Category Archives: historical fiction

Dominus

Posted on September 17, 2025 by smellincoffee

Di immortales, it’s been a while since I read any Steven Saylor! For those who don’t know the name, Saylor is an author of Roman historical fiction; I found him in college, and devoured a long series starring “Gordianus the … Continue reading →

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Stars & Stripes Forever

Posted on August 29, 2025 by smellincoffee

The War between the States is nearly a year old, but Abraham Lincoln now has a bigger problem.    Last November, a Navy ship intercepted a British mail packet on suspicion that it was carrying Confederate diplomats bound for Europe; … Continue reading →

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Bittersweet

Posted on July 30, 2025 by smellincoffee

Recently I was looking for the author Nevada Barr, who has a series about a female park ranger who works across the United States. The library didn’t have the early ones in stock, so I grabbed this one without really … Continue reading →

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The Highwayman read a western! Plus, game wardening in Maine

Posted on May 2, 2025 by smellincoffee

I’m going to short-round a bunch of Paul Doiron books and just comment on them in general, since the quality is fairly consistent from book to book. But first, on Willie Nelson’s birthday, I searched his name in Audible just … Continue reading →

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Shots Fired

Posted on April 24, 2025 by smellincoffee

Shots Fired is a bit of a stray on the CJ Box book ranch, a collection of short stories rather than a Pickett novel – and some of the stories don’t even involve Joe!  Interestingly, there’s also a bit of … Continue reading →

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The Professionals

Posted on April 10, 2025 by smellincoffee

Since 1915,  Martin Falconer has been flying birds above France in His Majesty’s Royal Flying Corps,  but  as the days pass he’s beginning to wonder how much longer he can buck the odds.  The aerial carnage has gotten especially bad … Continue reading →

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The Last Man in Europe

Posted on April 3, 2025 by smellincoffee

I have found George Orwell a fascinating person for almost as long as I’ve known of his existence. Introduced to his work in middle school, reading 1984 and Animal Farm were a political education – and I was surprised but … Continue reading →

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Camino Ghosts

Posted on March 2, 2025 by smellincoffee

In The Guardians, readers were teased with a voodoo-cursed cabin that..ended up never being visiting again, causing me to wonder why on Earth it had been included to begin with. Camino Ghosts revisits not that cabin, but the general premise … Continue reading →

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The Half-Blood Heir

Posted on February 28, 2025 by smellincoffee

Nathaniel Perry survived the Battle of Waterloo, despite the odds: two thirds of his unit have answered the last post and call, but he got through with just a bullet through the calf. Newly promoted to Major, he’s contemplating his … Continue reading →

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Sword Brethren

Posted on January 7, 2025 by smellincoffee

Richard Fitz Simmons is a young lad who has just lost everything. After he narrowly defends himself against some highwaymen he arrives home to find that his father has accidentally died in a hunting accident and his uncle is taking … Continue reading →

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