Welcome to Historia’s most popular regular feature, our round-up of historical books published by members of the Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) to look out for this year.
In 2026, there are more than 130 books so far — historical fiction, history, and biography. They range from Ancient Greece and Rome to the mid-20th century via the Viking era, medieval England, Henry VIII’s court, Renaissance Italy, Georgian and Victorian London, the Second World War and its aftermath, and post-independence India.
And there will be more. We’ll update this list when further information about new books is available, so do come back and see what’s been added.
January
Our first book of the year, on the first day of the year, is the paperback of Carnival of Lies by DV Bishop. Aldo is hired to protect Duke Cosimo de’ Medici. The duke’s enemies have a journal of his containing secrets that could destroy Florence. Aldo must retrieve it, or face banishment. But the trail leads him towards Venice and his old enemies. A dynasty’s fate rests on his shoulders — if he can make it out alive.
Keeping it company on 1 January is Shadow of the Lone Wolf by Griff Hosker. After their home in Hispania is destroyed, Bruneus and his Clan of the Lone Wolf join the Carthaginian Army as mercenaries. In Sicily and Carthage, Bruneus confronts the true meaning of leadership, sacrifice, and destiny. Will he be able to forge a new legacy from their loss, or will the shadows of despair consume him and his clan?
On the same day, in the paperback edition of The Mystery at Rake Hall by Maureen Paton, it’s 1947 and university don CS ‘Jack’ Lewis is worried about Susan Temple, his best student. She’s gone to Rake Hall — a hostel for unmarried mothers — and disappeared. Together with her friend Lucy, Jack delves into the disturbing rumours of a nasty racket at Rake Hall.
In Sherlock Holmes and the Widow’s Key by Linda Stratmann, published on 2 January, when a widow dies her maid is accused of murdering her. A postmortem finds she died of natural causes — but Sherlock Holmes is doubtful and, searching her house, finds a mysterious key — and the mummified corpse of an unknown woman. Who is she? And is her death connected to the widow’s?
MJ Porter‘s Dark Age Chronicles return on 5 January with Lords of Iron. Both Seeress Meddi of the Eorlingas and Wærmund of the Gyrwe share an enemy: Elen. To gain vengeance for past wrongs, Meddi and Waermund must defeat powerful enemies with the sharpest blades and the magik of iron. In their final conflict will they triumph, or will their legacy crumble?
The Berlin Murders by Fiona Veitch Smith, out on 13 January, is the fifth in her Clara Vale mysteries. Detective Miss Clara Vale is bound for Berlin’s Fashion Week in September, 1930. Among the fashion set the talk is of the coming election and the National Socialists. When a friend is murdered at a Jewish clothing factory, Clara investigates. Can she solve the murder and a Nazi plot — and save her friends? We’ve got a feature from Fiona on her research travels — using a 1929 guidebook.
On the same day, The Girl Who Told The Truth by Catherine Hokin is released. Annie is working at the Nuremberg trials in 1946 when she sees Margarete, the confidante of Hitler who almost caused her mother’s murder. But if Annie reveals Margarete’s true identity it will also expose her father’s secret relationship with the German woman and destroy Annie’s family. She must make a choice… Catherine’s written us a feature on the fall and rise of fascism.
In Braving the Dawn by Peggy Joque Williams, out on 15 January, former favourite Sylvienne d’Aubert, banished by Louis XIV, sails for the French colony of Quebec, determined to one day return to her homeland and her lover. She must survive hardships and challenges to rebuild her life in a place both welcoming and dangerous. But the king’s reach is long, and Sylvienne’s past haunts her at every turn.
Also on the 15th, Bad Company on Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane sees trouble in Bristol in 1942. Newly-widowed Margaret is haunting pick-up joints — where she sees her neighbour Jenny’s daughter and tries to rescue her. Jenny’s eldest, a land girl, helps a mother and child hiding from a dangerous past. And Thelma gets a promotion, but will it spoil her romance with Peter, who’s still missing?
And, the same day, Code of Honour, the third and final Soldier Spy by Rosemary Hayes, takes us to 1812. Will Fraser and Duncan Armstrong are sent to Portugal to intercept messages between the French. It could be Will’s chance to be reinstated. But enemy agents are on their trail. And Will’s past catches up with him. Four years ago he lied to protect the woman he loved. Now he must own up — to save himself.
The Edge of Darkness, Vaseem Khan‘s sixth Malabar House novel, publishes on 22 January. Persis Wadia, India’s first female police detective, is exiled to the wild Naga Hills District and the Hotel Victoria as India’s first post-Independence election looms. When a prominent politician is murdered in the hotel, Persis is thrust back into the fray. As the political situation threatens to explode, she has only days to stop a killer. Vaseem has written about the legendary head-hunters of Nagaland for Historia.
On the same day, A Slow and Secret Poison by Carmella Lowkis is out. When Vee Morgan gets a job at a crumbling stately home, she hopes for a fresh start where nobody knows her history. Vee’s fascinated by her new employer, Lady Arabella Lascy, who believes a curse has killed her family one by one, and is coming for her next. But as Vee’s entrancement grows, her own past is catching up with her.
Suleiman the Magnificent, ruler of the Ottoman Empire, held sway from Persia to the Atlantic. Then he turned his eyes on Europe. In The Man Who Stopped the Sultan, out on 29 January, Edoardo Albert tells how his attack on Rhodes, home of the Knights Hospitaller, was repelled by the engineer Gabriele Tadino. We learn how gunpowder changed military tactics, and how Tadino saved a divided Europe from conquest. Read Edoardo’s feature about this pivotal event.
The 29th also sees Alison Weir‘s novel The Cardinal published, in paperback. Thomas Wolsey, scholar, lover, father… priest. At Henry VIII’s court, he builds a powerful empire of church and state. At home in London, away from prying eyes, he finds joy in a secret second life. But when Henry, his cherished friend, demands the ultimate sacrifice, what will Wolsey choose?
Susan C Wilson‘s Clytemnestra’s Bind and Helen’s Judgement will be re-released early in 2026.
February
Hard Streets: Working-Class Lives in Charlie Chaplin’s London by Jacqueline Riding is published on 5 February. Charlie Chaplin rose from the hard streets of Victorian London to become one of the most beloved comedians of all time. His ‘Little Tramp’ alter ego was shaped by the city of his childhood – a place of ribald variety shows and hard drinking, radical politics and desperate poverty.
Still on the 5th, Douglas Jackson‘s Blood Vengeance, the third in his Warsaw Quartet, is out in paperback. Investigator Jan Kalisz of the Warsaw Kripo is flown into Arisaig, the WWII training centre in the West of Scotland, to investigate the murder of Polish SOE agent Krystina Kowolska. But Krystina had her demons – and her enemies. Was she the hero her record suggests or the traitor the whispers hint at?
February 6 sees Griff Hosker‘s Treachery, the fourth instalment of his Conquest series, and Richard fitz Malet is called across the sea to Normandy, risking his life and endangering the future of his family and the men he commands. When, later, the Scots invade Northumbria, Richard’s leadership makes him face trials that will forge his character — and test the limits of loyalty amid violence and political intrigue.
Six books are out on 12 February. Catherine by Essie Fox retells Wuthering Heights — in Cathy’s words. When Catherine Earnshaw’s father dies and Heathcliff is persecuted by her brother, she turns to Edgar Linton for help. But her choice is misunderstood, and their lives spiral into a storm of passion, jealousy and revenge. Now, 18 years later, Catherine rises from her grave to tell her story – and seek redemption.
In 1765, Sukey Maynard flees her home – a brothel in Covent Garden — in The House of Fallen Sisters by Louise Hare. Recaptured, she accepts her fate and learns to navigate her new life. But there are those who wish her and her sisters harm. This world that operates in the shadows has its own set of rules, and if Sukey is to survive then she must learn to play the game…
Field of Blood by Anthony Riches is the latest in his Empire series. After the Year of the Five Emperors, three are left. Gaius Rutilius Scaurus, legion commander, and tribune Marcus Valerius Aquila are co-opted into Septimius Severus’ legions as he pursues his rival emperor, Percennius Niger. Scaurus and Marcus plan a series of raids on Niger, but soon they face him on the field — where one emperor must die.
On the same day, Paper Sisters by Rachel Canwell sees three women trapped between marsh, river, and fen — and the past. Eleanor longs to make a life with the man she loves, leaving her sister and her ghosts behind. Clara’s marriage is crumbling and violent. She yearns for peace and security. Lily will do anything to prevent life — and her family — from moving on. No matter the cost.
And in the ebook edition of On the Wings of the Storm, the fourth in Maggie Craig‘s Storm over Scotland series, it’s Summer in 1745 and Prince Charles Edward Stuart has landed in the Highlands. Redcoat Captain Robert Catto hates all Jacobites — except for Edinburgh apothecary Christian Rankeillor. On opposite sides of a brutal conflict, can Robert and Kirsty dare to hope they might have a future together? Maggie’s written a feature in praise of full-blooded, well-researched, historical romance.
Finally on the 12th, in The Tarot Reader of Versailles by Anya Bergman, terror rules Revolutionary Paris. Marie Anne can tell the future through her Tarot cards. She sees Marie Antoinette’s fate and must avoid it being her own. She forms a bond with Cait, an Irish maid who can read people’s pasts. But Cait has a secret. What will she do, and who will she betray, to bring revolution to her beloved Ireland, too?
On 13 February The Reckoning, the third in Paul Bernardi‘s Rebellion Trilogy, is out in ebook format, with the paperback following soon. It’s set during the final rebellions against William the Conqueror in the north of England and the king’s brutal response, the Harrying of the North.
Also in ebook on the 13th, Written in Blood by Fiona Forsyth is the third in her Publius Ovidius Mysteries. Emperor Augustus is dead and the exiled poet Ovid hopes that Tiberius will let him go home. But Ovid is guarding a boy whose bloodline could threated Tiberius, and Rome’s agents are closing in. When Ovid’s accused of murder, he must uncover the killer — and the dreadful truth behind his own banishment. Read Fiona’s piece investigating Augustus’ (sometimes fatal) banishments and whether any exiles returned to Rome.
The legend of Elizabeth Bathory is re-examined in The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster by Shelley Puhak on 17 February. Despite claims that Elizabeth Bathory tortured and killed as many as 650 girls, some have wondered if the Countess was herself a victim — of one of the most successful disinformation campaigns known to history. So, was she a monster, a victim… or a bit of both?
Lizzie Lane begins her Celtic Chronicles on the same day with Year of the Lynx. When the Romans invade, Morcant the druid, brother of the lynx, finds his home destroyed. Thirsting for vengeance, he joins the army of Caradoc (Caractacus). They head west to unite the disparate tribes, but not all are willing to fight. All they can do is survive — and perhaps, if they do, the land of their fathers will also survive.
Mary-Jane Riley has two books out on 19 February. In Beattie Cavendish and the Highland Hideaway it’s 1949 and the Cold War is intensifying. Beattie Cavendish, GCHQ special operative, is at a listening station in Scotland, where she learns that her uncle is missing. She turns to private detective Patrick Corrigan — but soon realises that the answers lie in her wartime past.
And in the paperback of Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club, it’s 1948 and Beattie is offered a post at the newly-formed GCHQ. Investigating a murder at a politician’s house, she teams up with Patrick Corrigan to expose a web of spies and secrets leading back to the White Pearl Club, a Soho ‘gentlemen’s club’. Beattie must survive a ruthless game of deception in the dark underbelly of 1940s Soho.
Six books are published on 26 February. In Book of Forbidden Words by Louise Fein, frightened ex-nun Lysbette Angiers arrives at Charlotte Guillard’s Paris printing shop in 1552 with a manuscript. But powerful people gather to prevent the spread of Lysbette’s audacious ideas. In New York in 1952 Milly Bennett is given a 400-year-old manuscript to decipher — and again, every effort is made to stop ideas spreading…
The Cromarty Library Circle by Shona MacLean takes us to the Black Isle in 1831, a time of upheaval. A new circulating library brings together a disparate group of people: the unhappy wife of the Laird; her best friend; a young schoolmaster; and a bank clerk who wants to escape. When the Laird befriends a wounded officer, a chain of events begins which threatens to upset the equilibrium of the community. We’ll have a feature from Shona around publication day.
Still on 26 February, Celebrations at the Toffee Factory concludes Glenda Young‘s trilogy. With the Great War over, the toffee factory girls’ lives change. Fun, feisty Elsie longs for excitement and spurns dependable Stan. Anne takes control at the struggling factory. And Hetty is torn between her Belgian sweetheart, Dirk, and her returning boyfriend, Bob. All three need courage — and hope for the future.
It’s Scotland in 1886 in The Night Hag by Hester Musson. Lil, an archaeologist and rationalist, is plagued by nightmares and by memories of her mother, a medium. Caught between who she wants to be and the identity she can’t escape, she searches for a doctor she believes will help her. But who exactly is this doctor? And how could the long-lost hoard unearthed at one of Lil’s digs reveal secrets from her past?
Two paperbacks complete 26 February’s books. In The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge by Rachel Hore, Nancy Foster has a devastating secret that’s shattered her professional and personal life. Journalist Stef Lansdown has the power to restore Nancy’s reputation and to heal the wounds, if Nancy will trust her. But someone else wants to get to the bottom of the story first — someone who doesn’t want it to be told. Rachel writes about the inspiration for her book in Women in science – a true story.
The Face Stealer is the third of Sarah Rayne‘s Theatre of Thieves mysteries. In 1909 the irrepressible Fitzglens are drawn into a search for missing sculptures — the fabled Stone Heads, created at the Russian Court in the 18th century, and the heart of a sinister legend. As Jack and Viola investigate, the power of the heads begins to pull them down into a darkness they may never escape.
It’s May, 1945, in A Schooling in Murder by Andrew Taylor, out in paperback on 27 February. Teacher Annabel Warnock is dead. But her ghost haunts Monkshill Park School for Girls, where she discovers a hidden world – students, staff and servants are riven with deadly rivalries and dangerous tensions. And one of them is her killer…
March
On 5 March, in Spider, Spider by LC Winter, young Nancy Ratcliffe’s father took his family to the Brethren for safety. But now he’s gravely ill, and even the streets of Victorian London hold less terror for Nancy than the brutality of Brethren Hall. Meanwhile, Spider paces the crumbling house she grew up in. The man who murdered a part of her disappeared many years ago, but still she hopes for revenge. Read our feature about a real scandal-ridden Victorian cult.
The same day sees Michael Arnold‘s Savage Isle series return with The River Warriors. The invading Roman legions march inland. But High King Tugodubnos marshals the feuding Britons and plans a battle at the only ford of the mighty Vaga River. Cullen, now a renowned warrior, searches for a religious totem that can unite the tribes. But can he find it — and bring it back before the two great armies meet?
Also on the 5th, Ship of Thieves by Douglas Skelton comes out in paperback. Jonas Flynt’s stepmother is abducted from Edinburgh and carried back to the West Indies by her former owner. His father pursues them, but Jonas follows. In the Caribbean Jonas unwittingly joins forces with the most notorious pirate of all time, Blackbeard. But on the high seas he may be out of his depth.
The final book in Richard Kurti‘s Basilica Diaries series, Tyranny of Indulgence, is out on 6 March. It’s 1517 and the building of St Peter’s in Rome has taken its toll on Cristina Falchoni. The Pope sells indulgences to fund it, and reformers demand changes. She realises her zeal to build St Peter’s has helped cause the collapse in Church authority she tried to avoid. Then the money is stolen. But who would murder for it?
On 9 March The Alchemist’s Secret by Clare Marchant sees Paige take her broken heart to her ancestral family home, Woodham Hall, in the present day. Only the story of a poisoning that happened there can divert her. In 1672, Jeanne’s life at Woodham Hall is happy, though her sister’s husband is unfaithful. But when he banishes them, they’ll do anything to return home to Jeanne’s niece. Even if it means murder
Six books hit the shelves on 12 March. Murder at the Tower is NR Daws‘s second Royal Housekeeper Mystery. Hampton Court Palace housekeeper Mrs Bramble has a knack for solving murders. So when her friend Reverend Weaver is suspected of a poisoning at the Tower, she hurries to help him. But bitter feuds and secret trysts at the Tower hamper her attempts to find the killer before they strike again.
It’s 1942 in Brighter Skies in the Dales by Betty Firth. Newlyweds Bobby and Charlie return to civilian life in Silverdale after Charlie’s medical discharge from the RAF. But the memories of young men lost to war cast a long shadow. And Charlie’s experiences have left their scars. Bobby misses her work in the WAAF. Will a baby and the likely end of the war bring Charlie and Bobby the joy they long for?
The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson is also out on 12 March. In 1939 London librarian Joyce sets up a mobile library and shelters Jewish refugee Adela — who has a devastating secret. In occupied Poland in 1942, Dorotha knows any chance of escaping the Łódź ghetto are dwindling, but still runs a secret library. Can Joyce and Dorotha, once best friends, ever find each other again?
The paperback edition of On the Wings of the Storm, the fourth in Maggie Craig‘s Storm over Scotland series, comes out on the same day. See 12 February for further details.
And The Midnight Carousel by Fiza Saeed McLynn gets its paperback release. It’s Paris, 1900. Celebrated carousel-maker Gilbert is finishing his masterpiece. But, grieving his dead family, he has a dangerous idea. In 1920, Maisie Marlowe renovates a neglected old carousel in Chicago. But it’s hiding a dark secret. It was linked to a number of people vanishing into thin air — and now history has begun to repeat itself. Read Fiza’s feature on why it’s never too late to be an author, with four tips for writers hoping to be published.
Still on the 12th, The Second Traitor by Alex Gerlis is out in paperback. It’s September 1940, and British intelligence expects a Nazi invasion of Britain. Charles Cooper is tasked with infiltrating a group of of British and Irish Nazi collaborators. Meanwhile paranoia reigns; the search for double agent ‘Archie’ is hotting up, and there’s a second traitor, ‘Bertie’. Can MI6 track them down before the Nazis arrive? We’ve got a review of this book by author Alan Bardos.
We’re in the North African desert on 13 March in Soldier’s Stand by Griff Hosker. Private John ‘Hawkeye’ Sharratt and his unit are in retreat from Rommel’s army. Then a new commander, General Montgomery, arrives. His orders: to hold the line at El Alamein. The men of the Eighth Army must decide whether they will falter or fight for their futures in the face of overwhelming odds.
The Boleyn Curse by Alexandra Walsh is published on 15 March. When Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Boleyn, catches a young Henry VIII’s eye, her defiance brings down his vengeance. In present-day Hampshire, Tabitha Mundy, the archivist at Cerensthorpe Abbey, finds clues linking a manuscript to the Boleyns. Can Tabitha unlock Elizabeth’s secret account? Or will the Boleyn curse haunt Cerensthorpe for ever? Alexandra shines a light on this overlooked woman in her feature on Elizabeth Boleyn.
Many warlike new nations emerged in Europe during the turmoil of the 11th century. Harald Hardrada: The Making of Europe by James Turner charts Harald’s role, from exile to Varangian Guard, challenger for Norway’s throne and, finally, for England’s as he strove to recreate Cnut the Great’s North Sea Empire. Part biography, part medieval travelogue, this book shows him as a great state builder of the age.
On 19 March Before the Mountain Falls by Luisa A Jones sees pregnant evacuee Norma Sparrow arriving in a remote Welsh valley, reinventing herself as a young widow. She finds friendship in unlikely places and a love that makes her believe in second chances. Yet she’s haunted by the fear that she’ll fail her baby as her own mother failed her. Deciding to stay – and to love – might be the bravest choice she’s ever made. Read Luisa’s piece about the tragic historical background to her book.
Ulf Bear-Slayer Bjornson, hunted by King Horik of the Danes, is forced into a battle he does not want in Fury of the King by Donovan Cook, out on 20 March.. Ulf must fight, not only for his own survival but also for that of those who now depend on him. All the while, the gods urge Ulf to do the one thing he never could. To run. Will Ulf defy the gods and face the fury of the Danish king?
Treaty of Blood by Michael Jecks hits the shelves on 23 March. In the fifth Vintaine book it’s 1359 in Northern France and Berenger Fripper and the men of Hawkwood’s company are aimless during a new peace. When they find riches hidden in a monastery they think their luck’s changed. But it’s stolen, and as they seek the thief, they’re swept up in the might – and the politics – of the marauding Great Company.
Philip Lord, disgraced adventurer, returns on 24 March in The Turncoat’s Revenge by Eleanor Swift-Hook. Forced to land in England in Spring, 1628, he must confront the consequences of his past choices — and the shadowy organisation that has shaped his life. Meanwhile Lady Catherine de Bouqulement returns to London in search of information she hopes will protect her, but this leads to trouble for them both.
It’s 1597 in London in The Darkening Globe by Naomi Kelsey, out in paperback on 26 March. Beatrice’s husband returns from the New World with a strange woman — and a globe. When terrifying drawings appear on its face and untimely deaths ensue, Beatrice is sure they’re linked. What sinister force is behind the killings? What really happened in the Americas? And who will appear on the globe as the final victim?
The daughters of England’s kings were often used to seal alliances or forge peace. Princesses of the Early Middle Ages: Royal Daughters from the Conquest by Sharon Bennett Connolly explores the lives of these young women, how they followed this fate, and sometimes managed to escape it. Out on 30 March, it portrays the world they lived in, and how their lives and marriages were affected by politics and events. Sharon’s writing more about her book in a Historia feature for the end of the month.
Also on the 30th, Lucie Dumas by Katherine Mezzacappa takes us to London in 1871, where poverty forces Frenchwoman Lucie into prostitution. She is picked up by the author Samuel Butler, who sets her up in her own establishment and visits her once a week for the next two decades. But for many years she does not even know his name. This novel is based on true events.
Gallant Men: The Forgotten Battles and Victoria Crosses of the Mutiny by Eva Chatterji is expected soon. We’ll add fuller information as soon as we have it.
April
We’re in 836 on 1 April for Storm of Mercia, MJ Porter‘s ninth Eagle of Mercia Chronicle. King Wiglaf of Mercia orders Icel to sweep the Viking ships from his borders. But worrying news from Tamworth follows Icel. And there are rumours of a conspiracy against the King. As he faces his deadliest enemies yet, will Icel be able to go home — or will the seas sweep him farther away?
Woodspring by Elizabeth Buchan is published on 2 April. Since the house was built in 1810, the Danes have always lived at Woodspring. It has given them shelter, solace and joy. War brings change, and the next three generations of the family will lead very different lives. Peace is shattered, pain is unavoidable, loves are found and lost, but Woodspring is constant, and will always draw them back. We’ll have a feature linked to this book nearer the time.
Out on the same day is Elizabeth and Marilyn by Julie Owen Moylan. London, October, 1956. Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe are at a film premiere. As the two most famous women in the world meet, they seem worlds apart. Yet both are fighting to keep the men they love, while trying to do their work in a man’s world. And they have spent the summer of 1956 battling secret demons the public could never imagine. Read Julie’s feature about writing fiction based on facts, which was inspired by her experience with this book.
In The Library of War and Peace by Louise Morrish, also on the 2nd, Josie Everley, heartbroken after wartime tragedy, starts anew as a library assistant at an all-female-run military hospital in London. There she meets Theo, a wounded soldier with his own trauma, who finds solace ain books. As Josie loses her heart to Theo, the war rages on and Josie must muster all her strength and courage to make it through. We’ll have a Historia feature about how books can heal on the same day.
Finally on the 2nd, Thoughtlands by Jacky Colliss Harvey takes us on a walk through Suffolk in the footsteps of writers including Daniel Defoe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Patricia Highsmith, Wilkie Collins, George Orwell and MR James. This is a book about walking and writing: about walkers who wrote, and writers who walk; about the connection between mind and feet; and landscapes of the eye or word..
Four books are out on 9 April. Catherine Hanley‘s The Family Lives of Medieval Women throws much-needed light on the full breadth of the experiences of ordinary women in the Middle Ages. What was life like for the vast majority who weren’t exceptional, better-known, figures? We learn that they led fascinating and often wildly differing everyday lives, depending on their social class and family situation. Catherine’s feature exploring their stories will be in Historia on the 9th.
And The Enemy’s Wife by Deborah Swift takes us to Shanghai in 1941. When Zofia’s beloved husband Haru is conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army, she is left to navigate the Japanese-occupied city alone. As violence increases, she and her new friend Hilly seek shelter with Theo, Zofia’s employer. But with every passing day, the horrors of war and Haru’s absence reshape Zofia’s world – and her heart. Find out about the inspiration for this book in Deborah’s feature about wartime Shanghai.
Dangerous by Essie Fox is out in paperback on the same day. Lord Byron’s in demand in Venice. But when women are found dead, their throats wounded, and a novel called The Vampyre is published under his name, rumours begin to spread. To save his life and those of the people he loves, Byron must discover who is behind these crimes, while the scandals of his own infamous past return to haunt him… Read Essie’s Historia feature about the true story behind her Gothic chiller.
The paperback edition of Matthew Harffy‘s Dominion of Dust is also out on 9 April. Warrior-monk Hunlaf and his crew set out in 797 to acquire an important Christian relic before it falls into the hands of the Byzantines. Betrayed, they turn instead for Jerusalem. Can they secure a holy treasure, outwit the agents of Byzantium, and avoid a grisly death at the hands of the local rulers in a deadly race against time?
In Operation Berlin by Michael Ridpath, on 12 April, historian Archie Laverick visits Berlin in 1930.. His study is shattered when he meets Esme Carmichael, an American foreign correspondent. When a young Jewish woman is accused of murder, they are drawn into a perilous hunt for a killer hiding in plain sight as resentment simmers, political alliances shift, and the first shadows of a new conflict fall across Europe.
Resistance: The Corps Franc Pommiès: From Bayonne to Berlin by Paul StJohn Mackintosh hits the shelves on 15 April. It’s the first book in the English language to record the heroic deeds of the French Resistance unit formed in November, 1942, in south-western France which became a regular army unit, taking part in the defence of France and entering Germany as the first French regiment to occupy Berlin.
Also on the 15th, the paperback of Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest by Sharon Bennett Connolly is published. We know the events of 1066, but the women? Harold II of England had been with Edith Swanneck for 20 years but in 1066 he married Ealdgyth. Matilda of Flanders was reluctant to marry William of Normandy. Harald Hardrada had two wives – apparently at the same time. These are just some of the women portrayed in Sharon’s book.
On the same day, A Miracle of Deliverance: A Dunkirk Short Story Anthology is released to commemorate the Dunkirk evacuation. One of the seven authors is Patrick Larsimont.
There’s a new historical novel by Tracy Borman on 23 April, The House of Boleyn. Hever Castle is at the heart of the Boleyn family. When Henry VIII relentlessly pursues Anne, Hever is her escape, where she finds advice and support. The Boleyn family is given ever greater prominence at court. When the King’s eyes turn away, they face a terrible, bloody fate. But as long as Hever still stands, hope still exists.
Evil in High Places by Rory Clements comes out in paperback on the same day. It’s Munich is 1936. Detective Sebastian Wolff is ordered to find a missing actress — who’s also Goebbels’s mistress. And he despises the Nazis. In a search that will take him from high society to the city’s darkest corners, Wolff will soon learn just how fine the line is between justice and jeopardy.
Still on the 23rd, For King and Country by Griff Hosker is published. Captain Roberts, commanding the new Suez Defence Force, is sent in 1905 to construct a critical fort in the Gulf of Aqaba, a task full of risk and unforeseen challenges. Bound by duty and the honour of serving king and country, he faces enemies both known and hidden, while maintaining the integrity of his mission and the loyalty of his men.
And finally on 23 May, Thornby Manor by Stephanie Bramwell-Lawes takes us to a brooding estate above a mist-shrouded lake where penniless and newly orphaned Briar Monroe finds shelter. But whispers of a dead wife, an estranged son and locked-away secrets haunt its corridors.
It’s May, 1951 in Festival Days by Julie Anderson, the third in her Clapham Trilogy, released on 28 April. The Festival of Britain brings new hope to London, but for Detective Constable Faye Smith, the criminal underworld goes on causing problems. Then two bodies are found — a crime that’s more than a simple killing. Faye and Ellie Peveril face their toughest case yet; one that will change their lives forever. Julie’s feature about the Festival of Britain looks at the ‘tonic for the nation’ held 75 years ago.
Also on the 28th is Fables & Lies by Elisabeth Storrs. In WWII Berlin married, patriotic, museum assistant Freyja Bremer falls in love with Darien Lessing, an archaeologist. When he shows her the moral decay beneath the Reich’s myths she’s driven to perilous resistance, aiding a Jewish couple. As Berlin collapses, Freyja, torn between duty, deception and desire, risks everything to preserve truth in a world built on lies. Elisabeth’s written a piece for us on the bizarre Nazi myths that form the background to her novel.
On the same day, in Woden’s Vengeance, the third in Donovan Cook‘s The First Kingdom series, Prince Vortimer, son of High King Vortigern, has the Jutes trapped on Thanet. Octa must lead an expedition to recruit more Saxon and Jutish warriors. But will they follow Octa the Coward? To prove himself, Octa must confront his past and seek vengeance on this family’s enemies — while remembering Woden’s wrath.
The sixth in Douglas Skelton‘s Company of Rogues series, Thief’s Revenge, is published on 30 April. For six years Jonas Flynt has hunted Dan Hawke, the pirate who caused the murder of Flynt’s son. Now he pursues Hawke across the Atlantic to London — but there, alliances have shifted, and it’s hard to tell friend from foe. Will Flynt be able track Hawke down at last? Or is his long quest for vengeance in vain?
May
In Echoes of the Past at the Orchard Cottage Hospital by Lizzie Lane on 1 May it’s Somerset in 1934. When a mysterious stranger arrives in Norton Dene, Sister Edith Harrison wonders if this is the man it’s been foretold she’d meet. But he has a hidden agenda, and Edith must discover the reason for his arrival. It seems there are ghosts to be laid. Dr Frances Brakespeare, meanwhile, is torn between love and duty.
In July, 1331, a small army led by Scottish noble allies gathered to overthrow the new line of Bruce kings. The Scottish Rebellion against Robert the Bruce: Exiles and Traitors by James Turner, published on 7 May, explains how its early successes ignited another decade of war in Scotland. This book explores the history of the families that produced these exiles, as well as their conduct in both Wars of Independence.
On the same day, No Saints Only Killers by Luke Deckard is out in ebook form. American ex-pat Logan Bishop, a war-damaged, morphine-dependent private investigator, heads to Edinburgh to find Greta Matas before she’s killed. But Greta’s missing, her son’s wanted for murder, and Logan is being watched. As he’s pulled deeper into a web of lies and corruption, he realises the truth may cost him his life.
Four paperback editions of books are released on 7 May. Lionessheart by Catherine Hanley is the story of Joanna Plantagenet, in full, for the first time. While Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine are two of the Middle Ages’ best known figures, their daughters are barely known despite their influence on the world around them. Joanna, the youngest, led an extraordinary life of travel, adventure, danger and controversy. Catherine’s Historia feature explains why this remarkable woman was really a lionessheart.
It’s Scotland in 1910 in The Show Woman by Emma Cowing. Lena and trapeze artist Violet start their own all-women fairground show, recruiting bareback horse-rider Rosie and acrobat Carmen. But the fairgrounds are dangerous places: misogyny is rife, violence a continual threat, and buried secrets are beginning to threaten all they hold dear. Together, they must forge their own path to freedom.
And in The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson it’s London in 1749. After her husband’s murder Hannah Cole struggles to keep her confectionary shop in profit. Could a delicacy called iced cream save it? But Henry Fielding, magistrate and author, suspects her husband’s money was illicitly got and draws her into a battle of wits more devastating than even her husband’s murder.
1368, Northern Italy, and the Hundred Years’ War drags on. Master of War Sir Thomas Blackstone is guarding the gold that will secure the Duke of Clarence’s marriage alliance with the Lord of Milan’s daughter. With a bounty on his head, he faces his most deadly foes yet. But at home in England, Blackstone’s son, Henry, is also in deadly danger in Rage of Swords by David Gilman, also on the 7th.
On 9 May, Nicola Cornick‘s The Fourth Queen is a dual timeline novel set in the present and the reign of Henry VIII. Jenna’s transported back to a previous life as Marris, former prioress and confidante to Anna of Cleves. When Anna’s in trouble after the divorce she turns to Marris. But defying the King and keeping Anna’s secret will put everything — and everyone — Marris has fought to keep safe in the gravest danger.
Rose and Renzo by Carolyn O’Brien, out on 14 May, is set in Manchester in 1936. Forced to postpone studying Art, Rose is attracted to Renzo, an Italian painter whose past life in Mussolini’s Italy is a mystery. Drawn to the fight against the Fascists, she begins to wonder about his secrecy despite their growing relationship. Rose must face the devastating question: which side is Renzo on? Carolyn’s interview with Carolyn Kirby will be in Historia to mark publication.
We’re in Eddie Giral’s wartime Paris on the same day in The Art of Occupation by Chris Lloyd. Investigating looted art takes Eddie to the Jeu de Paume, where stolen masterpieces vanish. He tries to win the trust of curator Rose Valland — but can he trust her? With the different factions of the city’s occupiers entangling Eddie in their power struggles, the answers he needs lie in the museum’s most secretive collection. Read Chris’s feature about Nazi looting of books and why this was even more sinister than burning them..
Also on the 14th is The Jewel Keepers by Sara Sheridan. In 1837 Araminta McKenzie-Moore is surprised to learn that the women of her McKenzie family have been the traditional — and secret — Jewel Keepers to the Scottish Crown. They need Araminta to help solve an age-old puzzle. But others are on their trail. And if Araminta succeeds, she will uncover something more valuable than mere jewels…
On 16 May The Lost Orphans of Lyon by Helen Parusel, set in France in 1942, is out. When Yvette is left to look after a crumbling château and vineyard, she makes a remarkable discovery that leads to her involvement in an escape line for children fleeing the Nazis. This novel is based on the true story of an isolated Huguenot village that saved thousands of lives in WWII.
Alison Weir‘s The Boleyn Secret is published on 21 May, After her aunt Anne Boleyn’s death, Kate Carey becomes close to her cousin Princess Elizabeth — until Kate marries. When her mother, Mary, dies, Kate learns a shocking secret. Her family flees into exile, only returning home when Elizabeth becomes queen. But the bond between the Boleyn cousins will never be the same again.
On the same day, in Noble Beasts by Lucy Waverley, it’s 1858 and Sir Edwin Landseer must create four lions for Trafalgar Square. But other creatures roam through his mind, as does the duchess who, decades earlier, burst into his life. We travel with Edwin from eager young painter to distinguished — but drunk — Academician and, finally, being declared insane. We’ll have a feature from Lucy about the true story behind her novel soon.
And in Wings Over Valletta by Tracy Cook we’re on Malta in 1941. As invasion looms, Kitty Campbell is haunted by the daughter she was forced to give up. But her search is complicated by her father’s past and a mysterious stranger on the island. Working as an Aircraft Plotter at Fighter Command in Valletta, she uncovers secrets that could change everything – and has to choose between duty, love, and her child. Find out about the inspiration for this debut novel in Tracy’s feature about the brave women of Fighter Command.
Still on the 21st, Celebrations at the Toffee Factory by Glenda Young is out in paperback. You’ll find more about this book in the 26 February details for the hardback edition.
Finally on 21 May, the paperback edition of The Bloomsbury Murder by Mike Hollow takes us to January, 1941. Detective Inspector John Jago investigates the murder of a woman who’d given refuge to victims of the Blitz and the war in her Bloomsbury house. This may have caused envy, resentment, even hostility. But who would strike down an angel of mercy in her own home?
The Hunters and the Wrath, Patrick Larsimont‘s seventh Jox McNabb aviation thriller, takes flight on 22 May. Fighter pilot Jox McNabb is back in Blighty in 1944, where he’s tasked with fighting off the German counter-attacks against the fragile Normandy beachheads. But Hitler has deployed new vengeance weapons and Jox must defend his homeland before it crumbles under the onslaught.
On the same day, Leif’s Revenge by Griff Hosker sees Leif hoping for a peaceful life at home in Bygstad after a year at sea. But his sense of duty sends him on a voyage to Dorestad, where his old enemy, Axel, threatens Leif’s younger brother. When Leif intervenes, it sets off events that devastate all he holds dear. His quest for vengeance will test his courage and loyalty to breaking point.
In The Tea Planter’s Secret by Clare Flynn, published on 27 May, Stella Baxter returns to Ceylon — and to Norton — in 1908. But when the scandalous Cynthia arrives, forbidden desires ignite in Norton’s family. As secrets unravel and the respectable façade of British Ceylon cracks, Stella’s fragile new life is threatened. Past mistakes resurface, and Stella must fight to protect not only her father’s legacy but her own future.
Letty and the Mystery of the Word Thieves is Penny Boxall‘s new children’s book, out on 28 May. In 1775, Lettice Breech is in desperate need of money. When a mysterious socialite offers her both treasure and adventure at home in London, Letty’s ready. Baffling poems, puzzling clues in dictionaries, and curious notes between the mysterious Alphabetters lead Letty on a whirlwind adventure and – nearly – a murder.
29 May sees A Wartime Promise for the East End Girls by Jean Fullerton released. In 1943, Nell Reilly is determined to keep the promise she made to her little sister to build a new life for them. Then Tom Hunter, a black marketeer, turns up — and Nell knows too well the risks of falling for a man like that. But when she sees his unexpected kindness, she can’t forget him. No matter how hard she tries.
Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Greece by LJ Trafford takes us into a society that held very different values from our own. It asks: were women really so devalued that they were locked up in their homes, was every man in ancient Athens homosexual and what’s with all the hardcore pornography on everyday crockery? Both provoking and fascinating, this portrait of an alien world is published on 30 May. LJ explores some of the topics in her book in a feature for Historia.
June
On 4 June The Rebel and the Peacemaker: The Incredible Story of Charles and Mary Bagot by Geraldine Roberts is a portrait of a high-society Regency couple banished to the New World after rumours of adultery. Yet the Bagots became the leading diplomats of their day. Their gift for politics, culture and social affairs soothed Anglo-American tensions and laid the groundwork for modern global diplomacy. Read Geraldine’s feature about this intriguing pair in Historia.
Bede: the Man who Invented England by Edoardo Albert is out on the same day. Around 1,300 years ago a monk, Bede, became the foremost scholar of the first millennium, writing a history that first speaks of the English as a single people. This book pieces together Bede’s life and those of the monks and nuns, warriors and kings, farmers and merchants who made up the kingdoms in this contested realm. Edoardo’s feature about Bede explains how important he is for our knowledge of a mainly-undocumented period in England’s history.
Still on the 4th, The Queen’s Sister by Carol McGrath tells the story of Elizabeth Seymour, a mother and widow at 19. She leaves Wulf Hall for Yorkshire and a new life. News comes of King Henry’s desire for her sister, Jane, and Elizabeth marries Gregory Cromwell, son of Thomas. This brings unwanted involvement in court plots, while changes in religious practice threaten to alter the traditions and values of all she knows.
In Bane of Bernicia by Matthew Harffy, also on 4 June, Beobrand must again fight for his life when he’s accused of breaking King Oswiu’s truce with Mercia — whose king, Penda, has taken Oswiu’s son hostage. Then Queen Eanflæd orders Beobrand to take part in her plot to rescue her son. It will take all their guile to achieve their goal… and keep their heads, when half the kingdoms of Albion want Bernicia destroyed.
Finally on the 4th Regina: A New History of Women and Power by Kate Williams we enter a world of queens, empresses, princesses, mistresses and courtiers, uncovering how their ambitions were shaped, celebrated and often thwarted, exposing a tangled web of women and power that spans thousands of years, from Hatshepsut and Boudica to Catherine of Aragon and Princess Diana.
The 11th in Linda Stratmann‘s Early Casebook of Sherlock Holmes series, Sherlock Holmes and the Aeronauts, is published on 5 June. In 1879, Holmes investigates the murder of a friend of Lord Callender, who’s preparing to join a race to be the first Englishman to fly across the Channel. When there’s a second murder at Callender Hall another race is on — to find the killer before there’s a third corpse.
In A Fatal Choice by Alison Baxter, out on 10 June, disaster strikes a respectable household, but three women living there deny the truth. They each make choices shaped by fear, love and the limits placed on them by Victorian convention. As the consequences ripple through their lives, the cost of silence becomes impossible to ignore. Survival depends on endurance. But sometimes that is not enough. Read Alison’s feature about the true story that inspired her book.
The 10th also sees the release of the paperback edition of No Saints Only Killers by Luke Deckard (see 7 May for more).
Charles Dickens’s marriage is under scrutiny on 11 June in Mrs Dickens by Emily Howes. At first, Kate’s life with the novelist is happy, but as his success — and manipulations — grow, the cracks show. Kate seeks comfort and companionship in her trusted servant, Anne, but while Anne has come to care deeply for Mrs Dickens, her loyalties are tested to breaking point as Charles takes control of their future.
On the same day, in Rue Baldry‘s Dwell, it’s January, 1919, and a new gardener at a snowbound boys’ boarding school catches everyone’s attention.
The Mysterious Poisoning of Charles Bravo by Angela Buckley, on 15 June, is the story of a complex investigation into the poisoning of Charles Bravo, a young London barrister, in 1876. There were three suspects — his wife, Florence, her companion, Mrs Jane Cox, and her former lover, Dr James Gully — but the case is still officially unsolved. Even Agatha Christie was defeated by it. Angela’s feature for Historia explores the references to the case in Christie’s work — and her claim to have solved it.
Elizabeth Ashling, jilted at 19, is deeply distrustful of men in Twice Shy, Sophia Holloway‘s new Regency romance published on 18 June. When she meets Sir Lucius Radstock he’s irked by her coldness, naming her ‘The Unassailable’ — though she doesn’t know he did so. As she thaws towards Sir Lucius all seems to be going well, until an old rival reveals that Sir Lucius has been as duplicitous as other men.
We’re in America in 1754 in The Frontier by Griff Hosker. As two mighty kingdoms — England and France — clash for dominion over a land brimming with riches, Major George Washington, on a diplomatic mission to Ohio, unwittingly ignites a new war. Young Robbie Coulter, meanwhile, joins the newly formed Virginia Regiment, destined for the Ohio wilderness, ready to forge his destiny.
Power Couples of the Renaissance by Jo Romero is published on June 30. From Cosimo and Contessina de Medici, architects of Florence’s artistic flowering, to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, whose union changed the map of Europe; from Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, of the Taj Mahal, to Pocahontas and John Rolfe, whose marriage reverberated across the Atlantic, their combined impact altered the course of history.
On the same day Between Blood and Ink by WJ Small is out. Clare Berridge escapes her brutal husband for St. Catherine’s Abbey and a community of women bound by faith, hardship, and quiet strength. But Warin Berridge wants to reclaim her. As danger closes in, she is drawn into the abbey’s scriptorium, where she finds purpose and healing. There, she begins to discover a strength she never knew she possessed.
Anne: A Jane Austen Sequel by Alice McVeigh is expected soon..
Clare Grant‘s second Ada Fawkes novel will be published in the Summer.
July
It’s June, 1944, in Victory Days for West India Dock Road by Renita D’Silva, the fourth and last book in her West India Dock Road saga, out on 1 July. Divya’s new life with her son in a community that has become family is threatened by an unexpected letter. Nurse Ruth’s new romance with an American GI is shadowed by prejudice and uncertainty. All must lean on one another to find the courage to keep going.
On 2 July we visit London in 1897 in The Scandalous Ladies Football Club by Frances Quinn. Minnie Newton founds a woman’s football team, which attracts huge crowds — and controversy. But Minnie’s hiding an explosive secret. Soon, the attention the club is getting threatens her new life. Can she walk the line between independence and safety, or will the truth about who she really is finally come out?
Also on the 2nd, The French Spymistress by Rachel Hore is released. In 1939 two women make very different choices. Marie-Louise is recruited into a secret intelligence service to help her beloved France. In Sussex, Sarah, missing her husband, takes young evacuee boys into her home. When the two women’s lives collide, they must both find a way to help the war effort while remaining true to themselves. We’ll have a piece by Rachel on the true story behind her book.
On the same day, A Land Aflame by Ben Kane plunges us into Hannibal’s struggle against the Romans in 211BC. Fleeing defeat, Hanno and Aurelia are captured in Spain, where her brother Quintus, in Scipio’s army, faces war against the Carthaginians. Ahead lie epic sieges and huge set piece battles. The very outcome of the war hangs in the balance. Who will emerge victorious, Rome or Carthage?
Still on the 2nd, in Syracuse Will Burn by Jim Loughran, it’s 407BC and Syracuse faces an attack by Carthage. Inside the walls, the seer Timon investigates the murder of his mentor, getting drawn into a dangerous conspiracy. But it is only when he learns to trust his own insights that Timon comes face to face with the killer.
The sixth Cesare Aldo mystery by DV Bishop, Shadow of Madness, publishes on 9 July. Seeking answers about his past, Aldo visits a secure institution for the criminally insane with his companion, Doctor Saul Orvieto. But they’re trapped there by a blizzard, and, when two murders occur, it’s clear a killer is shut up with them. Aldo’s search for the truth proves deadlier than he could ever have imagined…
10 July sees The Secret of the Lantern Keepers by Jenni Keer released. Edith Averly must investigate a murder at Green Briar Lunatic Asylum in order to keep her family home. She can see echoes of past violent events and begins to fear for her both her sanity and her safety. But who is the handsome new doctor? Why do patients keep disappearing? And who are the mysterious Lantern Keepers?
We’re in Madrid in 1935 in The Man She Had to Save by Catherine Hokin, out on 15 July. Vivi’s new husband and beloved brother are there to bring the Nazi regime to Spain. Then she meets resistance fighter Emilio and is drawn to his cause… and him. When he captures her brother, she must choose between new love and family loyalty. Will she be able to live with the consequences? Read Catherine’s Historia feature on the background to her book, the Spanish Civil War.
Heroines of the Tudor World by Sharon Bennett Connolly appears in paperback on 15 July, covering the women who influenced countries, kings and the Reformation: regents, writers, nuns and queens. It takes in the likes of Elizabeth Barton, Anne Boleyn, Catherine de Medici, Bess of Hardwick and Elizabeth I, shining a light on the remarkable women who helped to shape Early Modern Europe. Sharon has written a piece for Historia about Bess’s many marriages (and her cleverness).
Four books hit the shelves on 16 July. In Swords of Troy by Anthony Riches Leontius is the hegemon of his half-brother, King Diomedes’, bodyguard. When the Achaeans sail for Troy to avenge Helen’s abduction, Leonteus, comrade to the wily Odysseus, peerless but troubled Achilles, and the grasping, self-centred Agamemnon, finds himself at the heart of the deadliest war ever fought.
In The Variety Girls by Betty Firth, when Susan Lawrence’s ENSA troupe, the Forces Follies, is posted to the Highlands to entertain troops, it’s far from a glamorous showbiz life. But as she grows closer to handsome crooner Jack Forster, Susan discovers that Jack is hiding a devastating secret. She’s faced with an impossible dilemma: reveal the truth, or protect the man she loves?
The story of Othello is given a new slant as a psychological thriller in Pale Mistress by Naomi Kelsey, also on 16 July. Murder, lies and vengeance have left lovers dead, promises broken and none to trust. Only one woman survives — Bianca. We know the names of the slain: Emilia, Desdemona, Othello. But why do we not know Bianca? Who was the pale mistress? Liar or lied to? Instigator or victim?
On the same day, Marcus Agrippa: The True Story by Lindsay Powell recounts the life of the foremost deputy of Emperor Augustus and right-hand-man. It aims to bring Agrippa’s exciting, real-life story to a wider, non-academic audience, weaving excerpts from observations and insights of the Romans in their own words into the text.
On 23 July Jane Seymour: Patronage, Material Culture and Image Crafting by Elizabeth Norton is out. It’s the first full length academic study of Jane’s life and queenship. Examining her queenship and political role, her material cultural environment, her household, her financial position, and her religion, and challenging ideas of her passivity, it presents a picture of Jane as an active, highly-political queen consort.
Also on 23 July, Orphan of the Storm by Lizzie Lane is published. Lochranza Kildare, an orphan, fled Jamaica as a child. Now betrothed to aristocrat Ethan McKinnon, she sets sail to join him in his Virginia tobacco plantation. But there are those who plot to ensure she does not reach America. Can Lochranza and Ethan outwit them?
We’re in Edward II’s turbulent reign in Broken Arrow by Griff Hosker, out on 24 July. Piers Gaveston has defiantly returned from exile. Torn from retirement by the Queen’s request, Gerald Warbow must try to protect the misguided Edward, whose naivety puts both himself and his realm at great risk. Will Gerald succeed in his final quest to protect his king and his country?
On 29 July A Visit to Bedlam by Jemahl Evans continues his Sir Blandford Candy series. In 1648 Hezekiah Hillier is falsely imprisoned in Bedlam by his brother. His old friend Blandford Candy helps him escape to France, where he joins the musketeers. But he wants revenge. His chance comes in 1660. And only one man can stop him — Blandford Candy… We’ll have a feature from Jemahl about the historical background to his book in Historia soon.
The Saffron Thief by TL Mogford is released on 30 July. In 1666 Fabian Smith loses his father to the Fire and his money to a conman. He decides to steal the money to save his family’s home, from the wealthiest saffron grower in Saffron Walden. Disguised, he arrives at harvest time, but the townsfolk are cunning. Fabian must navigate treachery and his own heart, racing against time to save everything he holds dear. Tom’ s Historia feature.on how he came to write a historical heist looks at the inspiration for his novel.
August
Three books are out on 6 August. In Crusader’s War by Michael Jecks, the second in his Holy Wars series, Odo descends into ruthless zealotry while his brother Fulk struggles to hold onto his humanity amid the carnage of war. The pilgrim army continues the crusade to lay seige to Jerusalem. But will its conquest bring them redemption and the chance for a new life, or will the cost of this war damn them all forever?
In The Last Retreat by Marina Palmer war photographer Tash Carter takes a job teaching photography at Belford Abbey, a luxurious retreat for the super-rich. When MI6 asks her to uncover information on Eliot Drake, a client at Belford who owns a data-mining company which could be any government’s biggest asset — or greatest weapon, she quickly learns that Eliot Drake is not just powerful. He is dangerous.
Finally on the 6th, Sinners by Elizabeth Fremantle has its paperback release. It’s 1599. Beatrice Cenci yearns to escape her abusive father’s castle. Determined to get back to Rome, she enlists the help of Olimpio, the castle’s keeper. Soon their love will transform Beatrice’s life. Pregnant and full of rage, she kills her father, but is it murder — or vengeance? For she is both innocent and guilty, saint and sinner.
In City of Traitors by Alex Gerlis, the first of five books on 13 August, Soviet double agent ‘Archie’ is a British diplomat in the US, feeding information on the Special Relationship back to Moscow. Meanwhile, erstwhile Soviet agent ‘Bertie’, Charles Cooper, is drawn towards Berlin as the Allies near their goal. In the capital of the Reich the stage is set for a climactic showdown, and the traitors become even more central.
And Corin Burnside‘s Liesel’s War also publishes on the 13th. It’s April, 1945, and in Hamburg, translator Liesel Heinemann saves a British soldier who has lost his memory. With Liesel’s two brothers, she and ‘Tommy’ leave on a treacherous journey westward, seeking refuge. Growing closer to her British soldier against the war-torn landscape, Liesel must make tough decisions to keep her family alive.
On the same day, in They Can’t Burn Us All by Cathryn Kemp, Þuríður Jónsdóttir knows her father and brother practise rune magic. But in 1655 a witch-hunting craze sweeps Iceland, and here it hunts men of learning. When her father and brother are condemned to burn at the stake, she is helpless to save them. But when the Lutheran pastor targets Þuríður, he will find that she is no ordinary woman…
The Nun’s Kiss by GJ Williams is also out on the 13th. Gawain is 780 years old. Once a knight of Arthur’s court, he was cursed by Merlin to roam the earth to uncover betrayal and death. He’s called him to Semringham Priory where a young novice lies dead. Can Gawain find the killer before his identity is revealed? And must he betray the first woman he could have loved in centuries?
Finally on 13 August, The Knife Maker of Venice by David Gilman takes us to 1604, when Richard Sheriff and his sister Elizabeth are torn from their Devonshire home by slavers. Then they’re separated. Richard is sold in Venice, where he becomes a knife-maker’s apprentice. He vows he will never stop looking for his sister — but first he must survive in a city where life is cheap, profit is all and escape nigh-on impossible.
In A Shroud of Snow by Sarah Hawkswood, out on 20 August, it’s December, 1145, and a trader is found murdered in Worcester. Undersheriff Hugh Bradecote, Serjeant Catchpoll and Walkelin begin the hunt for a killer, but it leads them to Worcester Castle and complicated political cross-currents. The trio must uncover whether the murder was a personal act, or one connected with the fight for England’s crown.
Ruth Ellis, the last woman executed in Britain, is the subject of A Fatal Love by Louisa Treger, released on the 27th. As Ruth awaits her murder trial she recalls the events that led to the death of her lover, David Blakely. Kitty Carrington, assistant to Ruth’s lawyer, tries to ensure that Ruth has a fair trial. With secrets, betrayal and a broken justice system to navigate, Ruth and Kitty try to take control of their own stories.
The second of Angus Donald‘s Mongol Knight novels, Templar Assassin, hits the shelves on 27 August. On trial for his life in Vienna Castle, former Templar knight Robert of Hadlow must explain how he was compelled to join the brutal invasion of China by Genghis Khan. A verdict of treason against him will also condemn the entire Order of the Knights Templar to disgrace, disaffection – and dissolution.
On the same day, The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson has its paperback release. See 12 March for a summary. Kate’s writing a Historia piece to coincide with publication.
August 28 sees CF Dunn‘s Tarnished Crown series continue in Legacy of Steel. In 1477 Isobel Langton’s husband, Earl Robert, returns from enslavement a changed man, and falls under the influence of Edward IV’s brother, the Duke of Clarence. As Edward fights to counter rumours about his birth, he suspects Clarence. Could Robert be caught up in the conflict? Can Isobel prove her family’s loyalty?
Princesses of the Later Middle Ages by Sharon Bennett Connolly is out on 30 August. It examines the lives and experiences of England’s princesses. Contrary to our beliefs, a foreign marriage to make peace or an alliance didn’t mean eternal exile, but a purpose in life, where a princess is a diplomat, an ambassador for England in her new country. She is the bond between allies – most of the time.
What happens when you bring together: a playwright under government scrutiny; a legendary director; a bombshell determined to prove she’s more than her appearance; a rising leading man hungry for his breakthrough; and a protective drama coach with a reputation at stake? You’ll find out in Nobody’s Perfect: The Making of Some Like It Hot by Lucy Jane Santos, also on 30 August. We’re hoping Lucy will write us a feature about this explosive event.
September
It’s paperback publication day for Michael Arnold‘s The River Warriors, the second in his Savage Isle series, on 3 September. You can see more about this book by going to the hardback edition on March.
We’re in AD224 in The Governor’s Man by Jacquie Rogers on 4 September. Imperial Investigator Quintus Valerius is summoned from Rome to investigate fraud at silver mines in Britannia. On his way to Somerset he hears rumours of a Druid uprising, and when he reaches the mines he realises a dark conspiracy could be behind the fraud. Could the Druid Rebellion be linked to the case? And is Quintus’s own life in danger?
In Threefold Death by Victoria Dowd, out on 8 September, investigative journalist Charlotte Blood wants the scoop on what’s claimed to be Boudica’s tomb. But what she finds there is something horrifying — evidence of the Threefold Death, a sacrificial killing involving drowning, stabbing and hanging. As she grows closer to discovering the killer, the question is whether she will be the next victim…
On 10 September In the Shadow of the Solstice by Meg Clothier is released. Nin joins her sister’s husband at the Hall high above the mists of the Lake. It’s midwinter and there’s victory to feast. Love and ambition once united the Family, but now dark secrets and unruly passions threaten to rip it apart. Torn between loyalty and desire, rage and fear, Nin must fight to the death to uncover a terrible truth.
Beattie Cavendish and the Highland Hideaway by Mary-Jane Riley is out in paperback on the same day. See 19 February for details.
Two collector’s editions of books by Lindsay Powell are published on 22 September. Cleopatra Queen of Egypt connected three great cultures: Greece, Egypt and Rome. She was born of an ancient Greek dynasty, and was the last Pharaoh of Egypt before the once-mighty kingdom became a vassal state under the Romans. She is regarded as an astute, resilient leader who survived at a time of male domination.
And, as Lindsay writes in his second book, Julius Caesar defeated Pompey and the Republicans and was appointed as dictator of Rome, becoming one of the most influential leaders in history and preparing the path for the imperial might of the Roman Empire. He died at the hands of Cassius and Brutus on the Ides of March in 44BC.
In Cannae: The Longest Day by Ben Kane, out on 24 September, we’re in 216BC as Hannibal Barca, perhaps the most skilful general ever, leads his army against the unstoppable might of the Roman Republic, outnumbered two to one. By the day’s end, tens of thousands of men will be dead. Can Hannibal’s army defeat the Roman legions, or will the challenge prove too much?
The Edge of Darkness by Vaseem Khan has its paperback release on 24 September. See 22 January for more about this book. Or have a look at Vaseem’s feature about the legendary head-hunters of Nagaland, the background to his book.
We’re expecting Tangled Souls by Jane Dismore to be out in paperback on 24 September as well; more information when we have it. She’s written about some of the unconventional characters in her book in a Historia feature.
October
The Root of All Evil by CB Hanley, the tenth Edwin Weaver Mediaeval Mystery, is released on 1 October. Edwin and Alys go to Lincoln to investigate a murder that’s led to her brother being sentenced to death. But the family reunion is less than joyful. And in an unfamiliar, money-obsessed society, the pressure of time forces Edwin to take more risks than he usually would, putting Alys and her family in grave danger.
It’s paperback day for Murder in Anglo-Saxon England: Justice, Wergild, Revenge by Annie Whitehead on 15 October. She looks at the many stories of murder — including witchcraft, poisoning, and betrayal — which give the impression of a time of lawlessness and rebellion. But how many of these tales are true, and how do they square with a period known to have had lengthy, detailed law codes and harsh punishment for unlawful killing? Annie has written us a feature on this grisly subject.
22 October sees two paperback editions of novels out earlier this year. Catherine by Essie Fox was first published on 12 February; you’ll find all the details there. You might enjoy Kate Griffin’s review of Essie’s book.
And for more about The Cromarty Library Circle by Shona MacLean, the other paperback release, see 28 February.
November
On 5 November No Country For a Woman: The Adventurous Life of Lady Dorothy Mills, Explorer and Writer by Jane Dismore is out in paperback. It’s the story of ‘Dolly’ Mills, a courageous and convention-defying pioneer who, by the 1930s, was best-known female explorer of the day. A feminist with unorthodox views which cost her her marriage, she also wrote bold novels and features for women. Jane has written us a feature about Dolly highlighting some of the dramatic episodes in her life.
A Thief’s Revenge by Douglas Skelton also has its paperback release on 5 November; see 30 April for full details.
There’ll be a new novel by Clare Flynn, The Monsoon’s Gift, this month.
December
We’re in Bristol in 1773 on 10 December with The Case of the Unknown Woman by PD Lennon. Highway robberies on the Clifton Downs force Ruben Ashby to call on Isaiah Ollenu to help him investigate. The only witness to the latest one dies before they can question her. Will her blue dress, shoes, and pocketful of coins be enough clues to find the highwayman? Or is something more going on in Bristol’s back alleys?
We’re expecting new books from Donovan Cook during 2026; more details as they come in.
Thank you for reading this far! I hope you’ve found something you’d like this year.
If you see a book you’d like to buy, or persuade your library to get, please consider ordering it before the publication day. That will mean you read it as soon as it’s out — and it also gives the author a sales boost on their first day, which, along with reviewing their book, is a really good way to show your appreciation.
This page will be regularly updated as more information comes in, so do come back and have another look.
And you can keep up with new books as they’re published by checking Historia’s Latest releases column.
Happy reading!
