Summer Reading 2020: Historical Fiction & Mysteries

In this Gilded Age era novel, Clara, an Irish immigrant, takes on a false identity to gain employment as a housekeeper in Andrew Carnegie’s grand house. Her relationship with the steel tycoon transforms him into America’s first philanthropist. Genre: Historical fiction (Also: Biographical fiction)

When her father is killed by the notorious Rose Riders for a mysterious journal that reveals the secret location of a gold mine, eighteen-year-old Kate Thompson disguises herself as a boy and takes to the plains looking for answers--and justice. Series. Genre: Historical fiction (Also: Westerns)

A young woman in nineteenth-century New York City must struggle against gender and class boundaries when her father is found dead of a supposed suicide and she believes there is more than meets the eye, so in order to uncover the truth, she will have to decide how much she is willing to risk and lose. Genre: Historical fiction (Also: Historical mysteries)

Until almost sixteen-year-old Rose connects with the people of a small, coastal Australian town, she is used to traveling aimlessly with her alcoholic father. Stunning classmate Pearl, reclusive dressmaker Edie, and a magical dress that Rose and Edie sew for the Harvest Festival all contribute to a mystery unfolding around them. The audiobook is also highly recommended. Genre: Mysteries (Also: Australian fiction)

In quite possibly the best titled novel in recent years, this redemptive coming of age story is told in four unique teen voices living in 1970s Alaska. Genre: Historical fiction (Also: Multiple perspectives)

After a heart transplant, seventeen-year-old Leah is plagued with dreams of the donor’s suicide . . . or was it murder? Leah sets out to unravel the secret with the help of the donor’s twin brother. Genre: Mysteries

Seventeen-year-old Tyne and her boyfriend Stick investigate a decades-old murder after she finds the body of a girl in the basement wall of her apartment building. Genre: Mysteries (Also: Canadian fiction)

Seventeen- year-old Hawthorn, an endearing and awkward loner, becomes obsessed with the mysterious disappearance of the beautiful and popular Lizzie Lovett. Genre: Mysteries (Also: First-person narratives)

World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia, and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom. When their paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, Joana, Emilia, and Florian find their strength, courage, and trust in one another tested with each step closer toward safety. When tragedy strikes the Wilhelm Gustloff, they must fight for the same thing: survival. Genre: Historical fiction (Also: Multiple perspectives)