Books like Enigma — picked by fans

Much like the bibliophilic protagonist of The Shadow of the Wind, I discovered this life-changing novel in a most hidden corner of the world—in my case, tucked out of sight on the bottom shelf of a discount bookstore in the Red Light District of Amsterdam.

While the narrative focuses on one child’s unwavering perseverance to solve the mysterious disappearance of his favorite author and unmask the pyromaniac burning all his books, I became enmeshed in the noir-style, labyrinthine backdrop of 1940s-50s Barcelona in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

This masterpiece is equal parts mystery, coming-of-age, midcentury gothic, and European historical fiction, and left me with eyes brimming with tears when I finished the final page.

From the first page, this story felt intimate and infinite all at once.

It’s written like a love letter and a battlefield, all at once. What I loved most was how it turned connection into an act of defiance, how two people trapped by duty and ideology choose to reach across time anyway.

Every line feels deliberate, like poetry disguised as science fiction. I was completely undone by how much humanity could fit into such a small space.

It reminded me that love, friendship, and understanding don’t need to make sense to be real; they just need to be chosen, again and again.

I loved this book because its story is fast-paced, suspenseful, and thrilling.

I enjoyed the thrill of the main male character trying to outrun the spy that could alter the course of history. It is so well written that at times you wish the spy wouldn’t get caught!

The danger is interwoven with passion, and the heroine is a mix of vulnerability and strength.  

If you like intrigue, then welcome to Venice in 1938. This novel features a likable heroine in search of the solution to a mystery contained in a sketchbook. It’s full of art—both real and metaphorical. Set against the backdrop of impending war, this one is full of courage and heart.

I loved the book because it is so well-written and evocative of the period.

I have re-read it many times, and I loved the BBC TV adaptation, which I’ve also watched many times. I like the way in which the main characters come to life and are fleshed out. I also liked the fact that the characters develop as the story unfolds and become more sympathetic to the needs of others.

The details of the legal system of the era are excellent, and I loved the detailed courtroom scene. I admired the way in which the personalities of Jane Austen’s characters were maintained and not distorted. The plot is well thought out, and the book is very readable.

I love this book, which I have read several times, because it provides a lot of detail about Britain and America in the seventeenth century and the political troubles at the time.

Robert Harris’s writing style is brilliant as always, and as with all of his books, it was difficult to put down. The descriptions of the main character’s travels, especially in America, in an effort to hunt down his quarries are excellent. 

Incredibly, the author manages to create sympathy in the minds of readers for the regicides who are being hunted, even though they signed King Charles I's death warrant, and yet one also sympathises with the hunter.

I love this book, which I’ve just finished reading for the second time, going through the series once again.

On my first reading of this book, I realised that here was a brilliant writer whom I’d never come across before. The descriptions of London and elsewhere in the late 16th century are stunning. I never tire of this writer’s frequent and quite poetic use of simile to illustrate the appearance and qualities of objects, buildings, etc. in the book.

I enjoyed the "whodunnit" theme of the book as well as the many references to medicinal plants. The inclusion in the book of real 16th-century characters and the way they come over as real people is Impressive. There is a hint of a romance yet to come to fruition, which is very appealing.

I love this book because it is well-written and utilises characters from some of Jane Austen’s novels without having a wildly improbable plot, as so many Austen variations do.

The characters are fleshed out and very realistic. It impressed me that the characters chose to perform a play by a playwright of the era whom I’d never heard of. The book is well-researched, and the language used by the characters and in the book’s narration is very authentic to the era, without trying to ape Jane Austen’s writing, which is impossible today, and when authors attempt it, it isn’t enjoyable.

I enjoyed the pace and style of the book and could imagine myself back in the Regency era, having to deal with Lady Catherine de Bourgh and the Reverend Collins.

It is very important to me to write about the home front in World War One with as much accuracy as is possible at over one hundred years’ distance. Kate Adie’s brilliant, readable, and engaging book is full of the kind of details a novelist thrives on.

Written with her authority and expert eye, I couldn’t put it down. It provided me with ideas and inspiration, along with Kate’s unique perspective and knowledge.

As I read, I felt I was in the hands of a reliable author whose take on the social and political context as it affected women during World War One was credible and true. It was an invaluable resource for me as I carried out my research.

Rather than examining Henry VIII’s wars as military engagements or part of international politics, this book looks at the impact war had on the English people. How were towns and villages affected by the need to provide men for the royal army? What was the impact of war on trade and agriculture? How were ordinary men persuaded to enact the violence required by war, and what was the physical and mental impact on them? How were wars justified and linked to a sense of Englishness? Originally given as a series of lectures, the chapters are connected but can be dipped into as stand-alone articles.