September 1810. Raids across the Straits of Messina to disrupt preparations for the French invasion of the island have been repulsed with heavy casualties. George Warne, a bright young British officer, suspects treachery back in Messina, and is ordered to investigate. Warne uncovers a shadowy underworld of spies, traitors and informers where nothing is quite […]
A Prince and a Spy by Rory Clements
Sweden, 1942. Two old friends meet. They are cousins. One is Prince George, Duke of Kent, brother of the King of England. The other is Prince Philipp von Hesse, a committed Nazi and close friend of Adolf Hitler. Days later, the Prince George is killed in a plane crash in the north of Scotland. The […]
Powder Smoke by Andrew Martin
York railway station, December, 1925. Detective Inspector Jim Stringer is enjoying a pint in the Parlour Bar before accompanying his wife, Lydia, to a charitable function. But when the couple meet at their regular spot near the footbridge, Jim is alarmed to see a man pointing a revolver in his direction. His thoughts go spinning […]
Secrets of the Frontline Nurses by Holly Green
As the First World War rages on, Leonora has been separated from best friend Victoria as they both do their bit for the war effort by volunteering for the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. Despite the hardships of war, Leonora is delighted to be reunited with her sweetheart Colonel Malkovic. But her happiness is short-lived when […]
The Dance of the Serpents by Oscar de Muriel
December, 1889. There have been many bad days in Edinburgh police’s secret subdivision ‘The Commission for the Elucidation of Unsolved Cases Presumably Related to the Odd and Ghostly’. But today is surely the worst. Because the exiled English Inspector Ian Frey, and his Scottish boss ‘Nine-Nails’ McGray are summoned to a meeting in the middle […]
Liberation by Imogen Kealey
Nancy Wake was an Australian girl who, aged, 16 ran away from her abusive mother to the other side of the world. Nancy Wake was a wife who, when her husband was snatched by the Gestapo, fought to be trained by SOE and returned to France to take her revenge. Nancy Wake was a soldier […]
Books to look for in 2021
Historia has put together a list of books to look out for in 2021 from HWA members – an overview of the best in historical writing published this year. After a difficult and often disappointing year for writers, publishers and booksellers, it’s heartening to see historical writing, both fiction and non-fiction, flourishing in 2021. January […]
The Three Paradises by Robert Fabbri
Alexander the Great’s sudden and unexpected death has left the largest, most formidable empire the world has ever seen leaderless. As the fight to take control descends into ruthless scheming and bloody battles, no one – man, woman or child – is safe. As wars on land and sea are lost and won, and promises […]