It’s back — Historia’s most popular regular feature, our round-up of books published by members of the Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) during the coming year. Here are more than 150 books covering history, biography, and historical fiction and spanning eras from Ancient Rome to the 1980s. They sweep around the world from Australia to India, the USA to Africa, and through Europe from north to south.
We’ll be updating this list when information about new books comes in, so do come back and see what’s been added.
January
Sir John Hawkwood returns on 2 January in Tuscan Warlord by Griff Hosker. Hawkwood is the most respected and feared mercenary leader in Italy; but he faces betrayal from friend and foe alike. Only his soldiers can be trusted. The White Company must become a warband, with him as warlord.
Four books by HWA authors are published on 5 January. Bellatrix by Simon Turney is the sequel to his Roman adventure, Capsarius. In 25 BC, Titus Cervianus and the XXII Legion march south from Aegyptus to meet the armies of the Warrior Queen of Kush. Trapped in the sacred city of Nepata, can the survivors of the desert journey hope to repel her vast army? And will the sceptical Cervianus find out the purpose of his increasingly strange dreams?
Staying in the Saraha, but 2,000 years later, Resurrection by David Gilman sees Dan Raglan return in the third Englishman thriller. Thirty years after his death, the skeleton of a pilot emerges from the dunes, still carrying a document that could expose the most valuable spy the UK intelligence service has ever known. The British, French, and Russians are looking for it — and so is Raglan.
In The Queen’s Lady by Joanna Hickson, Joan Vaux, Lady Guildford, faces an uncertain future as conspiracy fills Henry VII’s court after the death of his son Arthur. Will young Prince Henry secure the Tudor dynasty? And must Joan watch her own dreams die, or risk everything by staying true to her heart? This is the paperback edition of the book. Read Joanna’s feature about the history behind her novel.
There’s another paperback out on the same day, this time for Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman. Dora Blake, an aspiring jewellery artist, lives with her uncle in what was once her parents’ respected antiquities shop. When a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, Dora enlists a young antiquarian to find out more about the vase – and, she hopes, restore the shop to its former glory. But the vase holds secrets. Susan writes about the Georgians’ fascination with Greek myth and history.
Two ebooks arrive in the middle of the month. The Alchemist’s Plot by Eleanor Swift-Hook is the fifth in her Lord’s Legacy series. Sir Philip Lord is back in England, venturing behind enemy lines to uncover the mysteries which surround his heritage. Everything points to the building that now houses the Royal Tapestry Works in Mortlake — which was once the home of the alchemist, Dr John Dee.
And The Failed Apprentice is the first in WJ Small‘s Will Patten mysteries. After his master’s murder in 1531, blacksmith’s apprentice Will Patten, educated but unqualified, must find other work. But stealing from Richard Rich leads him into spying for the courtier in order to bring down Sir Thomas More. When his sister is threatened, Will must act — but at what cost to his family and his conscience?
Six books by HWA authors are published on 19 January. A Marriage of Fortune by Anne O’Brien continues the story of the Paston family, caught up in the Wars of the Roses. Margaret Paston knows that a good match for one of her daughters is the only way to save the family’s fortunes. But Margery, her eldest, falls in love with a man of lesser birth. The Paston women must choose between love and duty, head and heart. Read Anne’s Historia feature about the history behind her novel.
It’s 1793, and idealistic aristo Philippe Kermorvant wants to return to his family estate in Brittany and join the French navy to fight the young republic’s enemies in Sailor of Liberty, the first of a new series by JD Davies. But family, politics, and enemies on all sides force him to reconsider his plans, and his ideals. See David’s feature about writing naval fiction from the enemy’s point of view.
The English Führer by Rory Clements moves the story of former spy Professor Tom Wilde forward to the summer of 1945. Tom’s enjoying peacetime in Cambridge — until rumours reach MI5 that the Nazi machine is still active, linked to a notorious Japanese biological warfare research laboratory. They seem to be operating in England. But how, and why?
Still on 19 January, Natalie Marlow walks us down the mean streets of 1930s Birmingham in Needless Alley. Private detective William Garrett photographs wives in flagrante for wealthy men seeking divorces, helped by his lifelong friend, the charming but shady Ronnie. But when William falls in love with the wife of a Fascist client, violence and murder follow.
The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola is out in paperback on the same day. In Paris in 1750, Madeleine Chastel arrives at a clockmaker’s house, plotting to discover the truth of his experiments. As children vanish from the streets, there are rumours that the clockmaker’s intricate mechanical creations are more than they seem. Has she stumbled upon a conspiracy which reaches as far as the court at Versailles? Essie Fox reviews Anna’s book.
King, the third in Ben Kane‘s Lionheart series, also has its paperback publication. In 1192 Richard I can return from the Holy Land to his troubled kingdom, accompanied by the faithful Ferdia. But on the way Richard is captured and imprisoned, his ransom bleeding England’s coffers dry. How can he outwit his enemies in France and at home and restore order to England? We’ll be giving away Ben’s Lionheart trilogy this month.
On 20 January The German Messenger, MJ Hollows‘s new novel set in Liverpool in 1940, is released as an ebook. When journalist Ruth Holt’s son is kidnapped, she is forced to share secret information with them — to be passed to the Nazis. Desperate, she falsifies information, lying to her employers, her family and her lover. But the demands increase, and her chances of deceiving them all and saving her son fade.
In The Girl in the Photo, published on 27 January, Catherine Hokin moves photographer Hanni Winter’s story on to 1950. Hanni and her new husband are searching for his sister, stolen by the Nazis in 1944. But when she arrives at the camp, she meets the man she fears more than any other. Can she find the strength to fight him again? Catherine will write about the background to her novel for Historia.
Two books in the Lord’s Legacy series by Eleanor Swift-Hook are due this month. The Physician’s Fate comes out in paperback. Cardinal Richelieu, who has ruled France in all but name, is dying. Gideon Lennox and his employer, Sir Philip Lord, go to Paris to find the physician-surgeon Anders Jensen; the life of the woman Lord loves depends upon it. But they find Dr Jensen imprisoned and accused of murder.
And a second, working title The Cavalier’s Oath, takes Lennox and Lord to Worcester, under siege by the Parliamentarian army. This may come out in January or February.
February
The Rose of Florence by Angela M Sims is published on 1 February. Gianetta is in service to a wealthy family of textile merchants, the Rosini, supporters of the powerful Medici clan. But in 1478 there’s a suspected attempt to poison Lorenzo de’ Medici in their house. Could there be a traitor there? And, as the Medici grip on power weakens, what troubles are coming?
JC Harvey‘s Fiskardo’s War series returns on 2 February with The Dead Men. In the summer of 1630 the Swedish army is advancing down through Germany, with Jack Fiskardo and his company of scouts fighting a guerrilla war ahead of them. When Jack at last confronts his sworn enemy, Carlo Fanto, he must decide: does he pursue his final vengeance, or does he turn aside to help a child as powerless as he once was?
Shadow of the Eagle by Damion Hunter is published on the same day. Faustus Valerianus, son of a Roman father and a British mother, has joined Agricola’s campaign to conquer the whole of Britain. But he faces more than ferocious British warriors; loyalty to his mother’s people, and the memory of his father, are also at war within him.
Also on 2 February, The Key In The Lock by Beth Underdown gets its paperback release. Ivy Boscawen mourns the loss of her son, Tim, in the Great War, but by night she mourns another boy whose death, decades ago, haunts her still. Ivy is sure that there is more to what happened: the fire at the Great House, and the terrible events that came after. But once you open a door to the past, can you ever truly close it again?
And it’s paperback day on 2 February for Hear No Evil by Sarah Smith. In 1817 Jean Campbell, a young Deaf woman, is seen throwing a child into the River Clyde. If found guilty she faces hanging or an asylum. But her deafness means she can’t defend herself, until Robert Kinniburgh from the Deaf & Dumb Institution is called in. Can they convince the courts about what really happened? Hear No Evil was shortlisted for the 2022 HWA Debut Crown Award.
On the same day, The Rebel’s Mark by SW Perry is also out in paperback. In 1598 Nicholas Shelby, reluctant spy, and Bianca are in Ireland, where the Earl of Essex is trying to put down a rebellion. But is Nicholas’s spymaster, Robert Cecil, working with, or against, the unpredictable Earl?
Chalice of Darkness by Sarah Rayne is the first in her Theatre of Thieves series and it’s out on 7 February. The Fitzglens are one of Edwardian London’s leading theatre families. But they’re equally successful — if less publicly — as thieves. Jack Fitzglen’s plan to steal the infamous Talisman Chalice leads him into danger as its devilish reputation seems to be borne out.
Agent in the Shadows by Alex Gerlis, the third in his Wolf Pack Spies series, is published on 9 February. It’s 1943 and British undercover agents Jack Miller and Sophia von Naundorf are sent to France to find the informer who betrayed a Lyon resistance cell to the Gestapo. But their enemies are on the hunt.
In King of Kings by MJ Porter Æthelstan, King of the English, hopes to unite with the Scottish and Welsh kingdoms as a united front against Norse marauders. But his stepbrother Edwin has his eyes on the crown, and Constantin of the Scots, Owain of Strathclyde, and Ealdred of Bamburgh have no wish to be ruled by the English upstart. The scene is set for battle. It’s out on 10 February.
Sherlock Holmes and the Persian Slipper by Linda Stratmann is published on the same day. Sherlock is investigating the death of a man shot by his own gun — through the toe of a slipper. Then a series of mysterious disappearances leads the young sleuth to wonder whether there’s a connection between all these events.
On 14 February a new book about Julius Caesar, edited by Lindsay Powell, is released as an ebook; it came out in paperback in October, 2022.
Hannibal of Carthage, also edited by Lindsay Powell, is out as an ebook on the same day. It’s in the same series as Julius Caesar.
The Paris Notebook by Tessa Harris is out in ebook form on 15 February. Katja Heinz travels to Paris with a doctor’s notebook which declares Hitler unfit for office, She hopes to find a publisher who will help her expose this damaging secret. But Nazi spies have discovered her plan and aim to destroy both the notebook and anyone who knows about its contents.
Storm of War is the 13th in the Empire series by Anthony Riches, and it hits the shelves on 16 February. Marcus and his protector Scaurus are pressed back into service by Septimius Severus, the ruthless commander who has seized Rome. Now Scaurus’s legion is ordered to Thrace to delay Niger, the would-be emperor in the East, and his troops. Whatever the cost.
The Families of Eleanor of Aquitaine by JF Andrews is out on the same day. Eleanor’s sons are well known; her daughters and daughters-in-law much less so. This book traces the lives, travels and careers of these ten very different women and their international network of political alliances across Europe and the Holy Land. See JF’s Historia feature for a taste of the book.
Lucy Ward‘s The Empress and the English Doctor is out in paperback on the same day. Catherine the Great summoned the physician Thomas Dimsdale to St Petersburg to carry out a secret mission that would transform both their lives; inoculation against smallpox. It’s a story of Enlightenment ideals, female leadership and the fight to promote science over superstition. Lucy tells Historia how Covid and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made her book unexpectedly topical.
On 22 February NR Daws returns with his third Kember and Hayes novel, A Perfect Time to Murder. It’s 1941 and pilot Lizzie Hayes uses her forensic psychology skills to help DI Kember investigate the death of a coal miner in Kent. But when they and the suspects are trapped in the mine they realise that, even if they get out, they may never find the killer.
Parisian detective Eddie Giral returns on 23 February in Chris Lloyd‘s Paris Requiem. The Nazis have been in occupation for three months when Eddie looks into who is releasing criminals from prison. The search will take him from jazz clubs to opera halls, old flames to new friends, pursued by a most troubling truth: sometimes to do the right thing, you have to join the wrong side. Chris has written a feature about the shocking facts behind his novel, and you can read an extract from the book’s opening.
March
On 1 March Coyote Weather by Amanda Cockrell is published. In the shadow of Vietnam and the Cold War, Jerry won’t plan for the future because he doubts that there is going to be one. Ellen needs a plan, because nothing else will keep the world together. And the Ghost just wants to go home to the small California town where they all grew up.
Seven HWA authors have books out on 2 March. In Andrew Taylor‘s The Shadows of London, the Great Fire still overshadows the capital. A body is discovered in the ruins, and architect Cat Hakesby must stop her restoration work. When Lord Arlington and the Duke of Buckingham take an interest in James Marwood’s murder investigation, he suspects the trail may lead to the heart of government.
Blood Eagle, the sixth in Tim Hodkinson‘s Whale Road Chronicles, takes Einar and the Wolf Coats to Brittany in 936. Æthelstan of England needs men to undertakes a dangerous mission: to make an ally of a powerful noble in Francia. And to carry a secret message. Pagan kings clash with Christians, Vikings assail Francia, and the Wolf Coats are at the centre of the storm. Tim is writing a feature about this turbulent history for us.
Still on 2 March, A New Home in the Dales is the first in Betty Firth‘s Made in Yorkshire series. With the men away fighting World War Two, Bobby Bancroft gets a reporter job in the Yorkshire Dales. But life in the countryside is different, with a host of eccentric characters, like the charming but infuriating village vet Charlie. Has she made a huge mistake? Will a city girl find her place in the country?
In The Book of Eve by Meg Clothier, Beatrice is the convent’s librarian. When a dying woman gives her a mysterious book she keeps it to herself – fortunately, because a fanatical preacher is searching for it. Then its pages begin to come alive. And Beatrice must choose between her obsession with the book and her sisters’ future.
On the same day, Shelley Puhak‘s The Dark Queens comes out in paperback. Brunhild was a Visigothic princess; her sister-in-law Fredegund started out in servitude. In sixth-century Merovingian France, these two rival queens reigned for decades; but after their deaths, their stories were rewritten, their names defamed. This double biography reinterprets their lives. Shelley has written about these remarkable women for Historia.
SG MacLean‘s The Bookseller of Inverness also gets a paperback edition. Iain MacGillivray has survived the Battle of Culloden and is living a quiet life as a bookseller. The day after a stranger visits his shop Iain finds him dead, and a dagger with a Jacobite symbol beside the body. Iain finds himself embroiled in a web of deceit and a series of old scores to be settled. Read Alis Hawkins’s review of this book.
Finally on 2 March, another paperback release, this time for DV Bishop‘s The Darkest Sin. Cesare Aldo’s enquiry into intruders at a convent in Florence is complicated when a man’s naked body is found. Could a nun have killed him? Meanwhile Constable Strocchi investigates the body of a law officer pulled from the Arno. Identifying the killers will put both men in great danger. Read David’s feature about 16th-century Florentine nuns.
On 10 March, Hogarth’s Britons by Jacqueline Riding is published. She explores how the English painter and graphic satirist William Hogarth (1697–1764) set out to define British nationhood and identity at a time of division at home and conflict abroad; themes which resonate with our own times.
Eleanor Swift-Hook‘s Lord’s Legacy series concludes with The Cavalier’s Oath an ebook on 11 March. With Worcester preparing for siege in 1643, Gideon Lennox finds himself under suspicion of murder while investigating another killing. But bringing the murderer to justice risks losing the final chance to uncover the conspiracy shadowing his companion, Philip Lord. Gideon must unleash his own dark side to survive. Read Fiona Forsyth’s interview with Eleanor.
Hitler’s Aristocrats: The Secret Power Players in Britain and America Who Supported the Nazis, 1923–1941 by Susan Ronald comes out on 15 March. It investigates the wealthy and high-born people on both sides of the Atlantic who Hitler recruited to be his eyes, ears, and mouthpieces in society, government, and financial circles — and the battle between them and those who opposed their message. Susan has agreed to write a feature about this for us.
On the same day, Ides of March, the 15th in the Marius’ Mules series by SJA Turney, is published. Nice timing! It’s 44BC, and the war in Gaul is over. The rebels are defeated. Caesar is victorious. Now the battle for Rome itself begins…
The Walled Garden by Sarah Hardy is released on 16 March along with three other books. In 1946 everyone in the village of Oakbourne is scarred by their wartime experiences. Lonely and afraid of the man her husband has become, Alice Rayne tries to save her marriage — and Oakbourne Hall — from collapse. As she works on the walled garden she finds herself drawn into a new, forbidden love.
Lizzie Pook‘s Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter is out in paperback. In a pearl-fishing community on the Western Australian coast in 1886, Eliza Brightwell’s father, the bay’s most prolific pearler, goes missing. She refuses to believe the rumours that he was murdered. But the cost of truth is greater than that of pearls, and Eliza must decide what price she’ll pay to pursue the truth. Read Lizzie’s feature about the shocking background to her book.
The Lost Man of Bombay by Vaseem Khan, also in paperback, sees Inspector Persis Wadia investigating the death of a white man found frozen in the Himalayan foothills. Is he linked to two murders? The third in the Malabar House series pits Persis against a deadly mystery in the turbulence of post-colonial India. Vas tells Historia about independence and partition. Read Alis Hawkins’s review of his book.
Finally on 16 March, Stateless is the new teen novel by Elizabeth Wein. Stella North, the only female contestant in an air race round Europe, witnesses another pilot’s horrifying crash. Was this an accident, or an attack? And will it happen again?
In The Midwife’s Truth by Sara Read, out on 19 March, Lucie Smith is overwhelmed. Her son Simon comes home, fleeing the Fire of London, villagers demand her healing skills, and painful memories crowd her mind. She develops a near-fatal illness. When two men vie for her hand and Simon tries to steer her in a new direction, she must decide who to trust. But it will be her choice.
Alis Hawkins begins a new historical crime series on 23 March with A Bitter Remedy. At Jesus College, Oxford, in 1881, an undergraduate’s suspicious death forces one of the fellows to investigate. Non Vaughan, one of Oxford’s first female undergraduates, soon takes an interest in the case, but between corporate malfeasance and medical quackery they find the dreaming spires turning nightmarish.
On the same day, Joanne Burn‘s The Hemlock Cure takes us to Eyam in 1665. Mae, the apothecary’s daughter, reads her pious father’s books at night. Isabel, the village midwife, has secrets, too; some think her skill with herbs comes close to witchcraft. When Mae makes a horrifying discovery she turns to Isabel, putting both their lives in danger. And a new threat is creeping towards them from London.
Also on 23 March, The Lodger by Helen Scarlett is out. In 1919, Grace Armstrong is horrified when the body of Elizabeth Smith, who lodged with Grace and her family, is dragged from the Thames. Investigating her friend’s death, Grace is pulled into the sordid underbelly of London — and into danger. Only Tom Monaghan can help her learn the truth about the mysterious Elizabeth, and he has his own troubles.
Six books are published on 30 March. Murder under a Red Moon is the second Bangalore Detectives Mystery by Harini Nagendra. When Kaveri Murthy reluctantly agrees to investigate a minor crime to please her mother-in-law, she doesn’t expect to stumble upon a murder – again. But when her life is suddenly in danger, she must draw on her wits and find the killer… before they find her.
Battle Song is the first of a new medieval trilogy by Ian Ross. Adam de Norton, a chivalrous young squire, and his devilish master, Sir Robert de Dunstanville, must choose a side in a battle that will decide the fate of the kingdom. Will they fight for King Henry III, for Simon de Montfort and the rebellious barons — or for themselves? Read our review of Ian’s book from Carol McGrath.
Katie Lumsden‘s debut, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, is out on the same day. In 1852 Margaret Lennox, a young widow, takes a job as governess at Hartwood Hall, hoping to escape her past. But though she likes her pupil, Louis, there’s something odd about the house — and about Louis’s mother. Has everyone got something to hide? As her own secret pursues her, she must trust her instincts to survive. Katie’s written about her love of, and inspiration by, Victorian literature.
Still on 30 March, Operation Moonlight by Louise Morrish gets a paperback release. Newly-recruited SOE agent Elisabeth Shepherd must enter Nazi-occupied France to monitor the Germans’ deadly long-range missiles. Skip forward to 2018 and Betty’s 100th birthday. She’s reluctant to talk about the past. But her carer discovers a box full of maps, letters — and a gun… Read about Louise’s extreme research for her novel.
Another paperback edition: Madwoman by Louisa Treger tells the story of Nellie Bly who, desperate to make her name as a journalist in New York, tricks her way into an asylum to report on conditions from the inside. Her days of terror reawaken the traumatic events of her childhood. She entered the asylum of her own free will. But will she ever get out?
And The German Messenger by MJ Hollows comes out in paperback; see 20 January for details.
Desperate Valour by Timothy Ashby sees Chart, the mixed-race British Army officer and spy, sent to New Orleans in 1818 before the British invasion of Louisiana. There he takes part in the catastrophic Battle of New Orleans and embarks on a dangerous rescue mission. Tim’s ebook is published in March.
Opening Manoeuvres, the first Behind Enemy Lines book by Hilary Green, will be published in the Spring.
April
On 6 April three books are published. The House of Whispers by Anna Mazzola is set in Rome in 1938, as Fascism grows. Eva Valenti, newly married to the widower Dante Cavallera, senses his house is trying to give up the secrets of its mysterious past — secrets her husband wants to keep. But she must also conceal the truth of her own identity or face greater danger than she could ever have imagined.
SW Perry‘s The Sinner’s Mark sees Nicholas Shelby’s father accused of treason in the sixth book in this series. Meanwhile Bianca is seeking a missing boy actor. When Nicholas stumbles upon a conspiracy aimed at overthrowing the state, he may have to choose between his country and his heart.
And on the same day Douglas Skelton‘s An Honourable Thief is out in paperback. In 1715, Jonas Flynt, ex-soldier and reluctant member of the shady intelligence group the Company of Rogues, must recover Queen Anne’s missing will. In Edinburgh he realises there are others on the hunt, and both the state’s secrets and his own are in danger of discovery.
James Burke, Tom Williams‘s Napoleonic-era spy, returns in Burke and the Lines of Torres Vedras on 7 April. To protect his army in the Peninsula, Wellington constructs the Lines of Torres Vedras, one of the greatest defensive works in history. But they must stay a secret until the French arrive. Burke is sent to Lisbon to hunt down Bonaparte’s agents — and possibly save the Allies’ army. Read Tom’s feature about the Lines.
Menewood, the sequel to Nicola Griffith‘s Hild, is published on 11 April. Hild is now Lady of Elmet, ally of Edwin Overking. But war is brewing, and she must navigate the turbulence and fight to protect both the kingdom and her own people as she prepares for one last gamble to save the community of Menewood.
The Forgotten Palace by Alexandra Walsh weaves three time strands around the palace of Knossos. In 1900 Alice Webster feels stories from the past rising from the excavations. On Crete in the present day, Eloise De’Ath finds Alice’s diaries and is drawn into her tale of lost love and her obsession with Ariadne, princess of the labyrinth. As their stories join, a terrible injustice might finally be undone. It publishes on 12 April. We’ll have a feature from Alex about Knossos.
In 1607 Daniel Pursglove returns to his native Yorkshire in KJ Maitland‘s Rivers of Treason, out on 13 April. But when a body is found with rope burns about the neck, he falls under suspicion. On the run, he is pursued by a ruthless killer whose victims all share the same gallows mark. Is this a personal vendetta, or has Daniel become embroiled in a bigger, more sinister, conspiracy? There’ll be a feature linked to this book.
Also on 13 April, The Paris Notebook by Tessa Harris is released as a paperback. See 15 February for details.
Elizabeth Lowry‘s The Chosen is published in paperback on 14 April. After his wife Emma dies the author Thomas Hardy finds her diary, in which she confides her true feelings about him. He has to re-evaluate himself, and reimagine his unhappy wife as she was when they first met. Elizabeth has written about reconstructing Emma’s diaries. The Chosen has been shortlisted for the 2023 Walter Scott prize.
20 April sees Empire’s Edge take us to the second in the Borderlands series by Damion Hunter (see 2 February). Agricola has returned to Rome, but in Caledonia victory is fleeting. As a climactic battle becomes inevitable, Faustus must come to terms with his heritage, resolve his love for a British woman, and lay his father’s shadow, still stalking him from the afterworld, to rest.
Also on 20 April, the second in Lizzie Lane‘s series set in 1930s Bristol is published. Shameful Secrets on Coronation Close continues the story of Jenny Crawford’s life in a new council flat with her two children and difficult husband. We’ll have a feature from Lizzie about the impact of council housing.
Sophie Haydock‘s debut novel, The Flames, is out in paperback on 27 April. It’s about the four muses who posed for the artist Egon Schiele in Vienna more than 100 years ago: Adele, Gertrude, Vally and Edith. At last they can tell their story, one of passion and betrayal. Sophie has written about rediscovering Adele for Historia.
May
On 3 May Icel returns in Eagle of Mercia by MJ Porter. Lord of Budworth and a renowned warrior, he is asked to rescue Lord Coenwulf from Viking captivity in Kent. Icel and his warriors must not only defeat the Viking raiders, they must also counter the threat of Mercia’s enemy, Wessex, which controls Kent. Far from home and threatened on all sides, have they sworn to do the impossible?
Vulcana by Rebecca F John is the first of four books published on 4 May. Sixteen-year-old Kate Williams runs away from Abergavenny, intent on following a married man to London and becoming a strongwoman. Soon she is touring the world as Vulcana; but how can she reconcile this new, wild life with her love for a taken man, motherhood, and her longing for home? Find out more about Vlucana in Rebecca’s engrossing feature.
In Southeast England in the 1740s violent gangs of smugglers terrorized communities and evaded arrest. Hawkhurst: Murder, Corruption, and Britain’s most Notorious Smuggling Gang by Joseph Dragovich examines the tattooed thugs, corrupt MPs, political extremists and criminal underworld that brought about the rise and fall of one of Britain’s first mafias.
A Stepney Girl’s Secret by Jean Fullerton is also out on 4 May. East London, 1940, and Prue Carmichael never dreamed that she’d work at a railway yard — but soon meets handsome engineer Jack Quinn. But as Prue discovers his troubled past a new suitor appears. As air raid sirens sound, Prue faces a battle between her heart and her head…
Julie Walker‘s Bonny & Read comes out in paperback on the same day. In 1720, in the Caribbean, two extraordinary women are on the run – from their pasts, from the British Navy and from their fates. When they meet, during a pirate raid on a ship, the connection is immediate. They’ll fight together, weep together… will they die together?
Sharon Bennett-Connolly has two books out this month. First, on 5 May, King John’s Right-Hand Lady: The Story of Nicholaa de la Haye is the biography of an extraordinary early 13th-century woman. During the First Baron’s War, after Magna Carta in 1215, the recently-widowed Nicholaa, in her 60s, held Lincoln Castle against all comers three times, earning the ironic praise that she acted ‘manfully’. Sharon has written about Nicholaa for Historia.
The Bewitching by Jill Dawson, based on the 16th-century witches of Warboys, is out in paperback on 11 May. Alice Samuel may be old and sharp-tongued, but she’s no fool. Yet when one of the squire’s daughters accuses her of witchcraft, she has no idea of the danger she’s in. As evidence mounts against Alice, the entire village is swept up in a frenzy of persecution.
On the same day Queen High by CJ Carey is also out in paperback. Britain, 1955, and the Protectorate is more paranoid than ever. Rose Ransom of the Culture Ministry is sent to brief Queen Wallis on President Eisenhower’s coming visit. But Wallis, desperate to return to the freedom of the US, claims she has a secret document so explosive that it will blow the Protectorate apart. Would she dare to use it?
Still on 11 May, it’s the paperback release of Sean Lusk‘s The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley, set in the mid-18th century. Zachary’s father, Abel, makes extraordinary clockwork automata in London. Abel sends his son to be raised by his late wife’s eccentric aunt, a proto-feminist with the largest owl collection in England. Then Abel is coerced into spying in Constantinople – with an automaton. Read Sean’s feature about the inspiration for his book.
The Silk Code by Deborah Swift comes out in ebook format on 17 May. In 1943 Nancy Callaghan joins the Special Operations Executive, solving coded messages. There she meets Tom Lockwood and together they come up with printing codes for agents on easy-to-hide silk. She soon falls in love with him. But there’s a traitor in Baker Street. Could it be Tom? What sacrifice will Nancy have to make?
Five new books are published on 18 May. In Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History, Tracy Borman tells the story of Anne Boleyn’s relationship with, and influence over, her daughter Elizabeth and sheds new light on two of the most famous and influential women in history.
Fyneshade by Kate Griffin twists the conventional Gothic novel. Marta, the new governess at Fyneshade, is drawn to Vaughan, the dangerous son of the owner, banished by his absent father. But, guided by the dark gift taught to her by her grandmother, Marta has her own plans. It will take more than a family riven by murderous secrets to stop her carrying them out… And Kate’s working on a feature about her chilling story.
Too Good to Hang is the 11th in Sarah Hawkswood‘s Bradecote & Catchpoll murder mysteries. In April 1145, Hugh Bradecote, Serjeant Catchpoll and Underserjeant Walkelin are sent to find out who killed a village priest in Ripple. Was it the priest’s own wrongdoing that led to his death, or a whisper of treasure long lost and now re-discovered?
Also on 18 May, Carol McGrath‘s The Stolen Crown revisits the fierce battle between cousins known as the Anarchy. When old King Henry dies, leaving his daughter Matilda as heir, England is plunged into civil war. Matilda must race across England, evading capture by Stephen’s forces, until she can take the crown for herself. Carol’s feature about this fascinating character is now available in Historia.
And finally we have A Thief’s Justice, the second in Douglas Skelton‘s Company of Rogues series set in the early 18th century. A young sex worker, Sam Yates, is accused of killing a justice — but swears he’s innocent. His friend, the courtesan Belle St Clair, asks professional killer Jonas Flynt to investigate. Meanwhile, time’s running out for Sam.
Ben Kane moves to a new era with Napoleon’s Spy on 25 May. Blackmailed by the English to pass information to the Russians, Matthieu Carrey enrols in Napoleon’s Grande Armée. They are invading Russia; he hopes to find his lover, a French actress in the Moscow theatre. But after a month in Moscow they must withdraw. Hundreds of miles lie between Carrey and the French border. To reach it seems impossible. We’re interviewing Ben about his new novel.
On the same day, Savage Beasts by Rani Selvarajah retells the story of Medea in the 18th century. As the East India Company advances on Bengal, Meena, the Nawab’s abused daughter, falls for Englishman James Chilcott. After a double betrayal, Meena and James escape Calcutta, hands stained in blood and pockets filled with gold. But their differences tear them apart — with terrible consequences. Rani has written about why she wanted to tell this story.
Also on 25 May, Vita and the Birds by Polly Crosby is a dual timeline story. In 1938, Lady Vita Goldsborough lives in the shadow of her controlling brother, Aubrey. Then she meets local artist Dodie Blakeney and sees a new way to be free. In 1997 Eve Blakeney returns to the home of her beloved grandmother, Dodie. But letters she finds hold a shattering secret that echoes through the decades.
And Dark Waters Rising by Cassandra Clark, the 12th and last in her Hildegard of Meaux medieval crime series, is published in paperback on 25 May. Autumn, 1394, and at Swyne Priory dissension is rising amongst the nuns, while a storm sees water levels rise, too. When a stranger arrives, Hildegard is unsure whether he is who he claims; then a body is found. Will they be trapped with a killer?
Regency grave-robbers Sammy and Facey are back on 26 May in Siôn Scott-Wilson‘s What We Leave Behind. Coerced into the hunt for a notorious gemstone, the pair confront the weight of their actions and the legacies they will leave behind. Will they make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of Sammy’s adopted son? And can they rise above the sins of their past?
Sharon Bennett-Connolly‘s Defenders of the Norman Crown: Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey is out in paperback on 30 May. She traces the 300-year history of this powerful family, from William de Warenne, who fought at Hastings, through wars, politics, and royal marriages, until the line died out in 1347. See more in Sharon’s Historia feature on the Warennes.
Also on 30 May, Her Last Promise is the fourth in Catherine Hokin‘s Hanni Winter series. Hanni is shocked to find her teenage son Leo shares her father Reiner’s pro-Nazi views. When Leo runs away to join Reiner, she must fight not to lose him — as she lost her sister before the war. But can she bring her father to justice and save her son? Catherine’s related feature will appear in Historia.
Also expected in May, Wheel of Fortune, the first in CF Dunn‘s Tarnished Crown series, rebellion threatens the fragile peace Edward IV has achieved. Isobel Fenton is resolved that nothing will separate her from her beloved manor of Beaumancote. But she is unaware of the importance she and her land represent. Trapped, as unrest boils into war, can Isobel free herself, and will she ever find her way home?
June
Cesare Aldo returns in DV Bishop‘s Ritual of Fire on 1 June. In 1538, when a wealthy merchant is found hanged and set on fire, Florence is shaken by memories of Savonarola 40 years before. With Aldo hunting thieves in the Tuscan hills, Constable Strocchi is left to investigate this and other ritual killings. The rich flee to the countryside — but the hills can also hide murderers.
The Night of the Wolf by Cassandra Clark is published on 6 June. Friar-sleuth Brother Chandler is trying to get a copy of the banned Canterbury Tales to safety, away from Henry IV’s censors. But when his accomplice’s wife dies, he agrees to investigate the supposed accident, not guessing that he’ll uncover secrets which will put him, and all around him, in unimaginable peril.
Five books reach the shelves on 8 June. The Last Lifeboat is by Hazel Gaynor. In the North Atlantic a lifeboat holds the survivors of a U-boat attack on an evacuee ship. Two very different women are aboard: Alice King, a teacher, and Lily Nicholls, a young widow. The dramatic events of that night and the eight days that follow bind the two women together in the most devastating way.
In Disobedient by EC Fremantle, Artemisia Gentileschi works hard to become a great artist. Her new tutor, Tassi, represents everything that a life of freedom might give — until the violent act that threatens Artemisia’s honour. In the eyes of her family, she should accept her fate. In the eyes of the law, she is the villain. But Artemisia is a survivor. And this is her story to tell.
And in Matthew Harffy‘s Forest of Foes, Beobrand and his gesithas are accompanying two monks through Frankia to Rome when they save the queen from bandits. Staying at a nobleman’s house, Beobrand begins to suspect that their hosts are not their friends after all — but why not? And is the beautiful queen in danger? Matthew writes about Balthild, queen of Frankia, and how she inspired this book.
Finally on 8 June, we’re in Ancient Roman times with two from Douglas Jackson. In The Barbarian it’s 406AD and Marcus Flavius Victor embarks on a mission to recover his son from Saxon slavers — only to be caught up in an Ostrogoth invasion of Italia that pits him against his former friends and allies.
And in The Wall by Douglas Jackson, now in paperback, Marcus Flavius Victor has kept the Picts behind Hadrian’s Wall for 20 years. So why is he now stripping the defences of cavalry to strengthen his own force? Is he risking civil war to seize Britannia for himself? Or is he raising an army to save the province from what waits on the other side of the Wall? For Historia, Douglas asks: was the Wall worth all the trouble?
13 June brings the fifth and last in Chris Bishop‘s The Shadow of the Raven series. In The Prodigal Son, Wessex is again braced for Viking attacks in 893. Meanwhile, King Alfred determines to protect young Edward from a double threat: his murderous uncle, and those who wish to get their hands on the boy’s fortune — or use him to usurp the throne. We’ll have a feature from Chris soon.
Clytemnestra’s Bind by Susan C Wilson is published on 15 June. Clytemnestra of Mycenae, dethroned and forced into marriage by Agamemnon, vows to do all she can to protect the children born from her unhappy marriage. But when her husband casts his ruthless gaze towards Troy, his ambitions threaten to once more destroy the family Clytemnestra loves. Can she lift the curse on the House of Atreus? Read Susan’s feature about the Mycenean queen’s motivation.
The 1846 potato famine in Scotland is the background to Shiaba by Willie Orr, out on 20 June. Calum MacGillivray is on the brink of ruin but won’t be driven off the land of his fathers to emigrate to Canada. But Catherine, his wife, watches her children dying of starvation and knows that practical steps must be taken to save them. Can their love survive the political forces determined to tear them apart?
The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson is published on 22 June. Red’s fortune telling, using the Square of Sevens method, delights Georgian Bath. But she is tormented by questions: who was her mother? How did she die? And who were her father’s mysterious enemies? Her search for answers takes her around England, mingling in high and low society — and puts her in grave danger.
Liz Hyder‘s The Illusions is out on the same day. Cecily Marsden thinks she may have unknown powers. Eadie Carleton struggles for recognition as a film-maker. Magician George Ferris wants to harness the power of moving pictures. Their worlds combine for a spectacular performance — but Cec must fight to save it from sabotage and harness the magic within her. Liz writes about the magic-makers who inspired her book.
The Fascination by Essie Fox is also out on 22 June. Twins Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical, except Tilly hasn’t grown since she was five. Sold at 15, the girls are taken to London where Tilly becomes a pantomime star. Theo works at an anatomy museum filled with freaks. The friends are caught in a web of obsessions and deceits that will endanger Tilly’s life and expose them all to the horrors of their pasts.
29 June sees Anna Abney return to the 17th century with The Messenger of Measham Hall. For Nicholas Hawthorne, Catholic heir to Measham Hall, subterfuge is normal. But there are other secrets: why is his father so reclusive? What became of his mother, and his aunt Alethea? Who betrayed his cousin Matthew? As William of Orange prepares to invade England, Nicholas learns that both truth and love come at a high price.
July
Four books are published on 6 July. Para Bellum by Simon Turney is set in the year 381. Kitigern, king of a powerful Gothic tribe, has sworn revenge on his brother’s killers. Flavius Focalis, one of those legionaries, seeks to warn his former comrades. By land and sea, across the Empire, the former soldiers face their enemy’s wrath. For war is coming again — and the only question is, do they die now, or die later?
Bellatrix by Simon Turney (yes, him again — how does he do it?) is out in paperback on the same day. See 5 January for details.
Also on 6 July: The Lost Prince by Ethan Bale is the second in his Swords of the White Rose series. In 1485, Hungarian noblewoman Maria Hunyadi gives a quest to Sir John Hawker, retainer to the fallen King Richard III and protector of Richard’s illegitimate son. The mission: to liberate her father from a Wallachian mountain fortress. The prisoner: Vlad Dracula. Ethan has written about the real Dracula for Historia.
The same day sees the paperback edition of That Bonesetter Woman by Frances Quinn. Endurance Proudfoot isn’t exactly an ideal Georgian lady, but she has inherited her father’s skills. So while her pretty sister makes a name as a society beauty, she makes hers as London’s first and best female bonesetter. But it’s dangerous at the top, and there’s a long way to fall…
The paperback edition of Two Houses, Two Kingdoms: A History of France and England, 1100-1300 by Catherine Hanley arrives on 11 July. In an age of personal monarchy, the personalities and actions, the likes and dislikes, of kings could affect the lives of millions. As could those of the queens, the children, and other family members. Read her feature delving into these turbulent relationships.
The latest in MJ Porter‘s Brunaburh series, Kings of War, is out on 12 July. By 934, King Athelstan of the English has united the many kingdoms of Britain against the Viking raiders. But men who are kings don’t wish to be ruled. Constantin, King of the Scots, and Olaf Gothfrithson, King of the Dublin Norse, join in a challenge that leads to the pivotal, bloody, Battle of Brunanburh.
Sailor of Liberty by JD Davies has its paperback release on 13 July. See 19 January for further details.
Julie Owen Moylan‘s 73 Dove Street is one of four books published on 20 July. When Edie Budd arrives at a shabby boarding house in 1958, it’s clear she’s hiding a terrible secret. Tommie has an addiction to seedy Soho nightlife — and a man she can’t quit. Landlady Phyllis also keeps quiet about her past. But when Edie’s past catches up with her their lives change forever.
In The Lie by Mary Chamberlain, Joan, a fading singing star, is lonely and broke — until a chance encounter promises a comeback. Her sister Kathleen is a successful medical researcher who has just lost the love of her life. Then a figure from Joan’s past threatens everything they’ve built. As the sisters face the lies that bind them, a more profound truth threatens to drive them apart. Read Mary’s feature about the stark choices women had in the post-war years.
On the same day Anika Scott‘s Sinners of Starlight City is published. Madame Mystique – or Rosa Mancuso – is a performer at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. Secretly, she waits for vengeance on the Italian pilot Paolo Amanta, whose band of young Fascists murdered her relatives in Sicily. Then her cousin begs her to help face down their American family. But who is Rosa, and where does she belong? Anika’s written about Mussolini’s World’s Fair publicity coup for Historia.
The Silk Code by Deborah Swift is also out, in paperback, on 20 July. See 17 May for details.
Elizabeth Fremantle‘s Disobedient, out on 27 July, is the story of 17th-century artist Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemisia is a talented artist, but her fate, to be a wife, is sealed. A new art tutor, Tassi, is handsome and worldly, representing the life of freedom she longs for. But his violent act and subsequent trial make her the villain in the eyes of the law — and the world. Artemisia, though, is a fighter… and a survivor.
In The German Mother by Debbie Rix, Minki Sommer has everything: husband, children a career. But in 1941 little Clara starts having fits. Minki knows such children are being taken from their parents — and her husband has important Nazi connections. When he betrays them and Clara is taken, Minki vows she will find her daughter away — whatever it takes.
August
On 3 August The Cornish Rebel, the latest in Nicola Pryce‘s Cornish Saga series, is published. In 1801 Pandora Woodville returns to Cornwall to work at her Aunt Harriet’s school. But it’s facing closure and soon everyone seems to be after Harriet’s estate. Newcomer Benedict Aubyn offers support and soon Pandora is falling for him. But can he be trusted? Can she save the school — and her heart?
Acts of Love and War by Maggie Brookes is out in paperback on the same day. When two brothers who both love her join opposite sides in the Spanish Civil War, Lucy goes to Spain to persuade them to come home. Horrified by the plight of refugee children, she volunteers to help. But the question of which brother she loves is less immediate than whether any of the trio will survive.
Vaseem Khan‘s Death of a Lesser God, the fourth in his Malabar House series, sees Inspector Persis Wadia of the Bombay Police and Archie Blackfinch investigating the murder of activist Farid Mazumdar. She uncovers a possible link to a second case, the murder of an African-American GI during the Calcutta Killings of 1946. But if the man sentenced to death for Mazumdar’s murder didn’t kill him, who did? Out on 10 August.
August 11 sees the ebook release of The Lost Heir by Jane Cable. In 2020, Carla Burgess is researching family history at home in Cornwall and finds a locked tea caddy. What does it contain? In 1810, Harriet Lemon lives clandestinely with her lover, Frances Bassett. When Frances is raped, the only person who can help them hide the pregnancy and get the baby adopted is a notorious smuggler: one William Burgess…
Chris Lloyd‘s second Eddie Giral murder mystery, Paris Requiem, is out in paperback on 17 August with more dark deeds in Occupied Paris. See 23 February for details.
Master Mercurius is back on 18 August in Graham Brack‘s Murder in Maastricht. When a scholarly debate about witchcraft is arranged in Maastricht in 1686, Mercurius discovers that records of local witch trials contain impossible claims. A witchfinder insists that the women he charges bear the devil’s sign — then his body is discovered in a locked library. Could this be the work of the devil? Or someone more fleshly?
Greek Ancient Origins, edited and with an introduction by Lindsay Powell, is published in a special edition on 29 August. It follows the rise of the first Ancient Greek peoples — the Mycenaean civilization — from the 1700s BC, through to the period of Classical Antiquity more than 1,000 years later.
There is more to Charles I than civil wars and his death, Mark Turnbull shows in Charles I’s Private Life, out on 30 August. The first half of his life, for instance, has not been explored in detail, yet it sheds light on the development of Charles’s character. This new biography uses fresh viewpoints and contemporary letters to paint a portrait of Charles the man as well as Charles the king. Read Mark’s examination of the boy who would be King.
Gill Paul‘s new novel, A Beautiful Rival, will be published on 31 August. It tells the unknown history of cosmetic titans Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein and their infamous rivalry which spanned decades, broken marriages, personal tragedies and a world that was changing dramatically for women. Who would have guessed that the business of beauty could be so cut-throat? Gill’s written us a piece about women who succeeded in business over the centuries.
And on the same day A Time to Live by Vanessa de Haan sweeps from the smoking battlefields of France to the rich estates of Devon, from workers’ unrest to financial crashes, from suffragettes to political extremists. This is a story of legacy and scars, of the price of change, the price of family. Vanessa writes about how her boots-on-the-ground research succeeded when archives let her down.
September
Protector of Mercia is the fifth in MJ Porter‘s Eagle of Mercia Chronicles and it’s available as an ebook on 5 September. It’s 833 and when the sons of the banished Lord Coenwulf are kidnapped, Icel must keep his sworn oath and find them. Alone in the Northern lands, he wonders who is responsible: King Wiglaf’s queen, the king’s son, or even Lady Ælflæd. Can he rescue the boys — or will he lose his life trying?
On the same day, Tim Kinsey returns with A Fire at the Exhibition, the tenth in his Lady Hardcastle murder mysteries. It’s May, 1912, and a quiet summer turns into a busy one for Lady Hardcastle and her lady’s maid Flo when fire breaks out at the village art exhibition and a valuable book and painting are stolen, followed by a shocking death. Can they solve the crimes among all the confusion?
CB Hanley‘s latest mediaeval murder mystery, Blessed are the Dead, will be out on 7 September. Edwin Weaver is sent to Tickhill Castle by Earl Warenne to find a document that might not exist. When a body is found and the Earl musters troops to take the castle, Edwin’s search becomes more urgent. But he has to endure tragic and wrenching loss before his duty is complete.
The Hidden Years by Rachel Hore is one of four books published on 14 September. In 1939, Imogen Lockhart finds being school matron at Penmartin House is complicated. In 1966, Belle Patterson moves to the commune at Penmartin to follow her love — and because of a photo of herself as a baby. As conflicts arise at the commune, Belle has to face difficult truths — and learns how her life and Imogen’s are linked.
Also on 14 September, The Treason of Sparta by Christian Cameron is the seventh in his The Long War series. It’s 478BC. After defeating Persia in the Battle of Plataea, Athens and Sparta begin to bicker over dividing the spoils. Arimnestos, sailing past the Persian-held coasts, finds that the enemy is still not beaten… and that old alliances are now fraying. Who will save the cities of Ionia from the Great King’s wrath?
Mothers of the Mind by Rachel Trethewey is also out on the 14th. Virginia Woolf, Agatha Christie and Sylvia Plath are three of our most famous authors. Too often in the past they have been defined by their lovers; Mothers of the Mind redresses the balance by charting the complex, often contradictory, bond between them and the remarkable mothers who shaped them.
Resurrection by David Gilman is released in paperback on the same day; see 5 January for details.
The paperback edition of Anne Fletcher‘s Widows of the Ice comes out on 15 September. Unlike other accounts of the famous expedition which became a symbol of heroic failure and British bravery, this book examines the rest of the story through the experience of the wives whose husbands did not return: Kathleen Scott, Oriana Wilson and Lois Evans. Anne writes about them in The women left behind by Scott’s Antarctic expedition.
On 28 September four books are out. King of the North (Fire Born book four) by Angus Donald sees the famous berserker Bjarki Bloodhand oathsworn to Siegfried, King of the Dane-Mark. When Sigurd Hring, new King of the Svear, rejects Siegfried’s overlordship, battle is inevitable. But Bjarki isn’t the only one who’s oath-bound, and on the field he faces one of Sigurd’s shieldmaidens… Tor Hildarsdottir, his sister. Angus’s Historia feature will explore the bizarre Viking tale behind this battle.
In A Day of Reckoning, the third in Matthew Harffy‘s A Time for Swords series, it’s 796 and Hunlaf and his comrades are searching for an object of great power in the Emirate of Al-Andalus. In the city of Qadis friends and enemies alike are not always what they seem — and a weapon there, deadlier than any ever known before, could change the future of all the kingdoms in Europe.
Still with action on 28 September, Battle Song by Ian Ross is published in paperback on 28 September, 2023. It’s the first of a new medieval trilogy. See 30 March for details.
And on the same day Ancient Love Stories by Emily Hauser brings us some of the most remarkable romances in history — from tales of fearless queens and besotted emperors to men who died fighting for the men they loved. Over the last three thousand years, much has changed, of course; but love, above all, has endured.
October
Decadent Women: Yellow Book Lives by Jad Adams, out on 1 October, starts the month with a group portrait of an era of innovation and liberation. During the 1890s, British women for the first time began to leave their family homes to seek work, accommodation, and financial and sexual freedom. This is an account of some of these women who wrote for the innovative art and literary journal the Yellow Book. Read Jad’s feature about researching his subjects.
On the same day, Gill Thompson‘s The Orphans on the Train is published in ebook format. In 1939, Kirsty journeys to neutral Hungary to help in a school for Jewish children, where she befriends a pupil, Anna. When the Nazis invade Budapest in 1943, Kirsty worries desperately for her Jewish friend. What lengths must they go to in order to survive? Can their friendship bring them back to each other?
Nicola Griffith‘s Menewood is out in ebook format on 3 October (see 11 April for details).
In Theodore Brun‘s A Savage Moon on 5 October, crippled warrior Erlan must rally his strength to reclaim the stolen kingdom of his lover, Lilla. For this, he needs an army, and for an army, gold. The Byzantine Emperor’s gold. Barely escaping their heist with their lives, they voyage north for the fight. But fate strands them in a foreign land and Erlan and Lilla are drawn into the web of a dark and gruesome foe. Theo has written a history of werewolves for Historia; see why they’re part of his book.
Leanda de Lisle‘s biography of Charles I’s Queen, Henrietta Maria, gets its paperback release on the same day. Challenging nearly 400 years of prejudice, she reveals her subject as a fascinating, fearless woman. Leanda has written about this controversial figure for Historia.
Lilith by Nikki Marmery is out on 9 October. Lilith and Adam are equal and happy in the Garden of Eden. But Adam has her banished for not submitting to him and is given Eve instead. Lilith has eaten of the Tree of Knowledge, though, and plans to recue Eve, find God’s missing wife Asherah, restore balance to the world and take her place in Paradise. Nikki’s feature about her story will be in Historia in December.
Richard Sharpe is back in Bernard Cornwell‘s Sharpe’s Command on 10 October. Captain Sharpe is sent behind enemy lines to a small village in the Spanish countryside. Two French armies march towards it, and if they meet, the British are lost. Only Sharpe’s small group of men stand in their way. But they’re outnumbered, enemies are hiding in plain sight, and time is running out.
On 24 October Roman Ancient Origins is published, with an introduction by its editor Lindsay Powell. It tells stories of the legendary founding of Rome, its conquest of Italy and the Carthaginians, the rise of the Republic and the Empire, the recruitment and training of men for the legions, the destruction of Rome in the Great Fire, and the extraordinary lives of the most famous Caesars.
Tyranny’s Bloody Standard by JD Davies is out on 26 October. Philippe Kermorvant, in charge of a French frigate in the Mediterranean, must contend with a murder, a siege, and a sea duel to the death. He’s also caught up in a whirlwind romance. There are foes on every side — then a terrible face from his past threatens to uproot everything that he has built for himself.
November
It’s paperback release day on 2 November for A Thief’s Justice, the second in Douglas Skelton‘s Company of Rogues series set in the early 18th century. See 18 May for full details.
On the same day, The Dead Men by JC Harvey is also out in paperback; see 2 February.
The Temple of Fortuna, the last in Elodie Harper‘s Wolf Den trilogy, publishes on 9 November. In AD79, Amara, now a wealthy freedwoman in Rome, is caught up in the political scheming of the Imperial palace. Her daughter remains in Pompeii, raised by the only man Amara ever loved — and both are safest while she is far away. But, in the shadow of Vesuvius, how safe are they truly?
On 23 November four books are published. Wolves around the Throne is book four of SJA Turney‘s Wolves of Odin series. In 1044 Halfdan and the Wolves are drawn into a feud between two families in Normandy. Meanwhile a young illegitimate nobleman called William is seeking to take the ducal throne…
Storm Tossed Moon by Maggie Craig is the third in her Storm over Scotland series. In 1744 all Europe is waiting to see when Prince Charles Edward Stuart will land in Scotland. Redcoat Captain Robert Catto cares too much about Christian Rankeillor, and about Scotland, too. But malicious enemies lurk in the shadows. Can Robert and Kirsty dare to hope they might have a future together? Read Maggie’s feature about some of the background to her book.
Still on 23 November, Vita and the Birds by Polly Crosby comes out in paperback. Full details are above; see 25 May. We’ll have a review of this book in Historia soon.
Gill Thompson‘s The Orphans on the Train is out in paperback on the same day. See 1 October for full information.
The Miss Clara Vale Mysteries by Fiona Veitch Smith return on 28 November with The Pantomime Murders. In Newcastle in 1929, Clara investigates the murder of a famous pantomime Fairy Godmother. When her replacement is found dead, too, Clara must uncover the killer before they strike again.
Ancient Rome’s Worst Emperors by LJ Trafford, published on 30 November, is a wry and informative look at 500 years of imperators. From the sadistically cruel Caligula to the hopelessly weak Valentinian II, there were many who failed dismally at the top job for a variety of reasons. But what qualifies someone as a worst emperor? What evidence is there to support it? And should we believe any of it? Have a look at our feature on some bizarre ways to become Emperor.
December
On 1 December 10 Scotland Street by Leslie Hills tells the story of an Edinburgh house and its cast of booksellers, silk merchants, sailors, preachers, politicians, of cholera and coincidence and of its widespread connections over two centuries across the globe. Read Leslie’s Historia feature about her research.
The first in a new series by Fiona Forsyth is out on the same day. In Poetic Justice. The poet Ovid, banished to a barbarous region at the very edge of the Empire, discovers that a killer is at large in Tomis — and his poetry is the timetable the killer works by. A visit from the Praetorian Guard tells Ovid he’s in mortal danger in Tomis and in Rome if he doesn’t follow the Emperor’s line. Fiona’s feature about the background to her story will be in Historia later in the month.
In War Cry by Ian Ross, Simon de Montfort is king in all but name in 1265. But the captive Henry III’s supporters plan to overthrow the new regime. Meanwhile Adam de Norton has reclaimed his ancestral lands. A peaceful and prosperous future lies before him — until he receives a summons he cannot refuse. It’s out on 6 December.
Omdurman by Griff Hosker, the third in his Soldier of the Queen series, is published on 8 December. In 1898 Jack Roberts is recalled to the desert regiment he helped form when followers of the Mahdi seek to expand their conquests in Sudan. Fighting behind enemy lines, Jack finds his surroundings an equally deadly enemy. He must survive a bloody campaign — and the Battle of Omdurman.
Oscar’s Tale is Chris Bishop‘s latest book. In 877 a Saxon boy sets out to find his father, who has been taken by Viking slavers. Meanwhile King Alfred is desperate to regain his kingdom. Oscar, struggling to live up to his father’s reputation as a warrior, is swept up in the struggle — but finding his place in this turbulent world has a high cost. It’s out on 19 December.
Sarah Hawkswood‘s Too Good to Hang (see 18 May for details) has its paperback publication on 21 December.
There’ll be a new round-up of HWA members’ books published in 2024 here in Historia on 1 January. Do come back and have a look. It’s going to be another exciting year for history and historical fiction, with new books coming from well-loved authors and some intriguing debuts.
