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Historical Fiction July 2026 |
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| The Fire Agent by David BaerwaldA gifted linguist and musician, aristocratic German Jew Ernst Baerwald is recruited to be a spy in 1900. From working for a chemical company in Japan to adventures in Italy and other locales, he travels, falls in love, watches fascism rise, experiences world wars, and makes difficult choices again and again. This timely, intricately plotted historical spy saga is the debut of acclaimed songwriter and musician David Baerwald and is based on his grandfather's life. Try this next: Joseph O'Connor's My Father's House. |
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| A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher MurrayIn 1930s Manhattan, the city's first Black woman prosecutor, Eunice Carter, interviews Polly Adler, who owns the city's best brothel, and the two women from vastly different worlds realize they can help each other. None of Eunice's male colleagues have been able to touch gangster Lucky Luciano, who's recently put Polly's workers in danger, so the pair utilize a network of women to assemble evidence in this Reese's Book Club pick. Read-alike: Diane Richards' Ella. |
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| The Windsor Affair by Melanie BenjaminWhen King Edward VIII decides to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson, it causes his abdication and kindles conflict between Wallis and her sister-in-law, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, whose husband must now become king. Using the voices of both women, this fun, gossipy read follows Edward and Wallis, who love a good party, as well as Elizabeth and King George VI, who are faced with World War II and rebuilding in the postwar years. For fans of: The Windsor Conspiracy by Georgie Blalock; The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams. |
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| The Young Will Remember by Eve J. ChungIn 1950, Chinese American journalist Ellie Chang is on a military flight over North Korea when the plane goes down. Emma, a lonely local woman, saves Ellie by claiming she is her missing daughter, and they take refuge with Emma's pastor's family. But as the war rages on, the entire household heads south, seeking safety and the older woman's actual missing daughter in this “riveting story” (Library Journal). Try this next: Eugenia Kim's The Kinship of Secrets. |
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The Manhattan Confessions by Jocelyn GreenIvy Malone, the New-York Historical Society's librarian, is dedicated to preserving Manhattan's history, but when Adeline King reveals her shocking story, Ivy finds herself holding a coveted secret. When Ivy's immigrant cousin is detained, she is pulled further into danger. Who can she trust, and how far is she willing to go to protect those she loves? You might also like: The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper.
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The Island Club by Nicola Harrison1956: On idyllic Balboa Island, just off the California coast, life seems peaceful and welcoming. But when the lives of three women begin to unravel in shockingly different ways, an unlikely friendship--and the game of tennis--may be the only thing that can save them. Set against the sun-drenched beaches of Balboa Island, with its prim and proper 1950s facade, The Island Club is a story of love, loneliness and the lies we tell ourselves, and what can be gained when the truth is finally revealed. Try this next: The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore.
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| An Artful Dodge by Karen OddenKit Jimeson can nick a necklace off a lady in a crowded Victorian London theater, but she can't leave her all-women group of thieves until she completes one last job. She's been saving money so her younger sister can have shot at respectability, but legendary thief Maggie O'Connell has returned after years in an Australian penal colony wanting revenge, and she demands Kit's help. "Historical crime fiction at its most authentic," raves Kirkus Reviews. Try this next: Kristin Harmel's The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau. |
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| Land by Maggie O'FarrellMapping Ireland in 1865 for the British, cartographer Tomás, who survived the Great Hunger, makes sure to record the scars the famine left on the land. But after finding a magical spring, he's a changed man who relocates his reluctant family from Dublin to the remote coastal area. Weaving together several points-of-view and various times and places, this is the lyrical latest from Maggie O'Farrell (Hamnet). Read-alikes: Anna North's Bog Queen; Daniel Mason's North Woods. |
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| A Fortune of Sand by Ruta SepetysIn 1920s Detroit, Marjorie Lennox, the youngest daughter in an automotive glass dynasty, secretly joins an elite artist residency, but something feels off about the place, which is backed by a mysterious patron. When rumors spread about missing women, Marjorie investigates. Inspired by real events, A Fortune of Sand is the immersive, well-researched adult fiction debut of a popular YA author. For fans of: Crucible by John Sayles. |
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Treat Them as Buffalo by Blair Palmer YoxallAs teenage boys begin to disappear from a great plains Métis community, a young man attempts to uncover the evil force lurking out of sight. In 1885, Nikosis Niko Eriksen spends his days playing buffalo hunter, even though it's been many years since a member of his tribe has actually seen one of the once-ubiquitous animals. But when beloved Cousin goes missing, things start to fall apart. With law enforcement failing--indeed refusing--to investigate the disappearance, the community members take matters into their own hands, rallying around the leadership of a sawn-off shotgun-slinging rancher named Kate McCannon. The resultant women-led coalition of freedom fighters strikes back against the Mounted Police as they investigate the boys' disappearance and take their futures into their own hands. But violence continues to haunt Niko, and boys continue to disappear. For fans of: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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