The Little Professor doesn't care for historical mysteries. Obviously, I disagree, but I don't argue matters of taste. You can't reason someone into liking anything. Opera does nothing for me. I don't doubt for a moment it is great art. We can't all like everything.

The entry makes some good points about the problems facing historical mysteries that are worth pondering, even if you do enjoy them. For instance:

"Most of the historical mysteries I've read do a much better job delineating historically accurate background than they do delineating historically accurate motives--and therein, I suspect, lies the rub."

Mary and I make an effort to imagine crimes and motives which arise from the historical context of the 6th century Roman Empire. But it seems to me, that you can only talk about "historically accurate motives" at a rather superficial level. Murder is a primitive, animalistic act. The underlying urges that drive people to murder such as greed, lust, desire for power, have all been around as long as we've been human. The coins the Byzantine murderer sought might have been nomismata, rather than hundred dollar bills, but at a deeper level the motive was the same.

History Writing books historical mysteries