Home » Fiction

Fiction

2025 Summer Reads from Aspects of History

2025 Summer Reads from Aspects of History

Our authors and contributors recommend books to take on summer holidays.

Summer Reads from Aspects of HistoryLucy Ashe Author of The Sleeping BeautiesThe Eights is Joanna Miller’s debut novel that combines fascinating historical research with the creation of four compelling female characters, The Eights is set at St Hugh’s College, Oxford,...

Paying in Blood, by Karen Haden

Paying in Blood, by Karen Haden

A thrilling mystery set amongst the religious conflict of 1600s England.
Emma Scott

It’s perhaps true that for some of us, our understanding of early 17th century England stems from the closing chapters of classroom textbooks on the Tudors, often ending with the infamous Gunpowder Plot. Paying in Blood, however, draws our focus away from familiar...

Karen Haden on Naming the Dead

Karen Haden on Naming the Dead

Karen Haden discusses her latest Tudor novel and the historical inspiration behind it.

Karen, congratulations on your new novel, Naming the Dead. How has the story moved on from the first in the series, Paying in Blood? It is exciting to release my second Alexander Baxby mystery, set in Amsterdam during the so-called Dutch Golden Age. The action follows...

A Death in Berlin, by Simon Scarrow

A Death in Berlin, by Simon Scarrow

The third instalment of Simon Scarrow’s excellent Berlin Noir series is a pacey and compelling novel.

A Death in Berlin is the third instalment of Simon Scarrow’s excellent Berlin Noir series featuring Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke. A former racing car driver turned police detective. It’s May 1940, the Second World War is less than a year old and its all quiet on...

Shadow of Poison, by Peter Tonkin

Shadow of Poison, by Peter Tonkin

Peter Tonkin once again demonstrates why he stands head and shoulders above the crowd with a novel to be enjoyed by those who know the era well as well as newcomers.

The world of Elizabethan spiery is a crowded one – but, in Shadow of Poison, Peter Tonkin once again demonstrates why he stands head and shoulders above the crowd. Given his history of writing thrillers and Elizabethan fiction, Tonkin is a master of genre and era. His...

Jim Loughran on The Bratinsky Affair

Jim Loughran on The Bratinsky Affair

The debut author talks about the real people and histories, and the books that shaped his novel.

At school I was an avid reader of history, including the swashbuckling adventures of the members of the O’Neill, O’Donnell and O’Rourke clans who used the strength of their sword arms to carve out positions of wealth and influence in their adopted homelands in...

Fiction Book of the Month: Theodore Brun on A Sacred Storm

Fiction Book of the Month: Theodore Brun on A Sacred Storm

The author of The Wanderer Chronicles delves into the history and legends that inspired his novels.

Theodore Brun, this is the second of your four books and we’re now in 8th century Sweden after Denmark in A Mighty Dawn. How does this story follow on from the first? Pretty directly. In its first draft, both novels formed part of the same enormous manuscript. (I...

Paul Bernardi on Uprising

Paul Bernardi on Uprising

Paul Bernardi returns with Uprising, book two in his Rebellion series, as Saxon resistance stirs under Norman rule.

Paul, we’re in book 2 of your Rebellion series. Can you update readers on where we are at the beginning of Uprising? At the end of book 1 (Blood Feud), we left Oslac back home in his village at Acum, following the successful conclusion of two major plot lines....

James Dunford Wood

James Dunford Wood

James Dunford Wood began working life as an art history tour guide taking specialist groups around Europe, China and Central Asia. During this time, he developed an enduring fascination with the stories of lesser known destinations and off-the-beaten track communities.
James Dunford Wood

Books Click on any of the books covers below to either buy or get more information on Amazon Articles Click on the links below to read the full article [dpdfg_filtergrid custom_query="advanced" use_taxonomy_terms="on" multiple_taxonomies="name_of_author"...

Karen Haden on Naming the Dead

Karen Haden

Karen Haden discusses her Tudor detective series, writing and her historical inspirations.

Karen Haden, what first attracted you to the period in which you write, and historical fiction in general? Having previously worked as a consultant for intelligence and cyber security agencies, I was drawn to the Tudor and Stewart years, with their complex mix of...