Mystery

Mystery is a fictional genre where a detective solves some kind of crime. The detective can be virtually anyone, whether it be a professional or a woman on the street. When the detective is a woman she is referred to as a “female sleuth.” There are several categories that fall within the mystery including: Thriller, Crime Fiction, Detective Fiction, and Whodunits. Although these are all subcategories, they are also all mysteries. Intelligence, logic and ingenuity are often used to solve the crimes, however sometimes luck comes in handy as well. Although some say the mystery began with works such as Aesop’s Fables and //Canterbury Tales//, most critics agree mystery was born in 1841 with Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”
 * __Mystery:__ **

** __The Quality of Mercy__  by Faye Kellerman ** Rebecca Lopez enjoys a life of privilege in Elizabethan England. Yet she possesses a secret she dare not reveal. The beautiful but unpredictable daughter of the queen’s own physician, Rebecca is also a //converso// – a Jew who practices her religion secretly and helps others escape persecution and death. Her voracious appetite for excitement often takes her into the buzzing streets of London dressed in male attire to experience the kind of adventure available only to men. One such outing leads her into a dangerous web of intrigue and murder, all in the company of a dashing and fearless young actor and would be playwright who calls himself Will Shakespeare.

**4.50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie** Immortalized by Angela Lansbury on //Murder, She Wrote//, Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple character is perhaps the best-loved female detective of all time. In //4.50 From Paddington// Miss Marple’s friend Elspeth McGillicuddy boards the Paddington Station train and becomes a witness to an apparent murder. Or does she? There are no other witnesses and no body can be found. No on believes Elspeth but of course the indomitable Miss Marple. But the question remains: how do you solve a murder that appears not to have happened?

//4.50 From Paddington// was adapted in the film, //Murder She Said// starring Margaret Rutherford in 1962. __A is for Alibi__ is only the first book in the “alphabet series” written by Sue Grafton. This novel, as well as those after it, contains a female sleuth named Kinsey Millhone, a twice divorced private eye. Millhone is hired by Nikki Fife to find out who killed her husband, Lawrence Fife, eight years after the murder which Nikki was convicted for. Kinsey Millhone makes for a strong lead character, which the reader is able to get to know and love. For more information, other novels in the series and reviews, click here.
 * __A is for Alibi__ **** by Sue Grafton **[[image:images-3.jpeg width="137" height="221"]]

The Serpent’s Daughter** by Suzanne Arruda ** __The Serpent’s Daughter__ is book three in Suzanne Arruda’s series of the Jade del Cameron series. It follows Jade on her trip to meet with her mother Inez, until Inez is kidnapped and her guide murdered. It is up to Jade to discover who the real kidnapper and murder is because the local authorities try to blame her. Jade joins forces with her friends and travels through haunted underground tunnels, dangerous souks and wild Atlas Mountains of Morocco to uncover the truth. More books from the Jade del Cameron series can be found here: Jade del Cameron series

It's the end of 1911 and Ursula Marlow, struggling to maintain control over her father's textile empire, finds her business trip to Egypt interrupted by two violent deaths. Driven by her need for justice, the strong Edwardian heiress is determined to solve a mystery of intrigue, betrayal, and murder.
 * __ __The serpent and the scorpion: an Ursula Marlow mystery__ by Clare Langley-Hawthorne __**

Through doing this project we have learned a lot about mystery as a genre. We discovered it can be difficult to find female writers who use female characters in popular fiction, especially in mysteries. We learned that in order to determine what books to recommend you have to read many reviews, and have an understanding of what is considered quality within the genre. Although it can be hard to find female authors who use female characters, they are out there if you research.
 * Reflective Statemen**t