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 […]
Beatrice Cenci: innocent victim, cunning killer – or both?
Beatrice Cenci is elusive. Even ‘her’ portrait isn’t a painting of her. Executed for murdering her abusive father, was she an innocent victim or a cunning killer? Both, says Elizabeth Fremantle, whose novel, Sinners, is a powerful reinterpretation of her story. But above all, she says, Beatrice was human. Elizabeth won the 2024 HWA Gold […]
The Austen Christmas Murders by Jessica Bull
The festive season is fast approaching. Jane Austen fears that without her lively siblings at home, there won’t be much Christmas cheer in the Austen household this year. But when she uncovers a skeleton in the cellar of Deane Parsonage, Jane soon forgets her woes. For who needs merriment, when there’s a mystery to solve? […]
The Cameo Keeper by Deborah Swift
In the heart of Rome, the conclave is choosing a new Pope, and the man elected will determine the fate of the Eternal City. Astrologer Mia and her fiancé Jacopo, a physician at the Santo Spirito Hospital, plan to marry, but the election result is a shock and changes everything. As Pope Innocent X takes […]
Pilgrim’s War by Michael Jecks
France, 1096, and crowds gather in Sens, Northern France, to hear the Hermit speak. He talks of a great pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a quest filled with promise for those Christian soldiers who march with him. Sybill knows the perils of the road ahead, but follow it she must. Her husband is a reckless gambler, easily […]
Historia interview: David Gilman
David Gilman’s new novel, Rage of Swords, is the latest in his Master of War series and sees Thomas Blackstone in action in Italy. David tells Historia about the ideas and research behind his book, as well as offering advice for authors — and choosing a delightfully unexpected item he’d like to have beside his […]
The Bruegel Boy by Emma Darwin
In the summer of 1566 an inferno of political rebellion and image-smashing, the Beeldenstorm, swept across Flanders and Holland; young Gillis Vervloet, model and muse to artist Pieter Bruegel, almost didn’t survive. More than 60 years later, in the Saarland forest, Gil wants only to enter the monastery of St Bartolomëus and live out his days […]
Swords in the Snow by Matthew Harffy and Steven A McKay
December, 1330. When thieves snatch a priceless holy relic from a Pontefract church, Friar Tuck and the bailiff, John Little, set out through snowbound Yorkshire to recover it. The relic is the only hope for a gravely ill girl. But the hunt soon turns bloody. From frozen dales to the mud-slick streets of York, John […]