Tommy Two Shoes, Ballroom Bev and their quirky troupe of ballroom dancers come to the seaside town of Scarborough — and Helen Dexter’s Seaview Hotel. However, beneath the glitter balls and sequins, there’s bitter rivalry between the dancers — both on and off the dance floor — and the dancing turns deadly when one of […]
How Ian Fleming’s secret war work inspired James Bond
Ian Fleming’s work for Naval Intelligence during the Second World War still remains largely secret. Alan Bardos investigates what we do know about it and how it inspired the James Bond books — and Alan’s own latest spy thriller, Hunter Class. It was often quipped in the gentlemen’s clubs of Piccadilly that Ian Fleming did […]
Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor
Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own unforgettable adventure much closer to home… When news reaches Kansas that her beloved sister has tragically died, Emily must become a mother overnight. Her sister’s orphaned child, Dorothy, desperately needs a home. But Emily doubts her ability to fill her sister’s […]
Cover Story by RN Morris
Things aren’t going well for writer Col Newton. It’s ten years since he published his only novel, a critically acclaimed commercial flop. Then out of the blue, he hears from his old university friend, Chris Lazenby. There had always been rumours Lazenby was a spy. Turns out the rumours were true. Lazenby has a tempting […]
The winners! The HWA Crown Awards 2025
The Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) is delighted to announce the winners of the 2025 HWA Crown Awards, celebrating the best in recent historical writing, fiction and non-fiction! The winners of the Gold Crown for fiction, the Non-fiction Crown and the Debut Crown were revealed on Wednesday, 19 November, at an awards party at Crypt on […]
Annie’s Day by Apple Gidley
As a young Australian Army nurse, Annie endures the brutalities of World War II in Singapore and New Guinea. Later, seeking peace, she takes refuge in Berlin — only to find herself caught in the upheaval of the Blockade. Through it all, the death of a man she barely knew leaves a wound that refuses […]
Dead On by Bryan J Mason
In Belfast in 1990, everyone knows who they are and what side they are on. Or do they? Harry Burnard and The Squad are back looking for new criminal cases to work. They are not allowed to work on terrorist cases, only crime. But there is no crime. Only terrorism. Carlo Fontaine leads the IRA’s […]
The troubles with history
How best to write a novel about events in recent — and still sensitive and painful — history? That was the question Bryan J Mason faced when he began his trilogy set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. His solution may be surprising, but it reflects the reality of life there. Although a recognisable period […]