Talus and the Frozen King by Graham Edwards

If Jean Auel and Arthur Conan Doyle had collaborated, the result might have been Talus, the bard detective at the center of Graham Edwards’ novel, Talus and the Frozen King. Set in northern Europe during the Neolithic period, Talus and his companion Watson, umm, I mean Bran, stumble across an island village mourning the sudden death of their king. It takes only a few pages for Talus to throw everything into chaos with his Quincy-like revelation (yes, I’m dating myself with that reference) that, “This king was murdered.” Cue a parade of suspects, red herrings, sharply detailed observations, an often-befuddled companion, and the eventual unmasking of a diabolical plot. There’s even, perhaps, a Moriarty.

This has to be the earliest set historical mystery I have ever read. I’m not sure one can ge... Read More