Books about London
Ink-Stained Roads: Navigating London Through Literature
London’s literary landscape is shaped by its complexity — a city where opulence meets decay, and history intersects with modernity. From the vivid portrayal of its fog-drenched streets in Dickens’s Our Mutual Friend to the surreal underworld of Gaiman’s Neverwhere, London has always been a space for reinvention. Whether nestled in the pages of historical fiction or pulsing through the noir of contemporary crime, its landmarks and stories continue to offer boundless inspiration. For those drawn to its literary undercurrents, London’s spirit is ever present in the words of its chroniclers.
London fiction
Ben Aaronovitch
Rivers of London
Rivers of London is a captivating urban fantasy that follows a resourceful London police officer as he delves into the enigmatic supernatural underbelly of the city, encountering ghosts, magic and ancient folklore intricately woven into modern life.
Martin Amis
London Fields
London Fields is a darkly satirical murder mystery set in late‐20th‐century London. It interweaves a brooding narrative of environmental decay, societal collapse and fatalistic destiny, as a clairvoyant femme fatale orchestrates her own demise in a city in decline.
Caroline Beecham
When We Meet Again
When We Meet Again is a wartime narrative set in World War II London, following Alice Cotton, a young editor at Partridge Press, who embarks on a quest to recover her daughter after a betrayal that led to her sale.
Marie Benedict
The Queens of Crime
The Queens of Crime is a historical novel set in 1930s London, where five celebrated female crime writers, including Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, covertly form a society to solve a perplexing murder while confronting their own concealed secrets.
Patti Callahan Henry
The Secret Book of Flora Lea
The Secret Book of Flora Lea is a narrative set in 1939 London, recounting the lives of two girls, Hazel and Flora, who invent a magical fairy tale to cope with wartime evacuation, while confronting the mystery of Flora’s disappearance.
Candice Carty-Williams
Queenie
Queenie is a contemporary narrative that portrays the life of a young Jamaican‐British woman as she navigates the complexities of love, career and cultural identity within the vibrant milieu of modern London, while confronting issues of race, class and belonging.
John le Carré
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a masterful Cold War espionage narrative that intricately details a covert mole hunt within the British intelligence service, unraveling layers of deception, loyalty and betrayal in a meticulously crafted atmosphere of tension and moral ambiguity.
Clare Chambers
Shy Creatures
Shy Creatures is a poignant narrative set in 1964 London, recounting the discovery of William Tapping, a long‐isolated mute man, and his evolving bond with art therapist Helen Hansford, as their intertwined pasts gradually unravel to reveal hidden personal truths.
Norman Collins
London Belongs to Me
London Belongs to Me is a wartime narrative that intimately portrays the diverse lives of tenants residing in a Kennington boarding house, capturing the resilience and camaraderie of ordinary Londoners amidst the backdrop of a city at war.
Charles Dickens
Bleak House
Bleak House is a timeless classic that incisively delves into the intricacies of the British legal system and the pervasive societal issues of 19th‐century London, weaving a complex tapestry of character, injustice and enduring social critique.
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist is a classic novel that starkly depicts the grim realities of 19th‐century London, following the harrowing struggles of a young orphan as he confronts poverty, exploitation and the brutal social inequalities of his time.
Our Mutual Friend
Our Mutual Friend is an intricate narrative that explores themes of social climbing, inheritance and crime, set against the multifaceted backdrop of London’s diverse locales, where characters’ ambitions and moral dilemmas intersect in a web of fate and fortune.
Louise Fein
The London Bookshop Affair
The London Bookshop Affair is a meticulously plotted narrative set in 1962 London, following Celia Duchesne, a determined bookshop employee, as she becomes inadvertently embroiled in Cold War espionage and unravels a mysterious connection to the enigmatic Anya Moreau.
Neil Gaiman
Neverwhere
Neverwhere is an inventive urban fantasy that unveils a hidden magical realm lurking beneath London’s familiar streets, where unexpected characters and mythic adventures intertwine with the mundane to create a rich tapestry of otherworldly intrigue.
Nick Hornby
High Fidelity
High Fidelity is a perceptive novel centred on a London record shop owner, whose introspective journey through relationships, music and personal growth is interwoven with humour, self‐discovery and the changing cultural landscape of the city.
Posy Lovell
The Kew Garden Girls
The Kew Garden Girls is a narrative set in 1916 London during World War I. It follows Ivy and Louisa, two women at the Royal Botanic Gardens, as they confront obstacles and personal tragedies amid a society reshaped by war.
Julie McElwain
Betrayal in Time
Betrayal in Time is a compelling historical mystery in which Kendra Donovan, a determined 21st-century FBI agent, time-travels to 1816 London. There, she must unravel a perplexing murder case, uncovering a sinister killer whose dangerous intentions threaten the established order.
Sarah MacLean
Bombshell
Bombshell is a refined romance set in London, featuring Lady Sesily Talbot, renowned for her scandalous reputation. Her unexpected encounter with Caleb Calhoun, her brother’s best friend, ignites a passionate and forbidden romance amid society’s scrutiny.
AJ Pearce
Mrs. Porter Calling
Mrs. Porter Calling is a historical narrative set in 1943 London. It focuses on Emmy Lake, a writer for a wartime magazine, who unites with friends to defend a cherished column as a new publisher’s ambitions threaten their support.
Terry Pratchett
Dodger
Dodger is a narrative set in early Victorian London. It follows Dodger, a resourceful street urchin and tosher, whose rescue of a young woman transforms him into an unlikely hero, intersecting with historical figures and events in an urban setting.
Edward Rutherfurd
London
London is a sweeping historical novel that spans a millennium, intricately tracing the evolution of the city through the intertwined lives of multiple families, while blending rich historical detail with engaging narrative threads that illuminate London’s enduring legacy.
Zadie Smith
White Teeth
White Teeth is a vibrant multicultural narrative set in Willesden, which deftly explores themes of family, identity and history in modern London, interweaving the complex cultural legacies and generational conflicts of its diverse characters.
The Fraud
The Fraud is a meticulously crafted historical fiction novel set in 19th-century London. It interlaces the gripping narrative of a Scottish housekeeper with the dramatic unfolding of a sensational criminal trial, offering a penetrating commentary on class and society.
Tiffany L. Warren
The Unexpected Diva
The Unexpected Diva is a compelling historical fiction novel that follows Elizabeth “Eliza” Taylor Greenfield, the pioneering Black opera singer. Her journey from pre-Civil War America to London is fraught with formidable racial obstacles as she pursues her musical career.
Sarah Waters
Tipping the Velvet
Tipping the Velvet is an evocative historical fiction novel that charts the journey of a young woman exploring her sexuality and identity in the repressive yet vibrant milieu of Victorian London, blending elements of romance, desire and societal defiance.
Ashley Weaver
Locked in Pursuit
Locked in Pursuit is an engaging historical mystery set in WWII London. It follows Ellie McDonnell, a resourceful spy, investigating audacious robberies linked to espionage, while grappling with a growing attraction to Major Ramsey.
Heather Webb
Queens of London
Queens of London is a historical fiction set in 1925 London. It follows Alice Diamond, leader of a female crime syndicate, and Lilian Wyles, one of Scotland Yard’s early female detectives, whose ambitions clash in a riveting battle for justice.
Lauren Willig
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation is an imaginative historical romance that interweaves the escapades of a modern-day scholar with the exploits of a Napoleonic-era spy in London, blending intrigue, passion and scholarly pursuits.
Virginia Woolf
Mrs Dalloway
Mrs Dalloway is a seminal modernist novel that meticulously chronicles a single day in post-war London, following Clarissa Dalloway as she navigates the intricate social tapestry of high society while reflecting on the ephemeral nature of time and memory.
John Wyndham
The Day of the Triffids
The Day of the Triffids is a seminal science fiction novel portraying a post-apocalyptic London, where a cosmic event blinds most of the population and unleashes lethal, mobile plants, engendering an atmosphere of pervasive dread and survival chaos.
This project is growing steadily, starting with curated reading lists and gradually expanding to include literary locations in each featured city.
The long-term goal is to read the books, visit the locations they evoke, and share reviews alongside photos and insights. At the moment, it’s a solo effort built around full-time work — so updates may take time.
If you have suggestions to contribute, or would like to share a review based on how well a book helped you explore a place through literature, feel free to get in touch here.