From medieval intrigues and Tudor mysteries to absorbing accounts of momentous battles, there’s something exciting here for everyone. Scroll down to discover this month’s titles from your favourite Sapere authors.
March’s Fiction Releases
Malta Inferno by Justin Fox is the fourth book in the Jack Pembroke Naval Thrillers series. In this instalment, Lieutenant Jack Pembroke and his small escort ship, HMSAS Southern Gannet, join a secret convoy from Egypt to relieve the beleaguered island of Malta.
Tyranny of Indulgence by Richard Kurti is the fifth book in the Basilica Diaries Medieval Mysteries series. Determined to accelerate the building of St Peter’s Basilica, the new Pope, Leo X, initiates the selling of indulgences, whereby the rich can buy forgiveness for their sins.
Matrons of Dishonour by David Field is the thirteenth book in the Esther & Jack Enright Mysteries series. Jack is tasked with assuring his superiors that rumours of unlawful assaults on suffragettes in police custody are baseless. But when he learns otherwise, he is obliged to reassess his loyalties.
A Parisian Intrigue by Suzanne Parsons is the first book in the WWII Aviatrix Adventures series. Miriam Nugent and her fiancé, Archie Bowater, are both doing their bit for the war effort. While Archie struggles to get to grips with flying Spitfires, at Bletchley Park Miriam quickly makes her mark fixing the machines that will decode enemy messages.
Grave Merriment by Angela Ranson is the third book in the Catrin Surovell Tudor Mystery series. It’s Christmas at Whitehall Palace, but Lady Catrin Surovell cannot find her celebratory spirit. The queen has asked her to stop a brute who has forced the waifs of London to work for him. And it seems the culprit may be someone at court…
A Valiant Endeavour by D. R. Bailey is the second book in the Cooper’s Renegades Aviation Thrillers series. American pilot Cooper Donahue has been sent to the RAF base at Banley to train with the British Mavericks Squadron. Before long, he finds himself flying sorties along the Sussex coast, where the threat of dogfights with the Germans lurks around every corner.
A Lady in Name by Elizabeth Bailey is a heart-warming Georgian romance. When Lucinda Graydene’s father imparts a shattering secret on his deathbed, her world is turned upside down. Bereft, she confronts the author of her unorthodox origins — but instead she finds his heir. And the autocratic Stefan Ankerville, Earl of Pennington, takes charge of her life, despite her protests.
March’s Fiction Backlist Releases
We are pleased to announce that the fourth, fifth and sixth instalments of H. Jay Riker’s gripping SEALS: The Warrior Breed series are out now. Don’t miss these action-packed military adventures, following the U.S. Navy’s elite commando demolition unit.
March’s Non-Fiction Releases
Fighter Pilots of the RAF by Chaz Bowyer is a powerful and deeply human portrait of the men who risked everything in the skies over Europe. Drawing on meticulous research, Bowyer goes beyond the famous names to uncover the untold stories of twenty pilots — many of whom received little public recognition, yet were crucial in the fight against the Luftwaffe.
The Burnside Expedition in North Carolina by Richard A. Sauers is a definitive account of Union General Ambrose E. Burnside’s North Carolina Campaign — a pivotal moment in the American Civil War.
A Short History of the Arab Peoples by Sir John Bagot Glubb draws on the author’s considerable knowledge of the Arab world gleaned from his time spent living and working in the region to explore its history, culture and politics. Spanning from the seventh century to the mid-twentieth century, this book brings to life several tumultuous and extraordinary periods of history.
Hunters From the Sky by Charles Whiting tells the fascinating true story of the Fallschirmjäger — the elite German Parachute Corps — and their role during the Second World War, 1940–1945.
Trafalgar: Nelson’s Great Victory by Donald Macintyre charts the dramatic prelude to the momentous battle — from Horatio Nelson’s rise to fame at the battles of the Nile and Copenhagen, to Pierre-Charles Villeneuve’s bold attempt to unite French naval forces in the Caribbean, before slipping past the British blockade to challenge their command of the seas.
Happy Reading! Team Sapere
To mark the publication of the first book in the WWII Aviatrix Adventures, author Suzanne Parsons takes a closer look at the inspirations behind the series.
Entering Sapere Books’ first writing competition back in 2021, I was thrilled to be awarded a contract for a three-book series. Strong female characters, wartime espionage and aviation — what a brief! The WWII Aviatrix Adventure series is the result. Before long I was immersed in everything to do with the Second World War, especially those members of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) who in Churchill’s words ‘set Europe ablaze’. There were so many inspirational stories, like that of the beautiful Violette Szabo, who worked as a courier for the SOE and was posthumously awarded the George Cross for bravery, and wireless operator — or ‘pianist’ — Noor Inayat Khan, an Indian princess. There were other stories deemed unnewsworthy, so I was determined my female protagonist would be part of that group: unremarkable, unobtrusive, someone who might even make the odd mistake.
Enter Miriam Nugent, who enjoys hill-walking, dancing and reading. Her journey to France is convoluted, beginning at that place of codes and Enigma machines, Bletchley Park, before the draw of the SOE proves irresistible. Miriam is young, naïve, and away from home for the first time. But she is a fast learner. The training is tough, the assault course at Arisaig House in the West Highlands worthy of the SAS. The gadgets are also extraordinary, making those in any Bond film appear dull, but the message is clear: war turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. Years ago, I met a work colleague’s mother. There was always something behind her warm smile and friendly manner. What was it? Then I was told she had been an SOE spy.
The spectre of World War One loomed large for those in this war, and having read The General by C. S. Forester, the image of a man who sips tea and discusses fine wine in a French château as his men go ‘over the top’, was strong. What would any man think of that, twenty years on?
Enter Archie Bowater, who is ashamed of his father. He is also desperate to join the RAF and goes to extraordinary lengths to do so. He drifts from plane to plane, flying Spitfires, Hurricanes, Bristol Beaufighters and the wooden De Havilland Mosquito in his quest to be the hero his father never was.
The Moon Squadrons that supported the SOE were another inspiration, the iconic painting They Landed by Moonlight by Robert Taylor — capturing a night landing in an isolated field — hard to forget. Flying deep into France under a full moon, transporting agents and rescuing downed airmen, was dangerous. But what if a woman flew those missions? In wartime, women attracted less suspicion than men, their role to nurture uppermost in most minds. Surely an experienced aviatrix could pull off flying a bulky Lysander Mark II? In Britain, women only ever flew as part of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), but then, isn’t fiction all about the what ifs?
In book two, Red Sky at Night, the ATA takes a prominent role, we see a new aviatrix in action, and a spy is sent to Russia, where she encounters the ‘Night Witches’.
A Parisian Intrigue is available from Amazon now.
You can follow Suzanne on Facebook and X.
All images are from Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
Congratulations to David Mackenzie, whose action-packed military adventure, Defying the Odds, is out now!
Defying the Odds is the second book in the John Noble Fighter Ace Thrillers series.
June, 1940
After fourteen months of flying, John Noble is now a capable and experienced Fighter Pilot.
His squadron has successfully survived the intense period of aerial warfare over Dunkirk, but now new challenges are facing them from the Luftwaffe.
And there is a major issue with their leadership.
415 Squadron’s CO, Wing Commander Christopher Bland has shown that he is clearly not up to the task he’s been given. And if Bland is the one to lead them in the Battle of Britain, John knows the outcome could be disastrous.
But with waves of inbound hostile aircraft relentlessly attacking, there is limited time to raise the issue.
The Battle of Britain is underway and if nothing changes, the outcome for the pilots could be nothing short of a slaughter…
Can the 415s defy the odds, or will this battle be their last…?
