#carpenter and quincannon

[sherlockholmesbracket]

The"bughouse" Holmes from the "Quincannon and Carpenter" books by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini, whom for several books it was ambiguous whether he was Sherlock Holmes or a lunatic who thought he was.

Another dubiously authentic Holmes, residing in San Francisco, Sherlock Holmes!

[mirai-desu]

Miss Scarlet & The Duke Read-a-likes

I had already started on a post of Miss Scarlet & The Duke read-a-likes before The News, and now I want to prove that hey, you can have historical mysteries with romance and the leads get together! When MSATD first came out I thought, this is like the books love to read! (whoops). The following are series that I feel like, as a librarian, skew closer to the actual original premise (ahem) of MSATD, but aren't the Historical Romance genre (i.e. these books are rated closer to the TV show, when it comes to the steam factor). In these cases, I chose titles that aren't just mysteries but feature the romance prominently, but also aren't just HR with a mystery in the background.

Disclaimer: mileage may vary; for some of these it's been awhile since I've read them and there might be mistakes. There's also a few other series that might work that are on my TBR list, so I might be updating this list in the near future.

Top Picks:

Veronica Speedwell 1880s, London | POV: First person; heroine You've probably seen this book listed as a MSATD read-a-like before, because not only is the time period similar, but so is the dynamic between the leads. The main difference is that the protagonists are actually natural historians and not detectives, and some of the plots are more adventure-like (think "Cell 99") than police cases. If I had to pick one series to rec, it's this one.

Molly Murphy 1900s, New York | POV: First person; heroine While in New York (har har), this series I think has a most general set up to MSATD; a lady detective with an agency that she takes over, and her love interest, a detective with the police force. There's even an Arabella. But don't fret! (ngl, though, this series proves that William wouldn't have an easier time with the NYPD than he does SY… RN might have wanted to do some research…)

Captain Jim & Lady Diana 1890s, India, US, UK | POV: Differs between books, 1st book is more his POV The first book in this series has a more layered approach with the setting of British India (which is fascinating in its own right), but the next two are more in line with MSATD and the other series listed.

Carpenter & Quincannon 1890s, San Francisco | POV: Third person limited, both hero and heroine This series is written by a husband and wife duo (HA), and might be a little confusing to figure out the order given the characters' appearances in their other works, but the actual series linked here is about two former Pinkertons who form their own detective agency together. Some of the cases are a little predictable, and there are a few books where their cases don't intertwine as well as the others, but it's still an enjoyable read of two detectives who make it work both professionally and personally.

Other Picks:

Wrexford & Sloane Regency, London | POV: Third person limited, both hero and heroine The latest volumes actually name check MSATD in their blurbs. I think the feel is slightly different, given the time period and a few other elements that are clear when you start reading them, but they are similar enough that I get the comparison.

Daisy Dalrymple 1920s, UK | POV: Third person limited, both hero and heroine 1920s historical mysteries with romance are a genre all into themselves, but I recommend this series over some of the others because of the HEA. (also tacking this on here: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is loads better as a TV series, which is why I don't recommend the books).

Inspector Corravan 1870s, London | POV: Third person limited; hero There's only two of this series so far, but I feel like the male lead has shades of William to him.

Athenian Mysteries Ancient Greece | Male POV (from what I remember) This one is off the beaten path compared to the others, but I do recommend it because of the dynamic between the leads and the HEA.

Great series but… the Slow Burn is Still… Slow

Bess Crawford WWI, UK/France | POV: First person; heroine I really do like this series, but I have to have a somewhat spoilery caveat: we are still in the slow burn 13 books in. But I have to recommend it anyway, because there's some striking similarities in that the female lead's father is the mentor to the male lead. I will warn you; there are a few books that he barely appears in. So maybe try this one last lol

Promising Start

Dr. Julia Lewis 1860s, London | POV: Third person limited; hero and heroine + villain My hold on this debut literally showed up the day after I almost finished the post, but I after reading the first one, it's definitely in the same vein (there's also a very overt reference to something that I'm certain is a nod to MSATD...). Looking forward to the next one for sure.

[esonetwork]

'The Body Snatchers Affair' Book Review By Ron Fortier

New Post has been published on http://esonetwork.com/2017/03/31/body-snatchers-affair-book-review-ron-fortier/

'The Body Snatchers Affair' Book Review By Ron Fortier

THE BODY SNATCHERS AFFAIR A Carpenter & Quincannon Mystery By Marcia Muller & Bill Pronzini Forge Books 219 pages

This is the second Carpenter & Quincannon mystery we’ve had the pleasure of reading and are eager to point you in its direction. Authors Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini are both accomplished and cherished mystery scribes whereas how this series allows them to merge their considerable talents is a pure delight. We wonder if each, alone, actually crafted their respective gender avatars in the stories. Both the former Secret Service Agent Charles Quincannon and the widowed Mrs. Sabina Carpenter are terrific characters and their pension for solving complicated, criminal cases makes them unstoppable as a team. They operate out of San Francisco, where they have their offices, at the turn of the century. In this book, the bodies of two very different, and equally important, personages have been stolen. The first corpse mysteriously taken belonged to a high ranking Tong mobster in Chinatown. The ghoulish theft has the potential of igniting a bloody war between the rival gangs unless the perpetrators can be caught and brought to justice. When a young woman hires Quincannon to locate her heroin addicted husband, a lawyer for one of the Tongs, he has to venture into twisted mazes of the opium dens. No sooner does he find the missing husband than the man is shot to death in his arms, the detective barely avoiding a second bullet meant for him. Somehow the lawyer’s murder is related to the missing corpse.

Then, a few days later, Sabina is hired by a wealthy upper-crust widow whose financier husband recently passed away. Shortly after his interment, unknown parties managed to break into the family mausoleum and kidnapped the body. Now they are holding it for ransoming. If she refuses to pay, they threaten to desecrate her beloved’s remains.

The bodies of two prominent men from totally different social circles are snatched within days of each other. Coincidence? Or is there an actual connection between the two? Once again Muller and Prozini offer up a fast paced adventure with some of the most colorful characters to ever grace the pages of a mystery novel. “The Body Snatchers Affair” is twisty romp that will easily satisfy even the most jaded reader. Personally, we can’t wait to see what this duo tackles next.

[torpublishinggroup]

Happy Release Day! Here’s what went on sale today »

[sherlockholmesbracket]

Firstly, I would like to apologize for not going over the previous posts and thus submitting several Holmes' who were already submitted.

I suspect my enthusiasm got away from me.

Secondly, because I am ridiculous, some more:

-The Great Detective from "A Night In The Lonesome October* by Roger Zelazny

-The version of Holmes from the *Watson and Holmes* comics.

-I am told that Yoo Seol Ok, the protagonist of the K-Drama *Mystery Queen* is a Holmes expy, but I have not seen it so cannot comment; given that AIUI, she's a bored housewife and her sidekick Ha Wang Seun is a cop, I am not sure if there's much there aside from the punny names.

-Holmes as portrayed by Ian McKellen in *Mr. Holmes*

-Holmes as portrayed by Clive Merrison in the Bert Coules radio plays.

-"Herlock Sholmes" from the Arsene Lupin stories by Maurice LeBlanc

-Inspector Mantis from *Trouble In Bugland* by William Kotzwinkle

-The "bughouse" Holmes from the "Quincannon and Carpenter" books by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini, who is either Holmes or lunatic who thinks he is

I love you these are incredible please send these in as separate asks. literally just copy paste or whatever but it means i can have one post per entry which is gonna make things easier for me. thank you!!!