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Seven History Themed Books I Enjoyed in 2022
From the Tudors to the Hollocaust
Rizzio by Denise Mina — Historical Fiction
Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month for February 2022
Longlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2022
I read this one in February. It is a fictionalised account of a real event that took place in Edinburgh in March of 1566. In the review I wrote at the time, I described it as: “a delightful little book (in which) Mina gets deep inside the minds of each of the participants, analysing their motives, their opinions of the other protagonists, friend and foe alike. The sights, sounds and odours of Holyrood Palace, and the city beyond its walls, bring the events to life, playing out on the cinema screen in the reader’s head. But this is not a wide screen battle raging across a landscape. This is mayhem within the confines of a brick and stone palace, poorly lit by flickering candles as befits so dark a sequence of events. Outside, crowds gather. A patrol of city guards and militiamen try to investigate sounds suggestive of a disturbance, but are assured that there is nothing for them to be concerned about.”
I went on to conclude that it is: “A book to rival many an acknowledged masterpiece (and a) masterful foray into historical writing (by an award winning crime…