Love stories of spies, love-triangles, revenge, and whodunnits? The Royal Art of Poison may be the perfect read for you. The piece of non-fiction is split into two parts: The first explores the history and circumstances that led to danger for the aristocracy of the past, while the second examines well-known cases of alleged poisoning to determine if victims were really done in by an assassin or simply succumbed to a terrible (but natural) end. Accessible for history hobbyists as well as historians, The Royal Art of Poison is a delight in its agonizing themes.
German author Timur Vermes 2012 novel, Look Who’s Back: Hitler and the Nazis, expertly balances the horrifyingly twisted ambitions of the Third Reich, while also exploring the dangers of assuming that it could never happen again. This dark satire begins with Adolf Hitler waking up in modern Berlin, completely unaware of how he got there and without knowledge of his modern surroundings. Vermes’ plot mockingly follows Hitler as he attempts to slowly (and comically) understand the new world around him and attempt to once again reach the heights of power. Great read for both historians and those examining modern politics.