Historical Thriller Books

The best historical thriller book reviews. Historical thrillers feature suspenseful situations set in specific time periods, in which the survival of fictional characters are threatened by the real circumstances of prior historical eras and places.

The Newton Code, an Irresistible Religious Conspiracy Thriller by Liam Fialkov

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The Bottom Line: A must-read for fans of Dan Brown and Steve Berry. While Sir Isaac Newton’s scientific legacy is well-established, novelist Liam Fialkov uses Newton’s lesser known obsessions with Christianity and metaphysics as the core of a spellbinding religious conspiracy thriller. As The Newton Code opens, computers around the world are held captive. For 13 minutes, frustrated users are met with a cryptic message and an […]

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The Secrets We Kept, an Electrifying Spy Novel by Lara Prescott

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The Bottom Line: Did the world need another spy novel pitting the CIA against Russia? The answer is a resounding yes. Part historical fiction, part spy fiction, Prescott’s highly original novel begins in 1956 as Pasternak Boris is writing his future masterpiece, Doctor Zhivago. The Kremlin decides to ban it. The CIA has other plans. Why not use the subversive novel to create civil unrest in the

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Blackwell, a Wondrous Gaslamp Thriller by Alexandrea Weis with Lucas Astor

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The Bottom Line: A lush gaslamp thriller that seems destined for a second life on television. Blackwell is the story of a rivalry that descends into a battle for the ages. In 1886, wealthy Harvard student Magnus Blackwell befriends fellow freshman Jacob O’ Connor. Unlike Magnus, whose family is as close to royalty as they came in New England, Jacob hails from working class stock.

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Wish to Die, a Superb Historical Thriller by Robert Walton

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The Bottom Line: An ebullient historical thriller that solves one of World War II’s most perplexing mysteries in highly entertaining fashion. Perfect for readers waiting for the next Indiana Jones novel. In Robert Walton’s third Harry Thursday series novel, the intrepid archeologist attempts to right a wrong perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II: the theft of the legendary Russian Amber Room and a

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The Ragged Edge of Night, a Historical Thriller by Olivia Hawker

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The Bottom Line: A tautly-written historical thriller tailor-made for fans of All The Light We Cannot See. Set in Nazi Germany, The Ragged Edge of Night centers around friar Anton Starzmann, who is stripped of his position during the fascist government’s purge of religious clerics. He seeks solace in a woman who wants help raising her three children, but their ensuing marriage is more partnership

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Chameleons, a Fascinating Historical Mystery by Marcus A. Nannini

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The Bottom Line: World War II buffs will adore this fascinating and immaculately researched historical mystery. In a small town on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, a pool construction crew unearths a mysterious skeleton. Hours later on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Lieutenant Karen Yamura inspects the items found with the body: a rusted Japanese imperial navy officer’s pistol, and a black box containing two

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The Escape Artist, a Truly Magical Crime Thriller by D.B. Cooper

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The Bottom Line: Hands down, Brad Meltzer’s best novel. Whether in his novels or in his short-lived TV show, Decoded, Brad Meltzer has always favored using historical events as the basis for implausible but entertaining conspiracy thrillers. In The Escape Artist, Meltzer demonstrates that he can also invent a truly magnificent character that, in virtually all ways, is better than the real-life characters he often

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An Interlude in Berlin, a Highly Recommended Spy Thriller by Jefferson Flanders

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Bottom Line: With this meticulously crafted Cold War spy thriller, historical auteur Jefferson Flanders scores big. Highly recommended for fans of John le Carré. In An Interlude in Berlin, author Jefferson Flanders casts a foreboding Cold War spell over 1950s Germany. As American diplomat Dillon Randolph finds himself entrenched in a divided Berlin, he is himself at a crossroads, having gone through some issues of

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The Demon Crown a new Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins

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The Bottom Line: Rollins’ typically audacious mix of science, technology and horror is as reliable as ever in this hugely entertaining thriller. Off the coast of Brazil, a team of scientists discovers a horror like no other, an island where all life has been eradicated, consumed and possessed by a species beyond imagination. Before they can report their discovery, a mysterious agency attacks the group,

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Fateful Decisions, a Historical Thriller by Trevor C. D’Silva

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The Bottom Line: A historical novel that documents notable early 20th century events through the eyes of a hotel heiress, including world war, celebrity kidnapping, women’s suffrage and prohibition. Trevor C. D’Silva’s Fateful Decisions is the story of Rachel Johnson, the survivor of a submarine attack who proves to be instrumental in some of the 20th centuries’ most important social and economic developments. In 1915,

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