[Tudor Crimes 08] • Twilight of Queens · A Tudor Tragedy

Will Draper is the King's Examiner, and has recruited John Beckshaw, a tough young Yorkshireman to his staff. It is not long before the new man must face his first investigation, into grisley murders, and a fabled wild beast. The towns people of Hertford go in fear of a night stalker ... a monster that literally tears its victims apart. With little but his wits, and the help of a strange young girl who can 'see' what comes, he sets out to uncover the lair of the creature.

Meanwhile, Will Draper has his own personal horror to deal with. Whilst abroad, his wife, Miriam has been abducted, and he must travel to France and seek her release. What awaits him is more than mere kidnap; it is the shadow of his past, come back to haunt him.Only Father Ignatius Loyola knows the whole truth, and they must join forces again to defeat a deadly enemy.

Throughout all this, Thomas Cromwell fights to keep Austin Friars safe, and comes up against his staunchest foe ... Queen Anne. The Boleyns want the head of Sir Thomas More, and Anne uses her influence to force Cromwell into action. The two protagonists fight to hold sway over the king, and More is the pawn in their bloody game. As they struggle for supremecy, it can be easy to forget that real lives are the stake, and a bloody end the penalty for failure.

Once again, Anne Stevens weaves her fiction amongst the threads of history, and comes up with another intriguing slice of Tudor devilry. This is the eighth volume in the Tudor Crimes series, and is a welcome addition to the epic story of Thomas Cromwell and his Austin Friars band.

"Stevens writes fresh, and often funny dialogue, and has a flair for bringing her characters to vibrant life."

"She portrays historical figures with flair, and imbues them with a true sense of fractured humanity."