Tag Archives: historical fiction

Two Early Novels By Diana Norman in Digital Format

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Cover of "Blood Royal"

Cover of Blood Royal

Besides reading crime fiction, I also enjoy reading historical mysteries and historical fiction. I was just informed today that Diana Norman’s earlier historical novels, THE VIZARD MASK and BLOOD ROYAL are now available in e-format only. Both titles are excellent reads. The paperbacks have long been out of print. When Diana Norman died two years ago, my fear was that her earlier works would be lost and forgotten. Seeing both those titles mentioned above in e-format gives me hope that maybe one day, all of her earlier titles like FITZEMPRESS’ LAW and KING OF THE LAST DAYS will one day be available to all of us. The prices for the two ebooks aren’t high either, selling for $4.99 at Amazon. I’m not sure if there are geo restrictions or if these are available at other vendors. The publisher is Traverse Press. Read More Here

A Catch of Consequence, by Diana Norman

The reading world was dealt a devastating blow with the loss of Diana Norman (Aug 25, 1933 – Jan 27, 2011). For readers who are unfamiliar with her work, she wrote mostly historical fiction novels set in late 18th Century and a set of crime fiction novels featuring a female pathologist set during the 12th Century. She had a way of bringing her characters to life like no other and her recreation of the past made you feel like you were right there. She was a gifted storyteller who will be sorely missed.

I pulled out A Catch of Consequence (2003) for a reread and wanted to give a brief review. This is the first book I’d read by her that made me a fan. The story is broken down into three parts covering several years. There’s love, tragedy, hope and peace between these pages. This is the first of three books that feature the indomitable Makepeace Burke. She’s an independent woman running a successful tavern called The Roaring Meg in Boston, out by the waterfront. Continue reading →

Underrated Writer: C.J. Sansom

I didn’t expect my phone line/cable line going down for three days hence no updates. My apologies for not scheduling this post when I had the opportunity to do so. Without further ado, this next guest post is by Sarah Tanner, who blogs at Monkey Bear Reviews where she reviews romance and mystery among other topics. Sarah’s mentioned C.J. Sansom to me many times and with so many books, I keep overlooking him. I plan to rectify that soon. Her post is after the break. Again, if there are other readers out there interested in submitting a guest post on a mystery writer they enjoy who may not be all that popular but are very good, drop me a line. Continue reading →