Midnight Queen: A Tudor Intrigue (Tudor Crimes)

Midnight Queen is the second volume in Anne Stevens' epic Tudor Crimes saga. Stretching from the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey, through the turbulent years of the matter of King Henry's divorce, it sketches out the very real world of Tudor middle England. The story is told at breathtaking speed. Behind the great events of Tudor times, there is a dark underworld of corrupt politicians, foreign intrigeurs and dangerous men, looking to advance themselves, at any cost. The author shows you the hidden events, through the eyes of the ordinary people who serve the great powers at court. Will Draper, now married to Miriam, is called on, once more, to help destroy a plot against the influential Pole family. They are descendants of the last Plantagenet king, and someone is killing them off. Thomas Cromwell, Eustace Chapuys, King Henry VIII, Stephen Gardiner, and Sir Thomas More all play their part, and the known historical facts are woven into a tale of intrigue and murder, which may well bring down a dynasty.Anne Stevens is a welcome addition to the genre, and has a real feel foe the commoner in Tudor times. She has her characters behaving in the right manner for the age, and does not impose modern values on Tudor thinking. If you do not have wealth, then the harsh truth is there to see. We are treated to scenes in ramshakle villages, great houses, taverns, and bawdy houses, where a night's pleasure can set a man back six pennies. Equality is not a factor, and a fortune can only be won by treachery, great service, or at the point of a sharp sword.Will Draper serves Cromwell, often violently, and his sword is always ready. Murderous jugglers, traitorous lords, spoiled young men, social climbers, princesses, great ladies, and cheap whores sprinkle the action, bringing the flavour of Tudor reality to this sprawling epic of historical fiction. NEW TO PAPERBACK.