Historical Novels: Renaissance

The Renaissance was an exciting time when the struggle for survival became less desperate for many, making way for a flowering of art, music and new ideas. Religious reform was among those new ideas, making life more hazardous for some outspoken Protestants and Catholics. For more information, see the Wikipedia article on the Renaissance. England, France and Italy are especially well represented in historical fiction, but excellent historical novels have also been set in countries ranging from Ireland to Holland.

Because the Renaissance and Reformation changes arose at different times in different places (earlier in Italy, for example, than in Hungary or Poland), it is impossible to set a date for its beginning that works throughout Europe. If you don't find a novel you're looking for on this page, try the Medieval Europe page. Novels set outside Europe (if they feature a non-European point of view) are listed by location.

Novels are listed alphabetically by author within the following categories:

The British Isles in Tudor and Elizabethan Times
Tudor and Elizabethan Mysteries
Reformation and Renaissance Europe: The Continent
Reformation and Renaissance Mysteries

Click on the title for more information from Powell's Books or another online source.

The British Isles in Tudor and Elizabethan Times

Anne M. Abbey, Kathryn in the Court of Six Queens

Peter Ackroyd, The House of Doctor Dee (1993), about a modern London man who begins to have mysterious dreams and visions after he inherits a house owned by Dr. Dee, a mathematician, astrologer and philosopher who served as an adviser to Queen Elizabeth. Review

Elizabeth Anthony, Elizabeth, about England's Queen Elizabeth I.

Evelyn Anthony, Anne Boleyn, about Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII.

Aileen Armitage, The Tudor Sisters (2005 reissue; originally published 1974 as Court Cadenza under the name Aileen Quigley), about Mary Boleyn, Anne Boleyn's sister, who was the mistress of Henry VIII and bore him a son before he became infatuated with Anne

Margaret Campbell Barnes, My Lady of Cleves (also titled The King’s Choice), about Anne of Cleves, the intelligent fourth wife of Henry VIII, who managed to survive their marriage by agreeing to a divorce.

Margaret Campbell Barnes, Brief Gaudy Hour, about Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII.

Pauline Bentley, Rogues and Players (1992), about a playwright and his troupe of traveling players in Elizabethan England; a sequel, Fallen Angels, is set in seventeenth century England.

Charles Brady, Stage of Fools: A Novel of Sir Thomas More (1953), about the man who was executed for opposing King Henry VIII's divorce and his marriage to Anne Boleyn.

Bryher, The Player's Boy (1953; new edition published 2006), a coming-of-age novel about an apprentice actor during the time period when Sir Walter Raleigh was executed.

Anthony Burgess, Nothing Like the Sun, a bawdy literary novel about Shakespeare's love life.

Anthony Burgess, A Dead Man in Deptford, about Christopher Marlowe, the Elizabethan playwright who was Shakespeare's contemporary.

John Buchan, Blanket of the Dark, about a young man who discovers he is royal and is being used as the pawn of men who wish to overthrow King Henry VIII.

Elizabeth Byrd, Immortal Queen: Mary Queen of Scots (1956), about the sixteenth century Queen of Scotland who was executed for plotting against Queen Elizabeth I.

Robert Carter, Armada (1988), about the struggle of Elizabethan England to become a naval power, from the perspective of two seafaring brothers from Devon,

Anne Chambers, The Geraldine Conspiracy, about the 11-year-old boy who was the last surviving heir of the Irish Geraldine dynasty, and the struggle to save him from the murderous agents of King Henry VIII.

Ella March Chase, The Virgin Queen's Daughter (2008), a novel which imagines that Queen Elizabeth I had an illegitimate daughter.

Mavis Cheek, Amenable Women, about a widow who, writing a history of the village where Anne of Cleves lived after her divorce from Henry VIII, hears tales of Anne's life from her portrait in the Louvre.

Stephanie Cowell, Nicholas Cooke, about a young actor in Shakespeare's theater company who wants to be a doctor and a priest.

Stephanie Cowell, The Physician of London (1996), about a priest/doctor and his closest friend, who risk their lives fighting for Charles I in the 1640s; sequel to Nicholas Cooke .

Stephanie Cowell, The Players: A Novel of the Young Shakespeare, about the love triangle of Shakespeare's sonnets between Shakespeare, a beautiful Italian musician and a high court nobleman.

Josephine Delves-Broughton, Heart of a Queen (1950), about England's Queen Elizabeth I.

Suzannah Dunn, The Queen of Subtleties, about a woman who served as Henry VIII's confectioner, sculpting "subtleties" out of sugar, during the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn.

Suzannah Dunn, The Sixth Wife, about Katherine Parr, the sixth and surviving wife of Henry VIII, whose subsequent marriage to the handsome and ambitious Thomas Seymour held its own risks.

Suzannah Dunn, The Queen's Sorrow (2008), about a Spanish maker of sundials who accompanies Philip of Spain to England when he marries Queen Mary Tudor of England, known to history as "Bloody Mary.

Dorothy Dunnett, The Game of Kings, the sixteenth century adventures of a knavish but patriotic Scottish swordsman; #1 in the Lymond Chronicles.

Dorothy Dunnett, Queen's Play, the sixteenth century adventures of a knavish but patriotic Scottish swordsman; #2 in the Lymond Chronicles.

Dorothy Dunnett, The Disorderly Knights, the sixteenth century adventures of a knavish but patriotic Scottish swordsman; #3 in the Lymond Chronicles.

Dorothy Dunnett, Pawn in Frankincense, the sixteenth century adventures of a knavish but patriotic Scottish swordsman; #4 in the Lymond Chronicles.

Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle, the sixteenth century adventures of a knavish but patriotic Scottish swordsman; #5 in the Lymond Chronicles.

Dorothy Dunnett, Checkmate, the sixteenth century adventures of a knavish but patriotic Scottish swordsman; #6 in the Lymond Chronicles.

Olive Eckerson, My Lord Essex (1955), about the love affair between Queen Elizabeth I and the Earl of Essex.

Kate Emerson, The Pleasure Palace (2009), historical romance about Jane Popyngcourt, a companion of Henry VII's daughters, who becomes the mistress of a French prisoner of war during the reign of Henry VIII; #1 in the planned Secrets of the Tudor Court series.

Cerridwen Fallingstar, The Heart of the Fire (1990), about a witch in a sixteenth-century Scottish coven, said by the author to be about a remembered past-life experience.

Patricia Finney, Firedrake's Eye, a literary thriller about a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I.

Patricia Finney, Unicorn's Blood, a literary thriller about the theft of Queen Elizabeth's diary.

Patricia Finney, Gloriana's Torch, a literary thriller about a spy for Queen Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada.

Alan Fisk, Forty Testoons, about a young English priest ministering to fishermen in Newfoundland during the winter of 1504.

Ford Madox Ford, The Fifth Queen, a literary novel about Katharine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII.

George MacDonald Fraser, The Candlemass Road, a novella about the violent raiding on the sixteenth century border between England and Scotland.

Laurien Gardner, The Spanish Bride: A Novel of Catherine of Aragon, about Henry VIII's first wife, who believed she had married her chivalrous ideal.

Laurien Gardner, A Lady Raised High: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, about Henry VIII's second wife, who held out for marriage when he wanted to make her his mistress.

Laurien Gardner, Plain Jane: A Novel of Jane Seymour, about Henry VIII's third wife, who had no suitors and little hope of marriage before she attracted his attention.

George Garrett, Death of the Fox (1971), a literary novel about Sir Walter Raleigh; #1 in the Elizabethan trilogy.

George Garrett, The Succession, a literary novel about Queen Elizabeth I of England and King James VI of Scotland; #2 in the Elizabethan trilogy.

George Garrett, Entered from the Sun: The Murder of Marlowe, a literary novel about the murder of the Renaissance playwright Christopher Marlowe; #1 in the Elizabethan trilogy.

Margaret George, The Autobiography of Henry VIII, With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers, a comic literary novel about King Henry VIII.

Margaret George, Mary, Queen of Scotland and the Isles, a literary novel about Mary Queen of Scots.

C.W. Gortner, The Secret Lion, about a squire who becomes a spy for Princess Elizabeth duirng the last days of Henry VIII’s young successor, Edward VI.

Winston Graham, The Grove of Eagles, set in Elizabethan England during the time it was threatened by the Spanish Armada.

Philippa Gregory, The Other Queen (2008), about Mary, Queen of Scots, during the years of her imprisonment.

Philippa Gregory, The Other Boleyn Girl, about Mary Boleyn and her more famous sister Anne; gives a different, less sympathetic perpective on Anne than most novels about her life.

Philippa Gregory, The Queen's Fool, about a young woman who dresses as a boy to serve in the Renaissance court of Queen Elizabeth I.

Philippa Gregory, The Virgin's Lover, about Amy Dudley, the wife of Queen Elizabeth's admirer Robert Dudley; shows Queen Elizabeth in a less flattering light than most novels about her.

Philippa Gregory, The Constant Princess, about Katherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII's first wife.

Philippa Gregory, The Boleyn Inheritance, about Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard, the fourth and fifth wives of Henry VIII.

Philippa Gregory, The Wise Woman, a novel of Tudor England about a former nun who must fend for herself after Henry VIII closes her convent.

Diane Haeger, The Secret Bride, about Mary Tudor, the younger sister of King Henry VIII.

Karen Harper, Mistress Shakespeare (2009), about Anne Whateley, who was betrothed to William Shakespeare a few days before he was forced to wed the pregnant Anne Hathaway.

Alice Harwood, The Star of the Greys (1939), about Jane Grey's younger sister Katherine, who married Edward Seymour, the Earl of Hertford, without royal consent; out of print and not readily available.

Molly Costain Haycraft, The Reluctant Queen (1962), about Henry VIII's sister Mary.

Katie Hickman, The Aviary Gate (2008), about an Englishman in 1599 who discovers evidence that the woman he once loved may now be a captive in the sultan's harem in Constantinople, set within a frame story about a modern researcher who discovers a centuries-old document with the key to the woman's story.

Pamela Hill, Green Salamander (1977), about Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, whose son Lord Darnley married Mary Queen of Scots.

Tobias Hill, The Love of Stones, about a modern woman searching for a jewel once owned by Queen Elizabeth I.

Victoria Holt, My Enemy the Queen, about Lettice Knollys, second wife of Queen Elizabeth's favorite, the Earl of Leicester.

C.C. Humphreys, The French Executioner (2001), about a French swordsman hired to behead Anne Boleyn, and his vow to bury her six-fingered hand, symbol of witchcraft, at a crossroads; #1 in the French Executioner series.

C.C. Humphreys, Blood Ties (2003), about the son of the aging French swordsman who beheaded Anne Boleyn, and the Roman cardinal who summons him to find her missing hand; #2 in the French Executioner series.

Margaret Irwin, Young Bess, about the life of Elizabeth Tudor before she became Queen of England; #1 in the Good Queen Bess trilogy. Review

Margaret Irwin, Elizabeth: Captive Princess, about the life of Elizabeth Tudor before she became Queen of England; #2 in the Good Queen Bess trilogy.

Margaret Irwin, Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain, about the life of Elizabeth Tudor before she became Queen of England; #3 in the Good Queen Bess trilogy.

Margaret Irwin, The Galliard: The Great Love of Mary Queen of Scots (originally titled The Gay Galliard), about Mary Queen of Scots and the Earl of Bothwell; originally published in 1941.

Susan Kay, Legacy (1985), about Queen Elizabeth I.

Faye Kellerman, The Quality of Mercy, about the daughter of Queen Elizabeth's physician, a Jew who must practice the religion in secret, who meets young Will Shakespeare and goes adventuring with him.

Dinah Lampitt, Pour the Dark Wine (1989), about the rise and fall of the Seymour family in Tudor England, especially Jane, the third wife of Henry VIII, and Thomas, who married Henry's widow and became close to the young Princess Elizabeth.

Julianne Lee, A Question of Guilt: A Novel of Mary Stuart and the Death of Henry Darnley (2008), about a Scottish-born English merchant's wife who, three days after the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, sets out to prove her innocent by uncovering the real truth, an investigation that plunges her into danger.

Hilda Lewis, Rose of England (1977), about Mary Tudor, the youngest sister of Henry VIII.

Hilda Lewis, Heart of a Rose (1978), about Mary Tudor, the youngest sister of Henry VIII.

Philip Lindsay, One Dagger for Two (1932), about Christopher Marlowe, the Elizabethan playwright who was Shakespeare's contemporary.

Morgan Llywelyn, The Last Prince of Ireland, about the Battle of Kinsale in 1601 Ireland.

Morgan Llywelyn, Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas, based on the life of a woman pirate in sixteenth century Ireland.

Norah Lofts, The King's Pleasure (1969), about Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII.

Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall (2009), about Thomas Cromwell, who becomes King Henry VIII's adviser after the king's efforts to end his marriage to Katherine of Aragon so he can wed Anne Boleyn destroy his previous chief adviser, Cardinal Wolsey.

Rhona Martin, Gallows Wedding (1978), a dark story about a young woman who marries a man condemned to execution.

Rhona Martin, The Unicorn Summer (1984), about an heiress in Elizabethan England who flees her brutal stepfather and finds a haven in the criminal underworld of London.

A.E.W. Mason, Fire Over England (1936), about England under the threat of the Spanish Armada during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Robin Maxwell, Virgin: Prelude to the Throne, about young Elizabeth, the future queen.

Robin Maxwell, The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, a novel about Queen Elizabeth I and her mother, Anne Boleyn.

Robin Maxwell, Mademoiselle Boleyn, about Anne Boleyn and her sister Mary.

Robin Maxwell, The Queen's Bastard, based on the speculation of some historians that Elizabeth I may have had a child by the Earl of Leicester.

Robin Maxwell, The Wild Irish, about Queen Elizabeth I and the Irish pirate Grace O'Malley.

Elisabeth McNeill, Blood Royal (2008), about a pedlar who first sees Mary Queen of Scots as a baby and becomes drawn into her life.

Rosalind Miles, I, Elizabeth, a straightforward historical novel about Queen Elizabeth I by an author who usually writes in the fantasy genre.

Pérrine Moncrieff, The Rise and Fall of David Riccio (1976), about a fictional secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots; New Zealand publication hard to find outside Australasia.

Nicholas Monsarrat, Running Proud (1978) about an Elizabethan seaman doomed to live and sail the seas until the end of time; #1 in the two-book Master Mariner series, also published in a single volume as The Master Mariner.

Nicholas Monsarrat, Darken Ship: The Unfinished Novel (1980) about an Elizabethan seaman doomed to live and sail the seas until the end of time, with the ending provided via notes and outlines left by the author on his death; #2 in the two-book Master Mariner series, also published in a single volume in 2000 as The Master Mariner.

Fidelis Morgan, My Dark Rosaleen (1994), about an Irish boy during the Renaissance, an Irishwoman during the Easter Rising, and her granddaughter during World War II.

Diana Norman, The Pirate Queen (1991), about Grace O'Malley, an Irishwoman who turned pirate during the reign of Elizabeth I.

Robert Nye, The Voyage of the Destiny, about the final voyage of Sir Walter Raleigh.

Jane Oliver, Flame of Fire (1961), about the English Protestant Willam Tyndale, who translated the Bible into English and was burned at the stake after being caught in Catholic Antwerp in 1535.

Jane Oliver, The Lion and the Rose (1958), about Mary Queen of Scots.

Sonia Overall, A Likeness (2005), about a humbly born portrait painter struggling to make his fortune in Elizabethan England with the help of a courtesan who likes paint.

Jean Plaidy, St. Thomas's Eve (1954; also titled The King's Confidante), about Sir Thomas More, who was executed for opposing King Henry VIII's divorce and subsequent marriage to Anne Boleyn, and his daughter Margaret Roper.

Jean Plaidy, Katharine, the Virgin Widow (1961), about Katharine of Aragon's brief marriage to Prince Arthur and her fate afterward, which hinged on whether the marriage was consummated; #1 in the Katharine of Aragon trilogy (collected in a single edition as Katharine of Aragon).

Jean Plaidy, The Shadow of the Pomegranate (1962), about the marriage of Katherine of Aragon and King Henry VIII; #2 in the Katharine of Aragon trilogy (collected in a single edition as Katharine of Aragon).

Jean Plaidy, The King's Secret Matter (1962), about Katharine of Aragon's struggle to preserve her marriage after Henry VIII becomes infatuated with Anne Boleyn; #3 in the Katharine of Aragon trilogy (collected in a single edition as Katharine of Aragon).

Jean Plaidy, Katharine of Aragon, a new edition of the Katharine of Aragon trilogy about the first wife of King Henry VIII, with all three novels (see above) collected in a single volume; #1 in the Wives of Henry VIII series.

Jean Plaidy, Murder Most Royal (1949; also titled The King's Pleasure), about Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.

Jean Plaidy, The Lady in the Tower (1986), about Anne Boleyn; #2 in the Wives of Henry VIII series.

Jean Plaidy, The Rose Without a Thorn (1993), about Katherine Howard; in the Wives of Henry VIII series.

Jean Plaidy, The Sixth Wife (1953), about Katherine Parr; in the Wives of Henry VIII series.

Jean Plaidy, The Thistle and the Rose (1963), about Henry VIII's sister Margaret, the wife of James IV of Scotland.

Jean Plaidy, Mary, Queen of France (1964), about Henry VIII's sister Mary Rose.

Jean Plaidy, The Spanish Bridegroom (1954), about the courtship of Philip of Spain and Mary Tudor.

Jean Plaidy, Gay Lord Robert (1955; titled Lord Robert in more recent editions), about Queen Elizabeth's favorite Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester; when originally published, "gay" simply meant cheerful and fun-loving.

Jean Plaidy, The Royal Road to Fotheringay (1955; also titled Mary, Queen of Scotland: The Triumphant Year), about Mary, Queen of Scots, from her childhood up to her capture and imprisonment at Fotheringay Castle.

Jean Plaidy, The Captive Queen of Scots (1963), about Mary Queen of Scots.

Jean Plaidy, Queen of This Realm (1984), about Queen Elizabeth I.

H.F.M. (Hilda) Prescott, The Man on a Donkey, about the unrest following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.

Brandy Purdy, Vengeance is Mine, about George Boleyn, his sister Anne, and his wife Lady Jane Rochford, whose accusation that Anne and George had committed incest resulted in their executions.

Leon Rooke, Shakespeare’s Dog, a comic story about Shakespeare and his wife, narrated by their dog.

Judith Merkle Riley, The Serpent Garden, about a woman miniature-painter in the time of King Henry VIII.

Keith Roberts, Pavane (1968), an alternative history novel which imagines that Queen Elizabeth was assassinated in 1588.

Christopher Rush, Will (2007), a bawdy and violent imagining of Shakespeare's life, narrated by the ailing playwright as he dictates his will to his lawyer.

Rafael Sabatini, The Sea Hawk, about a sixteenth century Cornishman who joins a group of Barbary pirates.

Judith Saxton, The Bright Day is Done (1974), historical romance about Amy Robsart, the wife of Queen Elizabeth's favorite Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester.

Judith Saxton, The Queen's Corsair (1999), historical romance about Mary Newman, the wife of Sir Francis Drake.

Judith Saxton, Sir Walter’s Lady (2002), historical romance about Bess Throckmorton, who angers Queen Elizabeth by falling in love with and marrying Sir Walter Raleigh.

Lawrence Schoonover, To Love a Queen: Walter Raleigh and Elizabeth R. (1973), about Sir Walter Raleigh.

Anya Seton, Green Darkness, about a modern woman who must travel in time to the Tudor period to regain her health.

Rosemary Sutcliff, Lady in Waiting, about Bess Throckmorton, the wife of Sir Walter Raleigh.

Reay Tannahill, Fatal Majesty: A Novel of Mary Queen of Scots, about the religious conflicts stirred up by the return of the Catholic Mary to Scotland.

Grace Tiffany, My Father Had a Daughter, about William Shakespeare's daughter Judith.

Grace Tiffany, Will, about William Shakespeare's youth.

Nigel Tranter, The Riven Realm (1984), about David Lindsay and David Beaton during the years after the disaster of Flodden Field when King James V inherited the throne as a 17-month-old baby; #1 in the James V trilogy.

Nigel Tranter, James by the Grace of God (1985), about David Lindsay and David Beaton, court officials and advisers to the young King James V; #2 in the James V trilogy.

Nigel Tranter, Rough Wooing (1987), about David Lindsay and David Beaton, court officials and advisers to the promiscuous King James V; #3 in the James V trilogy.

Nigel Tranter, A Stake in the Kingdom (1966), about the sixteenth century Scottish Cardinal David Beaton.

Nigel Tranter, Marie and Mary (2004), about two queens who ruled Scotland during the sixteenth century: Marie de Guise, who succeeded her husband James V, and Mary Queen of Scots.

Nigel Tranter, The Marchman (1997), about John Maxwell, a laird on the western borderlands with England, and supporter of Mary Queen of Scots.

Nigel Tranter, Warden of the Queen's March (1989), about Sir Thomas Kerr, a loyal supporter of Mary Queen of Scots.

Nigel Tranter, The Queen's Grace (1953), about the young Highland laird Patrick Gorden and Mary Queen of Scots.

Nigel Tranter, A Rage of Regents (1996), about the Carmichaels of Lanarkshire during the troubled period after Mary Queen of Scots fled to England and was imprisoned there.

Nigel Tranter, Right Royal Friend (2003), about the young King James VI and his Cupbearer and Master of the Horse David Murray.

Nigel Tranter, Children of the Mist (1992), about the head of the Clan MacGregor and the events leading up to the clan's condemnation and expulsion from their lands.

Judy Turner, Cousin to the Queen: The Story of Lettice Knollys (1972), about Lettice Knollys, a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth, who had an affair with Elizabeth's favorite, the Earl of Leicester, and later married him; Judy Turner is a pen name used by author Judith Saxton, and editions of this novel have been published under both names; out of print and not readily available.

Beryl Walthew, The Queen's Rival (1978), about Lettice Knollys, a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth, who had an affair with Elizabeth's favorite, the Earl of Leicester, and later married him; out of print and not readily available.

Beryl Walthew, Sister to Essex (1979), about Lettice Knollys and her three children; sequel to The Queen's Rival.

Alison Weir, Innocent Traitor (2007), about Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for nine days.

Alison Weir, The Lady Elizabeth (2008), about Elizabeth Tudor before she became Queen of England.

Jan Westcott, The Border Lord (1946), an adventure novel about the Scot Frances Hepburn, the Earl of Bothwell, which begins with his escape from wrongful imprisonment in 1590.

Charles Gidley Wheeler, Armada, a Renaissance love story about a seafaring Irishman during the time when the Spanish Armada threatened England.

Phillipa Wiat, Five Gold Rings: An Elizabethan Love Story (1983), about Jane Grey's younger sister Katherine, who married Edward Seymour, the Earl of Hertford, without royal consent; out of print and not readily available.

Virginia Woolf, Orlando (1928), a literary novel about a young man in the Elizabethan age who decides never to grow old and, during a later century, is transformed into a woman.

Tudor and Elizabethan Mystery Novels

Fiona Buckley, The Doublet Affair (1998), about a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I who worries that some old friends of hers may be involved in a plot against the queen; #2 in the Ursula Blanchard mystery series; Fiona Buckley is a pen name of Valerie Anand.

Fiona Buckley, Queen's Ransom (2000), about a noblewoman sent on a secret mission to Catherine de Medici in France for Queen Elizabeth I; #3 in the Ursula Blanchard mystery series; Fiona Buckley is a pen name of Valerie Anand.

Fiona Buckley, To Ruin a Queen (2000), about a noblewoman loyal to Queen Elizabeth who is living in France with her husband, a supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots, when she learns that the daughter she left at home in England may have been kidnapped; #4 in the Ursula Blanchard mystery series; Fiona Buckley is a pen name of Valerie Anand.

Fiona Buckley, Queen of Ambition (2001), about a noblewoman who goes undercover at a pie shop frequented by students to investigate a possible plot against Queen Elizabeth I; #5 in the Ursula Blanchard mystery series; Fiona Buckley is a pen name of Valerie Anand.

Fiona Buckley, A Pawn for a Queen (2002), about a noblewoman loyal to Queen Elizabeth who must intercept her Catholic cousin before he commits treason by going to Scotland with a list of English supporters of Mary, Queen of Scots; #6 in the Ursula Blanchard mystery series; Fiona Buckley is a pen name of Valerie Anand.

Fiona Buckley, The Fugitive Queen (2004), about a noblewoman sent on a mission to deliver a warning to Mary, Queen of Scots, from Queen Elizabeth I; #7 in the Ursula Blanchard mystery series; Fiona Buckley is a pen name of Valerie Anand.

Fiona Buckley, The Siren Queen (2004), about an illegitimate half-sister to Queen Elizabeth and a letter in code that may be linked to a plot to kill Elizabeth and put Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne in her place; #8 in the Ursula Blanchard mystery series; Fiona Buckley is a pen name of Valerie Anand.

P.F. Chisholm, A Famine of Horses (1995), about a newly-appointed deputy warden on the Scottish border, who discovers in the course of a murder investigation that a clan uprising may be brewing; P.F. Chisholm is a pen name of Patricia Finney; #1 in the Sir Robert Casey mystery series. Review

P.F. Chisholm, A Season of Knives (1995), about a deputy warden on the Scottish border who finds himself accused of murder; P.F. Chisholm is a pen name of Patricia Finney; #2 in the Sir Robert Casey mystery series.

P.F. Chisholm, A Surfeit of Guns (1997), about an English deputy warden who crosses the Scottish border in pursuit of a stolen gun shipment and risks charges of treason in both countries; P.F. Chisholm is a pen name of Patricia Finney; #3 in the Sir Robert Casey mystery series.

P.F. Chisholm, A Plague of Angels (1998), about a deputy warden on the Scottish border, who returns to London to find himself under accusation in a case of forgery and murder; P.F. Chisholm is a pen name of Patricia Finney; #4 in the Sir Robert Casey mystery series.

Rory Clements, Martyr (2009), a thriller featuring John Shakespeare, Will's elder brother, searching for an assassin believed to have been sent by the Spanish to kill Queen Elizabeth. Washington Post review

Michael Clynes, The White Rose Murders (1991), an English nobleman solves mysteries during the reign of Henry VIII; #1 in the Sir Roger Shallot series; Michael Clynes is a pen name of Paul (P.C.) Doherty.

Michael Clynes, The Poisoned Chalice (1992), an English nobleman solves mysteries during the reign of Henry VIII; #2 in the Sir Roger Shallot series; Michael Clynes is a pen name of Paul (P.C.) Doherty.

Michael Clynes, The Grail Murders (1993), an English nobleman solves mysteries during the reign of Henry VIII; #3 in the Sir Roger Shallot series; Michael Clynes is a pen name of Paul (P.C.) Doherty.

Michael Clynes, A Brood of Vipers (1994), an English nobleman solves mysteries during the reign of Henry VIII; #4 in the Sir Roger Shallot series; Michael Clynes is a pen name of Paul (P.C.) Doherty.

Michael Clynes, The Gallows Murders (1995), an English nobleman solves mysteries during the reign of Henry VIII; #5 in the Sir Roger Shallot series; Michael Clynes is a pen name of Paul (P.C.) Doherty.

Michael Clynes, The Relic Murders (1996), an English nobleman solves mysteries during the reign of Henry VIII; #6 in the Sir Roger Shallot series; Michael Clynes is a pen name of Paul (P.C.) Doherty.

Iris Collier, Day of Wrath (2001), about an adviser to King Henry VIII fears the murder of his steward may be related to a plot against the king; #1 in the Lord Nicholas Peverell mystery series.

Iris Collier, Reluctant Spy (2002), about an adviser to King Henry VIII whose investigation of a wool merchant's murder leads to his arrest on charges of treason; #2 in the Lord Nicholas Peverell mystery series.

Iris Collier, Death at Candlemas (2004), about an adviser to King Henry VIII who investigates the murder of a bishop; #3 in the Lord Nicholas Peverell mystery series.

Iris Collier, The Secrets of the Black Canons (2006), about an adviser to King Henry VIII who investigates the drowning death of a young woman; #4 in the Lord Nicholas Peverell mystery series.

Diane Davidson, Feversham (1969), a Renaissance mystery novel based on an actual murder in sixteenth century England.

Ann Dukthas, A Time for the Death of a King (1994), about a time-traveling Jesuit scholar who investigates the mystery surrounding the death of Lord Darnley, the husband of Mary Queen of Scots; #1 in the Nicholas Segalla series of which #2 and #3 are set in the nineteenth century; Ann Dukthas is a pen name of Paul (P.C.) Doherty.

Ann Dukthas, In the Time of the Poisoned Queen (1998), about a time-traveling Jesuit scholar who investigates the mystery surrounding the death of Queen Mary Tudor; #4 in the Nicholas Segalla series of which #2 and #3 are set in the nineteenth century; Ann Dukthas is a pen name of Paul (P.C.) Doherty

Karen Harper, The Poyson Garden: A Bess Tudor Mystery (1999), featuring the sleuthing abilities of the future Queen Elizabeth I; #1 in the Bess Tudor mystery series.

Karen Harper, The Tidal Poole (2000), featuring the sleuthing abilities of Queen Elizabeth I; #2 in the Bess Tudor mystery series.

Karen Harper, The Twylight Tower (2001), featuring the sleuthing abilities of Queen Elizabeth I; #3 in the Bess Tudor mystery series.

Karen Harper, The Queene's Cure (2002), featuring the sleuthing abilities of Queen Elizabeth I; #4 in the Bess Tudor mystery series.

Karen Harper, The Thorne Maze (2003), featuring the sleuthing abilities of Queen Elizabeth I; #5 in the Bess Tudor mystery series.

Karen Harper, The Queene's Christmas (2003), featuring the sleuthing abilities of Queen Elizabeth I; #6 in the Bess Tudor mystery series.

Karen Harper, The Fyre Mirror (2005), featuring the sleuthing abilities of Queen Elizabeth I; #7 in the Bess Tudor mystery series.

Karen Harper, The Fatal Fashione (2005), featuring the sleuthing abilities of Queen Elizabeth I; #8 in the Bess Tudor mystery series.

Karen Harper, The Hooded Hawke (2007), featuring the sleuthing abilities of Queen Elizabeth I; #9 in the Bess Tudor mystery series.

Margaret Lawrence, Roanoke (2009), about a man sent by Queen Elizabeth's advisers to the doomed colony of Roanoke to seduce an Indian princess and get information from her about a legendary treasure.

Edward Marston, The Queen's Head (1988), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company investigates the murder of one of his players on the eve of a performance in honor of Queen Elizabeth; #1 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Merry Devils (1989), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company investigates the murder of one of his child actors during a play that Puritans are trying to shut down; #2 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Trip to Jerusalem (1990), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company takes his players on the road during a London plague epidemic, but one of their players is murdered before they set out, and a rival troupe is stealing from them; #3 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Nine Giants (1991), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company discovers a drowned corpse in the Thames which may have something to do with the troubles that have been plaguing the company; #4 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Mad Courtesan (1992), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company investigates the murder of one of his players; #5 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Silent Woman (1994), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company takes his players on tour after a fire destroys their theatre and a messenger dies of poisoning; #6 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Roaring Boy (1995), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company has them perform a controversial new play about a recent case of murder which sets off a riot; #7 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Laughing Hangman (1996), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company discovers the hanged body of the choirmaster for a rival troupe; #8 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Fair Maid of Bohemia (1997), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company takes the company to Prague during a London plague epidemic, but murder casts a shadow over their trip; #9 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Wanton Angel (1999), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company investigates a case of murder that disrupts their efforts to find a patron to help them build a new theatre; #10 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Devil’s Apprentice (2001), catastrophes start to pile up after the stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company is forced to take on a new apprentice and perform a newly written play; #11 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Bawdy Basket (2002), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company investigates when a player insists that his father, convicted of murder, was innocent of the crime; #12 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Vagabond Clown (2003), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company must find out who murdered a member of their audience; #13 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Counterfeit Crank (2004), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company plagued by troubles discovers a case of fraud; #14 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Malevolent Comedy (2005), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company must find out who poisoned their obnoxious new playwright onstage; #15 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Edward Marston, The Princess of Denmark (2006), a stage manager for an Elizabethan theatre company takes his company to Elsinore, Denmark, when their patron is betrothed to a mysterious princess; #16 in the Nicholas Bracewell series.

Audrey Peterson, Murder in Stratford: As Told By Anne Hathaway Shakespeare (2005), a mystery in which Shakespeare's wife turns sleuth to clear him of an accusation of murder.

C.J. Sansom, Dissolution (2003), about a hunchbacked lawyer in Henry VIII’s court sent to investigate the murder of an official involved in the dissolution of the monasteries; #1 in the Matthew Shardlake mystery series.

C.J. Sansom, Dark Fire (2005), about a hunchbacked lawyer in Henry VIII’s court and his efforts to help a friend's niece who has been accused of murder; #2 in the Matthew Shardlake mystery series.

C.J. Sansom, Sovereign (2007), about a hunchbacked lawyer in Henry VIII’s court who discovers that a murder he is investigating could be connected with the royal family; #3 in the Matthew Shardlake mystery series.

C.J. Sansom, Revelation (2008), about a hunchbacked lawyer in Henry VIII's court who discovers links between a case of religious mania and the murder of a friend; #4 in the Matthew Shardlake mystery series.

Martin Stephen, The Galleon’s Grave: Henry Gresham and the Spanish Armada (2005), a mystery set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I; #3 in the Henry Gresham mystery series (#1 and #2 are set in the 17th century).

Martin Stephen, The Rebel Heart: Henry Gresham and the Earl of Essex (2006), a mystery set at the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign; #4 in the Henry Gresham mystery series.

Reformation and Renaissance Europe
The Continent

Sidney Alexander, Michelangelo the Florentine (1957), about the Renaissance Italian artist; #1 in the Michelangelo trilogy.

Sidney Alexander, The Hand of Michelangelo (1965), about the Renaissance Italian artist; #2 in the Michelangelo trilogy.

Sidney Alexander, Nicodemus: The Roman Years of Michelangelo (1987), about the Renaissance Italian artist; #3 in the Michelangelo trilogy.

Federico Andahazi, The Anatomist (1999), about the sixteenth century Italian scientist who discovered a previously unknown part of a woman's anatomy, "the anatomical cause of love," scandalizing church and state, and was thrown into prison under charges of heresy and Satanism.

Ivo Andric, Bridge on the Drina (1977), about a bridge built in sixteenth century Bosnia and the community of Muslims, Christians and Jews that grows up around it.

David Ball, Ironfire (2003; titled The Sword and the Scimitar in the U.K.), about two children in sixteenth century Malta, a brother kidnapped by Muslim pirates and a sister who grows up on Malta, and the siege of Christian-ruled Malta by the Muslim Ottomans.

John Banville, Doctor Copernicus (1976), about the Renaissance astronomer who discovered the earth orbited the sun.

Maria Bellonci, Private Renaissance (English translation published 1989), about a noblewoman related to the Borgias in Renaissance Italy; translated from the Italian.

Maria Bellonci, Lucrezia Borgia (1953), a sympathetic novel about the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and sister of Cesare Borgia.

Adria Bernardi, The Day Laid on the Altar (2000), about three artists in sixteenth century Italy, a rustic shepherd, an aspiring fresco painter, and the famous Titian.

Luther Blissett, Q (2000), a thriller about an idealistic radical caught up in the German Reformation and a spy for the Pope, who wants to stamp out Protestant reformers.

Sarah Bower, The Book of Love (2008), about a young Jewish woman who coverts to Christianity and becomes one of Lucrezia Borgia's ladies-in-waiting, where she is drawn into the Borgia family's intrigues.

Susan Carroll, The Dark Queen (2005), romantic historical fantasy about a Frenchwoman who possesses magical skills in the time of Catherine de Medici, when such skills were as hazardous as they were useful, who must team up with an attractive but mysterious nobleman to prevent the fulfillment of a dire prophecy; #1 in the Dark Queen series.

Susan Carroll, The Courtesan (2005), romantic historical fantasy about a woman with magical skills who hopes to become the mistress of Henry of Navarre and the power behind the French throne, but who stirs the hatred of Catherine de Medici; #2 in the Dark Queen series.

Susan Carroll, The Silver Rose (2006), romantic historical fantasy about a young woman with magical powers who returns to her island home as a refuge from civil war, but must team up with a man she has good reason to distrust when a mysterious woman threatens the power of Catherine de Medici; #3 in the Dark Queen series.

Susan Carroll, The Huntress (2007), romantic historical fantasy about a Breton woman skilled with weaponry who is sent to Queen Elizabeth's London in 1585 to find and protect a young girl with mystical abilities; #4 in the Dark Queen series.

Susan Carroll, Twilight of a Queen (2008, forthcoming in the U.S. July 2009), romantic historical fantasy about the queen of a magical isle who must choose a successor to her throne in 1588 as the threat of the Spanish Armada looms over England and Catherine de Medici struggles to retain power in France; #5 and last in the Dark Queen series.

Nicholas Carter, Knave of Swords (1998), about a band of English and Scottish mercenaries forced into Italian service during the political and military turmoil of the Renaissance in 1520.

Nicholas Carter, King of Coins (1999), about a band of English and Scottish mercenaries during the turmoil of the early Reformation period.

Tracy Chevalier, The Virgin Blue (2003), about a modern woman studying to become a midwife in France who discovers a bond with a sixteenth century French ancestor, also a midwife.

Carol Damioli, Rogue Angel (1994), about Fra Filippo Lippi, a Florentine monk who painted some of the most beautiful Renaissance works of the fifteenth century, while living a life of adventure and romance unexpected for a monk.

Jack Dann, The Memory Cathedral: A Secret History of Leonardo da Vinci (1995), a dark novel by a science fiction author which imagines that Leonardo built a successful working model of the flying machine sketched in his notebooks, and used it in a war against the Turks.

Miguel Delibes, The Heretic: A Novel of the Inquisition (2006), about a Spaniard born on October 31, 1517, the same day Martin Luther launched the Reformation with his 95 theses.

Michele Desbordes, The Maid's Request (English translation, 2003), about the elderly Leonardo da Vinci and the maidservant who admires him and wishes to continue serving him after death by allowing him to study her body.

Jenny Diski, Apology for the Woman Writing (2008), about Marie de Gournay, who becomes so overwhelmed by Montaigne's essays that she swoons, then arranges to meet him,demonstrate her devotion and persuade him to adopt her as a daughter.

Sarah Dunant, Birth of Venus (2004), about a young wife in fifteenth century Florence during the time of Savonarola.

Sarah Dunant, In the Company of the Courtesan (2006), about the adventures of a sixteenth century Venetian courtesan, narrated by her servant, a dwarf.

Dorothy Dunnett, Niccolo Rising (1986), about an apprentice in a cloth-dying firm in the Flemish city of Bruges on the eve of the Renaissance; #1 in the House of Niccolo series. Review

Dorothy Dunnett, The Spring of the Ram (1987), about an upwardly mobile merchant from the Renaissance city of Bruges; #2 in the House of Niccolo series.

Dorothy Dunnett, Race of Scorpions (1989), about an upwardly mobile merchant from the Renaissance city of Bruges; #3 in the House of Niccolo series.

Dorothy Dunnett, Scales of Gold (1991), about an upwardly mobile merchant from the Renaissance city of Bruges; #4 in the House of Niccolo series.

Dorothy Dunnett, The Unicorn Hunt (1993), about an upwardly mobile merchant from the Renaissance city of Bruges; #5 in the House of Niccolo series.

Dorothy Dunnett, To Lie With Lions (1995), about an upwardly mobile merchant from the Renaissance city of Bruges; #6 in the House of Niccolo series.

Dorothy Dunnett, Caprice and Rondo (1997), about an upwardly mobile merchant from the Renaissance city of Bruges; #7 in the House of Niccolo series.

Dorothy Dunnett, Gemini (2000), about an upwardly mobile merchant from the Renaissance city of Bruges; #8 in the House of Niccolo series.

George Eliot, Romola (originally published as a serial, 1862-63), set in Renaissance Italy during the time of Savonarola.

Michael Ennis, Duchess of Milan (1992), about two noblewomen battling for power in Renaissance Italy.

Karen Essex, Leonardo’s Swans (2006), about a woman who longs to be painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

Howard Fast, Torquemada (1966), a sympathetic novel about Thomas de Torquemada, called upon by Ferdinand and Isabella to become Spain's Grand Inquisitor and rid the land of heretics.

John Faunce, Lucrezia Borgia (2004), a sympathetic novel about the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and sister of Cesare Borgia.

Marina Fiorato, The Glassblower of Murano (2008), about a modern London woman who moves to Venice and researches the story of her ancestor, one of the greatest glass artists of the island of Murano.

Alan Fisk, Cupid and the Silent Goddess (2003), a comic novel about the creation of the Renaissance artist Bronzino's allegorical painting "Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time (Exposure of Luxury)."

Géza Gárdonyi, Eclipse of the Crescent Moon (1899), about a Hungarian peasant boy who becomes a hero during the siege of the town of Egér, Hungary, by the Turks in 1552.

Anthony Goodman, Shadow of God (2002), about the Ottoman Turks' 1520 siege of the Greek Island of Rhodes, from which the piratical Knights of St. John have been preying on Muslim ships.

Noah Gordon, The Last Jew (2000), about the son of a silversmith who is determined to honor his family's Jewish heritage after his family is murdered during the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.

C.W. Gortner, The Last Queen (2008), a sympathetic portrayal of Queen Juana of Spain, known as Juana the Mad. Review

C.W. Gortner, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici (forthcoming in 2009), about the infamous sixteenth century French queen and patroness of Nostradamus.

Hella S. Haasse, The Scarlet City (English translation, 1990), set in sixteenth-century Italy, with appearances by an all-star roster of notable Renaissance figures.

Diane Haeger, The Ruby Ring (2005), set in 16th century Rome, about the mistress of the artist Raphael.

Diane Haeger, Courtesan (1993), set in 16th century France, about Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of King Henri II.

Jeffrey Hantover, The Jewel Trader of Pegu (2008), about a sixteenth century Jewish merchant from Venice in Burma. Review

Zsolt de Harsanyi, The Star-Gazer, A Novel of the Life of Galileo (1939), about the Renaissance Italian scientist.

George Herman, Carnival of Saints (1994), about the original players of the Commedia dell'Arte: Harlequin, Colombina and their compatriots in Renaissance Italy.

Ethel Herr, The Dove and the Rose (1996), about a Protestant family during the 16th Century Dutch Reformation; Christian message; #1 in the Seekers series.

Ethel Herr, The Maiden's Sword (1997), #2 in the Seekers series.

Ethel Herr, The Citadel and the Lamb (1998), #2 in the Seekers series.

Gert Hofmann, The Parable of the Blind (1986), a literary novel about the six blind men Bruegel used as models for his painting The Parable of the Blind, set in a sixteenth century Flemish village.

Pauline Holdstock, Beyond Measure (2004; titled A Rare and Curious Gift in the U.S.), about an African slave in sixteenth century Italy and her experiences in a series of artists' households.

Cecelia Holland, City of God: A Novel of the Borgias (1979), about the secretary to the Florence's embassy to the Borgias in Rome during the early sixteenth century.

Cecelia Holland, The Sea Beggars (1982), about the sixteenth-century Dutch revolt against Catholic Spain.

Jeanne Kalogridis, The Borgia Bride (2005), set in the Vatican during the fifteenth century.

Jeanne Kalogridis, I, Mona Lisa (2006; titled Painting Mona Lisa in the U.K.), set in fifteenth-century Florence, Italy.

Jeanne Kalogridis, The Devil's Queen (2009), about Catherine de Medici and her marriage to Henry of France.

Guy Gavriel Kay, Tigana (1989), a fantasy novel about an alternate world based on Renaissance Italy.

Brigid Knight, The Cloister and the Citadel (1958), about Charlotte de Bourbon, a sixteenth century French princess who became an abbess as a child of twelve, converted to Calvinism, and married William of Nassau, the founder of the Netherlands.

Norah Lofts, Crown of Aloes (1973), about Queen Isabella of Spain.

Michelle Lovric, The Floating Book: A Novel of Venice (2004), about a German printer, a promiscuous Jewish woman, and a variety of other characters in fifteenth century Venice.

Gregory Maguire, Mirror, Mirror (2009), a retelling of the Snow White story, about a young woman in 1502 Tuscany who grows up under the influence of Lucrezia Borgia.

Erika Mailman, The Witch’s Trinity (2007), about a witch persecution in a remote village in early sixteenth century Germany. Review

Heinrich Mann, Young Henry of Navarre (English translation, 1985), about the life of King Henry IV of France before he came to the throne.

Heinrich Mann, Henry, King of France (English translation, 1985), about the life of King Henry IV of France; sequel to Young Henry of Navarre.

Stephen Marlowe, The Memoirs of Christopher Columbus (1987), a humorous novel in the form of a memoir written by Christopher Columbus (apparently posthumously, as he mocks his biographers) about his Jewish origins and misadventures.

W. Somerset Maugham, Catalina (1948), a satirical novel about a young nun whose vision of the Virgin Mary attracts the attention of the Spanish Inquisition.

Robin Maxwell, Signora da Vinci (2009), about Leonardo da Vinci's mother, Caterina.

James McKean, Quattrocento (2002), about a modern art restorer who discovers what may be a previously unrecognized da Vinci painting, falls in love with the woman's portrait, and slips back to her time in fifteenth century Italy (the quattrocento period).

Robert Merle, Vittoria (1990), a woman married to a cardinal's son falls in love with a seafaring soldier in Renaissance Italy.

Elle Newmark, The Book of Unholy Mischief (2008), about a chef's apprentice at the palace of the Venetian doge in 1498 who becomes involved in a search for an ancient book of secrets. Review

Robert Nye, Faust (1980), a humorous thriller based on the story of Faust.

Jacqueline Park, The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi (1998), a novel in the form of a memoir of a well-connected Jewish woman in Renaissance Italy.

Christopher Peachment, Caravaggio (2003), about the violence-filled life of the Italian Renaissance painter Caravaggio.

Jean Plaidy, Madonna of the Seven Hills (1958), a sympathetic novel about the early life of Lucrezia Borgia.

Jean Plaidy, Light on Lucrezia (1958), the sequel to Madonna of the Seven Hills.

Jean Plaidy, Castile for Isabella (1960), about Queen Isabella of Spain; #1 in the Isabella and Ferdinand trilogy.

Jean Plaidy, Spain for the Sovereigns (1960), about Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain; #2 in the Isabella and Ferdinand trilogy.

Jean Plaidy, Daughters of Spain (1961), about Queen Isabella of Spain and her children as they make dynastic marriages; #3 in the Isabella and Ferdinand trilogy.

Nicholas C. Prata, Angels in Iron (1997), about the Knights Hospitallers and their defense of the tiny island of Malta from the Ottoman Turks during the 1565 Siege of Malta.

Linda Proud, A Tabernacle for the Sun (1997), about a boy in Volterra during the town's revolt against Florentine rule in the 1470s and its brutal suppression by Lorenzo de' Medici's army, after which fate brings him to Florence; #1 in the Botticelli trilogy. Review

Linda Proud, Pallas and the Centaur (2004), about the poet Angelo Poliziano during the 1480s after the Pazzi conspirators murder Lorenzo de Medici's brother and a war begins between Florence and Rome; #2 in the Botticelli trilogy. Review

Linda Proud, The Rebirth of Venus (2008), about an Italian philosopher during the 1490s after the fall of the Medici; #3 in the Botticelli trilogy.

John J. Pugh, Blade of Honor (1955), set during the sixteenth century Huguenot wars in France.

Mario Puzo and Carol Gino, The Family (2001), about the powerful and ruthless Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, and his family; the last book written by the author of The Godfather, completed by his long-time companion.

Thomas Quinn, The Lion of St. Mark (2005), about a vendetta between two powerful families in fifteenth century Venice; #1 in the Venetians series.

Thomas Quinn, The Sword of Venice (2007), about a vendetta between two powerful families in fifteenth century Venice; #2 in the Venetians series.

Judith Merkle Riley, The Oracle Glass (1994), a story of crime and the occult in seventeenth century Paris.

Judith Merkle Riley, The Master of All Desires (1999), about the French queen, Catherine de Medici, and Nostradamus.

Michaela Roessner, The Stars Dispose (1997), historical fantasy about a young chef and an astrologer in the childhood household of Catherine de Medici.

Rudy Rucker, As Above, So Below (2002), about the sixteenth century Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel.

Lawrence Schoonover, Queen's Cross (1955), about Isabella of Spain and the 1492 reconquest of Granada from the Moors. Review

Lawrence Schoonover, The Spider King (1954), about the late medieval French king Louis XI, who was born during the Hundred Years War when his father Charles was still the uncrowned Dauphin.

Lawrence Schoonover, The Prisoner of Tordesillas (1959), about Juana, the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella and mother of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V; set in Spain.

Sir Walter Scott, Quentin Durward (1823), about a naïve young Scot in the fifteenth century court of the French King Louis XI.

Miranda Seymour, The Stones of Maggiare (1975), about the Sforza family in Renaissance Italy.

Miranda Seymour, Daughter of Darkness (1977), about Lucrezia Borgia.

Samuel Shellabarger, Prince of Foxes (1947), about a captain in the service of the Borgias; set in Renaissance Italy.

Samuel Shellabarger, The King's Cavalier (1950), set in Renaissance France.

Samuel Shellabarger, Lord Vanity (1953), about the illegitimate son of an English lord and his adventures across Europe and overseas in America.

Traci L. Slatton, Immortal (2008), historical fantasy about a young orphan who rises from poverty to become a wealthy man in Renaissance Florence.

Kay Nolte Smith, Venetian Song (1994), about a Venetian noblewoman who joins a group of traveling players after she runs away to escape marriage with a man she detests.

Irving Stone, The Agony and the Ecstasy (1961), about the Renaissance Italian sculptor Michelangelo.

John Updike, Gertrude and Claudius (2000), a literary prequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet which centers on the relationship between Hamlet's mother Gertrude and her brother-in-law Claudius.

Susan Vreeland, The Passion of Artemisia (2002), about a woman painter in early seventeenth-century Italy.

Beryl Walthew, A Queen Betrayed (1981), about Juana of Castile; out of print and not readily available.

Marguerite Yourcenar, The Abyss (English translation, 1968), about a wandering scholar searching for the truth in Renaissance Europe.

Reformation and Renaissance Europe
The Continent: Mystery Novels

Barbara Cherne, Bella Donna

Sarah D’Almeida, Death of a Musketeer, a mystery based on the four musketeer characters created by Alexandre Dumas; #1 in the Musketeers mystery series.

Sarah D’Almeida, The Musketeer’s Seamstress, a mystery based on the four musketeer characters created by Alexandre Dumas; #2 in the Musketeers mystery series.

Sarah D’Almeida, The Musketeer’s Apprentice, a mystery based on the four musketeer characters created by Alexandre Dumas; #3 in the Musketeers mystery series.

Sarah D’Almeida, A Death in Gascony, a mystery based on the four musketeer characters created by Alexandre Dumas; #4 in the Musketeers mystery series.

Sarah D’Almeida, Dying by the Sword, a mystery based on the four musketeer characters created by Alexandre Dumas; #5 in the Musketeers mystery series.

Dave Duncan, The Alchemist's Apprentice (2007), alternative history/fantasy/mystery about an apprentice to the prophet Nostradamus in sixteenth century Venice, who must find a killer after his master is suspected of a murder because he predicted the day would be inauspicious; #1 in the Alchemist series.

Dave Duncan, The Alchemist's Code (2008), alternative history/fantasy/mystery about an apprentice to the prophet Nostradamus in sixteenth century Venice and their quest to crack a code and find an enemy agent; #2 in the Alchemist series.

Dave Duncan, The Alchemist's Pursuit (2009), alternative history/fantasy/mystery about an apprentice to the prophet Nostradamus who must help find out who is murdering courtesans in Venice; #3in the Alchemist series.

Elizabeth Eyre, Death of the Duchess (1991), a soldier of fortune and his seemingly dim-witted sidekick try to get to the bottom of a case of kidnapping and murder when feuding families try to patch up their differences with a wedding; #1 in the Italian Renaissance Whodunit series.

Elizabeth Eyre, Curtains for the Cardinal (1992), a soldier of fortune and his seemingly dim-witted sidekick rescue a princess from beheading; #2 in the Italian Renaissance Whodunit series.

Elizabeth Eyre, Bravo for the Bride (1994), a soldier of fortune and his seemingly dim-witted sidekick try to find out who strangled a bride on the day after her wedding; #3 in the Italian Renaissance Whodunit series.

Elizabeth Eyre, Poison for the Prince (1993), a soldier of fortune and his seemingly dim-witted sidekick try to protect an imperiled prince; #4 in the Italian Renaissance Whodunit series.

Elizabeth Eyre, Axe for an Abbot (1995), a soldier of fortune and his seemingly dim-witted sidekick try to solve the mystery of a murdered abbot; #5 in the Italian Renaissance Whodunit series.

Elizabeth Eyre, Dirge for a Doge (1996), a soldier of fortune and his seemingly dim-witted sidekick attempt to track down a murderer in Venice; #6 in the Italian Renaissance Whodunit series.

Roberta Gellis, Lucrezia Borgia and the Mother of Poisons; Lucrezia Borgia investigates a murder

George Herman, A Comedy of Murders, Leonardo da Vinci teams up with a dwarf to find out who is assassinating cardinals connected with the Duke of Milan's court; #1 in the Leonardo mystery series.

George Herman, The Tears of the Madonna, Leonardo da Vinci teams up with a dwarf to find out who killed a courier and made off with the magnificant diamond necklace he was carrying; #2 in the Leonardo mystery series.

George Herman, The Florentine Mourners, Leonardo da Vinci teams up with a dwarf to investigate a murder while the monk Savonarola's fanatical followers mutilate art masterpieces in Florence; #3 in the Leonardo mystery series.

George Herman, The Toys of War, Leonardo da Vinci needs the help of an old friend in order to clear himself of suspicion in a case of murder; #4 in the Leonardo mystery series.

Javier Sierra, The Secret Supper, a mystery revolving around the Renaissance Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci.

Diane A.S. Stuckart, The Queen's Gambit (2008), set in 1483 Milan and featuring Leonardo da Vinci as the sleuth who must find out who who murdered the ambassador to France during the living chess game he organized; #1 in the Leonardo da Vinci mystery series.

Diane A.S. Stuckart, Portrait of a Lady (2009), about a woman who disguises herself as a man to serve as Leonardo da Vinci's apprentice and then is asked to disguise "himself" as a woman in order to investigate the suspicious death of a servant; #2 in the Leonardo da Vinci mystery series.

Derek Wilson, The Swarm of Heaven (1999), a mystery featuring Niccolo Machiavelli engaged on a secret mission for the pope.

Richard Zimler, The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon (1998), about a Lisbon Jew who investigates the murder of his mentor, a great scholar of the Kabbalah, during a massacre of Jews by Christians in Portugal.

Back to Top