New historical fiction buzz
April roundups are flagging fresh historical fiction: Mrs. Benedict Arnold — a reimagining of a notorious woman’s life — is generating buzz, and Kim Michele Richardson’s The Mountains We Call Home is due April 21 (historythroughfiction.com) (latimes.com).
Emma Parry’s debut novel Mrs. Benedict Arnold is a 320‑page hardcover from Zando with a list price of $28 and an ISBN tied to the publisher listing (on‑sale Apr. 28, 2026). (penguinrandomhouselibrary.com) The publisher synopsis frames the story as Peggy Shippen’s first‑person arc from Loyalist society in occupied Philadelphia to the circle around Major John André and General Benedict Arnold, positioning her choices at the center of the plot that leads to the famous act of treason. (penguinrandomhouselibrary.com) (penguinrandomhouse.com) Trade outlets have begun coverage: Library Journal flagged Parry’s novel as a notable debut and described it as a fictionalized account of Peggy Shippen’s life, and reader platforms already show early interest among thousands of users. (libraryjournal.com) ( ) Kim Michele Richardson’s The Mountains We Call Home is being published by Sourcebooks as a standalone companion titled The Book Woman’s Legacy, with the publisher listing a 384‑page edition and emphasizing themes of incarceration, criminalization, and literacy in mid‑century Kentucky. (sourcebooks.com) Richardson’s author site and event listings show a spring LEGACY tour that includes an April 16 Filson Club conversation in Louisville, an April 19 appearance at Greenwood Public Library, an April 23 reading at Oxmoor Farm, and Indie Bookstore Day signings on April 25 in Frankfort and Lawrenceburg. (kimmichelerichardson.com) ( ) Independent retailers are running preorder campaigns tied to Richardson’s release — listings cite a Troublesome Book Woman pin and a signed bookplate as retailer exclusives, and major booksellers show both hardcover and paperback formats available for pre‑order. (fourseasonsbooks.com) ( )
