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Having exhausted my known supply of great detective mysteries, I've been on the prowl for undiscovered new favorites. Here are a few with potential from across the sea.

"Death in the Garden" by Elizabeth Ironside begins in 1925, with the trial of Diana Pollexfen. She is accused of poisoning her aristocratic, overbearing husband during the weekend celebration of her 30th birthday at the couple's English estate. We know early on that she is acquitted and the perpetrator undiscovered; but the shadow of guilt still clings. Sixty years later, the reclusive Diana dies, leaving her estate to her grand niece, Helena, who unearths the scandalous secret in her aunt's journals and is driven to prove her innocence.

More novel than mystery, and quintessentially English in tone and character, "Death in the Garden" is the work of a manifestly erudite author (aka Lady Catherine Manning, wife of British Ambassador to the US), who is not only conversant with England's upper crust, but is a master at unraveling the psychological threads that entangle the lives of her characters. Avid readers of Jacqueline Winspear's brilliant Maisie Dobbs series, will find familiar territory here, with its focus on the unspoken and devastating consequences of WWI on those who served.

The author's style rewards small intuitive leaps, as seemingly small "surface" moments begin to dissolve into a larger and more complex picture. I guessed mid-way through whose hand was responsible for the victim's death, but found the process of discovery no less fascinating. And though the novel unfolds primarily as a cerebral investigation of the crime, the book ends with an unexpected and highly suspenseful plot twist.

Deanna Raybourn's debut Victorian mystery "Silent in the Grave" begins during a dinner party at the Grey mansion in London. As a young baronet, Edward Grey writhes in fatal convulsions. Over his dead body, Edward's tepidly grief stricken widow, Lady Julia Grey, meets a stranger - swarthy, enigmatic "private inquiry agent" Nicholas Brisbane, in attendance at the behest of Lord Grey who feared he was in mortal danger. Despite the doctor's assurances that Edward succumbed to the family's genetically weak heart, Brisbane offers Lady Grey evidence that her husband was indeed murdered. But how, why and by whom? With grave reservations on both sides, Brisbane and Julia lock horns and repressed libidos in a highly charged investigation to discover the truth. From a literary point of view "Silent in the Grave" is decidedly lightweight. But Raybourn spins such an intriguing and unorthodox tale, you might want to try her lighthearted romp with Victorian convention.

Perhaps it's a deliberate choice that her main characters lean to stereotype: Lady Julia Grey is the high born society lady engaged in a tug of war between Victorian reserve and personal daring. Brisbane, the intensely private, migraine-plagued and brooding detective, invokes echoes of Sherlock Holmes, complete with his own faithful factotum, Monk, and a penchant for the violin.

The relationship between the two seems a deliberate riff on Victorian parlor personalities: Brisbane's "hypnotic, storm black eyes" and bruising kisses tend to generate more humor than heat, at least in this reader. Oddly, it is often her minor characters - Julia's unconventional family members and an eclectic house staff with their mysterious pasts and unpredictable peccadilloes, who feel more authentic.

Though I guessed the identity of the murderer, I was way off base on the motive. And the killer's modus operandi is by far the most salacious, imaginative, and bizarre that I have ever encountered in a mystery! second in the Raybourn series, when Brisbane and Julia join forces once again, is already on my nightstand.

If you are an Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael) fan and enjoy ancient Irish history, meet the fiery redhead, Sr. Fidelma - a learned and fiery advocate of Ireland's ancient law courts and 7th century crime solver. The backdrop of Peter Treymayne's "Absolution by Murder" is the historic debate between the Celtic and Roman churches on matters of religious liturgy and ritual in AD 664. With tempers flaring and the fate of kingdom in the balance, someone is resorting to murders most foul. Sr. Fidelma joins forces with the Roman Brother Eadulf to discover the truth and the "holy war" begins.

Be patient with the cast of unpronounceable Celtic, Saxon, and Pictish names in the beginning, and soon enough you'll enjoy the plot, the charming authenticity of the protagonists' relationship, and revelations both religious and historical. In addition, the king's ancient words of wisdom resonate today: "It is the people manipulating religion not the religion itself that threatens to break the peace of this land. And Alhfrith is not above using religion to motivate people to help him in his search for power."

KATHY HICKMAN can be reached at news@thesunchronicle.com.