Adult Historical Fiction

Adult Historical Fiction

Updated January 23, 2026
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1

Last days of Marilyn Monroe
Patterson, James.
Paper Book
From the world's #1 bestselling author, The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe is a true crime thriller about a woman who changed Hollywood history, and whose indelible image captures our imagination to this day. "Electrifying ... A spellbinding new...

2

The divorc?s
Beaird, Rowan
Paper Book
"A rollicking thriller and poignant coming-of-age story." ―People "Timelier than ever." ―The Cut A "delicious" (Rebecca Makkai) and "deeply compelling" (Lauren Groff) debut novel set at a 1950s Reno divorce ranch, about the complex...

3

Miss Morgan's book brigade : a novel
Skeslien Charles, Janet
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author Janet Skeslien Charles and based on the true story of Jessie Carson--the American librarian who changed the literary landscape of France--this is "a moving tale of sacrifice, heroism, and inspired storytelling immersed in the power of books to...

4

The apartment : a novel
Menéndez, Ana
Paper Book
From the critically acclaimed author of In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd comes a new novel about the search for freedom and the power of community that spans decades of residents in one Florida apartment The Helena is an art deco apartment building that has witnessed the...

5

The Sunflower House : a novel
Allegri, Adriana
Paper Book
The beloved international bestseller! Family secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory--a real-life Handmaid's Tale--during World War II. In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss's life seems...

6

The Goddess of Warsaw : a novel
Barr, Lisa
Paper Book
USA TODAY BESTSELLER "Utterly gripping. . . a transformative and immersive story so powerful and captivating that I could not put it down. . . . Truly one of the best books I've read."--Liv Constantine, bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish "Lisa Barr's new historical fiction,...

7

The devil and Mrs. Davenport : a novel
Kennedy, Paulette
Paper Book
The bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain and Parting the Veil mines the subtle horrors of 1950s America in a gripping novel about a woman under pressure--from the living and the dead. The first day of autumn brought the fever, and with the fever came the...

8

The wings of Poppy Pendleton
Dobson, Melanie
Paper Book
In this compelling new time-slip mystery, a little girl goes missing from her family's castle in the Thousand Islands of New York. Eighty-five years later, a journalist teams up with a woman living on Koster Isle to find out what happened to Poppy, once and for all. 1907.On...

9

The maniac
Labatut, Benjamín
Paper Book
Named One of the 10 Best Books of 2023 by The Washington Post and Publishers Weekly * One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2023 * A National Bestseller * A New York Times Editor's Choice pick * Nominated for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction ...

10

Shelterwood
Wingate, Lisa.
Paper Book
USA TODAY AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER * "Wingate's stellar latest explores a centuries-long legacy of missing child cases. . . . Her portrayal of the region's history, culture, and landscape enthralls. Wingate is at the top of her game."--Publishers Weekly, starred...

11

The Briar Club : a novel
Quinn, Kate
Paper Book
"Quinn evocatively balances the outward cheerfulness of the 1950s with historical observations exploring racism, misogyny, homophobia and political persecution in this sharply drawn, gripping novel." - People Magazine The New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye and The...

12

You dreamed of empires
Enrigue, Alvaro
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF 2024 A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR "Short, strange, spiky and sublime." --Dwight Garner, New York Times "Funny, ghastly, eye-opening, marvelous." --Wall Street Journal

13

The safekeep
Wouden, Yael van der
Paper Book
* SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 BOOKER PRIZE * * WINNER OF THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION * * WINNER OF THE 2025 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION * Shortlisted for the 2025 Dylan Thomas Prize and Aspen Words Literary Prize * A Best Book...

14

Tiananmen Square : a novel
Wen, Lai
Paper Book
An epic, deeply moving coming-of-age novel about young love and lasting friendships forged in the years leading up to the Tiananmen Square student protests, for readers of The Beekeeper of Aleppo and The Night Tiger. As a child in Beijing in the 1970s, Lai lives with...

15

The shadow of war : a novel of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Shaara, Jeff
Paper Book
From the bestselling author comes the story of rising conflict between the super-powers that gripped the world, a global war that almost happened: The Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1961, the new president John F. Kennedy, inherited an ill-conceived, poorly executed invasion of Cuba...

16

The lost letters from Martha's Vineyard : a novel
Callahan, Michael
Paper Book
"I was completely captivated by Michael Callahan's The Lost Letters from Martha's Vineyard. It's a history mystery you won't be able to put down, with strong female characters and plenty of secrets. Plus, it takes you behind the scenes in vintage Hollywood and Martha's Vineyard. A perfect beach...

17

All the glimmering stars : a novel
Sullivan, Mark T.
Paper Book
Inspired by a true story, two teens kidnapped by an African warlord find salvation through love in a powerful and healing historical novel from the #1 bestselling author of Beneath a Scarlet Sky and The Last Green Valley. Anthony Opoka and Florence Okori are coming of...

18

Daughters of Shandong
Chung, Eve J.
Paper Book
A propulsive, extraordinary novel about a mother and her daughters' harrowing escape to Taiwan as the Communist revolution sweeps through China, by debut author Eve J. Chung, based on her family story An Instant USA Today Bestseller, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick,...

19

Time of the child
Williams, Niall
Paper Book
"The writing in this book is lyrical . . . a beautiful book that you will love." -Good Morning America's #1 Favorite Book of the Year "I am utterly obsessed with Niall Williams." -Ann Patchett, New York Times...

20

Farewell, Amethystine
Mosley, Walter
Paper Book
Shamus Award Finalist for Best Hardcover PI Novel From "master of the genre" (Washington Post) Walter Mosley, Detective Easy Rawlins' latest client sends him down a warren of memory and nostalgia--blinding him to reason and risk.

21

The fallen fruit : a novel
Madison, Shawntelle
Paper Book
Combining history and fantasy, a sweeping multi-generational epic in the vein of Kindred and The Time Traveler's Wife about a woman who travels through time to end a family curse that has plagued her ancestors for generations. On a rainy day in May 1964, history professor...

22

The great when
Moore, Alan
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author and legendary storyteller Alan Moore, the first book in an enthralling new series about murder, magic, and madness set between two Londons-one recovering from World War II, and one a secret world unlike any other. ...

23

Queen of the mist
Cauchi, Caroline
Paper Book
"A reminder that age is no barrier to the unconventional and daring...An extraordinary story about an extraordinary woman." New York Times bestseller Hazel Gaynor "Told with warmth and grace, this novel is a rallying cry for all who dare regardless of age...

24

Hold strong : a novel
Dugoni, Robert
Paper Book
From Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, and Chris Crabtree comes an epic and inspiring novel--based on true events--about love, heroism, and resilience during the darkest chapters of World War II. Sam Carlson is a projectionist in small-town Minnesota, where fantasies unspool in glorious...

25

The king's messenger
Kearsley, Susanna
Paper Book
"A tempest of treachery and romance." --Entertainment Weekly "I've loved every one of Susanna's books! She has bedrock research and a butterfly's delicate touch with characters--sure recipe for historical fiction that sucks you in and won't let go!"--Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times...

26

Isola : a novel
Goodman, Allegra
Paper Book
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * "A shocking story, made all the more stunning by the fact that it has its roots in true history."--Jodi Picoult, author of By Any Other Name "A new generation of survival story . . . an extraordinary book that reads like a...

27

Polostan
Stephenson, Neal
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Termination Shock and Cryptonomicon, the first installment in a monumental new series--an expansive historical epic of intrigue and international espionage, presaging the dawn of the Atomic Age. The first installment in Neal...

28

Saint of the Narrows Street
Boyle, William
Paper Book
As an Italian American family's decades-old secret begins to unravel, they will have to bear the consequences--and face each other--in this thrilling south Brooklyn-set tragic opera of the highest caliber from crime fiction luminary William Boyle. William...

29

The improvisers
Glover, Nicole
Paper Book
For fans of Nghi Vo, P. Djèlí Clark, and Alix E. Harrow: a new stand-alone set in the world of the critically acclaimed Murder and Magic series during Prohibition. The Improvisers is the tale of Velma, a barnstorming pilot and former magic bootlegger, who pursues dangerous enchanted...

30

The sirens : a novel
Hart, Emilia
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * #1 LibraryReads Pick * Indie Next Pick A spellbinding novel about sisters separated by centuries, but bound together by the sea, from the author of the...

31

The murder at world's end
Montgomery, Ross (Fiction writer)
Paper Book
Knives Out meets Downton Abbey! Secrets, murder, and mayhem collide as this unlikely sleuthing duo--an under-butler and a foul-mouthed octogenarian--hunt a killer in a manor sealed against the end of the world, in this locked-room mystery by #1 New York Times...

32

The stolen life of Colette Marceau
Harmel, Kristin
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Kristin Harmel, the New York Times bestselling author who "is the best there is at sweeping historical drama" (Kelly Harms, author of The Seven Day Switch), returns with an electrifying new novel about two jewel thieves, a...

33

Tempest at Annabel's Lighthouse
Wright, Jaime Jo
Paper Book
In 1874, a battered woman awakens atop a forgotten gravesite by Lake Superior. Identified only by the locket around her neck inscribed with the name Rebecca, she seeks refuge with an elderly lighthouse keeper named Edgar. But as Rebecca struggles to remember who she is, she finds herself...

34

The lies they told
Wiseman, Ellen Marie
Paper Book
A Simultaneous Hardcover Edition--Also Available as Trade Paperback Original In rural 1930s Virginia, a young immigrant mother fights for her dignity and those she loves against America's rising eugenics movement - when widespread support for policies of prejudice drove...

35

The second sun
Deutermann, P. T.
Paper Book
A taut, suspenseful historical thriller set in the months of WWII: Did Japan also have an atomic weapon, and did America bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki to pre-empt an attack on its fleet? A masterful historical thriller set during the waning months of World War II, The Second...

36

The marriage portrait : a novel
O'Farrell, Maggie
CD
WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION FINALIST * REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER * The author of award-winning Hamnet brings the world of Renaissance Italy to jewel-bright life in this unforgettable fictional portrait of the captivating young duchess Lucrezia de' Medici...

37

Wandering stars
Orange, Tommy
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The Pulitzer Prize-finalist and author of the breakout bestseller There There ("Pure soaring beauty."The New York Times Book Review) delivers a masterful follow-up to his already classic first novel. Extending his constellation of narratives into...

38

The glassmaker
Chevalier, Tracy
Paper Book

39

In a league of her own : a novel
Alderson, Kaia
Paper Book
From the author of Sisters in Arms comes the incredible, untold story of Effa Manley, a black businesswoman in the male dominated baseball industry, and, currently, the only woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. 1930s, New York City ...

40

The Briar Club : a novel
Quinn, Kate
Paper Book
"Quinn evocatively balances the outward cheerfulness of the 1950s with historical observations exploring racism, misogyny, homophobia and political persecution in this sharply drawn, gripping novel." - People Magazine The New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye and The...

41

The third wife of Faraday House : a novel
Myers, B. R.
Paper Book
"A deliciously chilling gothic mystery with a smart and resourceful heroine . . . What more could fans of Jane Eyre and Rebecca want" -- Carol Goodman, two-time Mary Higgins Clark Award winner Two brides band together to unravel the secrets at the heart of...

42

Some murders in Berlin
Robards, Karen
Paper Book
This pulse-pounding, brilliantly twisting new historical thriller is a gripping tale that will leave you questioning everything. September 1943: Berlin is the heart of darkness--and the last place Dr. Elin Lund wishes to be. An expert in psychological profiling, she's...

43

Butcher : father of modern gyno-psychiatry
Oates, Joyce Carol
Paper Book
From one of our most accomplished storytellers, an extraordinary and arresting novel about a women's asylum in the nineteenth century, and a terrifying doctor who wants to change the world In this harrowing story based on authentic historical documents, we follow the career of Dr...

44

The modern fairies
Pollard, Clare
Paper Book
Winner of the Tadeusz Bradecki Prize * A BookPage Best Historical Fiction Book of the Year * "Artfully composed...keenly alive...this memorable novel reminds the reader of the enduring power of storytelling to transform and even save lives." --The New York Times Lauren...

45

The Frozen River [Release date Dec. 5, 2023]
Lawhon, Ariel.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * GMA BOOK CLUB PICK * AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR * From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha...

46

The little liar : a novel
Albom, Mitch
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller Beloved bestselling author Mitch Albom returns with his most important novel to date, an unforgettable work of World War II historical fiction about truth and lies set during the Holocaust. Eleven-year-old Nico Krispis has...

47

The cabinet of Dr. Leng : a Pendergast novel
Preston, Douglas J.
Paper Book
Preston & Child continue their #1 bestselling series featuring FBI Special Agent Pendergast and Constance Greene, as they cross paths with New York's deadliest serial killer ...Pendergast's own ancestor ... and now his greatest foe. AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY<...

48

Sisters under the rising sun
Morris, Heather (Screenwriter)
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of the multi-million copy bestseller The Tattooist of Auschwitz comes a story of sisterhood and survival, inspired by a true story. A phenomenal novel of resilience and survival from bestselling author of The Tattooist of...

49

The invisible hour : a novel
Hoffman, Alice
Paper Book
One brilliant June day when Mia Jacob can no longer see a way to survive, the power of words saves her. The Scarlet Letter was written almost two hundred years earlier, but it seems to tell the story of Mia's mother, Ivy, and their life inside the Community -- an oppressive cult in western...

50

I am homeless if this is not my home
Moore, Lorrie
Paper Book
Lorrie Moore's first novel since A Gate at the Stairs--a daring, meditative exploration of love and death, passion and grief, and what it means to be haunted by the past, both by history and the human heart. From "one of the most acute and lasting writers of her generation...

51

Deep as the sky, red as the sea : a novel
Chang-Eppig, Rita
CD
For listeners of Outlawed, Piranesi, and The Night Tiger, a riveting, roaring adventure novel about a legendary Chinese pirate queen, her fight to save her fleet from the forces allied against them, and the dangerous price of power When Shek Yeung sees a Portuguese sailor slay her husband,...

52

The all American : a novel
Finkbeiner, Susie
Paper Book
A 2024 Michigan Notable Book "A moving novel, fit for inspiring any reader to dream big and believe that anything is possible."--BookPage *** Two sisters discover how much good there is in the world--even in the hardest of circumstances <...

53

Everyone knows your mother is a witch
Galchen, Rivka
Paper Book
The startling, witty, highly anticipated second novel from the critically acclaimed author of Atmospheric Disturbances. The story begins in 1618, in the German duchy of Württemberg. Plague is spreading. The Thirty Years'' War has begun, and fear and suspicion are in the...

54

Mrs. Porter calling : a novel
Pearce, A. J.
CD

55

Flags on the bayou : a novel
Burke, James Lee
Paper Book
"In the fall of 1863, the Union army is in control of the Mississippi River. The Confederate army is in disarray and enslaved men and women are beginning to glimpse freedom. When Hannah Laveau, an enslaved woman working on the Lufkin plantation, is accused of murder, she goes on the run. Wade Lufkin...

56

Canary girls
Chiaverini, Jennifer
Stand-alone player

57

The spectacular
Davis, Fiona
Stand-alone player

58

The vaster wilds
Groff, Lauren
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023 NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR, TIME, ESQUIRE, VOGUE, LA TIMES, SLATE, HARPER'S BAZAAR and others "Part historical, part...

59

The darkness surrounds us
Lukasik, Gail
Paper Book
"An early-autumn treat fit for late-night devouring." --Publishers Weekly "A taut gothic mystery with an intriguing twist." --Susanna Calkins, award-winning author of the Lucy Campion Mysteries and the Speakeasy Murders A Ghostly Window...

60

Loyalty
Scottoline, Lisa
Stand-alone player

61

A Calder at heart
Dailey, Janet.
Paper Book
In a tale perfect for fans of Yellowstone, the legendary New York Times bestselling author brings America's frontier to vivid life in a saga of love, hope and endurance in 1919 Montana, as the end of the Great War, the looming start of Prohibition, and reignited rivalries put a...

62

The perfumist of Paris
Joshi, Alka
Paper Book

63

The golden doves
Kelly, Martha Hall
Stand-alone player

64

The glutton : a novel
Blakemore, A. K.
Paper Book
A New York Times EDITORS' CHOICE | Shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize | MOST ANTICIPATED by The Guardian * Paste Magazine * LitHub * The Millions * Library Journal From the prizewinning author of The Manningtree Witches, a...

65

Just once : a love story
Kingsbury, Karen
CD
The #1 New York Times bestselling author "known for her deeply heartfelt novels" (Woman's World) writes a sweeping World War II love story about a young woman torn between two brothers. In 1941, beautiful Irvel Holland is too focused on her secret to take much notice of the...

66

The house of doors : a novel
Tan, Twan Eng
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORKER, NPR, SLATE, THE FINANCIAL TIMES, AND A WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE WORK...

67

Fortuna
Da̕z, Hernǹ
Paper Book

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