"Some Danger Involved" by Will Thomas
Private investigator in London, late 1800s. Kind of Sherlock Holmesian with a bit more violence and humor.
"Dissolution" by CJ Sansom
Henry VIII is confiscating the land, churches and valuables of the Catholic church. Murder is afoot. The best hunchbacked dwarf lawyer in England, Matthew Shardlake, (who works for Oliver Cromwell) is sent to investigate.
"The Religion" by Tim Willocks.
The siege of Malta, 1575 ad., The Knights Templar v. Suleiman the Magnificent. Very violent and bloody. Had that "wow" factor for me.
Sounds like a lot of action! I can read about violence easier than watching it and these sound great. Thank you!
Will Thomas just came out with the 4th book in the series. Some Danger Involved is the first. All four books are absolutely first rate.
Written by an American, and even though the book is true to early 1900's London, the humor probably has more of an American sensibility.