East London, 1943. Georgina St John-Smythe – George to her friends – is usually the life and soul of any party. But as the East End of London prepares wearily for another wartime Christmas amid nightly bombings, she is finding it hard to muster her festive spirit, still hurting from a recent romantic betrayal. But […]
The Root of All Evil by CB Hanley
In March, 1223, Edwin and Alys receive an unexpected visit from Edric, Alys’s brother, whom they haven’t seen for years. He has fled from his home in Lincoln to ask for their help – he’s been accused of murder, declared an outlaw and sentenced to death. Edric’s story is so bizarre that Edwin thinks it […]
The Stolen Crown by Tracy Borman
The Stolen Crown explodes the myth of a peaceful, approved succession from Elizabeth I to James VI of Scotland. As revelatory new research shows, history was literally re-written on the orders of James VI to hide the truth: Elizabeth went to her grave without formally naming an heir. And so James’s rule in England began […]
The Haunted Tapestry by Sarah Rayne
The Fitzglens are London’s most celebrated theatrical family. They are also its most successful thieves. Their current target is a legend nobody believes in. The Tapestry of Silence. It’s said that the tapestry was woven from the blood and guilt of murderers. That the scene stitched into it is not decoration, but evidence. And that […]
Triumph by Griff Hosker
In the aftermath of the slave revolt and hard-fought victory over Spartacus’ relentless army, Lucius Porcianus thinks his days of fighting for the empire behind him. Injured and seemingly no longer needed by Rome, he returns to the quiet embrace of his family’s farm. Yet the blood of a soldier runs deep; restless and missing […]
The House of Cromwell by Miranda Malins
Within a century, the Cromwell family produced two of the most powerful, impactful and controversial commoners in British history. Thomas served the Tudors, helping to forge Henry VIII’s autocratic state and the Church of England; Oliver led a revolution that executed a king, abolished the monarchy and established a republic, before founding a ruling dynasty. […]
Cannae: The Longest Day by Ben Kane
It’s 216BC and, under a blisteringly hot sun, Hannibal Barca, perhaps the most skilful general in history, leads his army against the unstoppable might of Rome. His soldiers are outnumbered two to one. The momentous battle will determine the Roman Republic’s fate. By the day’s end, tens of thousands of men will be dead, the […]
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Susan Stokes-Chapman
The air glitters with hope as the snowy village of Merrywake celebrates the Christmas season after the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars. As the Viscount’s famous Twelfth Night Ball draws closer, many of the villagers have a story to tell. We meet a lovelorn vicar and kindly maid reunited after a misunderstanding, three sisters vying […]