I love historical fiction, and this does not disappoint!

As with most novels of this type the vibrancy of well-known historical figures fleshed out and bought to life, blended with lesser know and fictional characters makes for a thrilling journey through the infamous Tudor Court.

This gripping novel has many features of a modern courtroom thriller - twists and turns and fast pace redirections as well as the richness of historical fiction.

A must read for any fan of dramas and the Tudor Court!

This was an unusual book, in that the whole story seemed to have no point at all. Nicholas Bourbon, poet and tutor to the daughter of the Queen of Navarre, is sent to England by his patroness to find out about the death of Thomas Cromwell, and old acquaintance. This he accomplishes within a day or so, but instead of returning home, he suddenly takes it into his head to find out more about Thomas Cromwell's background and early history.

After being well acquainted with the man in his lifetime, Bourbon suddenly finds it absolutely imperative to discover how a poor man from Putney rose to the highest post in England after the man had died. One would have thought that he might have asked Cromwell himself while he was alive, but apparently it did not occur to him to wonder this until after the great man's demise. Bourbon then develops the notion that Cromwell had a secret that he had kept hidden throughout his life and this is what had driven his ambition. What foundation this thought had is extremely sketchily presented, but this thought spurs Bourbon on, with the Inquisition at his heels and at the peril of his own life and liberty.

It is this that made the reading of this book so difficult for me. I continued to the end, but I could see no real point in doing so because the result did not seem worth the effort. I had no interest in what Thomas Cromwell's secret was, nor how he rose to the dizzy heights he did. On the contrary, Nicholas Bourbon's singular obsession with finding out these things seemed to me particularly distasteful since, by his own admission, Cromwell was a man he liked, admired and respected. 'Then respect his privacy and let his secrets alone' I mentally screamed at him as he risked his own safety time and time again in this pointless quest. He even questions his own actions when, again and again he avoids taking the sensible path and turning his steps homeward, to go haring off in pursuit of another line of enquiry.

I read about one third of the book before I began to ask myself whether this surely was not all that this story was about, but unfortunately it was. One man's purposeless (and extremely dangerous) quest to pry into the background and unearth the secrets of another, for no earthly reason. As aforementioned, by the time it was unearthed I had no interest in the secret at all, and what a dull, uninteresting secret it turned out to be. No reason at all to spur a man on to achieve great things. As many around him attested, the man was naturally ambitious and Putney would have always been too small to contain him. Cromwell's path was set towards embracing his future even before the incident of the secret so from what I could see, Bourbon's pains in rooting it all out were wasted.

The book was extremely well written and everything about it was true to the period - no anachronisms here, thank goodness. One could immerse oneself in 14th Century Europe with ease, and the sights, sounds and smells of the various loci were evoked superbly in text. However, the anecdotal inserts were a bit superfluous in my opinion although, as the author mentioned, they are placed so one can easily skip them if not interested. They would have been more relevant had this been a non-fiction book, or a study text book, but had no real place in a fiction novel. I read a few of them but found it a bit difficult to find the context with the passage they were associated with, but perhaps I am not scholar enough for that.

I can only recommend this book to readers who have no objection to reading about an absolutely pointless quest, because that is what this book ultimately is. And it is not just me saying so -Nicholas Bourbon himself appeared to think so (although he did not let that stop him!)

A well researched, well written and entertaining piece of historical fiction that made me learn more about Thomas Cromwell.
I loved how the author mixes facts and fictions and the original documents.
The plot flows and kept me hooked.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This Tudor mystery sees Nicholas Bourbon travel to England upon hearing of the fall and imprisonment of Thomas Cromwell. To Bourbon, Cromwell was something of an acquaintance, legend and as the title hints an enigma. Once he learns that Cromwell has in fact died a traitor he can't help but try and uncover the mystery surrounding the man and his younger years.

This book follows the story of something I'm sure many of us would love to do, get to know Cromwell, what motivated him? Was it power? Religion? Or something else entirely?

Although Cromwell is dead his reputation is very much alive and not everyone wishes this to be so. His enquiries into Cromwell put Bourbon at risk not only of the wrath of Stephen Gardiner and Henry VIII but also put his life at risk as he travels from England to Antwerp to uncover Cromwell's secrets.

Wilson seamlessly blends fact and fiction to create an engaging read delving in to Cromwells early life which is something I am very interested in. The dangers of religion in the era are depicted very well as are the vivid descriptives of London, Florence and Antwerp.

I liked this portrayal of Cromwell and it gives a sense of what may have made him the man he became from a common birth in Putney to one of the richest and most powerful men in the country.

I particularly enjoyed the excerpts from documents which are presented throughout but are placed in boxes so as not to take away from the story. For those interested in original sources these excerpts were a bonus to have included.

There is also a note at the end where Wilson discusses those individuals who are not fiction. This addition made interesting reading regarding who they actually were and what happened to them.

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in the Tudor era and of course those who would like to learn about Cromwell.

Thank you to NetGalley and SPCK for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis pretty much covers it story-wise.

This reminded me of what I refer to as "in the footsteps of" - wherein an author attempts to walk in the footsteps of their chosen subject to discover more about them and takes the reader along their journey. Usually this type of book is non-fiction, but I find that it works just as well in a fictional format - as it does in this instance.

Utilising the real-life character of Nicholas Bourbon, the reader is taken on a quest to discover the missing years of Cromwell in order to understand the man he became at the time of his execution (no spoilers here - just the facts). Loved the use of other real historical characters to give some authenticity to the plot.

Whilst no exactly nail biting, white knuckle drama, there is action aplenty to keep the reader entertained as we draw ever closer to Cromwell's secret. As Nicholas is given to say: " ... like a squirrel worrying a nut, I was possessed by the need to find a kernel of truth written within the shell of conflicting information .."

Definitely one for historical fiction and Tudor fiction readers.

Marguerite, Queen of Navarre hears with great disquiet of the imprisonment of Thomas Cromwell in the Tower of London. She dispatches trusted poet Nicholas Bourbon to England to find out how Henry VIII’s chief advisor has been brought down. By the time Bourbon’s journey is underway, Cromwell is dead, his reputation in tatters and Bishop Stephen Gardiner represents danger to all his supporters. Bourbon realises that whilst Cromwell may be dead his reputation still looms large and he sets out to try to solve the enigma that is Cromwell. His quest takes him from England to Antwerp, Florence and back to England again.

This is a well written blend of fact and fiction that melds together seamlessly. Bourbon is a really good choice of narrator as he travels the length and breadth of Europe seeking ‘the truth’ as he tries to get a sense of the man. The religious schism of Europe is well depicted as are the dangers therein as Bourbon finds to his cost in London and Florence. There are some colourful and rich descriptions that transport you to the places he visits, asking questions of people that knew him to determine his qualities. The book depicts extremely well the riddle that is Thomas Cromwell and how a man of such low birth could achieve such high office. I especially enjoy Bourbons desire to see if Cromwell is a follower of Machiavelli and if this influences how he serves his master Henry. I think the clearest vision we get of Cromwell in the book is in Florence as a young man and after that he becomes more and more enigmatic. I find the search to pin down his religious view especially fascinating and the discussions with Archbishop Thomas Cranmer are very revealing. I like how the quest takes Bourbon back to Putney where Cromwell’s life education begins and the possible source of all that follows.

Overall, yes, Crowell still remains an enigma but this is a really interesting take on one of the most fascinating characters in English history. Self taught, wise, immensely clever, he understands the lives of the humble as those are his origins, the architect of much of the religious change after the Break with Rome. This is a well researched, colourful and easy to read novel which I enjoyed very much.

With thanks to NetGalley and SPCK.

This is historically accurate, indeed it explores the subject matter of the book, i.e. Cromwell, in depth. I did not know the history of him half as well as I now do, nor that he was generous to his friends and a great reformer, nor that he employed the Socratic technique of questioning. A good book for anyone wanting to explore the subject in more depth. And it deals with other matters, and historical characters as well.

*Many thanks to Derek Wilson, SPCK Marylebone House, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
An interesting concept for a book in which a poet on the mission from the queen of Navarre sets of on a tour aiming at finding out as much as possible about Thomas Cromwell who has just been beheaded. Nicolas Bourbon met Crom some years earlier, and was a guest at his house, and more importantly, shared his religious beliefs.
Mousieur Bourbon travels to England and across the Continent, meeting people who were Cromwell's friends and confidants, and the enigma is being revealed gradually.
Mr Wilson included original texts of various nature into the novel.
The book reads well and is definitely another interesting voice regarding Thomas Cromwell, the enigmatic historic figure that has received a lot of attention over the last decade.

This is a very well written novel. The historical detail is helped by extracts from letters and documents of the time and would thrill the soul of serious historians. I really enjoyed this book.