Adult Historical Fiction

Adult Historical Fiction

Updated January 23, 2026
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1

The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe : A True Crime Thriller
Patterson, James/ Edwards-Jones, Imogen
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 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...

8

The maniac
Labatut, Benjamín
Paper Book
The author of When We Cease to Understand the World: a dazzling, kaleidoscopic book about the destructive chaos lurking in the history of computing and AI.

9

Shelterwood : a novel
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...

10

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...

11

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

12

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...

13

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...

14

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...

15

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...

16

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...

17

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,...

18

Time of the child
Williams, Niall
Paper Book

19

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.

20

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...

21

The great when
Moore, Alan
Paper Book
A propulsive tour through a fantastical London, where history and myth collide, murder stalks the streets and the mundane becomes very magical indeed... The year is 1949, the city London. Amidst the smog of the capital is Dennis Knuckleyard, a hapless eighteen-year-old...

22

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...

23

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...

24

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...

25

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

26

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...

27

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...

28

The sirens : a novel
Hart, Emilia
Paper Book
A spellbinding novel about sisters separated by centuries, but bound together by the sea, from the author of the runaway New York Times bestseller Weyward 2019: Lucy awakens from a dream to find her hands around her ex-lover's throat. Horrified,...

29

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...

30

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...

31

The sweetness of water
Harris, Nathan
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER / AN OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK ONE OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2021  Winner of the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence Winner of the Willie Morris Award for...

32

The marriage portrait
O'Farrell, Maggie
Paper Book
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...

33

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...

34

The forest of vanishing stars
Harmel, Kristin
Paper Book
Parade "Best Books of Summer" pick * Real Simple summer reading pick * SheReads "Best WWII Fiction of Summer 2021" pick The New York Times bestselling author of the "heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism" (P...

35

The glassmaker
Chevalier, Tracy
Paper Book

36

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 ...

37

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...

38

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...

39

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...

40

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...

41

The modern fairies
Pollard, Clare
Paper Book
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ENCORE AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE TADEUSZ BRADECKI PRIZE 'Elegant and decadent, vulgar and clever, enchanting and dark. The love child of Angela Carter and Anaïs Nin - the book I really really needed' SARAH PERRY, author of The Essex...

42

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...

43

Miss Newbury's list
Walker, Megan
Paper Book
England, 1820 Rosalind Newbury is counting down the days until her wedding to the Duke of Marlow, a man she has only met twice. The marriage is more an agreement between two families and less a romantic connection between two hearts, but Rosalind becoming a...

44

The long march home : a World War II novel of the Pacific
Brotherton, Marcus
Paper Book
"A tour de force."--Publishers Weekly starred review "A great read."--Library Journal starred review "A must-read literary triumph."--Booklist starred review Jimmy Propfield joined the army for...

45

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...

46

The cabinet of Dr. Leng
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<...

47

Sisters under the rising sun
Morris, Heather (Screenwriter)
Paper Book

48

The invisible hour : a novel
Hoffman, Alice
Paper Book
The latest New York Times bestseller from beloved author Alice Hoffman celebrates the enduring magic of books and is a "wonderful story of love and growth" (Stephen King). One June day when Mia Jacob can no longer see a way to survive, the power of words saves her. The...

49

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...

50

Deep as the sky, red as the sea : a novel
Chang-Eppig, Rita
Paper Book
A Good Morning America Buzz Pick The dazzling historical 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. As Recommended By The TODAY Show *...

51

Stars in an Italian sky
Santopolo, Jill
Paper Book
Genoa, Italy, 1946. Vincenzo and Giovanna fall in love at twenty-one the moment they set eyes on each other. The son of a count and the daughter of a tailor, they belong to opposing worlds. Despite this, the undeniable spark between them quickly burns into a deep and passionate relationship spent...

52

The all-American
Finkbeiner, Susie
Paper Book
Two sisters discover how much good there is in the world -- even in the hardest of circumstances. It is 1952, and nearly all the girls 16-year-old Bertha Harding knows dream of getting married, keeping house, and raising children in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Bertha dreams of baseball....

53

Everyone knows your mother is a witch
Galchen, Rivka
Paper Book
'Riveting' Margaret Atwood 'I loved this book intensely' Lauren Groff Guardian The startling, witty, highly anticipated second novel from the critically acclaimed author of Atmospheric Disturbances. The plague is spreading. The Thirty Years' War...

54

Mrs. Porter calling : a novel
Pearce, A. J.
Paper Book

55

Flags on the bayou : a novel
Burke, James Lee
Paper Book
EDGAR AWARD WINNER FOR BEST NOVEL OF THE YEAR From New York Times-bestselling author James Lee Burke comes a novel set in Civil War-era Louisiana as the South transforms and a brilliant cast of characters - enslaved and free women, plantation gentry, and battle-weary...

56

Canary Girls
Chiaverini, Jennifer.
Paper Book
Rosie the Riveter meets A League of Their Own in New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini's lively and illuminating novel of the British home front about the "munitionettes" who built bombs in Britain's arsenals during World War I, risking their lives for the war...

57

The spectacular : a novel
Davis, Fiona
Paper Book
New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion is over the moon to have been selected to be one of the Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall's glamorous precision dancing troupe. It's an honour to perform in the world's most spectacular theatre, an art deco masterpiece. But with four shows a day as well...

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 Mitford affair
Benedict, Marie
Paper Book
"Plunges readers into a world of glamorous, charismatic young British debutantes and then turns that shiny world on its head...the most delicious storytelling." --Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post From New York Times bestselling...

60

The heart's choice
Peterson, Tracie
Paper Book
They must uncover the truth before it's buried forever. After witnessing a wrongful conviction as a young girl, Rebecca Whitman--the first female court reporter in Montana--is now determined to defend the innocent. During a murder trial, something doesn't sit well with her about the case, but...

61

Loyalty
Scottoline, Lisa.
Paper Book
#1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline presents Loyalty, an emotional, action-packed epic of love and justice, set during the rise of the Mafia in Sicily. Loyalty can save a soul--or destroy one.     Franco Fiorvanti is a handsome...

62

The last dance of the debutante
Kelly, Julia
Paper Book
In this "glorious dance through the traditional glamour and suffocating expectations of a bygone era" (Genevieve Graham, USA TODAY bestselling author), a group of young women are swept up in a life-changing journey as they become three of the last debutantes to be presented to Queen...

63

The last Russian doll
Loesch, Kristen
Paper Book
EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL A haunting, epic novel about betrayal, revenge, and redemption that follows three generations of Russian women, from the 1917 revolution to the last days of the Soviet Union, and the enduring love story at the center. In a...

64

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...

65

The perfumist of Paris
Joshi, Alka
Paper Book

66

Dawnlands : a novel
Gregory, Philippa
Paper Book
Palace intrigue, defiant heroism, and a long-awaited love fulfilled from New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory in her Fairmile series. It is 1685 and England is on the brink of a renewed civil war. King Charles II has died without an heir and his brother James...

67

The golden doves : a novel
Kelly, Martha Hall
Paper Book
Two female spies risk everything to hunt down an infamous Nazi in this sweeping, profound tale of bravery from the bestselling author of Lilac Girls. "A riveting story of two brave and amazing women who work in the French resistance during World War II . . . a triumph!"...

68

The girl in the castle
Patterson, James
Paper Book
My Name is Hannah Dory and I need you to believe me NOW- Hannah is brought to Belman Psych, told she is suffering from hallucinations and delusions. Hannah knows the truth- she must return to the past and save her sister. 1347- Hannah and her village...

69

The glutton
Blakemore, A. K.
Paper Book
One man with an insatiable hunger: a novel of desire and destruction in Revolutionary France, based on a true story, from the Desmond Elliott Prize-winning author of The Manningtree Witches.

70

Carrie Soto is back : a novel
Reid, Taylor Jenkins
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "An epic adventure about a female athlete perhaps past her prime, brought back to the tennis court for one last grand slam" (Elle), from the author of Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

71

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...

72

The last paladin
Deutermann, P. T.
Paper Book
Winner of the 2023 W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction: A gripping tale of anti-submarine warfare in the World War II Pacific Theater, by a master of military adventure fiction. The Last Paladin by P.T. Deutermann is based on the true story of...

73

The house of doors : a novel
Tan, Twan Eng
Paper Book

74

Trust
Díaz, Hernán
Paper Book
An unparalleled novel about money, power, intimacy, and perception Even through the roar and effervescence of the 1920s, everyone in New York has heard of Benjamin and Helen Rask. He is a legendary Wall Street tycoon; she is the daughter of eccentric aristocrats. Together, they...

75

Booth : a novel
Fowler, Karen Joy
Paper Book
Best Book of the Year Real Simple * AARP * USA Today * NPR * Virginia Living Longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize From the Man Booker finalist and bestselling author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves comes an epic...

76

The good left undone : a novel
Trigiani, Adriana
Paper Book

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