A Fatal Waltz is the third in Ms. Alexander's delightful Victorian mysteries, featuring Lady Emily Ashton—following with And Only To Deceive and A Poisoned Season. Thoughtful, suspenseful, superbly-researched and utterly entrancing, these books are not to be missed.

http://tashaalexander.com

Allison Weir's first nivel was "Innocent Traitor". The title sounds bodice-buster-y, but the book contained absolutely no romance. It is a detailed, rich, savvy, and authentic-seeming fictionalizing of Lady Jane Grey, Queen for 9 days between Edward VI and Mary.

The heroine, though smart, driven, and strong, was no plucky 20th century girl wearing a Tudor gown and French hood. Her desires, motivations, and conflicts were of the period.

I will warn you, though, it is a downer!

"BURR"

by Gore Vidal

[goring the founding fathers c.1775-1836] -- a wonderful book

"LITTLE BIG MAN"

by Thomas Berger

[doing-in the in-juns c.1850s-1950s recollections of a 110 year old tinhorn who fought with the bad guys at the little big horn

"RAGTIME"

by E. L. Doctorow

[New York 1900-14: entire novel reads as though one is viewing the tale at the nickleodeon ---- extremely clever

I'm sorry to object, and it isn't much of an objection, but where are the post-modern novels? What happened? Did Lawrence Norfolk and Ian Pears have none to follow? Are all historical fictions romances?

Jane Austen said that she would sooner die than write a romance, and yet it seems like the success of Austen has led to this repetition of "history equals women-in-peril-who-love." Is there nothing for those of us who would like historical fiction to have a theme or signification above merely that contained within a bodice? I'll even forgive Pynchon his anachronisms.

For those of us who don't keep up with contemporary fiction, it would be wonderful to know about historical fiction that isn't a romance, as well as, of course, that which is. More breadth, please.

I am a *huge* fan of good historical fiction, from "The Winds of War," first put in my hands by my aunt when I was 12, to Alice Waters' luscious Victorian lesbian-themed romps. But far, far too much historical fiction is too much fiction (often bad fiction at that) and too little history (and what little there is, often chooses romanticism over research).

At this time of the year, it takes more than a fluffy "beach book" to escape from the South Florida heat. Thank you so much for taking this genre seriously and offering solid, thoughtful reviews. I'll be ordering all of these novels, and stashing the longest away in my hurricane kit!

Merchant-Ivory have excelled in depicting the Edwardian era-- Maurice, A Room with a View, Howards End, The Golden Bowl--not the late Victorian. Of course, they've ranged further afield, as with The Bostonians or Slaves of New York, but Late Victorian has never been their bailiwick.