TELEGRAPH and SPECTATOR HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR How the British might have handled Hitler differently remains one of history’s greatest ‘what ifs’. Coffee with Hitler tells the astounding and poignant story, for the first time, of a handful of amateur British intelligence agents who wined, dined and befriended the leading National Socialists between the wars. With support from royalty, aristocracy, politicians and businessmen, they hoped to use the much mythologised Anglo-German Fellowship as a vehicle to civilise the Nazis. A pacifist Welsh historian, a Great War flying ace, and a butterfly-collecting businessman offered the British government better intelligence on the horrifying rise of the Nazis than anyone else. Charles Spicer draws on newly discovered primary sources, shedding light on the early career of Kim Philby, Winston Churchill’s approach to appeasement, the US entry into the war and the Rudolf Hess affair.

TELEGRAPH HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR How the British might have handled Hitler differently remains one of history's greatest 'what ifs'. Coffee with Hitler tells the astounding and poignant story, for the first time, of a handful of amateur British intelligence agents who wined, dined and befriended the leading National Socialists between the wars. With support from royalty, aristocracy, politicians and businessmen, they hoped to use the much mythologised Anglo-German Fellowship as a vehicle to civilise the Nazis. A pacifist Welsh historian, a Great War flying ace, and a butterfly-collecting businessman offered the British government better intelligence on the horrifying rise of the Nazis than anyone else. Charles Spicer draws on newly discovered primary sources, shedding light on the early career of Kim Philby, Winston Churchill's approach to appeasement, the US entry into the war and the Rudolf Hess affair.

"It's history that reads like a race-against-the-clock thriller."--"Harlan Coben"

Daniel Stashower, the two-time Edgar award-winning author of "The Beautiful Cigar Girl," uncovers the riveting true story of the "Baltimore Plot," an audacious conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln on the eve of the Civil War in THE HOUR OF PERIL.
In February of 1861, just days before he assumed the presidency, Abraham Lincoln faced a "clear and fully-matured" threat of assassination as he traveled by train from Springfield to Washington for his inauguration. Over a period of thirteen days the legendary detective Allan Pinkerton worked feverishly to detect and thwart the plot, assisted by a captivating young widow named Kate Warne, America's first female private eye.
As Lincoln's train rolled inexorably toward "the seat of danger," Pinkerton struggled to unravel the ever-changing details of the murder plot, even as he contended with the intractability of Lincoln and his advisors, who refused to believe that the danger was real. With time running out Pinkerton took a desperate gamble, staking Lincoln's life--and the future of the nation--on a "perilous feint" that seemed to offer the only chance that Lincoln would survive to become president. Shrouded in secrecy--and, later, mired in controversy--the story of the "Baltimore Plot" is one of the great untold tales of the Civil War era, and Stashower has crafted this spellbinding historical narrative with the pace and urgency of a race-against-the-clock thriller.

A "Washington Post "Notable Nonfiction Book of 2013

Winner of the 2014 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime

Winner of the 2013 Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction

From Jeanne Kalogridis, the bestselling author of "The Borgia Bride "and "The Scarlet Contessa, " comes a tale of love, loss and treachery set during the perilous days of the Spanish Inquisition

1481 Seville: The Inquisition makes its first appearance in Spain. Its target: "conversos, " Christians of Jewish descent--specifically those who practice Judaism secretly in their homes. The penalty for "crypto-Judaism" Burning at the stake.

Marisol Garcia, a young "conversa," is hurriedly wed to Gabriel, a civil lawyer working for the Inquisition, in hopes that he will protect her. But she still yearns for the childhood love who abandoned her four years earlier, and she's shocked when he reappears suddenly at her wedding.

When her father is arrested and tortured, Marisol finds herself caught between her love for him and her desire to save the lives of her people. After becoming a favorite of the ruthless Queen Isabella, Marisol discovers a dangerous secret about her former lover, Antonio, and finds herself trapped in a life-threatening web of intrigue. As the Inquisition's snares tighten around her, Marisol's love for Antonio and loyalty to her Jewish family is tested as never before...

"The Inquisitor's Wife" reveals the real motivation behind the Inquisition, a frank glance at a "saintly" queen, and the struggles of a maligned people against crushing forces.