“In London, love and scandal are considered the best sweeteners of tea.”
Home to nearly 15 million inhabitants and tracing its history as far back as two millennia, London is one of the most famous and fascinating cities in the world. The capital of both England and the United Kingdom, it is one of the world’s major global cities and a leading influence on everything from entertainment, education, fashion, art, culture, finance, science, technology transport, tourism and communications. It is the most visited city in Europe and, with over three hundred languages, is a melting pot of diversities and identities. With all of this in mind, it should come as no surprise that London has provided inspiration and played host to a number of iconic stories throughout history. Join us today at What We Reading as we trek from the Thames to the Tower of London with the best books set in London!
Neverwhere (London Below #1) – Neil Gaiman
Kicking off our list of the best books set in London is Neil Gaiman’s London Below series, and its opening read, Neverwhere. Under the streets of London, there’s a world most people could never imagine. It is a city of saints and monsters, murderers and angels, knights in chainmail armour and pale girls in black velvet. ‘Neverwhere’ is the London of the people who have fallen between the cracks.
One single act of kindness catapults young businessman Richard Mayhew out of his safe and mundane existence into the realms of Neverwhere. He is about to find out more than he ever wanted to know about this bizarre new world and its unearthly characters. Which is a shame, because all Richard wants to do is find his way back home.
White Teeth – Zadie Smith
At the heart of Zadie Smith’s acclaimed literary fiction book White Teeth are two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal. One of the best books set in London for exploring the vibrant cultures and identities present across the city, these two men met during World War II.
Readers follow the pair as Archie marries Clara, a much younger Jamaican woman, who gives birth to Irie, who grapples with her mixed heritage and the expectations thrust upon her. Samad, a Bangladeshi immigrant, marries Alsana and has twin sons, Millat and Magid, who branch off on very different paths. Millat becomes involved in radical politics, whilst Magid embraces Western culture and science. A poignant look at generational and cultural clashes, it is an acute story of social observation and the comedy of daily life.
Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell #1) – Hilary Mantel
A Man Booker Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award winner, Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall is one of the best historical fiction books set in London. Set in the 1520s, it whisks readers into the heart of England’s royal court where King Henry VIII is seeking to divorce his wife of over twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. Yet, the Pope and most of Europe oppose him.
In steps Thomas Cromwell: a completely original man, a charmer and a thug, an idealist and cunning opportunist, adept at reading people and ruthless in his ambition. King Henry is also a man of extremes, capable of tender compassion one day and bloody murder the next. Together, Cromwell helps Henry break his opposition, but what will be the price of his moment of triumph?
Confessions Of A Shopaholic (Shopaholic #1) – Sophie Kinsella
Becky has a fabulous flat in London’s trendiest neighbourhood, a solid troupe of glamorous socialite friends and a wardrobe jam-packed with the season’s must-haves. The only problem? She can’t afford any of it.
Her job writing at Successful Savings not only bores her to tears, it doesn’t pay her nearly enough. And, Becky has found herself increasingly on the receiving end of letters from the bank – the sort of letters with large red sums she can’t bear to read, but are nevertheless getting harder to ignore. Her uncontrollable urge to shop hardly helps the situation, nor do the various and often chaotic schemes she conjures up to cut down her expenses. Funny and lighthearted, Sophie Kinsella’s bestselling Confessions of a Shopaholic is one of the best London books for capturing our consumer culture and the pressures of modern-day life.
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Saturday – Ian McEwan
Henry Perowne is a perfectly content man. He is a successful neurosurgeon, married to Rosalind and the proud father of two grown-up children. However, every morning he wakes before dawn, drawn to the window in his bedroom and filled with a growing unease. As he looks out at the night sky, he is perplexed and disillusioned by the state of a world rocked by the 9/11 attacks, the impending war in Iraq and the fear that both his city and his happy family life are under threat.
Later, as Henry makes his way through the streets of London filled with thousands of anti-war protesters, a small car accident throws him in the path of Baxter, an aggressive and violent young man. To Henry, there appears to be something seriously wrong with the man. But, it isn’t until Baxter makes an unexpected appearance at the Perowne family reunion that Henry’s fears appear to become realised.
Whispers Under Ground (Rivers Of London #3) – Ben Aaronovitch
In Tufnell Park, North London, the body of an American art student is found in the tunnels beneath the city. As young police officer Peter Grant investigates, he discovers that the victim’s death is tied to a number of mysterious and magical occurrences. With the help of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale and PC Lesley May, Peter delves further into London’s hidden magical underworld.
As an apprentice wizard as well as an investigating London officer, Peter has to deal with the complexities of magic, inter-agency cooperation and supernatural creatures, as well as the city’s subterranean passages. One of the best urban fantasy books set in London, Ben Aaronovitch’s Whispers Under Ground is the third entry in his Rivers of London series and offers a fun and fast-paced take on the city’s history and folklore.
The Girl Who Was A Gentleman – Anna Jane Greenville
In Victorian London, opportunities are scarce for Joanna and her sisters. Their sole hope is to marry well. But, who would take any of these penniless sisters as a spouse? Joanna doesn’t believe in fairy tales, so she decides to be her own prince instead. Disguising herself as a boy she begins attending the prestigious Oliver Kenwood Boarding School in the hopes of emerging with a successful career laid out for her.
If only it weren’t for her cunning, yet undeniably fascinating, teacher Charles Hanson, who seems to dislike her quite passionately. With him watching every step she makes, her disguise becomes harder and harder to maintain. But, when rich and confident Abigail sets eyes on Hanson, why does it bother Joanna quite so much? One of the best historical romance books set in London, Anna Jane Greenville’s The Girl Who Was a Gentleman is a portrait of love, courage and humour in Victorian England.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
