Historical Books
In 1914, Ian Rutledge decided to leave his brilliant career at Scotland Yard to fight in the Great War. However, upon his return in 1919, he carries a heavy ...
Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge is facing one of the most challenging cases of his career: a murder investigation with an unidentified victim and very ...
USA Today Bestseller In this newest installment of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling series, Scotland Yard’s Ian Rutledge is faced with his most ...
Inspector Ian Rutledge investigates a possible attempted murder in this seasonal mystery novella from New York Times bestseller Charles Todd.
London, 1893, there is a poisoner on the loose in the city, causing deaths to pile up. Private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn seem to be his ...
Winner of the Shamus Award for Best Novel! London, 1893 - a series of dangerous events are unfolding at the British Museum, leading enquiry agents Cyrus ...
In 1894, London's premier enquiry agent, Cyrus Barker, finds himself caught up in a plot to resurrect the American Civil War involving influential ...
London, 1893: Private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are summoned to safeguard Tsesarevich Nicholas during his journey to England for a ...
A bombing has injured private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker, leaving his soon-to-be-married junior partner Thomas Llewelyn to hunt down the person attempting to ...
In 1890, the initial Japanese diplomatic delegation arrived in London for the opening of an embassy. Private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker, who sometimes worked ...
An original never-before-seen Barker and Llewelyn short story: includes 7 FREE CHAPTERS of OLD SCORES, the next installment in the adventures of Cyrus Barker ...
London, 1892—Cyrus Barker finds himself embroiled in a game of international espionage at the behest of the Prime Minister in the latest installment of Will ...
By the request of Her Majesty’s government, private detective Cyrus Barker reluctantly agrees to provide security for a confidential meeting with the French ...
Private Enquiry Agent Cyrus Barker is taking on his most challenging case yet in Will Thomas's Anatomy of Evil. His task? To find and stop the infamous ...
In the most recent installment of what has been described as "one of the genre's top historical-mystery series" (Booklist), the rugged private investigator ...
In The Limehouse Text, Barker and Llewelyn stumble upon a pawn ticket in the belongings of Barker's deceased assistant, leading them to the Chinese quarter ...
Description
Historical fiction is a genre that sets its stories in the past, often during significant periods of history. In these stories, the time period isn’t just a backdrop but an essential part of the setting and the narrative itself.
Historical fiction may feature fictional characters, well-known historical figures, or a combination of the two. Authors typically pay close attention to details—such as setting, clothing, and dialogue—to ensure the story feels authentic to the time period it portrays.
Sometimes, historical fiction portrays famous events from perspectives not recorded in history, showing historical figures grappling with real events but in ways not captured in historical records. Other times, the historical event or era provides a rich backdrop that shapes the characters’ lives and actions. In some cases, the story remains largely accurate, but names of people or places are changed for narrative reasons.
Because this is fiction, authors have artistic license to creatively present and explore these settings, as long as they remain reasonably faithful to established historical facts. If the story deviates significantly from historical record, it may move into the genre of alternate history, which imagines how things might have been different if a major historical event had played out differently. Similarly, historical fiction should generally follow the rules of physics and realism; stories that include magical or fantastical elements typically fall under the category of historical fantasy or historical romance.