Mystery books in Ancient, Archaeological or Anthropological Settings


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Authors: Anna Apostolou, Agatha Christie, Lindsay Davis, P.C. Doherty, Aaron Elkins, Lyn Hamilton, Lauren Haney, Tony Hillerman, Elizabeth Peters, Ellis Peters, Lynda S. Robinson, Steven Saylor, Malcolm K. Shuman

For more serious archeological information, check out these pages:
Books about Southeast Asia & Thailand.
Books about Mesoamerica and related topics.


By Elizabeth Peters

Archaeologist Amelia Peabody and her family, mystery series set in Egypt, end of 19th, early 20th century.

  1. Crocodile on the Sandbank, 1975
    Warner Books, Paperback - 262 pages, Reissue edition (October 1992)
  2. The Curse of the Pharaohs, 1981
    Warner Books, Paperback - 285 pages Reissue edition (October 1992)
  3. The Mummy Case, 1985
    Warner Books, Paperback - 327 pages Reprint edition (June 1995)
    Audio Cassette
  4. Lion in the Valley, 1986
    Twilight, Paperback - 374 pages Reprint (September 1999)
  5. The Deeds of the Disturber, 1988
    Twilight, Paperback - 400 pages (January 2000)
    Audio Cassette, Audio CD
  6. The Last Camel Died at Noon, 1991
    Warner Books, Paperback - 480 pages, Reprint edition (December 1994)
  7. The Snake, the Crocodile & the Dog, 1992
    Warner Books, Paperback - >448 pages, Reprint edition (February 1994)
  8. The Hippopotamus Pool, 1996
    Warner Books, Paperback - 447 pages (June 1997)
  9. Seeing a Large Cat, 1997
    Warner Books, Paperback - 414 pages, Reprint edition (July 1998)
  10. The Ape Who Guards the Balance, 1998
    Avon, Paperback - 444 pages (May 4, 1999)
    Audio Cassette (Abridged), Hardcover
  11. The Falcon at the Portal, 1999
    Avon, Paperback - 450 pages (April 2000)
    Hardcover
  12. He Shall Thunder in the Sky, 2000
    Avon, Paperback (April 2001)
    Audio Cassette (Abridged), Hardcover
  13. Lord of the Silent, 2001
    Avon, Paperback (April 2002)
    Audio Cassette (Abridged), Hardcover
  14. The Golden One, 2002
    Avon, Paperback (March 2003)
    Audio Cassette (Abridged), Hardcover
  15. Children of the Storm, 2003
    Avon, Paperback (April 2004)
    Audio Cassette (Abridged), Hardcover, Adobe e-book

Vicky Bliss, curator at Munich's National Museum, mystery series.

  1. Borrower of the Night, 1973
    Avon, Paperback - 352 pages (September 2000)
    Murder in a 16th century German castle.
  2. Street of the Five Moons, 1978
    Twilight, Paperback - 376 pages (March 2000)
    Mystery set in Italy, Rome.
  3. Silhouette in Scarlet, 1983
    Harper, Paperback - 320 pages (November 2000)
    Excavations on an island in Sweden.
  4. Trojan Gold, 1987
    Avon, Paperback - 384 pages (July 2000)
    Mystery about the Trojan Gold, set in the Bavarian Alps.
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged).
  5. Night Train to Memphis, 1994
    Warner Books, Paperback (December 1995)
    Mystery set in Egypt, including Luxor.
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged).

Other heroines by Elizabeth Peters


By Aaron Elkins

Art historian Ben Revere

Forensic Anthropologist Gideon Oliver; only a few of the books are in archaeological settings.

  1. Fellowship of Fear, 1982
  2. The Dark Place, 1983
    Murder in the primeval rain forests of Washington State.
  3. Murder in the Queen's Armes, 1985
    Murder at an excavation in England.
  4. Old Bones, 1987
    About murder and a WWII skeleton, near Mont St. Michel, France
  5. Curses!, 1989
    A mystery in the ruins of Chichen Itza.
  6. Icy Clutches, 1990
    A dead body in a glacier in Alaska.
    Large Print
  7. Make No Bones, 1991
    Murder at a conference of anthropologists at Whitebark Lodge.
  8. Dead Men's Hearts, 1994
    Murder in Luxor, Egypt.
  9. Twenty Blue Devils, 1997
    Murder in a Coffee Plantation on a Pacific Island.
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged), Large Print
  10. Skeleton Dance, 2001

    Located at a prehistoric site in the French Dordogne.
    Hardcover, Large Print
  11. Good Blood, 2005
    Amazon Deutschland
    Set in the town of Stresa, at the Lago Magiore.
  12. Where There's a Will, 2006
    Amazon Deutschland
    Set in Hawaii.
  13. Unnatural Selection (Gideon Oliver Mysteries (Hardcover)), 2006

By Lynda S. Robinson

Lord Meren, chief investigator for the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, set in ancient Egypt.

  1. Murder in the Place of Anubis, 1994
    Ballantine Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (February 1995)
  2. Murder at the God's Gate, 1995
    Ballantine Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (March 1996)
  3. Murder at the Feast of Rejoicing, 1996
    Ballantine Books, Paperback, 248 pages, Reprint edition (March 1997)
  4. Eater of Souls, 1997
    Ballantine Books, Paperback, 276 pages, Edition (March 1998)
    Hardcover
  5. Drinker of Blood, 1998
    Mysterious Press, Paperback, 304 pages (June 2001)
    Hardcover
  6. Slayer of Gods, 2001
    Mysterious Press, Paperback, 256 pages, Reprint edition (May 2003)
    Hardcover

By Lauren Haney

Mystery series with Lieutnant Bak, set in ancient Egypt at the time of Queen Hatshepsut.

  1. The Right Hand of Amon
    Avon, Paperback, 300 pages (November 1997)
  2. A Face Turned Backward
    Avon, Paperback, 286 pages (January 1999)
  3. A Vile Justice
    Twilight, Paperback, 290 pages (October 1999)
  4. A Curse of Silence
    Harper, Paperback, 304 pages (October 2000)

By Steven W. Saylor

Gordianus, the Finder, set in ancient Rome.

  1. Roman Blood, 1991
    St Martins, Paperback, 416 pages (February 2000), Ivy Books, Reprint edition (October 1994)
    Hardcover, Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  2. Arms of Nemesis, 1992
    St Martins, Paperback, 336 pages (February 2001), Ivy Books, Reprint edition (March 1995)
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  3. Catilina's Riddle, 1993
    Ivy Books, Paperback, 463 pages Reprint edition (October 1994)
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  4. The Venus Throw, 1995
    St Martins, Paperback, (April 1996)
  5. A Murder on the Appian Way, 1996
    St Martins, Paperback, 413 pages Reprint edition (May 1997)
  6. The House of the Vestals, 1992-1997
    St Martins, Paperback, 272 pages (August 1998)
    Hardcover
    Collected short stories, with Gordianus
  7. Rubicon, 1999
    Minotaur Books, Paperback, 320 pages (September 2000)
    Hardcover
  8. Last Seen in Massilia, 2000
    Minotaur Books, Hardcover - 288 pages 1 Ed edition (October 2000)
  9. A myst of prophecies, 2003
    Minotaur Books, Paperback (2003)
  10. The judgement of Caesar, 2005
    Minotaur Books, Paperback(2005)
  11. A Gladiator Dies Only Once : The Further Investigations of Gordianus the Finder , 2006
    Minotaur Books, Paperback(2006)

By Lindsay Davis

Marcus Didius Falco, "private detective", in ancient Rome at the time of Vespasian.

  1. Silver Pigs, 1989
    Ballantine Books, Paperback, 241 pages Reprint edition (July 1992)
    Hardcover
  2. Shadows in Bronze, 1990
    Ballantine Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (July 1993)
  3. Venus in Copper, 1991
    Ballantine Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (June 1993)
  4. The Iron Hand of Mars, 1992
    Ballantine Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (August 1994)
  5. Poseidon's Gold, 1992
    Ballantine Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (November 1995)
  6. Last Act in Palmyra, 1993
    Warner Books, Paperback, 464 pages Reissue edition (January 1997)
  7. Time to Depart, 1994
    Warner Books, Paperback, 396 pages Reissue edition (January 1998)
    Hardcover/Large Print
  8. A Dying Light in Corduba, 1996
    Warner Books, Paperback, 436 pages (March 1999)
    Hardcover/Large Print
  9. Three Hands in the Fountain, 1996
    Warner Books, Paperback, 400 pages (January 2000)
    Hardcover
  10. Two for the Lions, 1998
    Warner Books, Paperback, 464 pages (November 2000)
    Hardcover
  11. One Virgin Too Many, 2000
    Mysterious Press, Hardcover - 336 pages (November 2000)
  12. Ode to a Banker, 2001
    Mysterious Press, 384 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.01 x 8.18 x 5.26
    Hardcover. Amazon Deutschland
    Continuation of the adventures in England, now in London
  13. A Body in the Bath House, 2002
    368 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.99 x 8.02 x 5.22
    Amazon Deutschland
    Didius Falco is sent on a mission to England
  14. The Jupiter Myth, 2003
    Warner Books, paperback, 336 pages (May, 2004)
    Hardcover. Amazon Deutschland
    Continuation of the adventures in England, now in London
  15. The Accusers, 2004
    Mysterious Press, paperback, 384 pages pages (October, 2004)
    Hardcover. Amazon Deutschland, Publisher Arrow books
    Back in Rome, the trial of trials
  16. See Delphi and Die, 2004
    June 2006
    Amazon Deutschland, Publisher Arrow books
    Trip to Delphi

Story of Caenis, slave and freedwoman, and her relationship to Vespasian.


By Agatha Christie

Selected mysteries that play in historical/archaeological settings.


by Ellis Peters

Brother Cadfael, in the 12th century Benedictine monastery at Shrewsbury.

  1. A Morbid Taste for Bones
    Warner Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (January 1994)
    Audio Cassette (Abridged), Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  2. One Corpse Too Many
    Warner Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (March 1994)
    Audio Cassette (Abridged), Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  3. Monk's Hood
    Warner Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (November 1992)
    Audio Cassette
  4. St. Peter's Fair
    Warner Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (January 1995)
    Audio Cassette
  5. The Leper of Saint Giles
    Warner Books, Paperback, (January 1995)
    Audio Cassette
  6. The Virgin in the Ice
    Warner Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (May 1995)
    Audio Cassette
  7. The Sanctuary Sparrow
    Warner Books, Paperback, (August 1995)
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  8. The Devil's Novice
    Warner Books, Paperback, 276 pages (February 1997)
    Audio Cassette
  9. Dead Man's Ransom
    Warner Books, Paperback, 288 pages (March 1997)
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  10. The Pilgrim of Hate
    Warner Books, Paperback, 304 pages (September 1997)
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  11. An Excellent Mystery
    Warner Books, Paperback, 224 pages (October 1997)
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  12. The Raven in the Foregate
    Warner Books, Paperback, 240 pages (November 1997)
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  13. The Rose Rent
    Warner Books, Paperback, 240 pages Reissue edition (November 1997)
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  14. The Hermit of Eyton Forest
    Warner Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (April 1995)
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  15. The Confessions of Brother Haluin
    Warner Books, Paperback, Reissue edition (October 1994)
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  16. Heretic's Apprentice
    Warner Books, Paperback, Reissue edition (September 1995)
    Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  17. The Potter's Field
    Warner Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (February 1995)
    Audio Cassette (Abridged), Audio Cassette
  18. The Summer of the Danes
    Warner Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (April 1995)
    Audio Cassette (Abridged), Audio Cassette (Unabridged)
  19. The Holy Thief
    Warner Books, Paperback, Reprint edition (March 1994)
    Audio Cassette (Abridged), Audio Cassette
  20. Brother Cadfael's Penance
    Warner Books, Paperback, (February 1996)
    Audio Cassette

By P.C. Doherty

Murder Mysteries in Ancient Egypt, with Amerotke, chief judge of Thebes at the time of Hatshepsut.


By Tony Hillerman

Murder Mysteries in the American Southwest.


By Anna Apostolou

Murder Mysteries around Alexander the Great.


By Malcolm K. Shuman (aka M.S.Karl)

Murder Mysteries with different protagonists, some in archaeology related settings.


By Lyn Hamilton

Toronto shop owner & antiques dealer Lara McClintoch.

  1. The Xibalba Murders, 1997
    Berkley Pub Group, Paperback, 304 pages (April 1997)
    Amazon Deutschland
    Setting: Maya ruins in Yucatan.
  2. The Maltese Goddess, 1998
    Berkley Pub Group, Paperback, 245 pages (March 1998)
    Amazon Deutschland
    Set in Malta.
  3. The Moche Warrior, 1999
    Berkley Pub Group, Paperback, 321 pages (January 2000)
    Hardcover. Amazon Deutschland
    Set in Peru.
  4. The Celtic Riddle, 2000
    Prime Crime, 304 pages (December 2000)
    Hardcover. Amazon Deutschland
    Set in Irland.
  5. The African Quest, 2001
    Prime Crime, 304 pages (January, 2002)
    Hardcover. Amazon Deutschland
    Set in Tunesia, Carthago.
  6. The Etruscan Chimera , 2002
    Prime Crime, 304 pages (March, 2003)
    Hardcover. Amazon Deutschland
    Set in Italy.
  7. The Thai Amulet, 2003
    Prime Crime, 288 pages (March 2, 2004)
    Hardcover. Amazon Deutschland
    Set in Thailand, Bangkok and Ayuthaya.
  8. The Magyar Venus, 2004
    Hardcover)
    Hardcover. Amazon Deutschland
    Set in Hungary.
  9. The Moai Murders, 2006
    Paperback
    Amazon Deutschland
    Set on the Easter Islands

  • Bangkok 8, 2004

    Amazon Deutschland

  • The Da Vinci Code, 2003
    by Dan Brown
    Hardcover: 454 pages
    Publisher: Doubleday; 1st ed edition (March 18, 2003)
    ISBN: 0385504209
    Hardcover. Amazon Deutschland

  • Phalaenopsis, 2001
    by Eric Christenson

    ISBN: 0881924946

  • The Cattleyas and Their Relatives : The Debatable Epidendrums, 2004
    by Carl L. Withner, Patricia A. Harding

    ISBN: 0881926213

  • Bulbophyllums and Their Allies : A Grower's Guide, 2001
    by mly S. Siegerist, Gustavo A. Romero-Gonzalez

    ISBN: 0881925063

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