Love The Last Protector? Readers share 85 books like The Last Protector...

By Andrew Taylor,

Here are 85 books that The Last Protector fans have personally recommended if you like The Last Protector. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Devil in the Marshalsea

Alec Marsh Author Of Rule Britannia

From my list on historical thrillers for history lovers.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a journalist and writer by profession, one who has a passion for history and historical fiction. Eventually these things came together when I came up with the idea for Drabble and Harris and wrote my first historical thriller ā€“ Rule Britannia. Before going into journalism I studied history at university, a bedrock that continues to support and feed my writing. Iā€™ve also written broadly on various historical topics throughout my career, including for National Geographic. In my protagonists, Drabble and Harris, I have the perfect vehicle to travel back in time to the recent past and revisit it through modern eyes ā€“ and more than that, to challenge our perceptions of it.

Alec's book list on historical thrillers for history lovers

Alec Marsh Why did Alec love this book?

This is the first in Antonia Hodgsonā€™s so-good-you-could-eat-it Thomas Hawkins series. Itā€™s set in London in 1727 and the plot revolves around a likeable rake, Hawkins, whose dedication to dice, booze, and women leads him to ruin ā€“ but with the help of others. Finding himself in the notorious Marshalsea Prison ā€“ think Alcatraz but without the water and with leprosy and lice instead ā€“ and you have the makings of a wonderful prison-break type story. Hodgsonā€™s characters ā€“ Hawkins, but also his love interest, Kitty Sparks ā€“ arenā€™t just alive but bring the past alive with them. Itā€™s like Henry Fieldingā€™s Tom Jones with the vividness of the Sixties, but then, if you know anything about eighteenth-century London, youā€™ll know that it was pretty wild place. This, after all, was long before the Victorians came along with their rather puritan social mores.


By Antonia Hodgson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Devil in the Marshalsea as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER AWARD 2014.

Longlisted for the John Creasey Dagger Award for best debut crime novel of 2014.

London, 1727 - and Tom Hawkins is about to fall from his heaven of card games, brothels and coffee-houses into the hell of a debtors' prison.

The Marshalsea is a savage world of its own, with simple rules: those with family or friends who can lend them a little money may survive in relative comfort. Those with none will starve in squalor and disease. And those who try to escape will suffer a gruesome fate at the handsā€¦


Book cover of Act of Oblivion

Adele Jordan Author Of The Gentlewoman Spy

From my list on exciting adventure in the Renaissance.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a ghostwriter, Iā€™m asked to turn my hand to many genres. Yet the one I keep returning to is Renaissance Adventure. Having always been a fan of adventure, in films, TV, or books, for my English Degree at Exeter University, I dedicated my dissertation to the genre, and the fascination shows no sign of fading. I love all these books, but there is one difference between these and my series. That is the heroes here are all men. Bring on more adventure in this era with women! I hope you enjoy the books on this list ā€“ they are a fantastic way to spend your evenings with your pulse racing.

Adele's book list on exciting adventure in the Renaissance

Adele Jordan Why did Adele love this book?

The most recent publication on this list, this book hit me this year like a brick, and surprisingly, that is a good thing.

I picked this book at a time when I needed to escape the world, and it truly offered that escape. Inspired by the true events of trying to track down those responsible for the beheading of Charles I, this is a powerful tale that leaves you questioning who exactly youā€™re supporting. An adventure that takes place both in England and America in 1660, it is a slow burn.

So yes, we have a degree of setting up, but if you enjoy slow-build tension, then this is the book for you. Itā€™s a heavy dose of historical detail that transports you, and the ending? Hold onto your hats!

By Robert Harris,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Act of Oblivion as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A belter of a thriller' THE TIMES
'A master storyteller . . . an important book for our particular historical moment' OBSERVER
'His best since Fatherland' SUNDAY TIMES

'From what is it they flee?'
He took a while to reply. By the time he spoke the men had gone inside. He said quietly, 'They killed the King.'

1660. Colonel Edward Whalley and his son-in-law, Colonel William Goffe, cross the Atlantic. Having been found guilty of high treason for the murder of Charles the I, they are wanted and on the run. A reward hangs over their heads - for theirā€¦


Book cover of Dominion

Alec Marsh Author Of Rule Britannia

From my list on historical thrillers for history lovers.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a journalist and writer by profession, one who has a passion for history and historical fiction. Eventually these things came together when I came up with the idea for Drabble and Harris and wrote my first historical thriller ā€“ Rule Britannia. Before going into journalism I studied history at university, a bedrock that continues to support and feed my writing. Iā€™ve also written broadly on various historical topics throughout my career, including for National Geographic. In my protagonists, Drabble and Harris, I have the perfect vehicle to travel back in time to the recent past and revisit it through modern eyes ā€“ and more than that, to challenge our perceptions of it.

Alec's book list on historical thrillers for history lovers

Alec Marsh Why did Alec love this book?

Famous for his crookbacked sleuth Shardlake series, CJ Sansom sets this standalone counter-factual historical thriller in 1950s Britain ā€“ one where the United Kingdom had capitulated to Nazi Germany in 1940 (with Lord Halifax and not Winston Churchill becoming prime minister) and has become a German client state. It conjures up the 1950s ā€“ the smog, the coal smoke, the tea shops ā€“ while sketching out an alternate reality, one which is highly plausible, thereby doing one of the things I love best about historical fiction ā€“ showing us how different things could easily have been and shaking us from any complacency. More than this, Dominion is a highly effective thriller, as civil servant David Fitzgerald becomes the man in the middle of a politico-spy page-turner that keeps you guessing till the end.

By C.J. Sansom,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dominion as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

At once a vivid, haunting reimagining of 1950s Britain, a gripping, humane spy thriller and a poignant love story, with Dominion C. J. Sansom once again asserts himself as the master of the historical novel.

1952. Twelve years have passed since Churchill lost to the appeasers and Britain surrendered to Nazi Germany after Dunkirk. As the long German war against Russia rages on in the east, the British people find themselves under dark authoritarian rule: the press, radio and television are controlled; the streets patrolled by violent auxiliary police and British Jews face ever greater constraints. There are terrible rumoursā€¦


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Book cover of Talland House

Talland House by Maggie Humm,

Royal Academy, London 1919: Lily has put her student days in St. Ives, Cornwall, behind herā€”a time when her substitute mother, Mrs. Ramsay, seemingly disliked Lilyā€™s portrait of her and Louis Grier, her tutor, never seduced her as she hoped he would. In the years since, sheā€™s been a suffragetteā€¦

Book cover of A Rising Man

Paul Meachair Author Of Belleau Wood - A Marines Story

From my list on serious works of historical fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

Now retired after a full life, I grew up with a passion for history and the people who made it, being very fortunate during over thirty years at sea to visit many locations around the world where the characters I read about lived. I am also fortunate now to write the history novels I like to read.

Paul's book list on serious works of historical fiction

Paul Meachair Why did Paul love this book?

This is a crime novel set in 1919 Calcutta. We follow Captain Sam Wyndham, who is a former Scotland Yard detective seeking a fresh start after the emotional wounds following WWI and the death of his wife.

When a senior official is murdered, he doesn't hold back during his search from British mansions to seedy opium dens with his new sidekick, Sergeant Banerjee. Rising tensions, the clash of societies, the heat, dirt, and crowding all contribute to bringing this colorful period to life.

This is the debut novel and the first in a remarkably well-told series so interesting I found it impossible to put down. 

By Abir Mukherjee,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked A Rising Man as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Calcutta, 1919. Captain Sam Wyndham, former Scotland Yard detective, is a new arrival to Calcutta. Desperately seeking a fresh start after his experiences during the Great War, Wyndham has been recruited to head up a new post in the police force. He is immediately overwhelmed by the heady vibrancy of the tropical city, but with barely a moment to acclimatize or to deal with the ghosts that still haunt him, Wyndham is caught up in a murder investigation that threatens to destabilize a city already teetering on the brink of political insurgency.

The body of a senior official has beenā€¦


Book cover of The Seeker

Douglas Watt Author Of The Unnatural Death of a Jacobite

From my list on crime which evoke an historical period.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love historical fiction which brings the past to life and allows us to experience other historical periods. For me, historical crime fiction combines this with dynamic plots and interesting characters. My love of history was first kindled by the books of John Prebble which introduced me to the fascinating world of 17th-century Scotland. I went on to study Scottish History at university and research a PhD in the subject. I have gone on to write a history of the Darien Disaster, The Price of Scotland, and a series of historical crime novels set in the late 17th century featuring investigative advocate John MacKenzie and his sidekick Davie Scougall. 

Douglas' book list on crime which evoke an historical period

Douglas Watt Why did Douglas love this book?

The Seeker takes us through the streets of Cromwellian London in the 1650s, a period rarely considered by historical crime novelists, but one of paranoia as Cromwellā€™s regime struggles to crush the enemies seeking to overthrow it. The novel introduces the character of Captain Damian Seeker, Cromwellā€™s mysterious agent who is a force to be reckoned with.

By S.G. MacLean,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Seeker as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the 2015 CWA Endeavour Dagger for Historical Fiction

London, 1654. Oliver Cromwell is at the height of his power and has declared himself Lord Protector. Yet he has many enemies, at home and abroad.

London is a complex web of spies and merchants, priests and soldiers, exiles and assassins. One of the web's most fearsome spiders is Damian Seeker, agent of the Lord Protector. No one knows where Seeker comes from, who his family is, or even his real name. All that is known of him for certain is that he is utterly loyal to Cromwell, and thatā€¦


Book cover of Fighting Mr. Knight: A Billionaire Office Romance

Morgan Lennox Author Of Stack the Deck: A Billionaire Romance

From my list on steamy billionaires in London.

Why am I passionate about this?

There are so many billionaire romances out there based in America, but as a Brit, thereā€™s nothing quite like reading a contemporary romance based in London. The capital city of Great Britain, there are a great number of reasons why books here are simply to die for. The history, the culture, the mixture of communities, and the potential for passion ā€“ in my opinion, thereā€™s no better place to escape to in a book. Even better if there are delicious characters to lose yourself withā€¦

Morgan's book list on steamy billionaires in London

Morgan Lennox Why did Morgan love this book?

I had a ā€˜property tycoonsā€™ itch that I needed to scratch, and this book by Rosa Lucas was exactly what I needed.

I adored this enemies to lovers high stakes romance, and the witty heroine was someone I was rooting for from the very instant I met her. With a dash of CEO/employee and a whole host of fire, this book needs to be on your ereader.

By Rosa Lucas,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fighting Mr. Knight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Inspector Hobbes and the Blood

Kim M. Watt Author Of Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries

From my list on UK urban fantasy that arenā€™t set in London.

Why am I passionate about this?

Although Iā€™m from New Zealand, Europe has been home for a lot of my adult life, and that has included a lot of time in North Yorkshire. It always seems to me that thereā€™s potential for magic around every corner, in the deep sinkholes and high fells of the Dales, or the cobbled charm of the York Shambles and the loom of the Abbey over Whitby harbour. So I do feel that the fact so many stories are set in London is a waste of so many delightfully different settings, and I make a point of hunting out as many alternatives as I can. I hope you enjoy this selection!

Kim's book list on UK urban fantasy that arenā€™t set in London

Kim M. Watt Why did Kim love this book?

In the depths of the Cotswolds, Andy Caplet is a small-town journalist with a disastrous career (and life). Until, that is, the mysterious Inspector Hobbes offers him a spare room and the chance to follow along on some investigations. The only problem being, none of the cases are exactly the usual sort of crime, and Inspector Hobbes is not a usual inspector. Or a usual human. These stories are just fun, goofy escapism, caught somewhere between cosy mystery and urban fantasy, and theyā€™re pure entertainment. Andy can be a bit annoying, but Inspector Hobbes is delightful.

By Wilkie Martin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Inspector Hobbes and the Blood as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A reporter with nothing to lose. An inspector with something to hide. The Cotswoldsā€™ newest odd couple is on the caseā€¦

Of all the journalists at his small-town paper, Andy Caplet is far and away the worst. At least he has a job. But when his latest expose on the strange and scandalous Inspector Hobbes backfires, Andy is left broke and homeless. The inspectorā€™s offer of a spare room for a few days (or months) seems like the only optionā€¦

Andy agrees to accompany the inspector to investigate a sudden surge in crime and soon finds himself immersed in aā€¦


Book cover of London - World City: 1800-1840

Melissa McShane Author Of Burning Bright

From my list on touring the unfamiliar corners of Regency England.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve loved the Regency era since first reading Jane Austenā€™s novels, but in writing my series of 19th-century adventure fantasies, I discovered there was so much more to the period than Iā€™d ever dreamed. Though their culture and traditions arenā€™t like ours, Iā€™m fascinated by how much about the lives of those men and women is familiarā€”the same desires, the same dreams for the future. I hope the books on this list inspire in you the same excitement they did in me!

Melissa's book list on touring the unfamiliar corners of Regency England

Melissa McShane Why did Melissa love this book?

Having gotten a taste of the sights of London, delve deeper with this exhibition guide packed with illustrations, paintings, and photographs of the things people owned and used during the Regency period and beyond. My favorite part of this book is the many essays contributed by leading historians who really know their stuffā€”everything you need to know about Regency art, architecture, science, and culture is right here.

By Celina Fox (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked London - World City as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book provides a portrait of the city of London in a period when Britain enjoyed cultural, artistic, technological and material pre-eminence. It was a time when the foundations were laid for much later wealth and power. The importance of Britain in the early 19th century has been taken up by the Kulturstiftung Ruhur in Essen, who, in co-operation with the Museum of London have mounted an historical exhibition at the Villa Hugel near Essen (June-December 1992), for which this book serves as the catalogue. The exhibition itself is very broad in scope, ranging from artistic masterpieces by Turner andā€¦


Book cover of Vile Bodies

Anne De Courcy Author Of Magnificent Rebel: Nancy Cunard in Jazz Age Paris

From my list on the social history of the inter-war years.

Why am I passionate about this?

Social history has always been my passion: unless you know how people thought, felt and lived, even down to how they dressed and ate, it is often impossible to understand why they acted as they did. And no period is as fascinating to me as the inter-war years; after WW1, the greatest conflict the world had ever seen, the upcoming generations determined to break barriers, discard the last vestiges of what they saw as hidebound custom, to invent new, freer ways of writing, painting, dancing - and to have fun. And for most of this post-war generation, there was nowhere like Paris.

Anne's book list on the social history of the inter-war years

Anne De Courcy Why did Anne love this book?

This novel perfectly captures the frenetic pleasure-seeking ethos of the youth of the English upper classes after the horrors of WW1- unsurpsingly, as it is written by one of them.

Evelyn Waugh was one of the Bright Young People, as they became known, who tore round London in sports cars, snatching at policemenā€™s helmets for the treasure hunts they loved.

By Evelyn Waugh,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Vile Bodies as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Vile Bodies is both a celebration of the hedonism of the young and a warning to those who believe that their license to indulge is infinite, unquestionable and without consequence. A whole host of wonderful characters are introduced throughout Waugh's thought-provoking and satirical story, which follows protagonist Adam from the perils and pitfalls of being a gossip columnist to the trials and tribulations in attempting to secure his marriage to Nine Blount. Roll on an eccentric (verging on senile) potential father-in-law, parties as 10 Downing Street, high times at Shepheard's hotel, where the wine is always flowing (until your billā€¦


Book cover of Small Worlds

Jendella Benson Author Of Hope and Glory

From my list on introducing you to Black London.

Why am I passionate about this?

Much of the Britain that's exported to the world is fed by the monochromatic myth of nobility and royalty, but the heart of Britain is multifaceted and multicultural. I didnā€™t grow up in London, but grew up visiting family here and ā€˜The Big Smokeā€™ had an allure for me. The people were all different colours and ethnicities and it truly felt like the most exciting place in the world. I moved here the week I turned 18, and I havenā€™t left. It's a harsh, expensive city, and it's much too busy to provide anyone with any lasting sanity, but here I found a version of Black Britain that I was missing in my hometown.

Jendella's book list on introducing you to Black London

Jendella Benson Why did Jendella love this book?

This is a gorgeous book to be savoured slowly.

It is suffused with music throughout (and the nerd within me loves the reoccurring literary motifs and phrases that definitely lend a musical quality to the book) and took me back to lazy summer days as a teenager when I first moved to London and the city felt wide open with excitement and possibility.

This is another love story, but one about community, family and the first loves that we learn from our parents.

By Caleb Azumah Nelson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Small Worlds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An exhilarating and expansive new novel about fathers and sons, faith and friendship from National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree and Costa First Novel Award winning author Caleb Azumah Nelson

One of the most acclaimed and internationally bestselling ā€œunforgettableā€ (New York Times) debuts of the 2021, Caleb Azumah Nelsonā€™s London-set love story Open Water took the US by storm and introduced the world to a salient and insightful new voice in fiction. Now, with his second novel Small Worlds, the prodigious Azumah Nelson brings another set of enduring characters to brilliant life in his signature rhythmic, melodic prose.

Setā€¦


Book cover of The Devil in the Marshalsea
Book cover of Act of Oblivion
Book cover of Dominion

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