Researching naval history at the time of Nelson involves taking in a lot of technical details. But, as Katie Daysh points out, when writing naval fiction, character must come first. The Age of Sail, typically seen as between the mid-16th century into the mid-19th, has been a popular subject in fiction since the time of […]
An Officer and a Gentleman by Griff Hosker
Griff Roberts and the Desert Group find themselves the only British soldiers guarding a huge piece of Egyptian desert. When foreign powers begin to encroach on the land and to raid the caravans it is up to the beleaguered garrison of Fort Farafra to do something about it. Fighting ambush, nature and violent sandstorms, the […]
A Fortune Most Fatal by Jessica Bull
Welcome to Godmersham Park, 1797. Following many years apart, Jane Austen is set to spend the summer with her estranged brother, Neddy. As heir to wealthy widow Mrs Knight’s fortune, it is imperative that Neddy stays in his benefactor’s good graces. But upon arrival in Kent, Jane quickly realises Neddy is in dire need of […]
A Merciful Sea by Katie Daysh
Arthur Courtney is a commander without a ship and without purpose. So when old friend Captain Henry Harrison offers him a place onboard HMS Lion, bound to join Nelson’s fleet in the Mediterranean, he is eager for the opportunity. But onboard discipline has broken down; Harrison is not the captain he once was. Added to […]
Feisty Victorian women
Were Victorian women feisty? As Jem Poster says, they wouldn’t have recognised the word, but they’d have known the attitude. Some were feisty enough to become detectives – like Eliza Mace, the fictional protagonist of his new book. Reviewers of our co-written historical detective mystery, Eliza Mace, have repeatedly described the book’s titular heroine as […]
Grace and Favour at Hampton Court Palace
When Neil Daws was asked to work with Historic Royal Palaces on a cosy crime historical novel set in Hampton Court Palace he agreed enthusiastically – well, who wouldn’t? He tells us about some of the unusual places and characters he came across while researching Murder at the Palace, which is set in Hampton Court‘s […]
Eliza Mace by Jem Poster and Sarah Burton
In the Welsh borders, in the 1870s, on the cusp of adulthood, Eliza Mace is battling for her independence. Stuck in a crumbling manor house on the fringe of a small town, she is thwarted by powers that conspire to protect, control and deceive her. But when her father goes missing in mysterious circumstances, Eliza’s […]
The Household by Stacey Halls
In 1847, in a quiet house in the countryside outside London, the finishing touches are being made to welcome a group of young women. The house and its location are top secret, its residents unknown to one another, but the girls have one thing in common: they are fallen. Offering refuge for prostitutes, petty thieves […]