Historical Fiction
November 2025

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The Hong Kong Widow by Kristen Loesch
The Hong Kong Widow
by Kristen Loesch

Hong Kong, 1953: In a remote mansion, witnesses insist a massacre took place. The police see nothing but pristine rooms and declare it a collective hallucination. Until decades later, when one witness returns...
The Mad Wife by Meagan Church
The Mad Wife
by Meagan Church

In the 1950s, nothing is valued more than conformity, and Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the ideal housewife. But after the birth of her daughter, Lulu's carefully constructed life begins to teeter. Exhausted by expectations and haunted by tragic memories, Lulu looks to her new neighbor, Bitsy. Bitsy, always the model of a perfect housewife, is not quite what she seems and Lulu knows something dark lurks beneath Bitsy's constant smile. 
Queen Esther by John Irving
Queen Esther
by John Irving

 Esther Nacht is born in Vienna in 1905. Her father dies on board the ship to Portland, Maine; her mother is murdered by anti-Semites in Portland. Dr. Larch knows it won't be easy to find a Jewish family to adopt Esther; in fact, he won't find any family who'll adopt her. When Esther is fourteen, soon to be a ward of the state, Dr. Larch meets the Winslows, a philanthropic New England family with a history of providing foster care for unadopted orphans. The Winslows aren't Jewish, but they despise anti-Semitism. Esther's gratitude for the Winslows is unending; even as she retraces her roots back to Vienna, she never stops loving and protecting the Winslows.
The Scarlet Ribbon by Naomi Stephens
The Scarlet Ribbon
by Naomi Stephens

As the Revolutionary War unfurls around her, Rebekah Stanton is abandoned by the man who once claimed to love her. Shunned by her father and forced to give up her child, she finds herself thrust into prostitution at the local boarding house. When the British seize control of the nearby fort, she gives little thought to the officers who frequent the boarding house. Men are men regardless of the color of their uniform...or so she believes. But then a young man-a Patriot spy named Benjamin Renshaw-stumbles upon her in the darkness, and she saves him from a group of pursuing Redcoats. With an attack on the fort brewing in the background and the father of her child returned to serve with the British, Rebekah is torn between old dreams and new hope, struggling all the while to find peace and forgiveness in a place of rising conflict.
Through Each Tomorrow by Gabrielle Meyer
Through Each Tomorrow
by Gabrielle Meyer

In 1883, Charles enters elite circles entwined with intrigue, but suspicions of his identity arise among the upper crust. In 1563, Cecily serves Queen Elizabeth while her stepbrother Charles seeks to save the ailing monarch. As their futures hang by a thread, they must race against time to prevent their secrets from ensnaring them in an inescapable destiny.
Mysteries in History
The Devil in Oxford: A Ruby Vaughn Mystery by Jess Armstrong
The Devil in Oxford: A Ruby Vaughn Mystery
by Jess Armstrong

If someone were to ask American heiress Ruby Vaughn how exactly the occult came to play such a large role in her life, she would immediately point to her octogenarian housemate and employer, Mr. Owen. Together, the pair run a rare book shop in Exeter. Mr. Owen's penchant for arcane, unusual--and occasionally illegal--books has been known to get Ruby into her fair share of trouble. And after the last year, she is looking forward to spending a quiet holiday in picturesque Oxford while Mr. Owen attends the annual meeting of his antiquarian society. Secretly, Ruby is also looking for a holiday from her confounding feelings for Ruan Kivell, the intriguing folk healer Pellar that she met in Cornwall. When Mr. Owen secures two tickets to an upcoming exhibition of artifacts amassed by disgraced scholar Julius Harker, Ruby reluctantly agrees to attend. The evening turns out to be more eventful than either of them bargained for. 
The Hidden City: A Charles Lenox Mystery by Charles Finch
The Hidden City: A Charles Lenox Mystery
by Charles Finch

Against the vividly drawn backdrop of Victorian London, amateur sleuth Charles Lenox must unlock a mystery concealed in the architecture of the city itself, in this new novel from acclaimed author Charles Finch.It's 1879, and Lenox is convalescing from the violent events of his last investigation. But a desperate letter from an old servant forces him to pick up the trail of a cold case: the murder of an apothecary seven years before, whose only clue is an odd emblem carved into the doorway of the building where the man was killed. When Lenox finds a similar mark at the site of another murder, he begins to piece together a hidden pattern which leads him into the corridors of Parliament, the slums of East London, and ultimately the very heart of the British upper class. 
The Ivory City by Emily Bain Murphy
The Ivory City
by Emily Bain Murphy

The St. Louis World's Fair, 1904: A miniature city of palaces and pavilions that becomes a backdrop for romance, betrayal--and murder. Cousins Grace and Lillie have been best friends since birth, despite Grace's vastly inferior social status ever since her mother married for love instead of wealth. When Lillie invites Grace to the biggest event of the century--the legendary World's Fair, also known as The Ivory City--Grace hopes her fortunes might be about to change. But when a member of their party is brutally killed at the fair, and suspicion falls on Lillie's brother Oliver, Grace must prove Oliver's innocence before her beloved cousins' family is ruined forever. Along the way, she'll discover that the city's wealthy elite--including Oliver's handsome but irritable friend Theodore--aren't quite who they appear to be. And amidst the glitz, glamor, and magic of the Ivory City lurks a danger that just may claim her life.
Murder at Holly House by Denzil Meyrick
Murder at Holly House
by Denzil Meyrick

A village of secrets. Yorkshire, 1952. Christmas is fast approaching when a dead stranger is found lodged up the chimney of Holly House in the snow-covered village of Elderby. Is he a simple thief, or a would-be killer? A mystery that can't be solved. Inspector Frank Grasby is ordered to investigate. But as is often the way for him, things don't go according to plan. A Christmas to remember. When the local doctor's husband is murdered, Grasby begins to realize that everyone in Elderby is hiding something. And if he can't uncover the truth soon, the whole country will pay a dreadful price..-- Provided by publisher.
The Queen Who Came in from the Cold: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates by S. J. Bennett
The Queen Who Came in from the Cold: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates
by S. J. Bennett

 1961, England. The Queen is spending a night on board the royal train with her entourage and her sister, Princess Margaret. But before they reach their destination, an unreliable witness claims to have seen a brutal murder from one of the carriages. The Queen and her assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, get to work on their second joint investigation. No one else saw the crime. 
Historical Fantasy
As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel
As Many Souls as Stars
by Natasha Siegel

For fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, an inventive and romantic speculative novel about two women-a witch and an immortal demon-who make a Faustian bargain and are drawn into a cat-and-mouse chase across multiple lifetimes-- Provided by publisher.
Fallen City by Adrienne Young
Fallen City
by Adrienne Young

In the great walled city of Isara, political turmoil ignites a rebellion one hundred years in the making. But when a legionnaire falls in love with a Magistrate's daughter, their love will threaten the fate of the city and the will of the gods. Luca Matius has one purpose--to carry on the family name, maintaining its presence in the Forum once his powerful and cruel uncle dies. But his noviceship with the city's Philosopher places him in the middle of a catastrophe that will alter the destiny of his people.
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