Lawyer makes a name for himself, as a fiction novelist

James Vella-Bardon might have pursued a career in law, but it is his novels that are fast earning him international accolades.

His novels belong to the historical fiction genre, the realm of global literary greats such as Hilary Mantel, Umberto Eco and Marguerite Yourcenar.

James Vella-Bardon has been receiving many five-star accolades from the international media.

“A virtuoso of historical fiction,” said the Reader’s Digest; “Sheer quality, historical integrity and emotional resonance,” according to London Economic. The Scotsman described him as “the new king of historical fiction”.

And it’s not only the official book reviewers who are raving about the talents of Vella-Bardon.

He has been receiving many five-star accolades, the highest possible, on the internet site Goodreads, which essentially gauges the opinions of readers.

Vella-Bardon has won Best Historical Fiction and Best Novel at the US’s 2019 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, for The Sheriff’s Catch, also named a finalist at the Wishing Shelf Book Awards in 2019.

His 2007 move to Sydney coincided with the time when Mantel’s Wolf Hall was taking the world by storm.

“I was stunned by Mantel’s attention to detail and the risks...