Top new historical-fiction books in April 2024
Last updated:
April 30, 2024
April 2024 featuring new releases by Amor Towles, David Baldacci, Robert Dugoni, Amy Harmon, Leigh Bardugo, Jean Grainger, Jo Piazza, Danielle Steel, Jennifer Chiaverini, Ruth Reichl and many more.
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Table for Two: Fictions by Amor Towles
From the bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway , A Gentleman in Moscow , and Rules of Civility , a richly detailed and sharply drawn collection of stories set in New York and Los AngelesThe millions of readers of Amor Towles are in for a treat as he shares some of his shorter six stories set in New York City and a novella in Los Angeles...fiction · historical-fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · season-spring · urban · marriage · anthologies · 20th-century · adult -
![A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci]()
A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci
Set in the tumultuous year of 1968 in southern Virginia, a racially-charged murder case sets a duo of white and Black lawyers against a deeply unfair system as they work to defend their wrongfully-accused Black defendants in this courtroom drama from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci...mystery · fiction · historical-fiction · suspense · legal · social-commentary · 20th-century · historical · audiobook · law-enforcement -
![A Killing on the Hill by Robert Dugoni]()
A Killing on the Hill by Robert Dugoni
A gripping new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.The Great Depression. High-level corruption. And a murder that’s about to become Seattle’s hottest mystery. It’s the kind of story that can make a reporter’s career. If he lives to write about it.Seattle, 1933. The city is in the grips of the Great Depression, Prohibition, and vice...mystery · historical-fiction · historical · thriller · murder · legal · crime · fiction · book · adult -
![The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon]()
The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon
From New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon comes a sweepingly romantic tale of risk, redemption, and what happens when America’s most famous outlaw falls in love. When infamous outlaw Butch Cassidy decides to go straight, he discovers that too many of the powerful men he crossed won’t let bygones be bygones. To have a chance at a new life, he’ll have to become someone else entirely...romance · historical-fiction · western · fiction · audiobook · historical · industrial-era · book · adult -
![The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo]()
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion...romance · fantasy · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · magic · early-modern · magical-realism · paranormal · book -
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![Closer than you think: A Mags Munroe Story by Jean Grainger]()
Closer than you think: A Mags Munroe Story by Jean Grainger
Mags Munroe is juggling a lot. A Gen Z new Garda recruit who lectures everyone on political correctness, teenage daughters who are determined to fill the house with unruly animals, a mother-in-law that is not improving with age, and a husband with a loud new hobby...cozy · animals · historical-fiction · fiction · literary-fiction · epic · family · mystery · book · adult -
![The Sicilian Inheritance: A Novel by Jo Piazza]()
The Sicilian Inheritance: A Novel by Jo Piazza
From bestselling author and award-winning journalist Jo Piazza, comes a transporting novel rooted in the author's own family history about a long-awaited trip to Sicily, a disputed inheritance, and a family secret that some will kill to protect . . .Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business and marriage...fiction · historical-fiction · mystery · historical · audiobook · family · womens-fiction · female-mc · book · adult -
![Only the Brave by Danielle Steel]()
Only the Brave by Danielle Steel
A powerful new novel from Danielle Steel, whose countless #1 New York Times bestselling novels have made her one of America’s favorite storytellers...historical-fiction · ww2 · fiction · female-mc · mystery · historical · 20th-century · romance · book · adult -
![The Museum of Lost Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini]()
The Museum of Lost Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini
Jennifer Chiaverini’s beloved and bestselling Elm Creek Quilts series returns with the first Elm Creek Quilts novel since 2019’s The Christmas Boutique.Summer Sullivan, the youngest founding member of Elm Creek Quilts, has spent the last two years pursuing a master’s degree in history at the University of Chicago...fiction · historical-fiction · contemporary · ww2 · literary-fiction · friendship · female-mc · 20th-century · book · adult -
![The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl]()
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
Bestselling author Ruth Reichl takes readers on an adventure of food, art, and fashion in 1980s Paris in this dazzling, heartfelt novelStella reached for an oyster, tipped her head and tossed it back. It was cool and slippery, the flavor so briny it was like diving into the ocean..europe · western-central-europe · france · urban · romance · fiction · historical-fiction · contemporary · family · literary-fiction -
![The Beautiful People by Michelle Gable]()
The Beautiful People by Michelle Gable
Set against the glamorous 1960s Jet Set, a novel about a failed debutante whose new job as assistant to society photographer Slim Aarons takes her into Palm Beach’s inner circle, and into a beguiling friendship with the star at its center, fashion designer Lilly PulitzerIt’s 1961, and for Margo Hightower, everything is about to change...historical-fiction · fiction · audiobook · season-summer · womens-fiction · contemporary · female-mc · 20th-century · family · breakup -
![The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton]()
The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s atmospheric new novel.With the Great War finally behind them, thousands of civilians and business moguls alike flock to South Florida with their sights set on making a fortune...historical-fiction · gothic · mystery · fiction · historical · horror · audiobook · marriage · hispanic · book -
![Lucky by Jane Smiley]()
Lucky by Jane Smiley
From the best-selling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, a soaring, soulful novel about a folk musician who rises to fame across our changing times.Before Jodie Rattler became a star, she was a girl growing up in St. Louis... -
![The Lost Letters of Aisling: A Novel by Cynthia Ellingsen]()
The Lost Letters of Aisling: A Novel by Cynthia Ellingsen
A woman faces the past she fled in a heart-stirring novel about unforgettable love and indomitable courage by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Lighthouse Keeper.Rainey’s grandmother makes a startling Take me home. To Ireland, the country she fled post–World War II. Though they’re inseparably close, Rainey knows few of her grandmother’s secrets...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · ww2 · family · 20th-century · coming-of-age · romance · friendship · female-mc -
![The Sweet Blue Distance by Sara Donati]()
The Sweet Blue Distance by Sara Donati
In 1857 a young midwife braves the perilous journey west from New York City to Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory in this captivating epic from Sara Donati, the international bestselling author of Where the Light Enters .Carrie Ballentyne’s life was upended in 1845 when she had to leave the only home she’d ever known in the mountains of upstate New York...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · western · indigenous-mc · medical · action-adventure · industrial-era · victorian -
![The German Girl: Gripping and unputdownable World War 2 fiction by Eoin Dempsey]()
The German Girl: Gripping and unputdownable World War 2 fiction by Eoin Dempsey
Sometimes, the deadliest enemy lies within. It is 1942, and war is raging in Europe. Monika Ritter is in New York with her husband, Michael. Haunted by memories of her childhood in Germany and her father’s death at the hands of the Nazis, she longs to do her bit against Hitler’s rampaging armies... -
![Death in the Spires by K.J. Charles]()
Death in the Spires by K.J. Charles
The newspapers called us the Seven Wonders. We were a group of friends, that’s all, and then Toby died. Was killed. Murdered. 1905. A decade after the grisly murder of Oxford student Toby Feynsham, the case remains hauntingly unsolved. For Jeremy Kite, the crime not only stole his best friend, it destroyed his whole life...romance · mystery · historical · historical-fiction · lgbtq · mlm · crime · fiction · audiobook · dark-academia -
![The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron]()
The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron
Inspired by real accounts of the Forgotten Blitz bombings, The British Booksellers highlights the courage of those whose lives were forever changed by war—and the stories that bind us in the fight for what matters most.A tenant farmer’s son had no business daring to dream of a future with an earl’s daughter, but that couldn’t keep Amos Darby from his secret friendship with Charlotte Terrington .romance · historical-fiction · christian · fiction · ww2 · historical · audiobook · ww1 · family · drama -
![The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez]()
The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez
An epic novel of the construction of the Panama Canal, casting light on the unsung people who lived, loved, and labored there, by Cristina Henríquez, acclaimed author of The Book of Unknown AmericansIt is said that the canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built...fiction · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · historical · poc-mc · latinx-mc · social-commentary · hispanic · family · book -
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![The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez]()
The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez
Literary icon Julia Alvarez returns with an inventive and emotional novel about storytelling itself that will be an instant classic. Alma Cruz, the celebrated writer at the heart of The Cemetery of Untold Stories , doesn’t want to end up like her friend, a novelist who fought so long and hard to finish a book that it threatened her sanity...fiction · magical-realism · fantasy · literary-fiction · historical-fiction · latinx-mc · hispanic · low-fantasy · poc-mc · book -
![What Cannot Be Said by C.S. Harris]()
What Cannot Be Said by C.S. Harris
A seemingly idyllic summer picnic ends in a macabre murder that echoes a pair of slayings fourteen years earlier in this riveting new historical mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Who Cries for the Lost...romance · mystery · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · industrial-era · regency · law-enforcement · cozy · amateur-sleuth -
![Murder in Rose Hill by Victoria Thompson]()
Murder in Rose Hill by Victoria Thompson
Midwife Sarah Malloy and her private detective husband Frank discover that the cure is worse than the disease when they investigate the death of a promising young woman in this atmospheric, riveting mystery from the USA TODAY bestselling author of Murder on Bedford Street...mystery · historical-fiction · historical · cozy · crime · law-enforcement · urban · amateur-sleuth · female-mc · fiction -
![The Secret Keepers by Genevieve Graham]()
The Secret Keepers by Genevieve Graham
Twin sisters Dot and Dash Wilson share many things: a birthday, a best friend named Gus, and a secret shorthand based on Morse code, a language their father, a WWI veteran, taught them as children. But that’s where their similarities end. While Dot’s nose is always in a book, preferably the latest by Agatha Christie, Dash is a social butterfly and spends her evenings out dancing...historical-fiction · ww2 · fiction · historical · audiobook · war · female-mc · 20th-century · romance · family -
![The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald]()
The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald
A young Southern woman sets out on a journey of self-discovery as the infamous 1925 Scopes Trial tests her faith and her marriage in this moving novel from the author of Time After Time and The Irresistible Henry House.“Lisa Grunwald is a national treasure. . . . An essential American story from a master craftsman... -
![The Black Girl Survives in This One by L.L. McKinney, Brittney Morris, Maika Moulite, Maritza Moulite]()
The Black Girl Survives in This One by L.L. McKinney, Brittney Morris, Maika Moulite, Maritza Moulite
Be warned, dear reader: The Black girls survive in this one.Celebrating a new generation of bestselling and acclaimed Black writers, The Black Girl Survives in This One makes space for Black girls in horror. Fifteen chilling and thought-provoking stories place Black girls front and center as heroes and survivors who slay monsters, battle spirits, and face down death...horror · young-adult · anthologies · fiction · lgbtq · contemporary · fantasy · mystery · audiobook · poc-mc -
![The Stars Are Our Witness by Siobhan Curham]()
The Stars Are Our Witness by Siobhan Curham
Auschwitz, 1943. Adela stuffs small cloth pouches containing the stolen gunpowder into the folds of her dress. As she joins the column of exhausted women heading back to the barracks, the guard shouts ‘Inspection!’ and her blood turns to ice…Working in the camp’s munitions factory, Adela Rubenstein discovers the underground network fighting against the devastating cruelty all around them...fiction · ww2 · historical-fiction · female-mc · 20th-century · romance · epic · historical · literary-fiction · book -
![The Girl from the Grand Hotel by Camille Aubray]()
The Girl from the Grand Hotel by Camille Aubray
The #1 bestselling author of Cooking for Picasso and The Godmothers returns with The Girl from the Grand Hotel, a dazzling historical novel that brings readers into the glamorous world of the first (and doomed) Cannes Film Festival and the deadly atmosphere of Europe on the brink of war. Summer, 1939...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · ww2 · season-summer · female-mc · womens-fiction · politics · espionage · literary-fiction -
![Real Americans by Rachel Khong]()
Real Americans by Rachel Khong
From the award-winning author of Goodbye, Vitamin: How far would you go to shape your own destiny? An exhilarating novel of American identity that spans three generations in one family, and asks: What makes us who we are? And how inevitable are our futures? Real Americans begins on the precipice of Y2K in New York City, when twenty-two-year-old Lily Chen, an unpaid intern at a slick media...fiction · historical-fiction · drama · family · coming-of-age · poc-mc · contemporary · book · adult -
![The Limits by Nell Freudenberger]()
The Limits by Nell Freudenberger
The most thrilling work yet from the best-selling, prize-winning author of The Newlyweds and Lost and Wanted , a stunning new novel set in French Polynesia and New York City about three characters who undergo massive transformations over the course of a single year... -
![There Goes the Groom by Esther Hatch]()
There Goes the Groom by Esther Hatch
Catching a husband has never been so complicated.Matthew Harrison has only one task in life: to marry money. After failing miserably in London, his family takes matters into their own hands by arranging his marriage to the wealthy Lucy Bateman. But when he meets Lucy for the first time, his resolve to save his family from ruin crumbles...romance · historical-fiction · industrial-era · regency · victorian · historical · fiction · humor · literary-fiction · satire -
![The Royal Librarian by Daisy Wood]()
The Royal Librarian by Daisy Wood
A royal palace. A closed book. A betrayal that will echo through generations…Windsor, 1940: War rages, and as bombs rain down across Britain, nowhere is safe: not even a royal palace.Secretly tasked with foiling a suspected plot, Sophie Klein is placed in the Royal Library at Windsor castle, where the princesses reside...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · ww2 · royalty · magic · war · 20th-century · romance · alternate-history -
![Clear by Carys Davies]()
Clear by Carys Davies
A stunning, exquisite novel from an award-winning writer about a minister dispatched to a remote island off of Scotland to “clear” the last remaining inhabitant, who has no intention of leaving—an unforgettable tale of resilience, change, and hope...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · literary-fiction · lgbtq · audiobook · outdoors · book · adult -
![His Treasured Bride by Jody Hedlund, Patti Stockdale]()
His Treasured Bride by Jody Hedlund, Patti Stockdale
In twenty-four hours, marriage, mystery, and mayhem.After recently arriving in Vancouver Island on a bride ship, aspiring seamstress Daisy Harper is determined not to rush into a hasty and quarrelsome marriage, a mistake her parents made. To avoid choosing the wrong man, she creates a rigorous list of ten requirements for a potential husband... -
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![The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple by Joanna Davidson Politano]()
The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple by Joanna Davidson Politano
Peter Driscoll, an underground investigator to the wealthy, has never met anyone like Lily Temple. The beautiful silent-film actress spins fairy tales and plays frivolous roles in front of the cine-camera, but beneath the costumes and stage makeup is a woman with a quick wit--and a murky past...romance · historical-fiction · christian · mystery · fiction · historical · audiobook · industrial-era · edwardian · wholesome -
![The Book of Thorns: An Enchanting Tale of Two Sisters Connected by Magic by Hester Fox]()
The Book of Thorns: An Enchanting Tale of Two Sisters Connected by Magic by Hester Fox
In the midst of the Napoleonic Wars and the rise of the floriography craze in Europe, two sisters separated at birth are bound together by a secret language of flowers passed down to them by the mother they never knew...romance · historical-fiction · fantasy · gothic · fiction · historical · magical-realism · lgbtq · feminism · female-mc -
![The Stone Home by Crystal Hana Kim]()
The Stone Home by Crystal Hana Kim
“It is a privilege to read Crystal Hana Kim’s fiction, which both edifies and enlightens.” —Min Jin LeeA hauntingly poetic family drama and coming-of-age story that reveals a dark corner of South Korean history through the eyes of a small community living in a reformatory center—a stunning work of great emotional power from the critically acclaimed author of If You Leave Me...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · coming-of-age · literary-fiction · abuse · poc-author · feminism · family · religion -
![The Widow Spy by Megan Campisi]()
The Widow Spy by Megan Campisi
The author of the “magnificent…complex, vivid” (New York Journal of Books) Sin Eater returns with a rousing and propulsive novel based on the astonishing true story of the first female Pinkerton detective whose next assignment could end the Civil War.Kate Warne is many the country’s first female detective, a Pinkerton agent, and a union spy... -
![The Titanic Survivors Book Club by Timothy Schaffert]()
The Titanic Survivors Book Club by Timothy Schaffert
A remarkable tale about the life-changing power of books, following the Titanic librarian whose survival upends the course of his life.For weeks after the sinking of the Titanic, Yorick spots his own name among the list of those lost at sea. As an apprentice librarian for the White Star Line, his job was to curate the ship’s second-class library...europe · western-central-europe · france · urban · romance · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · lgbtq · literary-fiction -
![Honey by Victor Lodato]()
Honey by Victor Lodato
Meet a woman as tenacious as Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge and as irresistible as Andrew Sean Greer’s Arthur Less: Honey Fasinga, the glamorous daughter of a notorious New Jersey mobster, is returning home at last, ready to reckon with her violent past...fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · audiobook · mystery · historical-fiction · trans-mc · romance · family · lgbtq -
![My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long]()
My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long
In USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long’s latest installment in the Palace of Rogues series, a notorious rake meets his match in a doe-eyed girl from the country, changing the course of both of their futures…A London season is the chance of a lifetime for Catherine Keating...romance · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · female-author · politics · industrial-era · victorian · regency · female-mc
