touchy, but this, oddly enough, makes him, for me, a sympathetic character.

As always, the brooding descriptions of Victorian London set the scene perfectly, and I was desperately hoping for Monk to resolve not only the crime but his personal problems. And, as with all books that I love, it’s beautifully written. 

I love all of Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael books for so many reasons.

One is the crisp excellence of writing, one is her illuminating description of her medieval setting, one is her endearing protagonist, one is her exceptional plotting. This particular title has a most intriguing plot and a thoroughly satisfying resolution.

I chose the book (which I have reread many times) with a satisfied smile. And finally, the books are set in the England I so love, even if her setting is 11 centuries ago. 

Again, I love this series featuring Daisy Dalrymple, and this is my favorite book of the series.

Set in the 1920s and essentially in England, this one takes Daisy to New York and then to Oregon—by plane! (No easy matter in 1923.)

The action is non-stop, the characters get themselves into the funniest predicaments, and the introduction of real people like Bessie Coleman helps to make the story real as today’s newspaper. 

I loved reading about these very early pioneers who today are largely forgotten or never known, notably Frank McLean, who met the Wright brothers, and went on to cut an irresistibly romantic, dare-devil figure. 

He became an overnight celebrity when he flew a flimsy seaplane between the towers of Tower Bridge in London in 1912. After the First World War, he was one of the first pilots flying to Africa and down the Nile in what would become one of the early air routes for Imperial Airways in the 1930s.  

Also, Charles Rolls, of Rolls-Royce fame, who was tragically killed in a freak incident at the Bournemouth air display in 1910, the first Brit to be killed in a flying accident. 

Nearly a century old now, this was one of the first books to open up this subject for me, and to connect witch-beliefs (and trials) in England and colonial America. It’s more of a collection of essays than a coherent monograph, but they’re thoughtful essays, and, crucially, not excessively lofty. Kittredge was at pains to understand witchcraft in the past rather than judging it from the vantage point of an enlightened present.

They are chapters on image magic, shape-shifting, diagnostic tests, witches’ sabbats, and many other subjects – all discursive explorations, drawing in examples from here and there, and presented in the leisurely style of the gentleman scholar. There’s some strong narrative, too, especially in the chapter on James I, which stands up as an account of how changing thinking about witchcraft, and its relationship to politics and religion, affected policy and legal practice. All in all, it’s stuffed with… show more.

If you are witch-curious or trying to reclaim the word from the long-nosed, wart-faced, evil images that have been forced upon us by a misunderstanding society, Witch is a fun read, filled with wit and wisdom for beginning witches. “Witch” is a powerful woman, a wise healer, who lives with the cycles of Mother Earth. This book helps women remember, reconnect, and reclaim the word “witch” and the power that comes with it.

I was easily spooked as a kid, often crying when things got too scary. This book features all the ingredients of a scary book – ghosts, witches, graveyards – but you always feel safe, comfortable knowing things will turn out alright and our young hero Lucely will successfully save her home. It's funny and fast-paced and adventurous. Plus it has a chonky cat named Chunk, which I can't resist.

Like Mlakar’s book, this book reveals old folk traditions, but in a more explicitly stated and conversational way. For anyone with Italian ancestry who wants to look at the ways that old folk religion hides, adapts, and stays alive under the dominant religion of the area, this is an incredible read—and whether you’re a writer or a witch or both, you’ll find a lot of inspiration from it.

Say what you will about whether or not magic is real: this book reminds us that we’re not all so different from our fantasies—that our imaginations are as real as anything else, and that the world around us brims with power, even if it’s just the power to shift our mindset to look at our situation a different way.

If you are going to visit the North Carolina mountains, Russell and Barnett’s book Mountain Ghost Stories and Curious Tales of Western North Carolina is a must-read. In it, you will learn about the mysterious lights that appear and disappear over Brown Mountain and the phantom voices that seem to sing atop Roan Mountain. The book, like my other recommendations, is not only a fun read, but it effectively preserves the state’s oral legends; legends that will hopefully continue to be passed from one generation to the next. I have spent many hours trying to catch a glimpse of the Brown Mountain Lights and have hiked Roan Mountain in a quest to hear the ethereal voices. Although I did not hear or see anything, maybe you will. Be sure to read the book and set out on your own adventure.