Historical Books
To save an innocent man’s life, amateur sleuth and cook Kat Holloway must expose a financial scam that could ruin the most powerful aristocrats in ...
In Victorian-era London, amateur sleuth and cook Kat Holloway must solve a murder to claim an inheritance she didn’t know she had in a riveting new ...
When Kat Holloway asks Lady Bobby Perry and Judith Townsend for help in uncovering the activities of a young nobleman at a gentlemen's club, Bobby readily ...
Intrepid cook Kat Holloway puts aside her apron to delve into Victorian London’s high society and catch a killer in this thrilling new mystery from the New ...
A new upstairs, downstairs Victorian murder mystery in the Kat Holloway series from the New York Times bestselling author of Death in Kew Gardens.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Scandal Above Stairs
From the New York Times bestselling author of Death Below Stairs.
Victorian societal boundaries blur as cook Kat Holloway becomes involved in a murder case that has ties to the monarchy. Talented cook Kat Holloway ...
Valiant cook and amateur sleuth Kat Holloway must uncover the secrets of Victorian London’s most elite noblemen to save the man she loves, from the New York ...
In the remote town of Osterley, situated in a marshy Norfolk backwater, a man is on his deathbed on a rainy autumn night. Despite knowing that Herbert ...
New Year's Eve, 1919. While dining with friends, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge is summoned away and discovers a brass cartridge casing outside. ...
Essential to most crime stories is the discovery of hidden and unfavorable information about suspected wrongdoers. However, the duo known as "Charles Todd," ...
The New York Times Book Review named Charles Todd's spectacular debut, A Test of Wills, one of its Notable Books of the Year for 1996, and it received an ...
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 ...
"Todd's astute character studies . . . offer a fascinating cross section of postwar life. . . . A satisfying puzzle-mystery." — The New York Times Book ...
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 ...
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.