5 Historical Fiction Books Written by Expert Historians

British professor of history, author of several nonfiction books, and the creator of ONE NIGHT IN WINTER, Montefiore uses his expert knowledge of Soviet Russia, World War II, and Joseph Stalin to write a story of forbidden love in Moscow, just weeks after the end of WWII. The inciting incident is the death of two teenagers by gunshot, only a short distance from the Kremlin. From there, readers are treated to a dynamic story of the causes and consequences of those adolescent deaths—including Stalin’s personal involvement. Labeled “The Children’s Case,” Stalin insists upon a ruthless investigation, which entails interviewing students at the school for the privileged and their parents. The result? More secrets and suspicions than anyone could have ever imagined, leading us to the fateful day when two young lives were taken. With Stalin pulling the strings, readers are given a compelling political thriller from a rich historical saga that is expertly executed by a gifted writer and historian.

With a PhD in nineteenth-century British history from the University of Cambridge, Tom Crewe is more than equipped to write a good historical novel. Instead, he writes a great one. Set in, you guessed it, nineteenth-century London, Crewe captures the lives of two men as they collaborate on a book in defense of homosexuality. There’s John Addington, a married father of three girls, who also happens to have a lover, Frank, a working-class man. And there’s Henry Ellis, a virgin studying to become a doctor with an academic interest in sex. He’s married to Edith, a bisexual writer whose own lover Angelica is soon invited into Henry and Edith’s relationship. The two men, despite never meeting face-to-face, connect over a shared love of Walt Whitman and begin a correspondence about the subject of gay British men, eventually completing a book on homosexuality as a natural variation of human sexuality. But when poet and playwright Oscar Wilde is arrested for “gross indecency,” the two men must decide whether publishing it is worth becoming pariahs. Richly plotted, wholly engaging, and beautifully written, THE NEW LIFE is historical fiction at its finest.

Art historian Iain Pears’s THE IMMACULATE DECEPTION is the seventh novel in his Jonathan Argyll series. If you haven’t read any of the previous novels in the series, don’t worry, this book operates well as a standalone featuring Jonathan’s wife, Flavia di Stefano, most prominently as she seeks to return a stolen Claude Lorrain painting taken from the Louvre. But the thing about Landscape with Cephalis and Procris being taken is that, despite a ransom being demanded, it’s actually against the law in Italy to make such a payment. As a result, Flavia, the acting head of Rome’s art-theft squad, must go a little “off the book” to solve this case. Meanwhile, Jonathan, an art historian studying an Immaculate Conception painting that was stolen many decades ago, is finding surprising revelations in its history that connect it to an old adversary and the current case that Flavia is undertaking. It seems that this search for an art thief might be far more deadly than first imagined. Fast-paced, high-spirited, and just downright fun, this book explores Rome from an art historian’s perspective and dives deep into the intriguing art-theft trade.

Renaissance scholar turned private investigator Leslie Silbert is more than suited to craft a completely compelling work of historical fiction. And that’s exactly what she’s done in THE INTELLIGENCER. The plot is split between two periods: 1593 London, where a playwright and spy in Queen Elizabeth I’s secret service has been murdered and present-day New York City, where a renaissance scholar turned private eye (sound familiar?) named Kate Morgan investigates a heist and murder involving an antique manuscript recently found in London. The scribblings appear to be that of Christopher Marlowe—the aforementioned playwright and spy—who kept extensive records of blackmail, arms smuggling, and off-the-book deals with foreign powers. Nearly all of these actions have consequences that manifest in modern forms as Kate travels the world trying to find out who wants this dirty laundry list badly enough to kill for it. From sixteenth-century London to modern-day US intelligence offices, THE INTELLIGENCER offers dual narrative twists that keep readers on edge until its ultimate, satisfying conclusion.

British author and public historian Alison Weir’s THE LAST WHITE ROSE explores the life of Henry VIII’s mother, Elizabeth of York, the first queen of the Tudor dynasty. And, boy, it doesn’t disappoint. The eldest daughter of King Edward IV, Elizabeth is the family favorite, living a happy life until tragedy strikes. When her father suddenly dies, her uncle, Richard III, springs into action to profit from his death, mainly by taking control of the throne. But that’s not all he desires, as he seeks to make Elizabeth his bride. Thankfully, Henry Tudor challenges Richard’s position, defeating him in battle and ascending to power himself. A dramatic life captured in incredible detail, THE LAST WHITE ROSE depicts every nuance of Elizabeth of York en route to her mothering the son who would go on to become Henry VIII. Engaging throughout, Alison Weir’s historical fiction work is the ultimate example of how an expert in the field can turn a well-known period and personality into an engrossing novel.