Book Review
Publishing Information
Title: Heirline
Author: Thomas Knight
Publisher: Markham Leigh Andersen
Released: November 6, 2025
Pages: 256
ISBN 13: 978-1069821744
Stars: 4.0
I’m proud to be the editor of Heirline, the superb new historical mystery thriller of first-time author Thomas Knight. Having read this breakout debut at least four times, I can say without hesitation that it’s a genuinely riveting page-turner. It’s one of those rare novels that pulls you in and refuses to let go.
Setting Up the Mystery
Set in 1992, the story opens in Boston. Alison Palmer, a twenty-eight-year-old Executive Assistant to the Mayor, ends her week with a simple Friday-night drink with her girlfriends. But the ordinary dissolves the moment she returns home and discovers a letter waiting in her mail—a quiet catalyst that will upend her life.
What follows is a storm-lashed journey north to Landon Hall in Lake of Bays, Canada, where Alison’s formidable Great-Aunt Gertrude Perdue lives in a sprawling heritage manor with her Scottish housekeeper, Lillian Thompson, and a menacing Siamese cat. Gertrude presents Alison with a letter from her long-lost brother, a soldier who fought at Passchendaele. She also gives her an unusually shaped key stamped DEUTSCHLAND on one side and DB315 on the other. From that moment on, Alison is propelled into a quest that reaches across oceans and eras. From Germany to England, she becomes more deeply embroiled in a mystery she never asked to solve, yet cannot walk away from.
On her flight to London, Alison encounters Sir Robert Barrington, a former Chief of the Air Staff in the Royal Air Force and now an accomplished bureaucrat at Whitehall. He becomes her sharpest ally and anchor as the shadows around her tighten. Although I don’t want to give too much away, this new historical mystery thriller checks all the boxes.
Why This Book Works
Knight has crafted a thoroughly compelling heroine in Alison Palmer. She’s resourceful, intelligent, and steadfast even when the world tilts beneath her feet. His research into World War I and its key figures adds rich historical depth. At the same time, his confident handling of intricate topics—non-dilutable bearer share certificates, motorcycle clubs, and international finance—grounds the novel in a striking realism. Additionally, he also weaves in a wicked early red herring featuring a character so loathsome you can’t help but recoil.
Furthermore, the story races from the back streets of Chicago to the Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt, from Anglo-Burma Petroleum’s London headquarters to the charged streets of Belfast. Every setting feels lived-in, every character purposeful. As Alison is drawn into the murky worlds of corporate espionage, international conspiracy, and financial intrigue, the stakes sharpen into a fight not just for truth—but for her life.
Four Stars for Heirline
To tell the truth, I gave the new historical mystery thriller Heirline four stars because, even after four complete readings, I’m eager to revisit it. And now I wait, impatiently, for Alison Palmer’s next adventure.
Purchase Heirline on Amazon now!
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