Books like Lamentation by C. J. Sansom

A historical novel set in the 12th century, focusing on the building of a cathedral and the surrounding community's fortunes amidst historical events of the time.

Joseph Conrad’s 1907 political thriller follows London spy Adolf Verloc as he navigates anarchism, espionage and moral compromise, revealing a bleak portrait of the city and the exploitation of the vulnerable.

Set in 15th‑century London amid the Reformation, "Dissolution" follows lawyer Matthew Shardlake as he confronts intrigue surrounding the closing of Benedictine monasteries.

Lacy Stoltz, a Florida Board on Judicial Conduct investigator, uncovers a sweeping corruption scheme involving a judge, a casino, and the Coast Mafia, forcing her into a deadly battle for justice.

Set in 1660s Oxford, Iain Pears’s mystery follows Sarah Blundy as she faces a murder accusation, with the case unfolding through four distinct perspectives that reveal the truth in a surprising twist.

After Sir Edward Grey is murdered, his widow Julia partners with private investigator Nicholas Brisbane to uncover the brutal truth behind his death, confronting London’s hidden dangers and her own painful revelations.

In the cannily plotted streets of Renaissance Italy, a Vatican courtesan, Damiata, is tasked by Pope Alexander with uncovering the mystery of his beloved illegitimate son’s murder, whilst avoiding betrayal from the Borgia pope’s son.

When Henry VIII courts Lady Catherine Parr, rebelling reformers plot a purge and a teenage religious fanatic is held in Bedlam – Shardlake must uncover the murders that threaten to tear London apart.

In summer 1545, England faces a looming French invasion and a war‑torn economy, as Henry VIII’s misadventures strain the nation’s finances and force a massive militia mobilisation at Portsmouth.

In 1813 London, Viscount Sebastian St. Cyr investigates the brutal murder of plantation owner Stanley Preston, uncovering links to King Charles’s 1648 beheading and a web of political intrigue involving the Home Secretary and a vindictive former colonel.

In the third book of the Matthew Shardlake series, the lawyer-detective and his assistant uncover a conspiracy threatening King Henry VIII while escorting a dangerous suspect to London, all set against the backdrop of 16th‑century York.

In an alternate 1952, Britain has surrendered to Nazi Germany and lives under tight authoritarian rule. British Resistance spy David Fitzgerald must rescue the imprisoned scientist Frank Muncaster before Gestapo hunter Gunther Hoth turns the tables.

A historical mystery about a thug who becomes a detective in Victorian London, set in a small Bihari village in India and filled with skull-lined mansions and underground tunnels.

Set in the summer of 1549, lawyer Matthew Shardlake investigates the death of a distant relative of Henry VIII's daughter Lady Elizabeth, amidst the chaos of Kett's Rebellion

A compelling thriller and love story set in post–Civil War Spain Fans of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind and Sebastian Faulks's Birdsong will fall in love with Winter in Madrid, the arresting new novel from C. J. Sansom. In September 1940, the Spanish Civil War is over and Madrid lies in ruins while the Germans continue their march through Europe. Britain stands alone as General Franco considers whether to abandon neutrality and enter the war. Into this uncertain world comes Harry Brett, a privileged young man who was recently traumatized by his experience in Dunkirk and is now a reluctant spy for the British Secret Service. Sent to gain the confidence of Sandy Forsyth, an old school friend turned shadowy Madrid businessman, Brett finds himself involved in a dangerous game and surrounded by memories. Meanwhile, Sandy's girlfriend, ex-Red Cross nurse Barbara Clare, is engaged in a secret mission of her own—to find her former lover Bernie Piper, whose passion for the Communist cause led him into the International Brigades and who vanished on the bloody battlefields of the Jarama. In a vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, Winter in Madrid is an intimate and riveting tale that offers a remarkable sense of history unfolding and the profound impact of impossible choices.

Amory Ames, a stylish detective, works with her husband Milo to solve a jewelry theft and a murder at a masked ball in 1930s London.

When reclusive novelist Vida Winter’s health wanes, she tasks biographer Margaret Lea with revealing the truth of her life, though Margaret must sift through Winter’s penchant for exaggeration to arrive at facts.

In Tudor England, lawyer Matthew Shardlake is drawn into a murder case and a hunt for the mysterious weapon "Dark Fire" while navigating the politics of Henry VIII’s court.

Amory and Milo Ames investigate a decades‑old murder that resurfaces when socialite Isobel Van Allen returns to her former country house to publish a scandalous sequel, forcing the detectives to untangle a web of lies and uncover the killer.