Historical Fiction Well

Abigail Walker, a young woman from rural South Carolina, is on the cusp of womanhood, aching to be able to run wild as the younger children do, yet yearning for things she has yet to understand. Awkward and unsure of herself, Abby is flustered when she meets Harvey Nicholas, a cadet from Clemson College. As summer begins, Abby finds herself constantly in the company of Harvey and falling quickly in love with him. But as rumors of war begin to reach the States, Abby begins to fear what may come for her older brother and Harvey.

Young, impoverished and ambitious, science student Mr Lewisham is locked in a struggle to further himself through academic achievement. But when his former sweetheart, Ethel Henderson, re-enters his life his strictly regimented existence is thrown into chaos by the resurgence of old passion.

May 1940. With Nazi forces sweeping across France, invasion seems imminent. The English Channel has never felt so narrow. In rural Sussex, war veteran John Cook has been tasked with preparing the resistance effort, should the worst happen. But even as the foreign threat looms, it's rumours of a missing child that are troubling Cook. A 12-year-old girl was evacuated from London and never seen again, and she's just the tip of the iceberg - countless evacuees haven't made it to their host families. As Cook investigates, he uncovers a dark conspiracy that reaches to the highest ranks of society.

When war broke out, 17-year-old Christie could have stayed down on the family farm in Norfolk, where she was wanted and needed. So why had she joined up? Come to that, why had Meg from Cheshire, and Sue, very much the big city girl from Liverpool, and Shanna, the life-toughened product of a broken home in Glasgow? Mixed reasons. Very mixed backgrounds. But no time to think now. Not with the sergeant shouting and the station air-raid siren beginning to wail....

Best selling author David Baldacci brings all his brilliant character-building skills to bear in Wish You Well, a literary coming-of-age tale set in Baldacci's native Virginia. Publishers Weekly calls it "his best novel yet...an utterly captivating drama" that offers "bone-deep emotional truth."

Also available unabridged.

Jonathan Beecher, a middle-aged widower and small-town store owner, has never asked for much. But lately, all too much is being asked of him. The bombing of Pearl Harbor plunges America into World War II and deeply fractures Jonathan's own family. His eldest son, a civilian contractor, is trapped on a Japanese-occupied island in the Pacific. Jonathan's feckless younger son ignores his father's pleas to stay home and joins the army.

In 1931 in Carbon Hill, a small Alabama coal-mining town, nine-year-old Tess Moore watches a woman shove the cover off the family well and toss in a baby without a word. For the Moore family, focused on helping anyone in need during the Great Depression, the apparent murder forces them to face the darker side of their community and question the motivations of family and friends.

Iris Caldwell and Nell Ryland were never meant to be friends. From two very different backgrounds, one the heir to the Caldwell estate, the other a humble vicar's daughter. Both have their secrets, both have their pasts, but they each find solace with one another and soon their futures become irrevocably intertwined. Until May Day 1912, a day that haunts Missensham. The day two girls disappeared. The day the girls were murdered. Now, many years later, old footage has emerged which shows that Iris Caldwell may not have died on that spring morning.

During the Thirty Year War (1618-1648), our fictitious Scottish hero and his real Scottish commanders join the triumphant Protestant champion, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, "the lion of the north." On the Catholic side, we meet the king's equally skilled foes, brutal General Tilly and vain, brilliant Prince Wallenstein. Filled with shifting battles, deadly plots, daring escapes, and loyalties put to the test, this is one of G.A. Henty's most popular books, and guaranteed to keep the entire family on the edge of their seats.

Wulf of Steyning, a young Saxon then in the service of Earl Harold, accompanies him on his fateful trip to Normandy, takes part in the Welsh wars, the Battle of Stamford Bridge, and the Battle of Hastings. Growing to manhood in such tumultuous times, Wulf's fidelity and honor earn him the respect of all he serves.

G.A. Henty weaves a rousing, yet poignant, adventure of the revolt of Palestine against the power of Rome, and the birth of Christianity. Follow John, a courageous young Jew, as he fights in the siege of Jerusalem, survives slavery in Alexandria and the dispersal of the Jews, wins the favor of the Emperor Titus, and returns triumphantly to Galilee.

G.A. Henty offers the thrilling story of Francis Hammond, the son of an English merchant working in Venice. Francis must overcome threats to the lives and freedom of his Venetian friends and himself, and keep his wits and sword arm strong during sea battles against pirates and opposing navy fleets. With the balance of European power and vast riches at stake, this is a story of adventure and intrigue, dastardly villains and profound tests of loyalty, honor, courage, and intelligence set among the winding canals of Venice and on the surging waves of the Mediterranean Sea. Set in 1380 A.D.

When Emilie and Daniel arrive in Silk Harbor, Professor Abindon, an old colleague of the Marlendes, warns them that she’s observed something strange and potentially deadly in the sky, a disruption in an upper air aether current. But as the Marlendes investigate further, they realize it’s a ship from another aetheric plane. It may be just a friendly explorer or something far more sinister, but they will have to take an airship into the dangerous air currents to find out.

Edmund Graves, Sixth Baron Tewkbury, is in a pretty pickle after lying to his friend about being married. To save face, he must introduce a fictitious wife at a high-society house party. But where does one obtain a wife at the snap of one’s finger, especially when one isn’t keen on being married?

When a killer crashes the honeymoon, three’s a crowd...It’s the summer of 1899, and Professor Concordia Wells - now Mrs. David Bradley - eagerly anticipates their honeymoon in the Hamptons. She has one errand along the way, to visit a former student seeking advice. About a love interest, no doubt. If only it were that benign. The young lady, now employed as a switchboard operator, inadvertently eavesdropped on a murder plot involving the high finance world of the Stock Exchange Luncheon Club. How to notify the police without losing her position?

Clotel; or, The President’s Daughter is rooted not only in the horrific reality of institutional slavery but also in the historical fact of Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with the enslaved Sally Hemings (here represented by the character Currer). In William Wells Brown’s telling, Currer has two daughters by Jefferson, Clotel and Althesa. Both become Jefferson’s legal property when they are born, and both wind up at auction - along with their mother - when Jefferson dies.

Two extraordinary women in 1865 establish a trading post in a southern jungle that grows to be a safe haven for cast-off women and the dispossessed. When a murderous forger sets up shop and the mayor on the right-side-of-the-tracks becomes intent on their destruction, the village fights for survival in its own special way. Told in evocative magical realism, Jaguar Paloma and the Caketown Bar is a tale of wronged women who stand up to be counted.

Esme Silver has always taken care of her charming ne'er-do-well father, Ike Silver, a small-time crook with dreams of making it big with Bugsy Siegel. Devoted to her daddy, Esme is often his "date" at the racetrack, where she amiably fetches the hot dogs while keeping an eye to the ground for any cast-off tickets that may be winners. In awe of her mother, Dina Wells, Esme is more than happy to be the foil who gets the beautiful Dina into meetings and screen tests with some of Hollywood's greats. When Ike gets an opportunity to move to Vegas life takes an unexpected turn for Esme.

Late October, 1962. Wes Avery, a one-time Air Force tail-gunner, is living his version of the American Dream as loving husband to Sarah, doting father to seventeen-year-old Charlotte, and owner of a successful Texaco station along central Florida's busiest highway. But after President Kennedy announces that the Soviets have nuclear missiles in Cuba, Army convoys clog the highways and the sky fills with fighter planes. Within days, Wes's carefully constructed life begins to unravel.

Three more dastardly deeds lead Holmes and Lucy into a lurid game of cat-and-mouse. The game won’t end until a climactic showdown between the Baker Street team and a ruthless and deadly ring of rogue cops who believe they’re above the law. Two wealthy, influential women have gone missing, both associated with a fashionable enlightenment group run by a charismatic guru. As the Baker Street team investigates, they are taken down dark twists and turns, and forced to confront an old enemy anew.