Alan Hlad
Alan Hlad has published 6 books. The recommended reading order starts with The Long Flight Home (2019).
Alan Hlad is an American author of historical fiction novels set during World War I and II. He made his debut in 2019 with The Long Flight Home, a USA Today and IndieBound bestseller inspired by true events. Hlad transforms forgotten moments and real people from history into immersive narratives, drawing on meticulous research and a journalist’s eye for detail. His work often blends historical fact with the suspense of a thriller, bringing to life stories that resonate with readers seeking authenticity and emotional depth.
Hlad is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Literary Cleveland, Novelitics, and the Akron Writers’ Group. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, literary events, and book club gatherings, sharing his passion for uncovering untold stories. His other notable works include The Book Spy, Churchill’s Secret Messenger, and A Light Beyond the Trenches. Hlad currently divides his time between Ohio and Portugal, continuing his search for the next compelling true story to illuminate.
Shelf & Shadows
Order of Standalone Novels
- Tagshistorical-fictionromanceliterary-fictionDescriptionWorld War II. Britain stands alone against the Nazi war machine. In this moment of desperation, an unlikely alliance forms between the Royal Air Force and an army of pigeons trained to carry vital intelligence across enemy lines. Susan Shepherd tends her family's dovecote in the English countryside when the National Pigeon Service recruits her birds for the war effort. Ollie Evans, an American pilot who joins the RAF despite his country's neutrality, finds himself shot down over occupied France with no way home. Their paths converge through a single pigeon—a bird that must fly through flak and fighters to deliver a message that could change everything. Hlad weaves a love story into the fabric of war, grounded in the astonishing true history of the 250,000 pigeons that served in WWII. The stakes are intimate and enormous at once. This is historical fiction that honors the forgotten, the feathered heroes and the people who believed in them when belief seemed foolish.Publication dateJune 25, 2019Amazon rating4.5/5Print length384LanguageEnglishPublisherA John Scognamiglio Book
- Tagshistorical-fictionliterary-fictionDescription1941. Britain stands alone against the Nazi war machine, and Churchill needs every advantage he can muster. Among his most unlikely weapons: carrier pigeons, trained to fly across enemy lines with coded messages strapped to their legs. Alan Hlad's debut novel follows two parallel lives drawn together by war. Rose Teasdale, a young woman from the English countryside, joins the National Pigeon Service, breeding and training birds for covert operations. Across the Channel, Ollie Evans, an American pilot shot down over occupied France, finds himself trapped behind enemy lines with only a pigeon named Duchess as his link to freedom. The novel moves between Rose's quiet determination at the pigeon loft and Ollie's desperate flight through Nazi-occupied territory. Their stories converge through the fragile connection of birds carrying messages across impossible distances. Hlad grounds his narrative in the real history of Britain's wartime pigeon service, a little-known operation that saved countless lives. This is historical fiction that finds intimacy in the machinery of war. The stakes are life and death, but the emotional core is quieter: two people learning courage through the smallest of messengers. Hlad writes with restraint and precision, letting the extraordinary circumstances speak for themselves.Publication dateApril 27, 2021Amazon rating4.5/5Print length416LanguageEnglishPublisherA John Scognamiglio Book
- Tagshistorical-fictionDescriptionA Light Beyond the Trenches asks what happens when the war ends but the wounds remain, when survival means learning to live again in a world that has moved on without you. Alan Hlad crafts a deeply human story set in the aftermath of World War I, where a blinded soldier and the woman who helps him navigate his new reality must both confront what they've lost and what might still be possible. The novel follows the fragile, complicated connection between two people shaped by trauma—one who has lost his sight in the trenches, the other carrying her own scars from the war's devastation. Hlad writes with a quiet intensity about the slow, painful work of healing, the courage it takes to trust again, and the unexpected places where hope takes root. This is historical fiction that doesn't flinch from the darkness but insists on the light, a story about resilience and the transformative power of compassion that feels both achingly specific to its time and universally resonant.Publication dateMarch 29, 2022Amazon rating4.6/5Print length368LanguageEnglishPublisherA John Scognamiglio Book
- Tagshistorical-fictionDescriptionWhat does it take to risk everything for the written word when the world is burning? Alan Hlad's *The Book Spy* plunges us into the shadowy world of wartime espionage through the eyes of a protagonist who weaponizes literature itself. This is historical fiction that understands books aren't just objects—they're vessels of resistance, coded messages, lifelines in the dark. Hlad has carved out territory few authors dare to tread: the intersection of bibliophilia and betrayal, where every page turned might be your last. The novel pulses with the tension of occupied Europe, where a network of book lovers becomes an unlikely intelligence operation. Our hero navigates a landscape where a misplaced volume can mean death, where the act of reading becomes rebellion. Hlad doesn't romanticize the era—he makes you feel the weight of each choice, the impossible calculus of survival versus principle. What sets this apart is its specificity: the tactile details of wartime publishing, the ingenuity of resistance networks, the way hope gets smuggled between covers. Hlad writes with the precision of someone who's done his homework but never lets research overwhelm story. This is for readers who love their history served with heart, their thrillers laced with literary soul, and their heroes flawed enough to feel real.Publication dateJanuary 24, 2023Amazon rating4.5/5Print length384LanguageEnglishPublisherA John Scognamiglio Book
- Tagshistorical-fictionDescriptionWhat does it take to survive when your world is collapsing and every border is closing? Alan Hlad brings us a story rooted in one of World War II's most harrowing chapters—the desperate flight from France as Nazi forces swept across Europe. This standalone novel follows those caught in the chaos of 1940, when millions of refugees flooded the roads south, hoping to escape the advancing German army. Hlad has built his reputation on unearthing forgotten corners of history and populating them with characters who feel achingly real, and here he delivers that same immersive authenticity. The stakes are life and death. The choices are impossible. What makes this work is Hlad's ability to balance sweeping historical drama with intimate human moments—the fear, the resilience, the small acts of courage that define us when everything else is stripped away. You're not just reading about history; you're living it alongside people who could have been your grandparents, your neighbors, your friends. If you've loved Hlad's previous novels, you know what to expect: meticulous research, emotional depth, and a story that refuses to let go. If you're new to his work, prepare to be transported to a time when survival meant more than just staying alive—it meant holding onto your humanity when the world had lost its own.Publication dateJuly 23, 2024Amazon rating4.5/5Print length384LanguageEnglishPublisherA John Scognamiglio Book
- Tagsmysteryhistorical-fictionDescriptionAlan Hlad sets his latest historical novel in the sun-drenched hills of Tuscany, where wartime secrets and family mysteries converge. This standalone work from the author known for his meticulous World War II narratives promises another deeply researched journey into the past, this time against the backdrop of Italy's most storied region. The title itself suggests layers—secrets buried in vineyards, perhaps, or hidden in villa walls. Hlad has built his reputation on unearthing forgotten stories from the war, giving voice to the ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances. Here, one imagines that same careful attention turned to the Italian resistance, the German occupation, or the quiet heroism of those who sheltered the vulnerable. Tuscany during wartime was no postcard. It was a battleground, a place where loyalties shifted like shadows and survival demanded impossible choices. Hlad understands this terrain, both literal and moral. What distinguishes his work is the refusal to simplify—his characters earn their courage through doubt and fear, not through easy virtue. If A Secret in Tuscany follows his pattern, expect a story that lingers not in grand gestures but in the small, devastating decisions that define us. Expect landscapes rendered with a painter's eye and a historian's precision. Expect a secret worth keeping.Publication dateOctober 28, 2025Amazon rating4.6/5Print length398LanguageEnglishPublisherA John Scognamiglio Book
Frequently Asked Questions about Alan Hlad
Alan Hlad writes standalone novels. Each book can be read in any order. The novels are listed here in the order they were published: The Long Flight Home (2019), Churchill's Secret Messenger (2021), A Light Beyond the Trenches (2022), The Book Spy (2023), and Fleeing France (2024). Readers may find it interesting to start with the earliest published book to see the progression of his work, or they can choose any title that catches their eye. Since the books do not follow a single narrative arc, there is no required reading order.
A good place to start with Alan Hlad's books is with any of his standalone novels. They are not part of a series and do not require prior knowledge of other titles. The Long Flight Home, published in 2019, was his first novel. Churchill's Secret Messenger, published in 2021, or A Light Beyond the Trenches, published in 2022, are also good entry points. His most recent novel is Fleeing France, published in 2024. Readers can select any title that appeals to their interests.
Alan Hlad writes standalone novels. This means that each book tells a complete story and does not depend on the reader having read previous books in a series. Therefore, you do not have to read his books in any specific order. Readers can choose any of his novels, such as The Long Flight Home, Churchill's Secret Messenger, A Light Beyond the Trenches, The Book Spy, or Fleeing France, and begin reading without needing to catch up on a storyline. The publication order is provided if that is of interest.
Alan Hlad writes standalone novels. Each of his books is a complete story and can be read independently of the others. He does not write series where characters or plotlines carry over from one book to the next. This approach allows readers to pick up any of his titles, including The Long Flight Home, Churchill's Secret Messenger, A Light Beyond the Trenches, The Book Spy, and Fleeing France, and enjoy a self-contained narrative.
Alan Hlad has written at least five novels. These include The Long Flight Home (2019), Churchill's Secret Messenger (2021), A Light Beyond the Trenches (2022), The Book Spy (2023), and Fleeing France (2024). The information available indicates there may be one more book in addition to these. Each of these novels is a standalone work.
The first book Alan Hlad wrote was The Long Flight Home, published in 2019. This novel marked his debut as an author. It is a standalone work, meaning it does not require readers to be familiar with any other books by Hlad. Following this, he published Churchill's Secret Messenger in 2021 and A Light Beyond the Trenches in 2022, continuing his contributions to standalone historical fiction.
Alan Hlad's most recent book is Fleeing France, published in 2024. This novel is a standalone work, continuing his pattern of releasing individual stories that do not require readers to follow a series. Prior to Fleeing France, he published The Book Spy in 2023. His novels often explore historical settings and themes, offering readers a complete narrative within each book.
Alan Hlad writes historical fiction novels. His books often focus on events and individuals from the past, exploring themes of courage, resilience, and espionage within different historical contexts. Titles like The Long Flight Home, Churchill's Secret Messenger, and Fleeing France suggest a focus on wartime experiences and secret operations. Each novel is a standalone story.
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We verified the reading order for Alan Hlad's books by cross-referencing official publication dates, ISBN databases, and publisher catalogs.
Last verified: April 2026
Shelf & Shadows. (…). “Alan Hlad Books in Order.” Retrieved …, from https://www.shelfandshadows.com/authors/alan-hlad