Review: King's Ransom by Glenn Pierce

Synopsis: 1486: A time of treachery - brother against brother - as Richard III takes possession of the throne of England, and the Houses of Lancaster and York threaten to split the country in civil war. As storm clouds rise over Richard's embittered reign, two young princes are murdered in their beds. And kinsmen are banished or beheaded in a land plagued by fear and suspicion.

1986: Beneath Westminster Abbey, two archaeologists discover the writings of a Cistercian monk from the fifteenth century, As they painstakingly decipher the manuscript of Richard's most trusted servant, heinous crimes of state are revealed on horrifying detail. The parchments portray Richard in a new light, not at all the sadistic even monarch described by Shakespeare and others, but a tragically embattled king, less a villain and more the victim of betrayal by family and friends. He led the last battle of the Wars of the Roses and marched into history ... alone

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I love reading about Richard III but this ....

Modern-day author posits themselves in their own story - albeit for only the first and last chapters. The bulk of the book is the narrative of one Godfrey of Leicester, Cistercian Monk and Chum of RIII. His grave has been uncovered (1986) and a long hidden scroll revealed. This is the story - from the time Godfrey entered into Richard's service till Richard's death at Bosworth. It is a rehash of the history of the wars of the roses and the revelation of who killed the princes in the tower.

Spoiler alert - author is a RIII fan.

Read: February 2026 (although has been on my bookcase for so long it literally fell apart as I was reading it)