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Tom Williams

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United Kingdom

Website

https://tomwilliamsauthor.co.uk

Twitter

TomCW99

Genre

Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Member Since

November 2010

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Tom Williams used to write books for business. Now he writes novels set in the 19th century that are generally described as fiction but which are often more honest than the business books. (He writes contemporary fantasy as well, but that's a dark part of his life, so you'll have to explore that on your own - ideally with a friend and a protective amulet.)

His stories about James Burke (based on a real person) are exciting tales of high adventure and low cunning set around the Napoleonic Wars. The stories have given him the excuse to travel to Argentina, Egypt, and Spain and call it research.

Tom lives in London. His main interest is avoiding doing any honest work and this leaves him with time to ski, skate and dance tango, all of which (befo ...more

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Tom Williams’s books

Average rating: 4.15 · 408 ratings · 108 reviews · 18 distinct works • Similar authors

	The White Rajah 3.87 avg rating — 87 ratings — published 2010 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Burke in the Land of Silver (James Burke, #1) 4.25 avg rating — 63 ratings — published 2014 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Burke and the Bedouin (James Burke, #2) 3.95 avg rating — 37 ratings — published 2014 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Something Wicked (Galbraith & Pole Book 1) 4.09 avg rating — 35 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Burke in the Peninsula (James Burke, #4) 4.38 avg rating — 32 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cawnpore 4.09 avg rating — 34 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Burke at Waterloo (James Burke, #3) 4.52 avg rating — 29 ratings — published 2015 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Burke and the Pimpernel Affair (James Burke #6) 4.64 avg rating — 22 ratings — published 2022	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Burke in Ireland (James Burke, #5) 4.27 avg rating — 15 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dark Magic 4.38 avg rating — 13 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Tom Williams…

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Tom Williams's Blog

‘The Widow’: John Grisham

I hugely enjoy John Grisham and I’ve read a lot of his legal thrillers. They seem to fall into a few different types. There are ones where the legal thriller is just a peg on which to hang lovely stories about the people and places of the deep South. John Grisham is a natural story teller with a lovely ear for the voices of his characters and his stories of daily life in small towns below the Maso

Series by Tom Williams

James Burke (6 books)
by

Tom Williams (Goodreads Author)

4.30 avg rating — 198 ratings

John Williamson (3 books)
by

Tom Williams (Goodreads Author)

3.92 avg rating — 140 ratings

His Majesty's Confidential Agent (3 books)
by

Tom Williams (Goodreads Author)

4.22 avg rating — 129 ratings

Tom is Currently Reading

Tom Williams is currently reading

The End of Nana Sahib: The Steam House

by Jules Verne

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Apr 20, 2016 01:27AM

Tom Williams is currently reading

Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors

by Debra Brown (Goodreads Author)

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Tom Williams said: " This is not a book to be read from cover-to-cover. I read it on a Kindle (as an ARC, if you want the full disclosure). The paper version comes in at about 500 pages so it's a chunky read. In any case, it's an anthology, rather than a single narrative This is not a book to be read from cover-to-cover. I read it on a Kindle (as an ARC, if you want the full disclosure). The paper version comes in at about 500 pages so it's a chunky read. In any case, it's an anthology, rather than a single narrative. An impressive array of historical novelists have each contributed a short chapter on some aspect of British history that interests them. Obviously, most have chosen to write about the eras that they cover in their novels. Many refer to their own books with more or less blatant plugs. It's always a tricky balance to know how much plugging is acceptable. It's a matter of taste, I guess. My books are 'The White Rajah' and 'Cawnpore'. If you find it unacceptable that I've just mentioned that, then some of these authors will irritate.

As with all anthologies, there are significant differences in quality and style between the different chapters. However, the editor has done a good job of making sure that all of them pass muster. There are some contradictions between different authors discussing the same period. However, history is not an exact science, and I appreciated seeing the way in which different commentators came to different conclusions. Some chapters carried more authority than others and this is reflected in the fact that some produce bibliographic references and others do not.

I was surprised at the distinctly 'old-fashioned' feel of much of it. It reminded me of history is that I read as a child – books which were quaintly out of date even then. This is history as Michael Gove would have it. There is some social history, but generally the writers concentrate on battles and Kings and the doings of the rich and famous. I found the approach charming and reassuring. In the end, most people are more interested in the steps of the dances in the Regency period than they are in the detail of a skivvy's timetable. It's history as middle-aged and older readers remember it – but don't give it to your children, if you don't want to spark trouble in the history class.

Many of the authors seem to write historical romances and it is a book which will appeal particularly strongly to readers of this genre who want a little more history and a little less fiction. For me, it was literary comfort food – a recollection of childhood, warm and satisfying, if a little on the sweet side. ...more "

Aug 29, 2013 04:39AM · see review

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Tom Williams wrote a new blog post ‘The Widow’: John Grisham I hugely enjoy John Grisham and I’ve read a lot of his legal thrillers. They seem to fall into a few different types. There are ones where the legal t Read more of this blog post »
Oct 15, 2025 12:25AM · like
Tom Williams rated a book it was amazing The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s latest is a sort-of Georgian murder mystery. I say sort-of because there is a murder and a detective (Henry Fielding) and a mystery to solve, though the reader is let in on the solution early on. It’s more a story about a li ...more
Oct 08, 2025 09:59AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Tom Williams rated a book really liked it Murder on the Oxford Canal (DI Hillary Greene, #1) by Faith Martin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A straightforward murder mystery. I was attracted to it because I know Oxford well, but there isn’t a strong sense of place. What you do get is a cast of interesting and (to me, at least) believable characters and a good police procedural story, well ...more
Mar 26, 2025 10:51AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Murder on the Oxford Canal by Faith Martin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Murder on the Oxford Canal by Faith Martin <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Tom Williams rated a book it was amazing The Body in the Transept (Dorothy Martin, #1) by Jeanne M. Dams	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is pretty much the epitome of cozy crime. It’s a lovely, relaxing read, the first in a series featuring Dorothy Martin, an American widow who has retired to the quiet cathedral town of Sherebury. This fictional location provides a wonderful Engl ...more
Mar 26, 2025 10:47AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Body in the Transept by Jeanne M. Dams. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Body in the Transept by Jeanne M. Dams <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Tom Williams has read Christopher's Medal by S.A. Laybourn	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Tom Williams rated a book it was amazing Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I’ve had Tipping the Velvet on my list of books I want to read for ages and now I’ve finally got round to it. There’s an Afterward by the author, Sarah Waters, where she complains that “like many first novels by inexperienced authors, it is baggy and ...more
Jun 01, 2024 03:26AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Tom Williams rated a book it was amazing The Shadow Network (WW2 Secret Agent #2) by Deborah Swift (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Shadow Network takes us back to the world of WW2 espionage that she introduced in The Silk Code. This story features Neil Callaghan from the earlier book but it is a separate story about a different aspect of Britain’s secret war against Germany. ...more
Feb 13, 2024 03:39AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Shadow Network by Deborah Swift. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Shadow Network by Deborah Swift <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Queereaders: May 2015 - What are you reading? (no book covers)	50	34	Jun 23, 2015 03:28PM
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Goodreads Librari...: Remove incorrect copy of my book	10	47	Jul 03, 2019 09:10AM
Around the World ...: Argentina	56	2250	Sep 20, 2025 09:52PM