Archives de catégorie : Historical Fiction

OF WIND AND DUST de Shirin Yim Leo

A work of historical fiction and family saga that is set between 1849 and 1876 in Toi Shan, China, and on the Puget Sound in what would become Washington State.

OF WIND AND DUST
by Shirin Yim Leo
Dial, Spring 2027
(via Kaplan/DeFiore Rights)

In her adult debut, Shirin Yim Leos draws from the extraordinary lives of her great-great-great-grandfather—the first Chinese settler in Washington Territory—and her great-great-great-grandmother, believed by some to be a daughter of Chief Seattle. The novel also explores the intertwined stories of two of his other wives—one born married, the other born a slave.

Leos was deeply compelled by the idea of these three women, from radically different backgrounds, navigating simultaneous marriage to one man in a moment in history that offered them almost no autonomy.

OF WIND AND DUST beautifully follows each woman’s journey as she seeks identity, belonging, and moments of personal happiness within the rigid boundaries of their cultural and historical circumstances. Shirin Yim Leo explores complex female relationships and generational legacy. Like Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, it positions ordinary lives against sweeping tides of history and change. And like Karen Joy Fowler’s Booth, the novel is told in alternating points of view that come together to form a single, emotionally resonant family portrait. Readers of Lisa See, Jenny Tinghui Zhang, and C. Pam Zhang will also find much to enjoy here.

Shirin Yim Leo is an Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning author of children’s books, an editor, and a former publisher. She has taught writing at international conferences and at institutions such as Stanford University’s Continuing Studies program. Publishers Weekly named her a talent to watch; two feature articles and several years later, they placed her on their front cover. Shirin has presented research related to this novel and its characters at the Seattle Public Library, The Museum of History and Industry, the University of Washington, and the California Writers’ Club.

THE IVORY CITY d’Emily Bain Murphy

The Devil in the White City meets Pride and Prejudice in this romantic historical murder mystery set at the 1904 World’s Fair.

THE IVORY CITY by Emily Bain Murphy
Union Square & Co., November 2025
(via Park, Fine & Brower)

The St. Louis World’s Fair, 1904: A miniature city of palaces and pavilions that becomes a backdrop for romance, betrayal—and murder.

Cousins Grace and Lillie have been best friends since birth, despite Grace’s vastly inferior social status ever since her mother married for love instead of wealth. When Lillie invites Grace to the biggest event of the century—the legendary World’s Fair, also known as “The Ivory City”—Grace hopes her fortunes might be about to change.

But when a member of their party is brutally killed at the fair, and suspicion falls on Lillie’s brother Oliver, Grace must prove Oliver’s innocence before her beloved cousins’ family is ruined forever. Along the way, she’ll discover that the city’s wealthy elite—including Oliver’s handsome but irritable friend Theodore—aren’t quite who they appear to be. And amidst the glitz, glamor, and magic of the Ivory City lurks a danger that just may claim her life.

« Murphy’s intense research helps to immerse readers in the lush setting…A good pick for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Andrea Penrose. »―Library Journal, STARRED Review

Emily Bain Murphy is the author of two critically acclaimed young adult novels—The Disappearances, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and Splinters of Scarlet—as well as the popular historical mystery novel Enchanted Hill. Murphy lives in St. Louis with her husband, three children, and a rescue bunny, where she’s always on the lookout for beautiful old mansions hiding new stories.

THE LEAGUE OF DANGEROUS YOUNG LADIES de J.A. Morgenstein

Enola Holmes meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this thrilling YA fantasy adventure from debut author J. A. Morgenstein, perfect for fans of Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Philip Pullman.

THE LEAGUE OF DANGEROUS YOUNG LADIES
by J.A. Morgenstein
Stonefruit Studio/Sourcebooks, June 2026

It’s 1909 and Rose Moriarty―teenage daughter of Sherlock Holmes’ greatest enemy―has made a name for herself fighting monsters and solving crimes. But that was before Rose met the one mystery she couldn’t solve: the disappearance of her headmistress. Now, her school has shut down, her classmates have scattered, and Rose is on her own.

On the very day Rose receives word that an old friend is dying, the shadowy Count Christoph and his ward Clara show up at her door. Rose has already figured out why they’re here (to hire her) and what’s in their bag (an ancient orb with incredible powers), but questions remain: Can Rose convince these strangers to help save her friend’s life? What are the grotesque, bug-shaped stalkers that plague their every step? And how can Rose pursue this adventure while avoiding a particular boy from her childhood? The only thing certain is that Rose is no longer alone, because danger forges strange alliances . . .

. . . and Professor Moriarty wasn’t the only famous villain to have a daughter.

Unexpected friendships, supernatural mystery, high-stakes heists, and budding romance billow together in this thrilling fantasy adventure, which introduces a motley crew of daredevil heroines who hunt monsters . . . in all their forms.

J. A. Morgenstein has been a competitive ballroom dancer and instructor for the majority of his adult life, but during the lockdown, he found himself with the opportunity to focus his creative energy on his dream of becoming a writer. This started him down a winding road which culminated in THE LEAGUE OF DANGEROUS YOUNG LADIES.

TREPPE AUS PAPIER de Henrik Szántó

What stories would the walls tell, if they could speak? A house and its inhabitants, from the Nazi era to the present day. For fans of Imre Kertész, Saša Stanišić and Jenny Erpenbeck.

TREPPE AUS PAPIER
(Paper Stairs)
by Henrik Szántó
Blessing Verlag/PRH Germany, August 2025

When 15-year-old Nele Bittner and 90-year-old Irma Thon meet in the stairwell of a four-storey period building, their conversation breathes life into what Nele always thought was boring old history.

The narrator of Nele and Irma’s story is the house itself, whose walls, hallways, pipes and nooks and crannies harbour the memories of all those who have lived in it over the past hundred years. Irma has a special connection to the building: she and her Nazi-supporting parents lived here when she was a child. Nele, meanwhile, lives on the top floor, in a flat once occupied by the Sternheim family – and Irma feels responsible for what happened to them.

For this house, everything happens simultaneously: when little Ruth Sternheim skips down the stairs, the house remembers the SA who, years later, will smash the window of the Sternheims’ ground-floor watch shop with their truncheons. While Irma looks back on her life, Nele’s questioning of her own family brings to light things they had hoped to suppress.

A daring, courageous novel about remembrance, responsibility and the shadow cast by history.

Henrik Szántó, born in 1988, is a half-Hungarian, half-Finnish author and presenter living in Hannover. He performs as a spoken word artist on stages across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and has won several fellowships. He also works as an instructor, running poetry, creative writing, public speaking and performance skills seminars, and stages events showcasing both new and experienced voices. He is particularly interested in multilingualism, remembrance and multiculturalism.

IN EVERY BIRD: BEFORE THE GARDEN de Katy Sewall

Sold in a heated 9-person auction in the US, right before Frankfurt, a prequel to Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic The Secret Garden, for fans of Broken Country and The Thornbirds.

IN EVERY BIRD: BEFORE THE GARDEN
by Katy Sewall
Random House, Spring 2027
(via The Friedrich Agency)

A sweeping emotional tale and love story. IN EVERY BIRD: BEFORE THE GARDEN begins at the moment The Secret Garden starts—just as a cholera epidemic is sweeping through India—except this time, we flash back into the life of Mary Lennox’s mother, and the boy who will help her realize how expansive life can be.

“I was captivated and charmed by Katy Sewall’s debut novel, which more than does justice to its classic inspiration. I came into this book knowing as much about The Secret Garden as I did the Olive Garden, but by the end, I wanted nothing more than to stay a little longer in her rich and insightful world.” — Jess Walter, bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins

Katy Sewall is a writer and radio professional based in Seattle. She spent more than two decades working with NPR and currently hosts a weekly podcast called The Bittersweet Life, now in its 11th year.