Historical mysteries let the reader be picked up and be transported to different times and places. A good story is a painless way to get into the period, and, if it features a unsolved crime or two, give a look at history’s darker underside.

The Germanicus mosaic by Rosemary Rowe

Mark of the lion by Suzanne M. Arruda

One for sorrow by Mary Reed & Eric Mayer

Some welcome home: an Elizabeth Pepperhawk/Avivah Rosen mystery by Sharon Wildwind

Callander Square: a Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novel by Anne Perry