I was recently asked to write a short article with some of my book recommendations. It came from a website called Shepherd, where authors create lists of their top books. There are all sorts of topics, from general themes such as novels about Shakespeare, to more niche subjects. “The best children’s books about chocolate” offers some tasty treats, or you can release your inner explorer with “The best history books to travel back in time and live adventurously”. Sounds like a lot of fun!
As you know, I’m partial to a spot of history, and so I elected to write about some excellent books about historical figures. There are plenty to choose from, of course, and I suppose I could have included a few of my own Charles Dickens Investigations books. But that wouldn’t have been playing fair.
I think I’ve managed to get a good mix in there. There are some famous names, untold stories of little-known women, fair chances for historical figures that have been judged poorly, and even one where Her Majesty The Queen turns detective. Hmm, I wonder if she was inspired by our friend, Mr Charles Dickens?
Anyway, here is my full list for your perusal. You can read more about each book on the Shepherd website, and browse some of their other lists too. I’ve had a delve through them myself and there are some excellent authors on there.
- Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
- Miss Austen: A Novel of the Austen Sisters, by Gill Hornby
- The Poison Keeper, by Deborah Swift
- Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel
- The Windsor Knot, by SJ Bennett
What would your top five historical novels be? Come and join the discussion over on my Facebook page. Or, if you enjoy intrigue and mystery, browse my Charles Dickens Investigations novels. There’s plenty there to keep you following close on the tail of murderers and thieves.
