The Rise of Thomas Cromwell by Michael Everett

How much does the Thomas Cromwell of popular novels and television series resemble the real Cromwell? This meticulous study of Cromwell’s early political career expands and revises what has been understood concerning the life and talents of Henry VIII’s chief minister. Michael Everett provides a new and enlightening account of Cromwell’s rise to power, his influence on the king, his role in the Reformation, and his impact on the future of the nation.

Controversially, Everett depicts Cromwell not as the fervent evangelical, Machiavellian politician, or the revolutionary administrator that earlier historians have perceived. Instead he reveals Cromwell as a highly capable and efficient servant of the Crown, rising to power not by masterminding Henry VIII’s split with Rome but rather by dint of exceptional skills as an administrator.

Thomas Cranmer by Diarmaid MacCulloch

Thomas Cranmer, the architect of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, was the archbishop of Canterbury who guided England through the early Reformation—and Henry VIII through the minefields of divorce. This is the first major biography of him for more than three decades, and the first for a century to exploit rich new manuscript sources in Britain and elsewhere.

Diarmaid MacCulloch, one of the foremost scholars of the English Reformation, traces Cranmer from his east-Midland roots through his twenty-year career as a conventionally conservative Cambridge don. He shows how Cranmer was recruited to the coterie around Henry VIII that was trying to annul the royal marriage to Catherine, and how new connections led him to embrace the evangelical faith of the European Reformation and, ultimately, to become archbishop of Canterbury. By then a major English statesman, living the life of a medieval prince-bishop, Cranmer guided the church through the king's vacillations and finalized two successive versions of the English prayer book.

MacCulloch skillfully reconstructs the crises Cranmer negotiated, from his compromising association with three of Henry's divorces, the plot by religious conservatives to oust him, and his role in the attempt to establish Lady Jane Grey as queen to the vengeance of the Catholic Mary Tudor. In jail after Mary's accession, Cranmer nearly repudiated his achievements, but he found the courage to turn the day of his death into a dramatic demonstration of his Protestant faith.

From this vivid account Cranmer emerges a more sharply focused figure than before, more conservative early in his career than admirers have allowed, more evangelical than Anglicanism would later find comfortable. A hesitant hero with a tangled life story, his imperishable legacy is his contribution in the prayer book to the shape and structure of English speech and through this to the molding of an international language and the theology it expressed.

Dissolving Royal Marriages - A Documentary History 860-1600 by David L. d'Avray

Dissolving Royal Marriages adopts a unique chronological and geographical perspective to present a comparative overview of royal divorce cases from the Middle Ages through to the Reformation period.

Drawing from original translations of key source documents, the book sheds new light on some of the most prominent and elite divorce proceedings in Western history, including Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon. 

The comprehensive commentary that accompanies these materials allows readers to grasp, for the first time, how the constructs of canon law helped shape the legal arguments on which specific cases were founded, and better understand the events that actually unfolded in the courtrooms. 

In his case-by-case exploration of elaborate witness statements, extensive legal negotiations and political wrangling, d'Avray shows us how little the canonical law for the dissolution of marriage changed over time in this fascinating new study of Church-state relations and papal power over princes.

read also:

Papacy, Monarchy and Marriage 860–1600 by David d'Avray

Law, Marriage, and Society in the Later Middle Ages by Charles Donahue, Jr.

Dynasty Chernigov 1146-1246 by Martin Dimnik

Historians in pre-revolutionary Russia, in the Soviet Union, in contemporary Russia, and in the West have consistently relegated the medieval dynasty of Chernigov to a place of minor importance in Kievan Rus'. This view was reinforced by the evidence that, after the Mongols invaded Rus' in 1237, the two branches from the House of Monomakh living in the Rostov-Suzdal' and Galicia-Volyn' regions emerged as the most powerful. 

However, careful examination of the chronicle accounts reporting the dynasty's history during the second half of the twelfth and the first half of the thirteenth century shows that the Ol'govichi of Chernigov successfully challenged the Monomashichi for supremacy in Rus'. Through a critical analysis of the available primary sources (such as chronicles, archaeology, coins, seals, 'graffiti' in churches, and architecture) this 2003 book attempts correct the pervading erroneous view by allocating to the Ol'govichi their rightful place in the dynastic hierarchy of Kievan Rus'.

read also:

Medieval Russia 980–1584 by Janet Martin

Military Saints in Byzantium and Rus 900–1200 by Monica White

Viking Rus : Studies on the Presence of Scandinavians in Eastern Europe by Wladyslaw Duczko

Kievan Russia by George Vernadsky

The Anarchy by Teresa Cole

When the mighty Henry I died in December 1135, leaving no legitimate son, who was to replace him on the throne of England? Would it be Stephen, nephew to the king and showered with favours that maybe gave him ideas above his station? Or could it be a woman, Henry’s own choice, his daughter Matilda, who had been sent away when eight years old to marry the Holy Roman Emperor, widowed, then forced into a hated second marriage for political reasons?

Stephen was the first to act, seizing the throne that had been promised to Matilda, but he would find taking a crown far easier than keeping it. The resulting struggle became known as ‘the Anarchy,’ a time when fortune changed sides as frequently and dramatically as in any page-turning thriller, and with a cast of characters to match - some passionately supporting Stephen or Matilda, others simply out to grab what they could from the chaos. These supporting players are not overlooked here: Henry of Blois, brother of Stephen, Bishop of Winchester, and largely orchestrator of the church’s response to the conflict; Robert of Gloucester, illegitimate son of Henry I and chief supporter of his half-sister; and Geoffrey of Anjou, husband of Matilda, determined to secure Normandy (traditional enemy of Anjou) for himself.

Covering all the twists and turns of this war between cousins, as first one side then the other seemed within touching distance of total victory, The Anarchy blends contemporary, sometimes eyewitness accounts with modern analysis to describe a period of England’s history so dark and lawless that those who lived through it declared that ‘Christ and his saints slept.'

Pretenders and Imposters - Part Two

More book suggestions for readers interested in those who presented themselves as someone else.

The Man Who Lost Himself: The Unbelievable Story of the Tichborne Claimant by Robyn Annear

All through the summer of 1874, The Times devoted an entire page - six tight-packed columns - every day to the progress of the great Tichborne trial, the longest-running and most mesmerising legal trial of the 19th century. The story of the man at the centre of it all they called the Tichborne Claimant. He called himself Sir Roger Tichborne, long-lost heir to a baronetcy and vast estates in Hampshire, a man who had disappeared at sea in 1854, apparently emerging from the Australian bush 12 years later - ten stone heavier, a butcher by profession and having forgotten how to speak his native French.

Memoirs of the Pretenders and Their Adherents - 2 Volumes by John Heneage Jesse

Both Published in the mid-19th Century and feature the Stuart Pretenders to the English throne.

The Great Impostor: The Amazing Career of Ferdinand Waldo Demara by Robert Crichton

The fantastic lives and careers of Ferdinand Waldo Demara make a fantastic irony of the platitude that truth is stranger than fiction. For with Ferdinand Demara, truth is fiction. In this forthright account of a remarkable fraud, Robert Crichton presents the man, his reasons, and his methods. A New York Times bestseller when it was originally published in 1959, and serving as the inspiration for the Tony Curtis film of the same name, this is the fascinating and disturbing story of America’s Great Impostor.

The Princess Tarakanova by G. P. Danilevski

Princess Tarakanova was a pretender to the Russian throne. She styled herself, among other names, Princess of Vladimir, Fräulein Frank, and Madame Trémouille. Tarakanova claimed to be the daughter of Alexei Razumovsky and Elizabeth of Russia, reared in Saint Petersburg. She was eventually arrested in Livorno, Tuscany by Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov, and died in prison. A popular theory postulates that her death was faked and she was secretly forced to take the veil under the name "Dosifea." This mysterious nun was recorded as living in Ivanovsky Convent from 1785 until her death in 1810.

The Amazing Mrs Livesey: The remarkable story of Australia's greatest imposter by Freda Marnie Nicholls

The truly remarkable life of the notorious Ethel Livesey, a serial fraudster and confidence trickster who became a media sensation after she ran out on her society wedding in 1945 and was later arrested for obtained goods by false pretences. Ethel Livesey was quite a gal. When her career imploded (with the abandonment of her glittering society marriage in post-war Sydney just two hours before the guests were due to arrive), the story of the Amazing Mrs Livesey was blazoned across newspapers around the world. But what was fact and what was fiction?

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit:The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Impostor by Mark Seal

This shocking expose goes behind the headlines to uncover the true story of Clark Rockefeller, wealthy scion of a great American family who kidnapped his own daughter and vanished. The police and FBI were baffled. Tips poured in, but every lead was a dead end . . . because 'Clark Rockefeller' did not exist. In a gripping work of investigative journalism, Mark Seal reveals how German native Christian Gerhartsreiter came to the United States, where he stepped in and out of identities for decades, eventually posing as a Rockefeller for twelve years, married to a wealthy woman who had no idea who he really was.

Great Canadian Imposters by Cheryl MacDonald

From Canadian history come the stories of imposters. Meet the cross-dressing Isabel Gunn, disguised as fur-trapping "John Hubbisher." Read about a woman who posed successfully as Dr. James Barry, surgeon and early women's rights advocate. Follow the astonishing life of Archie Belaney, who convinced millions of people that he was Grey Owl, a First Nations conservationist. These are just three of the many scammers, double agents, and con artists in this fascinating collection.

The Man Who Believed He Was King of France by Tommaso di Carpegna Falconieri

The setting of this improbable but beguiling tale is 1354 and the Hundred Years’ War being waged for control of France. Seeing an opportunity for political and material gain, the demagogic dictator of Rome tells Giannino di Guccio that he is in fact the lost heir to Louis X, allegedly switched at birth with the son of a Tuscan merchant. Once convinced of his birthright, Giannino claims for himself the name Jean I, king of France, and sets out on a brave—if ultimately ruinous—quest that leads him across Europe to prove his identity.4

Pretenders and Imposters - Part One

Over the course of my many years of reading, I have come across the "pretender" or the "imposter" in both an historical and fictional sense. And it got me wondering, how many books out there featured the "imposter" or "pretender" as their main subject. So, here is a short list of those that interested me:

The Great Pretenders : The True Stories Behind Famous Historical Mysteries by Jan Bondeson

Jan Bondeson, M.D., focuses his medical expertise and insightful wit on the great unsolved mysteries of disputed identity of the last two hundred years. In this highly entertaining work covering the most famous cases of disputed identity, Jan Bondeson uncovers all the evidence, then applies his medical knowledge and logical thinking to ascertain the true stories behind these fascinating histories. "Bondeson examines hitherto neglected documents and adds his valuable medical knowledge....Entertaining studies of classic imposters and a public inclined to be gullible even before the age of TV." (Kirkus Reviews)

The Perfect Prince: The Mystery of Perkin Warbeck and His Quest for the Throne of England by Ann Wroe

Describes the efforts of Perkin Warbeck, the son of a Flanders boatman, to persuade some of the most powerful monarchs of the era that he was the rightful king of England and the repercussions of his masquerade.

Historical Sketch of Perkin Warbeck by Edwin Hennes

Published in 1902 I can find next to nothing to describe its contents.

Famous Imposters (also titled: The Greatest Imposters & Con Artists) by Bram Stoker

The histories of famous cases of imposture in this book have been grouped together to show that the art has been practised in many forms, impersonators, pretenders, swindlers, and humbugs of all kinds; those who have masqueraded in order to acquire wealth, position, or fame, and those who have done so merely for the love of the art. So numerous are instances, indeed, that the book cannot profess to exhaust a theme which might easily fill a dozen volumes.

The Lost King of France: Revolution, Revenge, and the Search for Louis XVII by Deborah Cadbury

Louis-Charles Bourbon enjoyed a charmed early childhood in the gilded palace of Versailles. In 1793, when his mother was beheaded at the guillotine, she left her adored eight-year-old son imprisoned in the Temple Tower. Far from inheriting a throne, the orphaned boy-King had to endure the hostility and abuse of a nation. Two years later, the Revolutionary leaders declared Louis XVII was dead. No grave was dug, no monument built to mark his passing. Immediately, rumours spread that the Prince had, in fact, escaped from prison and was still alive. Others believed that he had been murdered, his heart cut out and preserved as a relic. In time, his older sister, Marie-Therese, who survived the Revolution, was approached by countless 'brothers' who claimed not only his name, but also his inheritance. Several 'princes' were plausible, but which, if any, was the real Louis-Charles?

The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope

English gentleman Rudolf Rassendyll arrives in the country of Ruritania on the eve of King Rudolf the Fifth's coronation. That night, the king is abducted and held prisoner in a castle in the small town of Zenda. Rassendyll, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the monarch, is persuaded to impersonate him in order to stop his villainous half-brother, Prince Michael, from seizing the throne. Determined to rescue the king and restore him to his rightful place, Rassendyll attempts to free him, but can he defeat the dastardly Count Rupert of Hentzau who stands in his way? A swashbuckling adventure that never takes itself too seriously.

Captain Starlight: The Strange but True Story of a Bushranger, Imposter and Murderer by Jane Smith

Author Jane Smith’s meticulous research reveals the stranger than fiction story of a compulsive liar and serial imposter: a doctor, a stockman and an accountant – and a bushranger, forger, con-man and killer. It is a true story of murder and deceit that reveals new information and presents, for the first time, a theory as to the real identity of the bushranger known as ‘Captain Starlight’.

Fakers by Paul Maliszewski

Paul Maliszewski explores the teeming varieties of fakery, from its historical roots in satire and con artistry to its current boom, starring James Frey and his false memories of drug-addled dissolution and the author formerly known as JT LeRoy with his fake rural tough talk. Journeying into the heart of our fake world, Maliszewski tells tales of the New York Sun's 1835 moon hoax as well as his own satiric contributions to a newspaper--pieces written, unbeknownst to its editor, while the author worked there as a reporter. For anyone who has ever lied or been lied to, Fakers tells us much about what we believe and why we still get conned.

Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance: The Glorious Imposter by Donald B Smith

Profiles the life of Buffalo Child Long Lance, a man of mixed heritage who escaped the poverty of his North Carolina town and gained fame by lying about his age, name, tribal affiliation, status, and accomplishments.

Perkin Warbeck by Ian Arthurson

This book looks at who Warbeck really was, how he was used by those in power in Burgundy, France, Italy, Scotland and Ireland, and the progress of the conspiracy itself. It has often been considered to be a side issue to Henry's reign, but this book reveals how close the conspirators came to bringing about a fundamental change in European politics. Importantly, Ian Arthurson not only sets the plot within the context of what was happening in fifteenth-century Europe, but also reveals important truths about Henry's reign in England.

The Escape of Alexei, Son of Tsar Nicholas II by Gregory B Egorov

The Russian Romanov dynasty came to an abrupt end on the night of July 17, 1918, when the imperial family was executed by the Bolsheviks. Or did it Compelling new evidence reveals that Tsarevich Alexei, the fourteen year-old son of Nicholas II and heir to the Russian throne, may have escaped the bloodshed and been adopted by a local family in a nearby village. Meticulously researched and documented, The Escape of Alexei details how Bolshevik soldiers bungled the execution, leading to confusion and chaos during the shooting. Young Alexei was merely wounded and unconscious when he was loaded onto the back of a truck with corpses of his murdered family and driven to the secret burial site. Falling out of the truck en route and left for dead, he was found by sympathetic soldiers who attended to the young hemophiliac's wounds and helped him escape, introducing him into a peasant family where he grew up under the name of Vasily Filatov.

The Pretender by Mary Morrissy

In The Pretender, Mary Morrissy writes the prequel to the Anastasia myth. She creates a fictional history for Franziska Schanzkowska, the Polish factory worker who so successfully donned the mantle of the doomed princess. From the few facts that are known, Morrissy fashions the biography of a nobody - an impoverished Polish childhood, an adolescence set against the First World war and the ruinous humiliation of Germany in defeat, a young adulthood blighted by violence, trauma and loss. 

Kings over the Water: The Saga of the Stuart Pretenders by Theo Aronson

Of all royal lost causes, none has a stronger fascination than that of the Stuart Pretenders to the British throne. For well over a century, four successive Stuart kings laid claim to the crown. The first was James II, deposed in 1688 by his daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange; then came James III (the Old Pretender) and his son, Charles III (Bonnie Prince Charlie — the Young Pretender); finally, there was Henry IX (the Cardinal King) who died in 1807, the last descendant in direct and legitimate line from James II. This book tells the story of these four men, and of their families.

Bastard Prince by Beverley Murphy

Today, however, Henry Fitzroy is very much a forgotten Tudor prince. In the first book to examine his life in full, Beverley A. Murphy investigates just how close he came to being crowned Henry IX. She concludes with an intriguing epilogue which demonstrates just how different the history of England could have been, had Fitzroy survived his father, Henry VIII of England.

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

For a thousand years her existence has been denied. She is the legend that will not die--Pope Joan, the ninth-century woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to become the only female ever to sit on the throne of St. Peter. Now in this riveting novel, Cross paints a sweeping portrait of an unforgettable heroine who struggles against restrictions her soul cannot accept.

The Impostor by Javier Cercus

Who is Enric Marco? An old man from Barcelona who claims to be a Nazi concentration camp survivor and rises to be president of Spain's leading Holocaust survivor movement, the Friends of Mauthausen. By the time he is unmasked in Austria in 2005 on the eve of the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of the camp, he has become a civic hero, speaking at hundreds of conferences, granting dozens of interviews, receiving state honours, publishing a successful memoir and even moving Spanish congressmen to tears at a memorial homage to Republicans deported by the Third Reich.

Masquerade: Treason, the Holocaust, and an Irish Impostor by Mark M Hull and Vera Moynes

Phyllis Ursula James. Nora O'Mara. Róisín Ní Mheara. Like her name, the life of Rosaleen James changed many times as she followed a convoluted path from abandoned child, to foster daughter of an aristocratic British family, to traitor during World War II, to her emergence as a full Irish woman afterward. In Masquerade, authors Mark M. Hull and Vera Moynes tell James's story as it unfolds against the backdrop of the most important events of the twentieth century. James's life--both real and imagined--makes for an incredible but true story.

Playing Rudolf Hess by Nicholas Kinsey

In 1973 the aging Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess was taken from Spandau Prison to the British Military hospital in Berlin for a medical examination attended by specialists from the four Allied powers. Dr Terry supervised the X-rays and was shocked to discover that the prisoner has no scarring on his chest. The real Rudolf Hess had been shot through the left lung in Romania in 1917 and had large scars on his chest. Dr Terry decided to investigate and ran into the MI5 officer Paul Cummings whose job was to discourage such efforts. In a Berlin ‘biergarten’ Cummings threatened Dr Terry with the Official Secrets Act and revealed his own relationship to the man.

Review: 21 Immortals by Rozlan Mohd Noor

Synopsis: Inspector Mislan and the Yee Sang Murders is an explosive debut from the quietly talented Rozlan Mohd Noor, an ex-police officer, which explains why he knows so much about police work and inside stories. This is a true Malaysian high-tech crime thriller with good cops, bad cops (and badder cops) and triad members, with insights into the workings of the local CSI, and forays into the world of hackers and their viruses, sleeper programs, trojans, ulat, spybots, hound dogs and their link to crime, including murder.

The setting is Kuala Lumpur, global city and the cultural, financial and economic centre of Malaysia.  Kuala Lumpur is one of the leading cities in the world for tourism and shopping.  Apart from its plethora of shopping complexes, Kuala Lumpur has designated numerous zones in the city to market locally manufactured products such as textiles, fabrics and handicrafts. It has a bustling entertainment district and plays host to many notable hotel chains.

The Royal Malaysian Police or Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM), is a (primarily) uniformed federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation with its headquarters are located at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur. The regular RMP is also assisted by a support group of Extra Police Constables, Police Volunteer Reserves, Auxiliary Police, Police Cadets and a civilian service element.

The CID deals with the investigation, arrest and prosecution of both violent crimes such as murder, robbery, rape, etc., and less serious crimes such as theft and house-breaking. This department also specialises in investigating gambling, vice and secret societies (triads). In our story the branches we are most concerned with are: D2 – Criminal Record Registration Division, D6 – Technical Assistance Division, D7 – Gambling / Vice / Secret Societies Prevention Division, D9 – Special Investigation Division, D10 – Forensic Laboratory Division, 

Crime in Malaysia manifests in various forms, including murder, drive by killing, drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, black marketeering, and many others. Sex trafficking in Malaysia is a significant problem.

Kuala Lumpur is pluralistic and religiously diverse. The city has many places of worship catering to the multi-religious population. Islam is practised primarily by the Malays, the Indian Muslim communities and a small number of Chinese Muslims.  Kuala Lumpur's rapid development has triggered a huge influx of low-skilled foreign workers from other Asian and Indian sub-continent nations.

Noor himself is an ex-police officer in the Malaysian police force, working as an Investigation Officer for 11 years in capital city Kuala Lumpur.  This lends a huge amount of credibility to the novel as the author is writing from personal experience. You get a real feel for the city itself and the multi-cultural population - and the repeated mentions of food made me hungry!

So, in this first Inspector Mislan mystery, Inspector Mislan Latif and Detective Sergeant Johan Kamaruddin of Special Investigations (D9), are called upon to investigate the murder of fashion magnate Robert Tham and his family. What was so special about this man to warrant such a diabolical and macabre end. As Mislan delves deeper he is no nearer to solving this, and all the while he is butting heads with the heads of other branches who want to take over his case.

The crime itself has a more modern touch as there is the involvement of computer technicians and hackers in assisting Mislan with his investigation.  I was particularly interested in the "method" used in the original crime, pulled straight from the headlines (spoiler altert - you can read more here @ Notes to 21 Immortals).

Aided by the lovely Dr Safia, Forensic Chief Chew, and Superintendent Samsiah Hassan (who has his back in these inter-departmental dust-ups), Mislan eventually reaches the conclusion - could it really have been as simple as all that??

My only criticism was that for the amount of effort put into the crime, the motive appeared weak.

I am looking forward to reading more in the series - see list of titles @ Goodreads.

Review: Killing The Girl by Elizabeth Hill.

Synopsis: A perfect life, a perfect love - and a perfect murder. For over forty years Carol Cage has been living as a recluse in her mansion, Oaktree House. Fear is her constant companion. She's been keeping a secret - and it's about to be unearthed.When she receives a compulsory purchase order for her home, she knows that everyone is going to find out what she did to survive her darkest weeks in 1970. She writes her confession so that we can understand what happened because she wasn't the only one living a lie. The events that turned her fairy-tale life into a living hell were not all they seemed. She's determined not to pay for the mistakes of others; if she has to suffer, then they will too.

Carol Cage has a terrible secret ... and she's about to exact retribution on everyone who'd let her suffer. 

I literally could not put this down. So invested up in Carol's story, I was compelled to continue.  Who was this "girl" - what had she to do with the story - what was her relationship with Carol?

Hill suckers the reader in from the first page:

"Perry Cutler and I buried Frankie Dewberry in the orchard. He lies not far from the garden wall, under the shade of the apple trees. Over the last forty-odd years I’ve spent many hours sitting on the wooden bench we placed next to his grave. It’s a peaceful spot near the boundary wall running to the south-west of my estate. Sitting near him gives me great comfort. I tell Frankie how restricted my life has been since his death. I tell him how sorry I am that our daughter, Francine, died so young. Although I loved him, I never tell him I’m sorry he’s dead."

Of course we want to know why Frankie lies buried in an orchard for forty odd years - what drove the reclusive and slightly unhinged Carol to such drastic measures. As she mentions, she is not sorry he is dead but instead laments that her crime is about to be discovered:

"My house is to be demolished to make way for a ring road. They will find Frankie’s resting place when they cut into the soil protecting my lover, my darling man. Police will ask questions. Strangers, who know nothing about me or my pain, will look at me in disgust."

Hill takes us back to those early days, forty years ago (1969/1970), as we follow our teenage narrator Carol through the euphoria of an intoxicating first love to the final, toxic ending, before we are brought back into the present (2016) to ponder just what Carol's final fate will be.

As I mentioned, I was hooked from the very beginning - I sat and just read. Hill elicits a strange sort of sympathy for Carol whose obsessive naivety over her relationship with Frankie is merely the first ripple of many - ".. we all paid for the emotions Frankie stirred in us ..". But is Carol the reliable narrator that she appears to be? As the past is slowly dredged up and laid bare, Carol reflects: "I have taken the blame for other people's deceitfulness and secrets." Revenge is a dish best served cold and efficiently - and "The Girl" will have her revenge!

There are many plot twists and turns, just as you head down one garden path you are redirected to another, and so on, not quite knowing where you are heading and even if it is the right direction in the first place!  There is a tinge of the gothic to all of this as Carol's life begins its downward spiral.

I really don't know how Hill will improve on this - it is one of those stories that is right up there with the likes of M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense" or AJ Finn's "The Woman in the Window" or Paula Hawkins' "The Girl on the Train" or even "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn. I could almost image Hitchcock rubbing his hands with glee to be able to bring this to the big screen.

visit Elizabeth's website

Review: Framed In Monte Carlo by Ted Maher

Synopsis: When billionaire banker Edmond Safra died in the ashes of Monaco’s La Belle Époque on December 3, 1999, the event made international headlines—for many reasons. One, of course, was the sheer wealth of the Lebanese mogul and his formidable presence in the international banking world. But the more seductive reason for the worldwide attention was the strange and intriguing way Safra died—ensconced within the armored walls of his vigilantly secured residence in the “safest city in the world.”

At 4:45 in the morning, a firestorm gutted Safra’s opulent Monte Carlo penthouse, trapping—and killing—Safra and one of his nurses, Vivian Torrente. The fire was ruled arson. Safra’s death, the result. The person responsible: ex–Green Beret Ted Maher, another of Safra’s nurses. Or so he stood accused.

The true details concerning the bizarre circumstances that led to Safra’s death and the subsequent conviction and imprisonment of Ted Maher are contained within the pages which features a play-by-play of the night Edmond Safra died, as well as Maher's sham of a trial and his subsequent imprisonment for seven years and eight months. 

After Maher had already served over ninety-five percent of his sentence, Ted was freed and his name was cleared—at least officially. But his business is unfinished. Now, for the first time ever, hear the facts straight from the source, including never-before-released details. The biggest question remains: who did kill Edmond Safra? With names like Vladimir Putin being legitimately put forth, the authors' conclusions will shock you.

There is really no need to add much more to the above synopsis. It is a powerful story of a man wronged by the legal system of another country for a crime he is being held to account. Ted Maher begins with his family, career, and married life prior to going into the events that led him to Monte Carlo in the first place. They we are taken through a blow-by-blow account of his time there before those tragic events of Safra's death. Ted then details his time in prison awaiting trial, the trail and subsequent sentencing, hunger strikes and his escape and then his final release.

But there is also a second tragedy that is Ted's own life - his poor choices in women and his failed marriages, including the betrayal of his wife at the time; the failure and betrayal of the legal system of Monaco as applied to foreign nationals; the sense that although finally freed, no-one has been held to account. 

Ted's story is easy to follow - and is heavily footnoted.  Unfortunately for Ted he comes across as a bit of a tosser - a man full of hubris - he is focused primarily on himself and his own self-promotion; he is not just a jack of all trades but an expert in all things; money and the making of it seems to always underlie his choices; and his need to control situations and those around him was misogynistic and grating. For someone bragging about is "green beret" skills and instincts, Ted truly made some dubious choices, and whilst the trial itself suggests sham, Ted is his own worst enemy.

I was seriously struggling to find some connection - some empathy - for this man, even though he was set up as a scapegoat for the sake of legal expediency, and even though he lost it all and was never truly compensated. There are some serious credibility issues here which should have been addressed prior to publication if Ted was hoping to elicit sympathy from his audience. The Foreward by Michael Griffith hints at a high-level conspiracy yet what we get is something quite different.

The presentation was a bit mish-mashed: I think it was supposed to be presented as a "tell-all" memoir peppered with news reports and trial details, but there was a lot of jargon and "tough guy" talk that one begins to wonder how much is fact and how much is fiction; what actually did take place and what has been possibly exaggerated to give the story more of a dramatic flair. There were times when I was thinking what a load of bullshit - this sounds more like the plot of a novel.  

As is befitting a memoir, most of the story is from Ted's perspective.  I would like to have heard a bit more from the Safra side; however, as Ted does feel hard done by the family, it is not surprising but it left me questioning his narrative.

I was rather surprised that the "final reveal" was literally left to the final chapter and the connections Ted was trying to make were that obvious - at least to me - and were probably deserving of a bit more page time as there was a lot purporting to be going on behind the scenes that the average reader would not necessarily have been privy to. Not having read anything on this case or Ted prior to this, I could not confirm if there were indeed any new "never-before-released details" or not contained within.

Framed In Monte Carlo is a proverbial car crash - you cannot look away.  Ted himself refers to this whole saga as a "glorified game of Clue". I was interested to read more and decided to follow up afterwards on my own as certain aspects in this seemed just too fantastical to be real.  Like Ted himself, much has been said and yet there is much left unsaid. And in the end, the truth is never revealled, merely speculated.

further reading:

A Privileged Witness: The Truth About Billionaire Edmond Safra's Death by Ted Maher

Gilded Lily: Lily Safra: The Making of One of the World's Wealthiest Widows BY Isabel Vincent (read online HERE)

Vanity Fair - Death in Monaco 

I have also doctored up some of my own footnotes summarising events and theories which have been taken from a plethora of media accounts and interviews that followed.

Author: Gypsy Rose Lee

The G-String Murders

A mystery set in the underworld of burlesque theater, The G-String Murders was penned in 1941 by the legendary queen of the stripteasers—the witty and wisecracking Gypsy Rose Lee. Narrating a twisted tale of a backstage double murder, Lee provides a fascinating look behind the scenes of burlesque, richly populated by the likes of strippers Lolita LaVerne and Gee Gee Graham, comic Biff Brannigan and Siggy the g-string salesman. This is a world where women struggle to earn a living performing bumps and grinds, have gangster boyfriends, sip beer between acts and pay their own way at dinner.

The G-String Murders briefly describes Gypsy’s career as a burlesque queen at a fictitious theater, based on those owned by the Minsky family, in New York City. In the book someone strangles a stripper, La Verne, with her G-string. The police turn up an abundance of suspects, including Louie, La Verne’s gangster boyfriend; Gypsy; and Gypsy’s boyfriend, Biff Brannigan, a comic working in the club. After someone tries to frame Biff by placing the lethal G-string in his pocket, he aids the police in solving the crime. He’s also concerned that the police suspect Gypsy and he wants to clear her by finding the actual murderer. After deducing the identity of the murderer, Biff proves his theory by suggesting that Gypsy act as bait and remains in the theater alone to tempt the murderer to strike again.

read more @ The Thrilling Detective, Project Muse, and Tipping My Fedora

Mother Finds A Body

It’s supposed to be a quiet honeymoon getaway for celebrated stripper Gypsy Rose Lee and Biff Brannigan, ex-comic and ex-Casanova of the Burly Q circuit, settled as they are in a cozy trailer built for two. If you don’t count Gypsy’s overbearing mother, a monkey act, and Gee Gee, a.k.a. the Platinum Panic. Not to mention the best man found shot to death in the bathtub. Strippers are used to ballyhoo, but this time it’s murder.

Leave it to Gypsy and her latest scandal to draw a crowd: Biff’s burnt-out ex-flame, a sleazy dive owner with a Ziegfeld complex, a bus-and-truck circus troupe, and a local Texas sheriff randy for celebrities. But when another corpse turns up with a knife in his back, Gypsy fears that some rube is dead set on pulling the curtain on her bump and grind. She’s been in the biz long enough to know this ghastly mess is just a tease of things to come.

further reading:

Mama Rose's Turn: The True Story of America's Most Notorious Stage Mother by Carolyn Quinn

American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee by Karen Abbott

Gypsy: A Memoir by Gypsy Rose Lee

Stripping Gypsy: The Life of Gypsy Rose Lee by Noralee Frankel

Early Havoc by June Havoc

The Binge-Read: 10 Iconic Crime Fiction Series of the 1960s

From CrimeReads: 

This is the first installment of a multi-part series designed to introduce readers (or remind those already familiar) with the essential long-running series for each decade of the later 20th and early 21st centuries. 

The 1960s were a tumultuous decade, and the crime fiction of the time reflected the vast changes in attitudes and society. Crime series provide us with a perfect opportunity to track those changes over time, as protagonists evolve and their attitudes towards both crimes and setting continue to move with the times. 

The 1960s, with its new openness, vast marches, and sexual and political liberation, feels like the opposite of today, where we’ve closed ourselves off even from members of our own families to keep them safe, and find ourselves jealous of orderly countries no matter their methods of control, but that’s perhaps what also makes it a perfect decade to immerse ourselves within. Someday, life will be this open again. And detectives will find it just as confusing.

read more here @ CrimeReads

and also see @ Crime Thriller Hound and Wikipedia

Rex Stout: Meet the Legendary Mystery Author Who Created Nero Wolfe

From Murder & Mayhem: 

Rex Stout's celebrated sleuth Nero Wolfe looms large in the annals of mystery fiction. This April sees the publication of The Misadventures of Nero Wolfe, a collection of two dozen pastiches and literary tributes to one of crime fiction’s most beloved sleuths, Nero Wolfe. 

First introduced in 1934 by author Rex Stout, Nero Wolfe—the rotund armchair detective who loathed leaving his luxurious New York City brownstone, even to work on a case—became a hit over the course of more than 30 novels and dozens of novellas and short stories written during Stout’s lifetime, not to mention countless more written by other voices after the mystery great passed on.

But who was Rex Stout, and how did his creation inspire such enduring affection for so many years?

read more here @ Murder & Mayhem

Review: The Hour of the Fox by Cassandra Clark

Synopsis: London. July, 1399. As rumours spread that his ambitious cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, has returned from exile in France, King Richard's grip on the English throne grows ever more precarious. Meanwhile, the body of a young woman is discovered at Dowgate sluice. When it's established that the dead woman was a novice from nearby Barking Abbey, the coroner calls in his friend, Brother Chandler, to investigate. Who would cut the throat of a young nun and throw her remains in the river? And what was she doing outside the confines of the priory in the first place? Secretly acting as a spy for Henry Bolingbroke, Chandler is torn by conflicting loyalties and agonising self-doubt. As the king's cousin marches towards Wales and England teeters on the brink of civil war, Chandler's investigations will draw him into affairs of state - and endanger not only himself but all those around him.


This is the start of a new series of historical mystery by Cassandra Clark, author of the Hildegarde, Abbess of Meaux series set in the reign of Richard II of England. This series, I feel, is a follow on as it takes place over a period of months from July 1399 to December 1399.

Much had happened during the turbulent reign of Richard II of England. Coming to the throne as a child, succeeding his indomitable grandfather Edward III, Richard's early reign was dominated by his uncles, namely: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester. 

Richard's high-handed behaviour as an adolescent, the extravagance of his household and the attempts of his councillors to broker a peace with France, led to a series of aristocratic protests between 1386 and 1388. In 1387 Richard was forced to accept a controlling council. He left London in February and returned only in November, a few days before the council's mandate expired. In 1388, as a result of the political and military actions of the magnates known as the Lords Appellant, some of Richard's closest friends and advisors were executed or sent into exile.

From 1389 when Richard declared himself to be of age, he influenced more closely the direction of government. This can be seen in his accumulation of wealth through the heavy fines he imposed, his expeditions to Ireland in 1394 and 1399 and his pursuit of peace with France. He exacted, for example, £10,000 from the Londoners in 1392. Following the death of Anne of Bohemia in 1394, Richard's peace policy led to the twenty-eight year truce sealed at a meeting between Richard II and Charles VI of France at Ardres, near Calais, and Richard's second marriage to Isabelle, eldest daughter of the French king.

Richard's seemingly impregnable position was more fragile than it seemed. In 1397 he attacked the Lords Appellant who had prevailed in 1388 and seized their lands and goods. His uncle, Thomas of Woodstock, was murdered and Richard, earl of Arundel, executed on Tower Hill. Thomas Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, and Thomas Arundel, archbishop of Canterbury, were exiled. 

In the following year, the two remaining Appellants, who initially had been pardoned, Henry of Bolingbroke, duke of Hereford, the future Henry IV, and Thomas Mowbray, duke of Norfolk, accused each other of treason. Richard forbade the resulting duel and exiled both men. In February 1399, John of Gaunt died and Richard seized the great estates of the duchy of Lancaster. This precipitated the crisis of the end of his reign. In May he embarked on his second expedition to Ireland, and was still there in July when rumours broke that Bolingbroke had left exile and landed in England.

This period also marked the end of one decade and century and the beginning of another. It was the era of the prophecy. Prophecies had an important political and propaganda role. A leader mentioned in a prophecy as a great warrior could use any opportunities to confirm this and so strengthen the respect and resolve of others, and conversely leaders predicted as weak or divisive had to be very careful not to reinforce that image.

Historians have argued that prophecy reached a zenith of significance around the revolutionary events of 1399. Historian Helen Fulton describes England and Wales being “in the grip of a prophecy mania” in the last years of the 14th Century. Many contemporary chroniclers (eg. Adam Usk, Jean Froissart) refer to the widespread variety of prophecies circulating at the time. Ricardians and Lancastrians both claimed prophetic visions as buttresses to their actions before and after the deposition of Richard.

The Prophecy of the Six Kings, which features in this novel, seems to have been written about 1330 but was alleged to be Merlin’s response to King Arthur asking about the fate of his kingdom. The six kings following King John were likened to six beasts: Henry III, the Lamb of Winchester; Edward I, the Dragon; Edward II, the Goat of Caernavon; and Edward III, the Lion or Boar of Windsor. Accordingly the next king after the Boar was a Lamb. While the son of Edward III, Edward the Black Prince was alive this seemed unlikely but of course he never became king so his son Richard was now cast into this role. The prediction stated that the Lamb would lose most of his kingdom to a “hideous wolf”, but an “eagle of the dominion” would recover the lost lands, but later be murdered by his brother. The Lamb would leave his land in peace but the next king would be “a Mole” (moldewarp) under whom a civil war between three factions would tear the kingdom apart.

In what seems to be a variation on the Six Kings prophecy after 1399 it was revived with the last two kings being cast as an Ass and a Mole. Richard was cast as an Ass in a number of prophecies, wherein the crowned Ass is replaced by a Fox, also referred to as “taurus in torente”, or “bull in brook” (could this be a play on the word Bolingbroke?). In our story, the sixth king will be identified by his " ... hideous skin ... with leprous sores..".

It is against this molten backdrop that Brother Rodic Chandler, a Mercedarian Friar (belonging to the Cult of St Serapion), finds himself drawn into the investigation of the seemingly senseless death of a young novice. Chandler has for some time been in the pay of the House of Lancaster, first under John of Gaunt and now under the son, Henry Bolingbroke. He was used as a spy and heretic hunter (for which he had a certain reputation) but also to gain information from those housed in the Tower of London (and not as a father-confessor).

Calling upon Chandler's services is one of the London Coroner's, Sir Arnold Archer. The duties of the early coroners were varied, and included the investigation of almost any aspect of medieval life that had the potential benefit of revenue for the Crown. Suicides were investigated, on the grounds that the goods and chattels of those found guilty of the crime of 'self murder' would then be forfeit to the crown, as were wrecks of the sea, fires, both fatal and non-fatal, and any discovery of buried treasure in the community. Sudden death in the community were also investigated by coroners. The coronor acted in stead of the local sheriff, and his sole responsibility was to act in the interest of the Crown in criminal proceedings.

In the case of the murdered novice, Chandler and Archer must ask themselves "qui bono" - who stands to gain from this crime? The investigation is anything but straight forward, and the author's ample research pays off as we get a real taste for what London was like in these turbulent times when ".. to place your trust in anything .. was asking to have your entrails pulled out whole while you watched ...". Unfortunately, Chandler cannot always focus on the investigation to hand - there is more at stake, as loyalties are put to the test, and consciences are laid bare.

Apart for the major known historical figures that have graced the pages, we are introduced to some secondary ones, including Chandler's master (or handler to use a more modern phrase), one Thomas Swynford (d.1432), the son of Katherine Swynford from her marriage to Hugh Swynford (long before her marriage to John of Gaunt), who has various nefarious tasks he needs attended to. Then there is the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who is married to Thomas' sister Philippa - one is never quite sure what his role is in all of this. And the dark horse of the lot, Sir Robert Knollys (or Knolles as he is also known), a "wily veteran of the French wars" whom Chandler also finds himself answering to.

" ... we are no more than mere pawns in the royal game of chess. All we can do is play it the best we can and hope to survive from day to day ..".

Our tale picks up the pace in the last third or so, and the pieces are moved around the chessboard and Chandler slowly begins to put things together. All in all, this was a decent historical novel, with the promise of much more to follow.

However, there were some things that I found myself questioning, and this was mainly the character of the servant girl Mattie. Her role is never really clearly defined except to introduce us to Chaucer and as a possible "man on the street" type observer. I failed to really see what either character contributed to the story. Are we to see more of both Chaucer and Mattie in further novels - if not, then why were they included in the first place - they are both surplus to requirement. I also could not understand why the Mattie narrative was in the first person and Chandler's was in the third person. The use of separate chapters (as was done) to direct the storyline would have worked just as effective. In fact, the character that I was most interested in was the crafty Knollys - now there is a character with a story to tell!

I do look forward to the next in the series, as we left Chandler en route to Pontefract Castle in the retinue of Thomas Swynford, the new Constable.

For those interested in the Prophecy of the Six Last Kings:

The account of the kings begins with the Lamb of Winchester (Henry the Third). According to Merlin, this Lamb is to have a white chin, sothefast lips, and a heart wherein Holiness is written. While he is truand, an insurrection is to be raised in his realm by a wolf of a strange land, but it is to be quelled by the aid of a Red Fox from the Northwest. At his death his heir shall be in a strange land, and the realm shall abide for a time without a ruler. 

The Lamb is to be succeeded by his heir, the Dragon (Edward the First), whose disposition is of mercy and severity mingled. This Dragon shall have a beard like a Goat and a sweet breath. He is to frighten Wales from North to South, and conquer many countries. A people of the Northwest, led by a wicked Greyhound, shall make an incursion into the country, but they shall be defeated by the side of the sea, and dwell for a time in many perils as stepchildren. This Dragon shall foster a Fox that shall raise a war against him not to be ended in his time. This Dragon in his lifetime is to be considered the best knight in the world, and is to die on the borders of another country. Then shall the land dwell in trouble as a stepchild without its mother.

After the Dragon shall succeed a Goat (Edward the Second) who has horns of silver and silk, and a beard like a buck; whose breath betokens hunger, death of the people, loss of land, and much other trouble ; and in whose days, Merlin says, whoredom and adultery shall be prevalent. This Goat shall come out of Carnarvon and go to another country to get the Flower-of -Life (Isabella of France). During his reign so many people shall die that strangers shall be bold against him. Upon an arm of the sea a battle shall be fought in a shield-shaped field. A Bear of the Goat's blood shall raise war against him. The Goat, clad in a Lion's skin, shall at first make resistance successfully with the aid of a people from the Northwest, and avenge himself on his enemies. But he shall end his days in pain and sorrow. In his time shall flourish an Eagle of Cornwall, named Gaveston, who shall die for his pride and presumption. 

After the Goat shall come a Lion (Edward the Third), who shall be fierce and terrible in heart, whose countenance shall be full of pity and justice, whose breast shall be a slaking of thirst for those that love peace and rest, whose tongue shall speak truth, and whose bearing shall be meek as any lamb. In the beginning of his reign he shall have trouble to punish miscreants, but he shall at length make his people as meek as a lamb. He shall be called Boar of Prosperity, Nobility, and Wisdom. He shall come out of Windsor, and shall go through four lands whetting his tusks. He shall go even to the Holy Land without opposition. Spain, Aragon, and France shall acknowledge his power. He shall whet his tusks against the gates of Paris, and shall wear three crowns before he dies. He shall meet his end in a far country and be buried beside three kings. 

After the Lion, or Boar (for he is called both in the poem) shall come an Ass (Richard the Second) with leaden feet, a steel head, a brass heart, and an iron skin. This Ass shall govern his land in rest and peace, and shall be praised for his well doing. Then he shall give his land into the governance of an Eagle, who shall govern it well until, overcome with pride, he is slain by the sword of a brother. The control of affairs is then to revert to the Ass, who rules well and in whose time all good things are plentiful. 

Afterwards a Mole (Henry the Fourth) shall be ruler of the land. This Mole shall have a hide as rough as a goat's skin, and shall be accursed of God for his misdeeds. He shall be greatly praised until he is overcome with pride. Then shall a Dragon raise war against the Mole. A Wolf, seeing the Dragon hard pressed, shall come to the Dragon's aid. Then both shall be joined by a Lion from Ireland. This combination is then to defeat the Mole and drive him from the land, leaving him only an island in the sea where he shall pass his life in great sorrow and strife, and finally lose his life by drowning. England shall be divided into three parts between the Dragon and the Lion and, it would seem, the Wolf, who, however, is not mentioned in the partition. Then shall England be known everywhere as the Land of Conquest, and the heirs of England lose the heritage. 

The framework of The Six Kings is taken from Geoffrey of Monmouth's The Book of Merlin. King John was identified by various chroniclers as the Lynx an an earlier prophecy. Source: The Political Prophecy In England by Rupert Taylor (1911). 

further reading:
Prophecy, Politics and Place in Medieval England: From Geoffrey of Monmouth to Thomas of Erceldoune by Victoria Flood
The Medieval Coroner by R. F. Hunnisett
Chaucer and His World by Derek Brewer
The Usurpation of Henry IV by Eva Kratochvil