In Paris 1940, survival means sacrifice. Like most in the city, Detective Eddie Giral has already lost so much under Occupation: the people he once loved, the job he once believed in. And his latest investigation into the murder of a black-marketeer has made it clearer than ever: Eddie is no longer just catching criminals. […]
The delights and dilemmas of using real people in historical fiction
“It’s fiction, but there has to be a grounding in truth.” Chris Lloyd, author of the Eddie Giral novels set in Paris in 1940, considers the delights — and the dilemmas — of using real people as characters in historical fiction. One of the biggest dilemmas I feel that historical fiction writers face is whether […]
The Memory Keeper by Corin Burnside
1940. Having grown up surrounded by nature, Bella Gardner loves nothing more than getting her hands dirty. When war breaks out, she immediately signs up for the Air Transport Auxiliary, frustrated she can’t play a more active role, yet keen to do something for the war effort. But when her brother is involved in a […]
Historia giveaway: Banquet of Beggars by Chris Lloyd
Historia is giving away copies of Banquet of Beggars by Chris Lloyd, the third in his Eddie Giral World War Two noir series! Five winners will each get a copy of Chris’s dark and atmospheric novel, set in Occupied Paris in 1940, as well as two exclusive extras: a special Parisian bookmark and a model […]
If I Can Save One Child by Amanda Lees
Young linguist Elisabeth has been working for the British secret service since the war began, rescuing downed pilots and Jewish refugees. Now, in 1942, the Gestapo are on her trail: her next mission must be her last. Or she may never see the white cliffs of Dover again. But she can’t even think about abandoning […]
The Bomber and the Weathervane by Tony Aston
In 2009 Helen and John bought an old metal weathervane, fashioned in the shape of a Lancaster bomber, and placed it on the roof of their house where it remained for the following nine years. Only when it was removed as part of them packing to relocate in 2021 was a small inscription noticed on […]
The Nazi plan to seize Gibraltar
When Graham Hurley found out about Operation Felix, the Nazi plan to seize Gibraltar, it sparked the idea behind his new book, Dead Ground. He tells Historia how his research unearthed other surprising facts which knitted together to provide a compelling plot. Confession time. Eight books into the Spoils of War collection, I’d never heard […]
The Moot at Monzie: international friendship in the shadow of the Second World War
To mark this week’s 85th anniversary of the 1939 International Rover Scout Moot at Monzie, Rob McInroy, whose latest novel is set against this huge gathering, looks back on a celebration of worldwide friendship just weeks before the Second World War broke out — causing many of these young men to end up fighting on […]