Margaret Tudor, the elder sister of her more famous brother Henry VIII, is the single most important Tudor figure of this era that historians have consistently overlooked. Married at 13 to the charismatic James IV of Scotland, a man more than twice her age, she would learn the skills of statecraft that would enable her […]
Naples 1944 by Keith Lowe
The Second World War destroyed countless cities in Europe and Asia. This is the story of the first major European city to be liberated by the Allies. The book describes not only what happened to Naples when the scourge of war lashed down upon it, but also, crucially, what happened next. This is the first […]
The Blackbirds of St Giles by Lila Cain
It’s 1782, Daniel and his sister Pearl arrive in London with the world at their feet and their future assured. Having escaped a Jamaican sugar plantation, Daniel fought for the British in the American War of Independence and was rewarded with freedom and an inheritance. But the city is not a place for men like […]
Spycraft by Nadine Akkerman and Pete Langman
Early modern Europe was a hotbed of espionage, where spies, spy-catchers, and conspirators pitted their wits against each other in deadly games of hide and seek. Theirs was a dangerous trade–only those who mastered the latest techniques would survive. This book explores the methods spies actually used in the period, including disguises, invisible inks, and […]
1217: The Battles that Saved England by Catherine Hanley
In 1215 King John had agreed to the terms of Magna Carta, but then reneged on his word, plunging the kingdom into war. Rebellious barons offered the throne to the French prince, Louis, and set off a chain of events that almost changed the course of English history. Louis arrived in May 1216, was proclaimed […]
The Queen and the Countess by Anne O’Brien
England in the 1450s, and Queen Margaret knows she must protect the crown, and her son Prince Edward’s claim to it, at all costs. It is up to her to fight for their inheritance, with her husband King Henry VI becoming increasingly frail. And as the Wars of the Roses rage on, Margaret’s enemies lurk […]
City of Destruction by Vaseem Khan
Bombay, 1951, and a political rally ends in tragedy when India’s first female police detective, Persis Wadia, kills a lone gunman as he attempts to assassinate the divisive new defence minister, a man calling for war with India’s new post-Independence neighbours. With the Malabar House team tasked to hunt down the assassin’s co-conspirators — aided […]
The Endeavour of Elsie Mackay by Flora Johnston
The Honourable Miss Elsie Mackay, glamorous ex-film star turned bold aviator, sets her sights on becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Her friend Stella Campbell once felt at the heart of world events, but post-war hopes are frayed and marriage and motherhood have worn away her sense of self. Meanwhile, Stella’s sister […]