Reading Ahead: January 2013, part 2

I do have more of the list of thrillers and suspense novels coming out in January, sure, but I thought I'd switch it up a little and share the historical fiction also being published next month.  There's so much to look forward to, especially for a history buff like me!

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, by Anya Mathis

1356, by Bernard Cornwell

The Last Runaway, by Tracy Chevalier

Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, by Jennifer Chiaverini

The Bughouse Affair, by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini

Robert B. Parker’s Ironhorse, by Robert Knott

Enough variety to make your head spin, even if it is all technically historical fiction, right?   First on the list is The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, which is a debut novel from Anya Mathis with some huge buzz behind it.  Following the Great Migration of the 1920s through the eyes of one extraordinary family, this is being slated as a novel of determination and heartbreak, recommended for readers who loved The Help.  Definitely on my list!  

I'm a huge fan of Tracy Chevalier's (Girl with a Pearl Earring, Falling Angels, The Lady and the Unicorn...you get the idea.) so I am super excited about The Last Runaway.  Chevalier, who normally sets her novels in Europe, has moved her locale to the US in this novel, circa 1850.  Honor Bright, mild-mannered English Quaker, moves to Ohio in the wake of personal disappointment and becomes involved with the Underground Railroad.  Reviews have been very promising, so I'm hopeful.

And finally, the late Robert B. Parker's western series reins have been taken up by Robert Knott, which should be a huge relief for fans.  Happy reading!