Ben Kane‘s new novel, Napoleon’s Spy, will be published on 25 May. It’s a new era for Ben, and we hope you’re as intrigued about it as we are! So to celebrate, we’re giving away five copies, one to each of five giveaway winners. For your chance to win this book, described by Giles Kristian […]
Six godmothers of archaeology
Alexandra Walsh pays tribute to six pioneering women who gained respect in the male domain of archaeology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and who inspired her latest novel. They were the ‘godmothers of archaeology’ who worked in Crete, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Turkey at sites such as Knossos, Babylon and Troy. The […]
Burke and the Lines of Torres Vedras by Tom Williams
In 1810 Wellington needs to protect his army against Napoleon’s stronger forces in the Peninsula. His answer? The Lines of Torres Vedras: one of the greatest defensive works the world has ever seen. But for his strategy to work, the Lines must stay a secret until the French arrive. Fresh from a successful mission in […]
Wellington’s biggest Peninsular War secret
Tom Williams writes about the Lines of Torres Vedras in Portugal, Wellington’s biggest secret (in terms of size, anyway) during the Peninsular War against Napoleon. Today (7 April) sees the publication of the latest of my stories about Napoleonic-era spy, James Burke. Burke and the Lines of Torres Vedras is set in Portugal in 1810. […]
The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden
In 1852 Margaret Lennox is offered a position as governess at Hartwood Hall. She quickly accepts, hoping this isolated country house will allow her to leave her past behind. But Margaret soon starts to feel there’s something odd about her new home, despite her growing fondness for her bright, affectionate pupil, Louis. Strange figures move […]
Madwoman by Louisa Treger
In 1887 young Nellie Bly sets out for New York and a career in journalism, determined to make her way as a serious reporter, whatever that may take. But life in the city is tougher than she imagined. Down to her last dime and desperate to prove her worth, she comes up with a dangerous […]
How Victorian literature helped me write my debut novel
Katie Lumsden’s debut novel, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, is a “love letter to her favourite books” — the classics of Victorian literature. She explains how these works didn’t just inspire her writing; they also helped her to craft a book which is Victorian in its voice, feel, and richness of plot and character, but […]
A Bitter Remedy by Alis Hawkins
Jesus College, Oxford, 1881. An undergraduate is found dead at his lodgings and the medical examination reveals some shocking findings. When the young man’s guardian blames the college for his death and threatens a scandal, Basil Rice, a Jesus college fellow with a secret to hide, is forced to act and finds himself drawn into […]