• Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • TV, Film and Theatre
    • One From The Vaults
  • New books
  • Columns
    • Doctor Darwin’s Writing Tips
    • Watching History
    • Desert Island Books
  • Advertising
  • About
  • Contact
  • Historia in your inbox

Historia Magazine

The magazine of the Historical Writers Association

  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • TV, Film and Theatre
    • One From The Vaults
  • New books
  • Columns
    • Doctor Darwin’s Writing Tips
    • Watching History
    • Desert Island Books
  • Advertising
  • About
  • Contact
  • Historia in your inbox

The Martian Girl by Andrew Martin

5 July 2018 By Editor

London, present day.

Jean, a failing journalist in her late thirties, finds herself entertaining a married man – a handsome, arrogant ex-barrister, universally known by his surname: Coates. Unsure of the relationship and wanting to develop her career, she begins to write a one-woman show about a mind-reader she comes across in her research – a woman who performed in the 19th Century under the name The Martian Girl, before disappearing without a trace.

London, 1898.

Kate French, a striking young woman with a love for the stage, is honing her craft in the music halls of East London at the turn of the century. As the Martian Girl, she performs each night with her mind-reading partner, the cynical and money-grubbing Joseph Draper.

As Jean makes progress on her show, Kate – long since dead – begins to consume her thoughts. Jean starts to suspect that Draper fully believed in Kate’s ability to read minds and that he found the idea deeply disturbing. What really happened between the two of them all those years ago? And why does Jean feel such an intense bond with The Martian Girl? As the line between Jean and Kate begins to blur, the fates of the two women are destined to transcend time, and finally to intersect.

Brilliantly conceived, The Martian Girl is a dazzling thriller that will get inside your mind.

jimstringernovels.com/home

Share this article:Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on google
Google
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email

Filed Under: New books

Search

What’s new in historia

Sign up for our monthly email newsletter:

Follow us on social media:

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook

New books by HWA members

The Bruegel Boy by Emma Darwin

6 November 2025

The Prompts You Need to Help You Write the Book You Want to Write by Jem Poster and Sarah Burton

6 November 2025

Swords in the Snow by Matthew Harffy and Steven A McKay

6 November 2025

See more new releases

Showcase

Editor’s picks

Show, don’t tell, Write what you know: do they work for historical fiction?

28 June 2025

Writing about Margaret Tudor

23 June 2024

Painting by Vermeer of a woman writing

What counts as historical fiction?

29 September 2018

Popular topics

14th century 16th century 17th century 18th century 19th century 20th century 1920s 1930s Ancient Rome Anglo-Saxons author interview awards biography book review Catherine Hokin ebook France historical crime historical fiction historical mystery historical thriller history HWA HWA Crown Awards HWA Debut Crown Award London Matthew Harffy medieval new release paperback research review Scotland Second World War short stories spies the writing life Tudors Vikings women's history writer's life writing writing advice writing tips WWII

The Historical Writers’ Association

Historia Magazine is published by the Historical Writers’ Association. We are authors, publishers and agents of historical writing, both fiction and non-fiction. For information about membership and profiles of our member authors, please visit our website.

Read more about Historia or find out about advertising and promotional opportunities.

ISSN 2515-2254

Recent Additions

  • Historia interview: David Gilman
  • The Bruegel Boy by Emma Darwin
  • The Prompts You Need to Help You Write the Book You Want to Write by Jem Poster and Sarah Burton

Search Historia

Contact us

If you would like to contact the editor of Historia, please email editor@historiamag.com

Copyright © 2014–2025 The Historical Writers Association