Books like The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Emma Donoghue’s debut novel follows a French burlesque dancer who, after a murder in 1876 San Francisco, seeks justice for her friend amid heat, smallpox and fierce class tensions.

Richard, Duke of Cleybourne, returns to his country estate to deal with the tragic loss he had suffered four years earlier. But the arrival of Miss Jessica Maitland and Gabriella, his new ward, throws a wrench into his plans. The governess, feisty and flame-haired, reveals that the girl is in danger, and the mysterious events escalate into a murder mystery at Cleybourne Castle.

In 1933 London, a young Indian woman’s body is found in a canal. Maisie Dobbs, the city’s leading private investigator, steps in when Scotland Yard’s investigation stalls, uncovering a web of secrecy and injustice.

After a stay in Italy, Lady Julia returns to her Sussex estate, only to discover a murder at a nearby abbey. With private investigator Nicholas Brisbane, she navigates intrigue, family secrets and a snowbound conspiracy to uncover the killer before another tragedy.

"It is 1880 and Gracy Brookens is the only midwife in a small Colorado mining town where she has delivered hundreds, maybe thousands, of babies in her lifetime. She is a gifted and important resource for the women of her hardscrabble community, a position earned through wisdom and trust. Most women in Swandyke couldn't even imagine getting through their pregnancy and labor without Gracy by their sides. But everything changes when a baby is found dead...and the evidence points to Gracy as the killer. Gracy knows she didn't commit the crime. But her innocence isn't quite that simple, either. She knows things and that's dangerous."--

"In the first century A.D., during Domitian's reign, Flavia Albia is ready for a short break from her family. So, in July, she returns to Rome, leaving them at their place on the coast. Albia, the daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, now retired as private informer, has taken up her father's former profession and it's time to get back to work. The first order business, however, is the corpse found in a chest sent as part of a large lot to be sold by the Falco family auction house. As the senior family representative in Rome, it falls upon Albia to find out who, why, and by whom. At the same time, her potential young man, Faustus, comes looking for help with his friend Sextus's political campaign. Between the auction business and Roman politics, it's not quite clear which one is the more under-handed and duplicitous. Both, however, are tied together by the mysterious body in the chest, and if Albia isn't able to solve that mystery, it won't be the only body to drop"--

Amelia Peabody and her companion Radcliffe investigate a murder during an excavation of an ancient Egyptian tomb.

A thriller set amid New York City's most violent period, featuring a tough, realistic voice.

Fourteen-year-old Lizzy Allison and her younger brother Timothy are trapped in the frozen Adirondacks during a historic snowstorm, forcing them to rely on courage, strength, and resilience to survive the harsh wilderness.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson race to Edinburgh to investigate the murders of two workers on the Palace of Holyrood House, uncovering a plot linked to the historic assassination of David Rizzio, the Italian secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots.

In Classical Athens, Nicolaos, an agent of the rising politician Pericles, races through the city’s dark streets to uncover the assassin of the statesman Ephialtes, while wrestling with personal distractions and political intrigue.

In 670 AD Ireland, Sister Fidelma and her ally Eadulf investigate a noble’s murder near Cashel, uncovering clues tied to a violent uprising led by a religious fanatic.