Vaseem Khan’s latest murder mystery is set in Nagaland, in the north-eastern region of India. He writes about the history of the area once known as the Naga Hills and the tribes who lived there – people who were, until fairly recently, headhunters. In the far north-eastern corner of India is the state of Nagaland, […]
Travelling to Weimar Berlin – in 1930 and the 2020s
Fiona Veitch Smith travels to Weimar Berlin in 1930, using her antique Baedeker guidebook, and finds that the nearly 100-year-old book can still help her find the places she’s researching in the 2020s. In previous articles for Historia I outlined how I use vintage fashion and vintage guide books as research for my neo-Golden Age […]
Bad Company on Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane
Bristol, 1942, and following the death of her controlling husband, Margaret Routledge is no longer the downtrodden church mouse she once was. Now she’s the talk of the Close, frequenting seedy pubs and clubs where men gather to pick up good-time girls. It seems Margaret is past redemption until she sees neighbour Jenny Crawford’s headstrong […]
The Berlin Murders by Fiona Veitch Smith
In September, 1930, fearless detective Miss Clara Vale is bound for Berlin, but this trip is all about la mode, not murder. Clara is set to walk the runway at Berlin Fashion Week, as a favour to her designer friend Juju, with her assistant Bella in tow. Elections loom in Germany, and among Juju’s friends, […]
The fall and rise of fascism
Catherine Hokin, author of The Girl Who Told the Truth, reflects on the rise and fall of Oswald Mosley’s fascist movement in England, how fascism continued after the end of the Second World War, and the lessons history can teach us. “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” That quote from […]
The Girl Who Told The Truth by Catherine Hokin
It’s London in 1941, and the war has already taken everything from Annie. Her sweetheart, Harry, returned from the front with broken limbs and grief-stricken eyes, and her father betrayed his family by joining the Nazis. But with each new day at her desk in the War Office, a flame burns inside her to right […]
Historical books to look out for in 2026
Welcome to Historia’s most popular regular feature, our round-up of historical books published by members of the Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) to look out for this year. In 2026, there are more than 130 books so far — historical fiction, history, and biography. They range from Ancient Greece and Rome to the mid-20th century via the Viking […]
The Rapids and the Alley by Patrick Larsimont
It’s Autumn, 1943, and fighter pilot Jox McNabb is back in command of No. 333 Squadron, the Black Pigs. On the ground, the Salerno landings are bogged down and the enemy’s ‘miracle weapons’ are taking a terrible toll. Allied over-confidence is exposed, as one disaster follows the next in a land which appears perfectly designed […]