Five authors in the running for historical fiction prize

Five books are in the running for the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.

For the first time in its 17-year history, all the books on the shortlist announced by the Abbotsford Trust are by British authors.

They are The Pretender by Jo Harkin, The Matchbox Girl by Alice Jolly, Benbecula by Graeme Macrae Burnet, Once the Deed is Done by Rachel Seiffert and Seascraper by Benjamin Wood.

The winner will be announced at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose on 12 June.

The judges said: "The five shortlisted novels for the 2026 Walter Scott Prize probe intimate lives lived in both small and big settings.

"Readers will hear voices usually unheard but which, once heard, won't be forgotten.

"The shortlist choice is always difficult, but our authors each reveal the hidden, and in doing so offer new insights into our own times as well as the times in which their novels are set.

"Above all, our five authors are storytellers, so if you like a good story, the 2026 Walter Scott Prize shortlist is one you won't want to miss."