JudyM Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Just finished and really enjoyed Midnight in Peking by Paul French. It's a murder mystery set in the expatriate community in Beijing in 1937. Can anyone recommend other novels based on true stories? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks was a fantastic read, based on the true story of a Peak District village visited by the Plague in 1666. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Are you interested in true crime, or murder novels, specifically, or do you mean any true stories written as novels? I'd personally recommend Crippen by John Boyne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onion Budgie Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt Both are based on true-life crimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyM Posted April 12, 2016 Author Share Posted April 12, 2016 Hello Addicted This sounds really interesting. I had heard of the Vale of Health in Hampstead, as being the only area of London which managed to keep out the plague. The novel about the Peak District sounds good. Was it one of the villages which actually had the plague but shut itself off from the rest of the world so as not to infect anywhere else? Many thanks for the suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyM Posted April 12, 2016 Author Share Posted April 12, 2016 Hello Frankie I am interested in all three. I find the fact that they are based on factual events makes the exposition even more gripping. I will order Crippen, but might not read it last thing at night... Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyM Posted April 12, 2016 Author Share Posted April 12, 2016 Hello Onion Budgie, I have read both of these and found them absolutely chilling. The build up of tension in 'In Cold Blood' is almost unbearable, especially as you know that the family have no chance of escape. I will definitely re-read. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Hello Addicted This sounds really interesting. I had heard of the Vale of Health in Hampstead, as being the only area of London which managed to keep out the plague. The novel about the Peak District sounds good. Was it one of the villages which actually had the plague but shut itself off from the rest of the world so as not to infect anywhere else? Many thanks for the suggestion. Yes it was, the book was very descriptive and centred around one woman as she describes hers and others struggles in the village. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxo Posted April 18, 2016 Share Posted April 18, 2016 Laurie Grahame writes about real people from the viewpoint of a minor character. Her books are funny and easy to read. Try "Gone with the Windsors", "The Importance of being Kennedy" or "Mr Starlight". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted April 18, 2016 Share Posted April 18, 2016 One that I'd highly recommend is called Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo. Which is a true account of the New Jersey shore shark attacks of 1917. It's not true crime, but oh-so interesting and fascinating! I loved it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted April 18, 2016 Share Posted April 18, 2016 Oh! That reminds me: The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve! A great novel, and they've also made a movie on it which I loved as well. "Half of the novel is historical fiction based on the Smuttynose Island murders, which took place in 1873." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 What about Burial Rites by Hannah Kent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) I'd second Burial Rites - excellent read. I've also just finished Landfalls by Naomi Williams, another first novel, based on the true story of a French expedition to the Pacific in the eighteenth century that disappeared without trace, which I'd also recommend. In turn, that reminds that one of my favourite books is This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson, a fictionalised account of Darwin's voyage on the Beagle and his relationship with its captain Robert Fitzroy. Edited May 1, 2016 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madeleine Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 Hello Addicted This sounds really interesting. I had heard of the Vale of Health in Hampstead, as being the only area of London which managed to keep out the plague. The novel about the Peak District sounds good. Was it one of the villages which actually had the plague but shut itself off from the rest of the world so as not to infect anywhere else? Many thanks for the suggestion. The village in the Peak District is called Eyam and they have an information board and small museum about the plague. I haven't heard of the Hampstead Vale of Health though, despite having visited the area quite often! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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