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(b.Kate Quinn's love of history was inspired by her mother, a history scholar, who told her bedtime stories about Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. Kate attended Boston University, where she earned a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Classical Voice whilst at the same time writing her first novel, Mistress of Rome. Now Kate lives in San Diego with her husband.
Genres: Historical, Historical Mystery
Series
Empress of Rome
1. Mistress of Rome (2010)
2. Daughters of Rome (2011)
3. Empress of the Seven Hills (2012)
aka Empress of Rome
3.5. The Three Fates (2015)
4. Lady of the Eternal City (2015)
1. Mistress of Rome (2010)
2. Daughters of Rome (2011)
3. Empress of the Seven Hills (2012)
aka Empress of Rome
3.5. The Three Fates (2015)
4. Lady of the Eternal City (2015)
Novels
A Day of Fire (2014) (with Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, Sophie Perinot and Vicky Alvear Shecter)
A Year of Ravens (2015) (with Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray, E Knight, Vicky Alvear Shecter, S J A Turney and Russell Whitfield)
A Song of War (2016) (with Christian Cameron, Libbie Hawker, Vicky Alvear Shecter, Stephanie Thornton, S J A Turney and Russell Whitfield)
The Alice Network (2017)
The Huntress (2019)
Ribbons of Scarlet (2019) (with Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, E Knight, Sophie Perinot and Heather Webb)
The Rose Code (2021)
The Diamond Eye (2022)
The Phoenix Crown (2023) (with Janie Chang)
A Year of Ravens (2015) (with Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray, E Knight, Vicky Alvear Shecter, S J A Turney and Russell Whitfield)
A Song of War (2016) (with Christian Cameron, Libbie Hawker, Vicky Alvear Shecter, Stephanie Thornton, S J A Turney and Russell Whitfield)
The Alice Network (2017)
The Huntress (2019)
Ribbons of Scarlet (2019) (with Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, E Knight, Sophie Perinot and Heather Webb)
The Rose Code (2021)
The Diamond Eye (2022)
The Phoenix Crown (2023) (with Janie Chang)
Novellas
Kate Quinn recommends
Feast of Sorrow (2017)
Crystal King
"Crystal King's debut is a feast for the senses, bringing ancient Rome to dark, vibrant life. Politics, intrigue, danger, and passion mix deliciously in this tale of a young slave vaulted into the corridors of power as personal chef to the ancient world's greatest gourmet. Not to be missed!"
Last Christmas in Paris (2017)
Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
"Humor, love, tragedy, and hope make for a moving, uplifting read. A winner!"
Next Year in Havana (2018)
(Cuba Saga, book 1)
Chanel Cleeton
"A flat-out stunner of a book, at once a dual-timeline mystery, a passionate romance, and paean to the tragedy and beauty of war-torn Cuba. Simply wonderful!"
The Lost Girls Of Paris (2018)
Pam Jenoff
"Pam Jenoff's meticulous research and gorgeous historical world-building lift her books to must-buy status. An intriguing mystery and a captivating heroine make The Lost Girls of Paris a read to savor!"
My Dear Hamilton (2018)
Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
"My Dear Hamilton is a superbly written, meticulously researched homage to the birth of America [...] At once a wartime drama, a woman’s coming of age, and a lesson on politics that resonates in today’s world, My Dear Hamilton is the book of the year."
The Girl They Left Behind (2018)
Roxanne Veletzos
"A fresh, original debut, twining personal family drama together with the lesser-known history of World War II Romania. Even readers saturated with Second World War dramas will be enthralled by this moving tale of two ferociously-devoted mothers, the daughter they share, and the sacrifices they are willing to make for a new future. Gripping, tragic, yet filled with passion and hope—I couldn't put it down!"
The Kennedy Debutante (2018)
Kerri Maher
"Maher's debut stars a debutante to root for in this moving coming-of-age tale."
Girls on the Line (2018)
Aimie K Runyan
"Girls on the Line brings to vivid life the unknown story of American women who served on the front lines of World War I as telephone operators, working under shellfire and exhaustion to keep front-line officers connected during battle. Philadelphia socialite Ruby battles family disapproval to volunteer at the front, finding camaraderie and sisterhood among her fellow operators who risk their lives as much as any soldier, and fight to be accepted as soldiers in their own right. Runyan illuminates these little-known women of the past in a moving tale of female solidarity and courage."
The Gown (2018)
Jennifer Robson
"The Gown is marvelous and moving, a vivid portrait of female self-reliance in a world racked by the cost of war."
Lovely War (2019)
Julie Berry
"Julie Berry pens an utter delight in Lovely War, an effervescent confection of a novel filled with humor, tragedy, romance, and myth. Easily one of the best novels I have read all year!"
The Parting Glass (2019)
Gina Marie Guadagnino
"Downton Abbey meets Gangs of New York in this darkly compelling debut...A gem of a novel to be inhaled in one gulp."
Woman 99 (2019)
Greer Macallister
"Woman Ninety Nine is a gorgeous ode to the power of female courage. A resourceful Gilded Age heiress feigns madness and inveigles herself into an insane asylum, determined at all costs to rescue her fragile, unjustly committed sister, only to realize the horrors of the madhouse may keep them both prisoner forever. But when alliances are forged among the asylum women, many of whom are jailed because they are inconvenient rather than insane, all things become possible--even escape. Greer Macallister pens a nail-biter that makes you want to stand up and cheer."
Beyond the Point (2019)
Claire Gibson
"In Beyond the Point, Claire Gibson writes a stellar trio of heroines-women I want to hug, women I want to befriend, women I want to be... An inspiring tribute to female friendship and female courage!"
Park Avenue Summer (2019)
Renée Rosen
"Renée Rosen is my go-to for whip-smart heroines who love their work...Park Avenue Summer is a delightful summer cocktail of a read!."
Mistress of the Ritz (2019)
Melanie Benjamin
"A compelling portrait of a marriage and a nation at war from within . . . High fashion, royal gossip, political scheming, and French Resistance sabotage all swirl together to make Mistress of the Ritz a cocktail as irresistible as anything served at the hotel’s bar!"
Songs in Ursa Major (2019)
Emma Brodie
"Emma Brodie's debut lilts easily between the power chords of a rock anthem and the soulful nostalgia of a blues ballad, evoking the seventies rock scene through two compelling protagonists: Jesse Reid, charismatic rock star on the rise, and Jane Quinn, electrically gifted songstress struggling to get her foot on the ladder of the music world. Their passion for each other, for performing, and above all for their music makes for splashy, engrossing reading. Songs in Ursa Major is pure sun-soaked summer fun."
The King's Justice (2020)
(Maggie Hope, book 9)
Susan Elia MacNeal
"With any luck the adventures of red-haired super-sleuth Maggie Hope will go on forever. Maggie makes for an appealingly damaged heroine, struggling to overcome the emotional scars that espionage and murder have left on her soul, losing herself in cigarettes, scotch, and risk-taking--but the war won't allow Maggie much in the way of rest, as a serial killer, a missing Stradivarius, and the sensational murder trial of her last antagonist collide in a new series of challenges. Taut, well-plotted, and suspenseful, this is a wartime mystery to sink your teeth into."
Hannah's War (2020)
Jan Eliasberg
"Hannah's War is a gripping cat-and-mouse tale of love, war, deception, and espionage you won't be able to put down. Jan Eliasberg elevates the spy thriller with her clear, fierce admiration for the women of the past who refused to be edged out of the world of scientific discovery. Mesmerizing."
This Terrible Beauty (2020)
Katrin Schumann
"Lyrically written, fantastic worldbuilding…It’s about forgiveness, as three people who have all made mistakes struggle to do what is right in the end for the innocent. This book will stay with me a long time."
The Yellow Bird Sings (2020)
Jennifer Rosner
"Room meets Schindler’s List in The Yellow Bird Sings, a beautifully written tale of mothers and daughters, war and love, the music of the living and the silence of the dead."
The Library of Legends (2020)
Janie Chang
"The Library of Legends is a gorgeous, poetic journey threaded with mist and magic about a group from a Chinese university who take to the road to escape the Japanese invasion of 1937 – only to discover that danger stalks them from within. Janie Chang pens pure enchantment!"
Raphael: Painter in Rome (2020)
Stephanie Storey
"Stephanie Storey paints a warm, witty, mesmerizing portrait of the Renaissance’s most famous painters: the charming Raphael and the irascible Michelangelo, dueling for the title of greatest artist in Rome. Only one will win the ultimate commission of the Sistine Chapel, and Raphael is determined the ceiling will be his—but at what cost? RAPHAEL: PAINTER IN ROME is a feast for the senses, every brush-stroke a delight."
Fast Girls (2020)
Elise Hooper
"Fast Girls is a high-speed romp as ambitious and heart-pounding as its trio of track-star heroines...A gold medal read from Elise Hooper!"
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie (2020)
Marie Benedict
"A deft, fascinating page-turner replete with richly drawn characters and plot twists that would stump Hercule Poirot."
A Tip for the Hangman (2021)
Allison Epstein
"Allison Epstein pens a vivid, unforgettable hero in Kit Marlowe, Elizabethan playwright-turned-spy always sprinting one step ahead of disaster and talking a blue streak as he does so. Recruited by Elizabeth I's spymaster to infiltrate the cabal of Mary Queen of Scots, Kit finds his conscience tested to the limit even as his heart yearns for an unattainable beloved. A Tip for the Hangman is simultaneously moving, unsettling, hilarious, and tragic--a debut that will linger long after the last page is turned."
The Lost Apothecary (2021)
Sarah Penner
"In The Lost Apothecary, Sarah Penner convincingly weaves three heroines and two timelines into one tale of poison, revenge, and the silent network of women helping other women in a world stacked against them.... A bold, edgy, accomplished debut!"
Rhapsody (2021)
Mitchell James Kaplan
"A lilting, jazzy ballad as catchy as a Gershwin tune…Rhapsody will have you humming, toe-tapping, and singing along with every turn of the page."
Courage, My Love (2021)
Kristin Beck
"A winning wartime tale set in the snakepit world of Mussolini's Rome. Single mother Lucia and polio-crippled Francesca make appealing heroines, flowering slowly from reticent bystanders to fierce resistance fighters as the Eternal City comes under German occupation. Kristin Beck's debut is a fresh, compelling read."
Letters Across the Sea (2021)
Genevieve Graham
"Readers weary of European-centric World War II dramas will delight in Genevieve Graham’s Letters Across the Sea, which centers on the courage and tenacity of Canadian soldiers, veterans, and home-front fighters. A budding love affair between Irish aspiring-journalist Molly and Jewish medical student Max is derailed first by a shocking anti-Semitic riot, then by the winds of war which send Max to fight in the Pacific as Molly carves herself a niche as a reporter. A lost letter has the power to bring them back into each other’s lives, but at what cost? A tender, moving tale illuminating a fascinating lesser-known chapter of World War II history!"
Half Sick of Shadows (2021)
Laura Sebastian
"Laura Sebastian is the next Madeline Miller. In Half Sick of Shadows, she frames the famous legend of King Arthur through the eyes of seer Elaine, the tragic Lily Maid who flowers into much more than a passive doomed oracle. Leading the women of Camelot into taking control of a legend long dominated by knights and kings, Elaine weaves past truths and possible futures into a fierce, fresh, lyrical tale that will enthrall until the last page."
Radar Girls (2021)
Sara Ackerman
"Radar Girls is a fresh, delightful romp of a novel featuring the little-known women of Hawaii recruited after Pearl Harbor to staff the islands' radar stations. Heroine Daisy is thrown into the deep end guiding in wounded Air Force pilots and listening for Japanese attacks, while juggling family troubles and a budding romance, but she and her radar-girl gang of irrepressible friends live up to their work, their duty, and their code name Rascal in sparkling fashion. Sara Ackerman never disappoints!"
The Bookseller's Secret (2021)
Michelle Gable
"The Bookseller's Secret is a delight from start to finish. Michelle Gable skillfully twines the narratives of two effervescent heroines, a modern-day author with writer's block and her literary icon Nancy Mitford who is struggling to pen a bestseller in the middle of the London Blitz. The result is a literary feast any booklover will savor!"
Sisters in Arms (2021)
Kaia Alderson
"Heartwarming but fierce, a novel brimming with camaraderie and fire, starring women you'd love to make your friends."
The Last Rose of Shanghai (2021)
Weina Dai Randel
"Weina Dai Randel's poignant, sweeping love story paints a vibrant portrait of a little-known slice of World War II history. Not to be missed!"
Beautiful Little Fools (2022)
Jillian Cantor
"Jillian Cantor beautifully re-crafts an American classic in Beautiful Little Fools, placing the women of The Great Gatsby center stage: more than merely beautiful, not so little as the men in their lives assume, and certainly far from foolish. Both fresh and familiar, this page-turner is one to savor!"
Agricola: Architect of Roman Britain (2022)
Simon Turney
"A powerfully moving read from one of the best ancient world authors in the business."
Carolina Built (2022)
Kianna Alexander
"Kianna Alexander breathes life into forgotten historical matriarch Josephine Leary, a budding entrepreneur born into slavery and raising herself to power after the Civil War as a community investor and savvy businesswoman. Josephine's moving struggle to build family and fortune will strike a chord in a story that is both timely and timeless - Carolina Built is an exuberant celebration of Black women's joy as well as their achievements!"
The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post (2022)
Allison Pataki
"A deliciously dishy deep dive into the storied life of one of America's uncrowned society queens . . . New-money heiress Marjorie Post isn't content to remain a society bride, and she bursts glass ceiling after glass ceiling as she remakes herself into a savvy entrepreneur, a visionary philanthropist, a presidential hostess, and much, much more. Allison Pataki brings a towering legend to life with warmth, wit, and clear admiration for a woman ahead of her time."
Our American Friend (2022)
Anna Pitoniak
"OUR AMERICAN FRIEND is an intriguing Russian nesting doll of modern Washington politics, Cold War spy games, and above all women with secrets. A burned-out White House correspondent gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she is selected to write the biography of an enigmatic Russian model turned even more enigmatic First Lady of the United States. Just what is the President's wife hiding? Anna Pitoniak's masterful puzzle of espionage, love, and betrayal keeps us flipping the pages to find out!"
Scorpica (2022)
(Five Queendoms, book 1)
G R Macallister
"An intoxicating brew of court politics, deadly magic, family rivalry, and enough swashbuckling female swordplay to delight Wonder Woman's entire isle of Amazons. Macallister's turn from historical fiction to historical fantasy is a gem - I can't wait for the next installment!"
The Mayfair Bookshop (2022)
Eliza Knight
"The Mayfair Bookshop is a moving, touching tale of a Bright Young Thing turned bookseller/author and her quest to find fulfillment, inspiration, and love in the chaos of the WWII home front. Eliza Knight brings Nancy Mitford to life as an appealing and uncertain young heroine in the days before she is burnished by fame and success--you cannot help but cheer her toward her destiny!"
Take My Hand (2022)
Dolen Perkins-Valdez
"Take My Hand will break your heart and lift your soul. A young nurse with big dreams of helping her community comes to an Alabama clinic and is immediately embroiled in the lives of two young Black girls, caught first in the trap of rural poverty and then in the spotlight of a national court case as their mistreatment at the clinic's hands comes out into the open. Dolen Perkins-Valdez is a consummate storyteller: profound, transcendent, heart-wrenching."
And By Fire (2022)
Evie Hawtrey
"Fresh, dynamic, and crisply researched, And By Fire will appeal to histfic fans and mystery readers alike--I couldn't put this one down!"
A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting (2022)
Sophie Irwin
"Bridgerton fans will devour Sophie Irwin's delightful Regency debut."
The Lunar Housewife (2022)
Caroline Woods
"The Lunar Housewife is wonderfully entertaining and slyly subversive. Caroline Woods pens a story that will linger in the memory!"
The Crimson Thread (2022)
Kate Forsyth
"Kate Forsyth's masterful gift for recasting classic fairy tales in fiction is unmatched! In The Crimson Thread she sets the legend of Ariadne and the minotaur in WWII Greece, where a resourceful Cretan beauty is caught dangerously between a brash Australian soldier, his shy poet best friend, and her own Hitler-obsessed younger brother as her village comes under fire in the brutal German invasion of Crete. Love, jealousy, war, espionage, and myth combine in a tale as complex and beguiling as Ariadne's labyrinth--I couldn't put it down!"
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy (2022)
Jamie Ford
"The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is simply transcendent. The first Chinese woman to set her lotus-bound feet in America is destined to set off a ripple through time and space, as her descendants struggle with her legacy of loss and loneliness. Themes of karma, courage, love, and motherhood weave timelessly through eight generations of women seeking to find balance in an increasingly tempest-racked world. Jamie Ford has outdone himself!"
Mademoiselle Revolution (2022)
Zoe Sivak
"A moving retelling of the true events of the Haitian and French Revolutions wound together with an imaginative fictional heroine. Zoe Sivak pens a timely and essential tale that will linger long in the memory!"
The American Adventuress (2022)
C W Gortner
"No one writes bright, bold, bad and beautiful women of history like C W Gortner."
The Matchmaker's Gift (2022)
Lynda Cohen Loigman
"Loigman's latest is a gem. A scrappy Jewish teenager newly arrived in 1920s New York struggles to follow her calling as a matchmaker--seventy years later, her cynical divorce-attorney granddaughter realizes she has very inconveniently inherited the family gift for matching soulmates. Both funny and moving, The Matchmaker's Gift made me smile from start to finish."
The Only Child (2022)
Kayte Nunn
"The Only Child is a taut, clever whodunit revolving around the pangs of motherhood and the lengths women will go for their children...Kayte Nunn keeps the stakes high and the characters compelling, making for a fast, fresh, engrossing historical mystery!"
The Ways We Hide (2022)
Kristina McMorris
"Just like her heroine, Kristina McMorris works magic in this twisting tale of James Bond's Q meets World War II. I love this book!"
Cradles of the Reich (2022)
Jennifer Coburn
"The Handmaid's Tale meets WWII in Cradles of the Reich, which explores the little-known history of Hitler's Lebensborn program and its goal of mass-breeding racially fit babies for the master race. Three German women are destined to collide at a Bavarian breeding home: a blond beauty desperately concealing her unborn child's Jewish heritage, a Nazi official's fanatical young mistress, and a nurse determined to keep her head down in the home's increasingly sinister program of forced adoptions, queasy eugenics, and racial cleansing. Jennifer Coburn's debut historical novel is adept, unforgettable, and brilliantly unsettling!"
Eyes Turned Skyward (2022)
Alena Dillon
"Eyes Turned Skyward is a powerful examination of the cost - emotional, familial, generational - when women are denied their right to soar... Alena Dillon's poetic prose and complex characters will linger long after the last page is turned!"
The Girls in Navy Blue (2022)
Alix Rickloff
"THE GIRLS IN NAVY BLUE had me smiling from first page to last! When the US Navy admits women to the ranks during World War I, three intrepid yeomanettes answer the call: Blanche the dashing suffragette, Marjory the German immigrant, and Vivian the preacher's daughter on the run from the police. Friendship, duty, and the struggle of making their way in a man's world will bind the three together, and their secrets will resound through the next fifty years--until Blanche's great-niece, reeling from losses and desperate for home, will pick up the pieces. Alix Rickloff pens a lovely coming-of-age tale: brave women making waves in a war-torn world."
River Sing Me Home (2023)
Eleanor Shearer
"An extraordinary odyssey of pain, love, and homecoming . . . RIVER SING ME HOME is a haunting and powerful debut."
Time's Undoing (2023)
Cheryl A Head
"Time's Undoing is a novel both timeless and timely, exploring the complicated connections between a young Black journalist embroiled in the Black Lives Matter movement who decides to investigate a long-standing family mystery: the unsolved murder of her great-grandfather in segregated Alabama decades ago. Cheryl A. Head writes a sensitive and searing tale based on personal family history, which is sure to linger long in the memory."
Strangers in the Night (2023)
Heather Webb
"A fragrant French bonbon of a book: love, glamour, perfume, and paparazzi all circling around the wedding of the century."
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