The Best Books About Palm Beach: 10 Reads Before Your Florida Vacation

Some people collect postcards. I collect books.

Whenever I travel somewhere new, I love reading a novel or nonfiction book set in that destination. It makes every landmark, neighborhood, and historic home feel more meaningful once I arrive. I couldn’t find a word for this kind of travel reading, so I’m calling it “wanderlust reading.”

Palm Beach is one of the most fascinating places in America, where Gilded Age mansions, old-money families, tropical beauty, and larger-than-life personalities have inspired countless authors. Whether you enjoy historical fiction, biographies, true stories, or page-turning dramas, these books will transport you to Palm Beach long before your plane lands.

Looking for the best books about Palm Beach?

If you’re planning a Palm Beach vacation, some of the most recommended books include Madness Under the Royal Palms, When We Left Cuba, Palm Beach Babylon, and The Last Train to Key West. Together they explore Palm Beach’s fascinating history, glamorous society, Cuban influences, Henry Flagler’s legacy, and Florida’s unique culture.

Why Read About Palm Beach Before You Visit?

Reading about Palm Beach helps you appreciate the history behind the landmarks you’ll see, from Henry Flagler’s Gilded Age mansion to Worth Avenue and Mar-a-Lago. You’ll understand how this tiny barrier island became one of the wealthiest communities in the United States and recognize many of the names and places you’ll encounter during your visit.

Palm Beach Book List

Madness Under the Royal Palms
by Laurence Leamer

Best for: Readers who love true stories about wealth, power, and Palm Beach society.

Palm Beach Island has attracted the rich and famous for over a century, and Madness Under the Royal Palms dives into the secrets, the scandals, the love, the lust, the money and even murder. Author and Palm Beach resident, Laurence Leamer, went “undercover” for 15 years to observe the lives of the Palm Beach elite, and oh does he have stories to tell. He’s recently written Mar a Lago: Inside The Gates of Power at Donald Trump’s Presidential Palace which reportedly got Leamer kicked out of Mar a Lago for life!

Visit After Reading

Whitehall (Flagler Museum)

Worth Avenue

The Breakers

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When We Left Cuba
by Chanel Cleeton

The story begins in Palm Beach in the year 2016; Fidel Castro is dead, someone sent Beatriz flowers to celebrate, and you are hooked! Beatriz and her wealthy family fled Cuba in 1960 and exiled to Palm Beach. She’s recruited by the CIA to get into Castro’s inner-circle, so expect a political thriller with plenty of romance, and expect to learn more about Cuba than you ever did in your high school history class. Author Chanel Cleeton was born in Florida and grew up hearing stories of her family’s exile from Cuba which have inspired many of her historical fiction works.

After finishing this novel, stop by Havana Restaurant for authentic Cuban food or order a cafecito at a local ventanita to experience a small piece of the culture that shapes South Florida today.

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The Last Train to Key West
by Chanel Cleeton

Although the story does not take place in Palm Beach, it takes you on a journey through the Florida Keys during the deadly Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 which wiped out Henry Flagler’s Oversea Railroad. There it is, Henry Flagler, and your Palm Beach connection! Over the holiday weekend, 3 women’s lives cross paths, and they are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history hits the Florida Keys. You’ll be thankful we now have better weather forecasting and homes built to withstand hurricanes.

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Palm Beach Babylon: The Sinful History of America’s Super-Rich Paradise
by Murray Weiss and Bill Hoffman

Perfect if you enjoy:

• true crime
• scandals
• old money
• celebrity history

Written by 2 New York Post investigative reporters, you’ll have to constantly remind yourself this is a non-fiction book! After all, the subtitle is Sins, Scams & Scandals. The book begins with Henry Flagler’s time, and each chapter peeks into the lives of a different Palm Beach family. The Pulitzer’s, The Kennedy’s, The Trump’s…drama, drama, drama!

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Ready to Read Your Way to Palm Beach?

Whether you’re relaxing on the beach with a novel, flying to Florida with a book tucked into your carry-on, or simply dreaming about your next vacation, these stories offer a fascinating glimpse into one of America’s most intriguing destinations.

From Gilded Age mansions and glamorous parties to political intrigue, hurricanes, and Cuban history, Palm Beach has inspired remarkable stories for generations. Read one before your trip, and you’ll never look at the island quite the same way.

updated:  8/5/26