The past is never dead, it isn’t even past
Crusader, by Adam Staten Crusader is the third and final book in Staten’s Honour Bound trilogy, following on from Blood Debt and Oath Breaker, both of which were released in 2024 and both of which I reviewed for Aspects of History if you wish to go back to catch up on...
The History behind the DCI Frank Merlin Books I write a series about a police detective called Frank Merlin working in World War Two London. The sixth in the series, Death Of An Officer, is being published later this month. I am often asked where I get my story ideas...
MACBETH (solo) - Review Paul Goodwin’s MACBETH (solo) distils Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy into an hour of taut, unrelenting theatre. Stripped of ensemble and spectacle, this one-man performance presents the rise and ruin of Macbeth as a stark analysis on ambition,...
Why You Won’t Find King Arthur in My New Dark Ages Trilogy As an undergraduate student, I studied the historical and literary sources for the legend of Arthur for my dissertation. It didn’t go well (slight understatement). I was then ‘punished’ for not doing well on...
Operation Nightfall, by Karl Wegener The year is 1948. Mankind is still reeling from the effects of WWII. Politics causes mass division. Tyranny threatens to take over. Tensions are high, deception is rife, yet hope persists. Following the events that occurred between...
Spymasters Book Prize 2025 We are pleased and proud to announce the shortlist for the first Spymasters Book Prize. Our judges have thoroughly enjoyed reading and debating the entries. We would recommend you all to read the shortlist - and longlist - and choose your...
When The Cold War Became “Hot” Several years ago, I underwent physiotherapy treatment for shoulder pain. During one session, the physiotherapist noted I was a veteran, and wishing to pass the time, she asked me when and where I served. I replied I served in the US...
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,...
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, 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...
