The Mapmaker's Daughter: The most spellbinding and heartbreaking historical fiction novel for 2026

In the present day, thirty-six-year-old Robyn Willoughby discovers an ornate, blood-stained Tudor map in her father's antique map shop. Seeking distraction from her personal problems, she investigates the map's origins and uncovers a centuries-old secret that transforms her life. In 1569, twenty-year-old Freida Ortelius flees Holland to escape persecution and settles in London, where she uses her mapmaking abilities to build a new life. Her exceptional talent attracts the attention of Queen Elizabeth, who enlists Freida's help in countering the Spanish threat. Freida undertakes a dangerous mission whose repercussions extend across centuries. The novel interweaves these two timelines, following how the past and present connect through the map and its secrets.