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 […]
Hunter Class by Alan Bardos
July 1943, and Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, is under way. Lieutenant Daniel Nichols has been recruited by Ian Fleming into 30 Commando, a specialist unit that goes in ahead of the main assault to capture top secret enemy material. Nichols discovers evidence of a secret which could change the course of the conflict. […]
Atlantic Furies by Midge Gillies
In the early 20th century, the dream of crossing the Atlantic by air was as potent as putting a man on the moon would be 50 years later. But many people believed women too fragile and lacking in the skills to endure the gruelling conditions of flying long distances. This book uncovers the stories of […]
Barvick Falls by Rob McInroy
September 1939, and war is declared. For Bob and Annie Kelty, life will never be the same again, not least because they are forced to foster 12-year-old Ellen Laing, an evacuee from Finnieston in Glasgow. Amid growing tensions between the Glasgow evacuees and the residents of the sleepy village of Crieff, the feisty and quick-tempered […]
Serendipity: the historian’s secret weapon
Historians and writers need to be open to chance discoveries, says Eric Lee. Serendipity can be a researcher’s secret weapon, as he found while working on his latest book. When doing research for a work of history or a historical novel, we know (or should know) how to locate and use primary sources, where to […]
The 2025 HWA Crown Awards shortlists
The Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) has great pleasure in revealing the 2025 Crown Awards shortlists, celebrating the best in historical writing, fiction and non-fiction, published during 2024–2025. There are three awards categories — HWA Gold Crown, HWA Non-fiction Crown, and HWA Debut Crown — and six shortlisted books in each category. The books shortlisted for […]
The August Uprising, 1924 by Eric Lee
For three years following the Russian Revolution, the small South Caucasian country of Georgia was a democracy. But Stalin later ordered the Red Army to invade and to bring the country back under Russian rule. Communist attacks on political opponents, trade unions, cooperatives, and even the church sparked resistance, and an armed uprising broke out […]
The Twelve by Liz Hyder
At the stroke of midnight on winter solstice, Libby disappears – vanishing from the face of the Earth. Only her older sister, Kit, and a mysterious boy named Story remember that she ever existed. To find Libby and bring her safely home, the pair must embark on a perilous journey into the distant past, across […]