Like Christie but not a formulaic copy?

[Wonderbug81]

I absolutely love Agatha Christie but have found some of the similar modern day historical murder mysteries to be a bit formulaic or even just a copy of the originals.

Would love to read more in the genre though - all suggestions welcome.

Josephine Tey- the Franchise Affair

Good choice @Sheeppig .

There are so many, but I'd say Dorothy L Sayers.

Ngaio Marsh
Margery Allingham

Patricia Wentworth

yes yes to Tey and Marsh - also Georgette Heyer is very enjoyable.

Yes, I agree.

Soohie Hannah has written some amazing poirot style stories. Her other mysteries are great too

Anthony Berkeley is very good if you like the Golden Age.

Agree with pp - try Marsh, Tey, Sayers (probably my favourite) and Heyer, whose detective novels are underrated and good fun.

Personally I’m not crazy about Margery Allingham but she’s another Queen of Crime.

Another vote for Georgette Heyer's murder mysteries (although I prefer her Regency romances).

Seconding Ngaio Marsh, and adding E C R Lorac/Carol Carnac, currently being republished by the British Library in their crime classics series.

Most of the BLCC series are on kindle unlimited if you want a binge on golden age crime….

Another vote for Georgette Heyer mysteries - about as close as you’ll get to Christie in period and cast of characters. Dorothy L Sayers is AMAZING but v different in tone. I also really liked Elizabeth Peters’ mysteries, which you can get on kindle quite cheaply. Think they’re 60s (maybe even 70s) rather than 20s-50s though.

Clara Benson is similar too. Originally published as old manuscripts found in an attic

Lots of great suggestions here!

Patricia Wentworth is very much in the same vein as the Marple novels, but milder, and perhaps more forgettable. Quite fun and soothing to read, though.

Christianna Brand is great - try Tour de Force if you can find it.

Gladys Mitchell (the Mrs Bradley mysteries) can be wildly eccentric, but also great fun.

John Dickson Carr is atmospheric - his detectives can be irritating but he's a decent writer and loves a good locked-room mystery.

I re-read Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver books far more often than I do Christie. I know she's less original, but a female investigator who first appeared in a novel before Miss Marple and knitted, observed and detected her way through the 1930s to the 1950s is enjoyable both for the mysteries but also for the observation of the details of the world they are set in.

Yes to Heyer, but make sure you get the Superintendent Hannasyde / Inspector Hemingway mysteries in order - it’s not essential but I think it’s better.

Faded page has (some legal in Canada) Miss Silver books if you want a taster to see would you enjoy them.

www.fadedpage.com/index.php

Don't know if it's been mentioned but I am reading Andrea Camilleri's Montalbano detective novels. 'Death at Sea' currently. I absolutely love the TV series that was broadcast years ago on BBC4.

I've been reading Marian Babson recently. American born, lived in England and set most of her books there. Well observed, blessedly short, and with a sharp sense of humour.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Babson

I’ll also add Margery Allingham too.

If you want to look for writers who were contemporary with Christie, look up the Detection Club, founded in 1930. Most of the top writers of detective stories at the time were members. As pp said, many of their books are being republished by the British Library or are on FadedPage. Most of them however are not up to Christie's standard.