Tag: historical fiction

A bookish chat with Thomas Messel, author of The Nightingale of Bath

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I’m delighted to welcome author Thomas Messel to What Cathy Read Next today to talk about his historical novel, The Nightingale of Bath, based on the life of soprano and society beauty, Elizabeth Linley.

Enticingly subtitled ‘Love, Jealousy, Betrayal and Revolution in Georgian England’, The Nightingale of Bath is available to purchase as an ebook or in paperback from Amazon.

Thomas is giving a talk about Elizabeth Linley at 7.30pm on Wednesday 2nd September 2026 at The Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. You can find more information about the event and purchase tickets here. If you’re unable to attend in person, online tickets are available.

How and when did you discover Elizabeth Linley?

I was aware of the Linley family through an ancestral connection. Although I knew a little about Elizabeth, it wasn’t until I read Alan Chedzoy’s biography, Sheridan’s Nightingale, that I realised she was a much more intriguing character than I had previously assumed. Perhaps families tend to overstate ancestors, regarding their geese as swans, but she turned out to be no goose!

What was it about her story that inspired you to make it the basis for a novel? Did you consider writing a work of nonfiction?

My original intention was to write a biography, but there were so many aspects of her life that were not covered and of which no primary or secondary sources existed. Her disappearance at the age of 17 and flight to a convent in France meant to me that she was following a well-trodden path of the time in the case of an unwanted or forced pregnancy. Therefore, I changed course and, to fill the gaps, decided that the only way to cover her life would be through a historical novel.

How did you approach your research for the book?

To start with, I covered as much primary material as possible, drawing from museums and archives, especially the Bath City Archive, the V&A Theatre Collection and the Bristol University Theatre Collection. I bought several printed collections of letters, such as those of Thomas Gainsborough, Richard Sheridan, Mozart, and Fanny Burney, as well as the plays of Sheridan and Samuel Foote. Then followed a mass of reading into the lives of other protagonists in her story: Charles James Fox, Lord Edward FitzGerald, Mehitable Canning and William Pitt.

Did you come across anything that surprised you during the course of your research?

The shocking position of a married woman at that time, who, on marriage, became totally disempowered: stripped of her property, possessions, income and wealth, with no rights over their children or of complaint against her husband.

Were there any scenes you found particularly challenging to write?

There is one in which the powerlessness of women is graphically demonstrated. It’s a scene I found agonising to write.

The Nightingale of Bath is set in 18th-century England. What do you think is key to transporting a reader to a different time and place?

I am fascinated by the 18th century and find the route in is through sensual descriptions of places, clothes and everyday events such as travel and food.

What was your favourite and least favourite part of the writing process? 

One of the many joys of writing the book was that the plot was already set for me so now I had many characters from history to play with and manipulate, like toy soldiers, into words on the page. My least favourite process was without doubt seeking a publisher.

Are there particular historical novelists you take inspiration from?

Robert Harris is my No.1. I also admire Thackeray, and the writing of Lucy Jago and Emily Howes.

About the Book

‘It gives me great discomfort to tell you that realistically you must not stay here in Bath. You must vanish.’

Bath 1772. Elizabeth Linley, wildly famous, celebrated for her voice, charisma and beauty, and painted by Gainsborough and Reynolds, the most eminent artists of her day.

Events on the 18th March 1772 leave her no option but to weave herself through the intricate world of society dominated by The Prince of Wales and the scandalous Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, the precarious nature of Garrick and Sheridan’s London theatre, and the perils of political intrigue, manipulated by the rivalry between Charles James Fox and William Pitt.

Set in an age of revolution, this is a captivating story of love, ambition, jealousy and betrayal, based upon the true life of Elizabeth Linley.

Find The Nightingale of Bath on Goodreads

About the Author

Thomas Messel is better known as one of Britain’s most respected furniture designers, in which field he has worked for 40 years, and built up a celebrated reputation both in the UK and the USA. In 2011, he co-wrote and edited the study of the work of his uncle, Oliver Messel, in the Theatre of Design for which he won the Speares Book Award in 2012.

The Nightingale of Bath is his first historical novel.

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Book Review – The Knife Maker of Venice by David Gilman @HoZ_Books

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About the Book

1604. As pirates seeking slaves to sell in the markets of North Africa terrorise the coasts of Europe, headstrong Richard Sheriff and his sister Elizabeth are torn from their Devonshire home and thrust into a waking nightmare.

Richard’s skills as a blacksmith see him fetch a high price, but the pirate captain has other plans for Elizabeth and once they are separated, Richard has no idea of his sister’s fate. They must both learn to survive on a deadly voyage into the unknown.

Sold into servitude in Venice: glittering, vicious city of secrets, he is apprenticed to a knife maker. Richard’s talents soon win him renown… but haunted by his sister’s absence, he vows never to stop looking for her, knowing she would do the same for him.

First he must survive that city of ghosts. Will the siblings live to see each other again, or will they join the myriads lost to Venice, where life is cheap, profit is all, and escape nigh-on impossible? 

Format: Hardback (512 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 13th August 2026 Genre: Historical Fiction

Find The Knife Maker of Venice on Goodreads

Preorder/Purchase The Knife Maker of Venice from Bookshop.org [If you buy books linked to this site, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops]

My Review

David Gilman’s books have made numerous appearances on my blog. I’ve read several of his ‘Master of War’ series set in 14th century Europe (the most recent being Rage of Swords), thoroughly enjoyed his WW2 thriller Night Flight to Paris, and devoured his three thrillers featuring former member of the French Foreign Legion, Dan Raglan aka The Englishman, on whom I admit to having a literary crush. I’ve enjoyed every one of the books I’ve read and I’m pleased to say The Knife Maker of Venice continues that trend.

Following a raid by corsair John Challenor, Richard and Elizabeth find themselves aboard a ship sailing towards Tunis where Challenor hopes to sell the men, women and children he has captured as slaves. That’s if they survive the voyage and the terrible conditions below deck. Richard is consigned to the hold with the others but Elizabeth, with whom Challenor is besotted, is taken to his cabin. Surprisingly, he does not force himself upon her, clinging to the hope she will agree to be his wife. Having said that he’s not averse to using her brother as a bargaining chip.

Challenor has made plenty of enemies during his career. Not surprising since he’s no stranger to double-dealing. It leads to some dangerous naval encounters during which it’s only Challenor’s remarkable seamanship that keeps the vessel from being sunk or captured. It’s during one of these encounters that Richard makes a daring rescue unaware that in doing so he is setting in motion a train of events that will come back to haunt him.

The meticulousness of the book’s plotting becomes apparent once the action moves to Venice as we discover the relevance of certain events, some seemingly minor, that occurred earlier in the story.

As Richard and Elizabeth discover, Venice may be beautiful on the outside but it is a cesspit of intrigue, deception and cruelty on the inside. Activities that are officially illegal, such as slavery, persist with a blind eye turned as long as you possess sufficient wealth or influence. Power is the currency of the nobility. People who get in the way simply disappear. There’s a telling moment when Richard learns the true nature of the flickering lights he sees on the lagoon at night.

But at the same time, Venice is a place of superb craftmanship: exquisite glass, delicate lace and skilfully honed knives studded with precious gems. It’s Richard expertise at crafting the latter that brings him to the attention of a wealthy patroness. But he remains a slave, his freedom only to be attained on her death.

The pace really picks up in the final third of the book where the intrigue and deception I mentioned earlier comes to the fore with plenty of twists and turns and some narrow escapes. It’s at this point that relationships formed earlier in the story make the difference between life and death.

I loved Richard’s devotion to his sister, always mindful of his father’s last words to him, but I also admired Elizabeth’s resilience and instinct for survival which is really put to the test towards the end of the book.

The Knife Maker of Venice is a rich tapestry of a historical novel that combines fascinating period detail with thrilling action.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Head of Zeus via Goodreads. The Knife Maker of Venice is book 16 of my 20 Books of Summer.

In three words: Epic, suspenseful, action-packed
Try something similar: The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier

About the Author

David Gilman has enjoyed many careers, including paratrooper, firefighter and photographer. An award-winning author and screenwriters, he is the author of the critically acclaimed ‘Master of War’ series of historical novels, and was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize for The Last Horseman. He was longlisted for the same prize for The Englishman, the first book featuring ex-French Foreign Legionnaire Dan Raglan. David lives in Devon.

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