Charles Searle, a lifelong historian with a doctorate in social and economic history, makes a powerful literary debut with The Hooded Man, the first novel in his ambitious new trilogy, The Dark Years. Deeply researched yet grippingly told, the book marks Searle’s transition from academic writing to historical fiction, combining intellectual depth with compelling narrative drive.
Searle’s fascination with history began at an early age, inspired by a teacher whose vivid storytelling brought figures such as Peter the Great and Napoleon thrillingly to life. That early spark led him into academia, where he completed a PhD and published scholarly articles in specialist journals. Although his career later took him into senior roles in post-16 education and inspection, his passion for history never faded. Instead, it evolved—culminating in a return to the subject through fiction, where he could reach a far wider audience.
“I write primarily to entertain,” Searle explains, “but as a writer of historical fiction, I also want to immerse readers completely in a time and place. There is a serious underpinning to The Hooded Man, even as it thrills and engages.”
Set in France in 1937, The Hooded Man unfolds during a period of intense political instability, polarisation and fear. The Republic is under threat from the Cagoule, a real-life, secretive extremist organisation inspired by the Ku Klux Klan, plotting to overthrow the government from within. Against this volatile backdrop stands Antoine Martinet, a war hero and devout Catholic whose own beliefs place him in moral conflict.
Searle’s writing is narrative-driven and meticulously researched, creating an authentic sense of place and time while maintaining the pace and tension of a thriller. His work will appeal to readers of Robert Harris, Philip Kerr, Joseph Kanon and Michael Dibdin, authors he cites as both influences and literary touchstones.
Beyond its dramatic plot, The Hooded Man speaks directly to the present. Searle draws deliberate parallels between interwar France and contemporary Western democracies.
“The France of the 1920s and 30s has many haunting similarities to what we are experiencing now,” he says. “Polarisation between right and left, political paralysis, and the rise of xenophobia. Writing about these issues—even as entertainment—forces us to ask how we would have reacted in those times, and whether we can avoid repeating the same mistakes.”
The Hooded Man is the first volume in The Dark Years trilogy, which follows Antoine Martinet from the trenches of the First World War, through the interwar years, into occupied France during the Second World War, and later to the collapse of the French empire in Indochina in the 1950s. The second volume, Crossing the Line, is scheduled for publication in autumn 2026.
With its blend of historical authenticity, moral complexity and contemporary relevance, The Hooded Man establishes Charles Searle as a thoughtful and compelling new voice in historical fiction—one that entertains while inviting readers to reflect on the lessons of history.
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