Henry and Anne appear briefly, Cromwell not at all, but the fallout of Henry’s obssession for Anne Boleyn and ultimate and complete power is palpable. Bilyeau has done such a wonderful job in her research and the weaving of a good mystery, that I actually hated Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell and Bishop Stephen Gardinier and was repulsed by their characters. The Crown shows us life in a priory as all wait for Cromwell’s creatures to come and ‘examine’ the life and work of the order, take inventory and take it for themselves or the king what happens when a murder leads to the discovery of a legend, and the aftermath. The mystery of The Crown unravels slowly and deliberately, keeping you drawn into the machinations of the politicians surrounding Henry VIII, and wanting desperately to stop the dissolution of the monasteries, that ended the work of great houses of learning and healing in England and started “The Pilgrimage of Grace,” a rebellion that should have succeeded.

This provocative story melds heart-stopping suspense with historical detail and brings to life the poignant dramas of women and men at a fascinating and critical moment in England’s past.

With Cromwell’s troops threatening to shutter her priory, bright and bold Joanna must decide who she can trust so that she may save herself, her family, and her sacred way of life. While Joanna is in the Tower, the ruthless Bishop of Winchester forces her to spy for him: to save her father’s life she must find an ancient relic-a crown so powerful, it may possess the ability to end the Reformation.

Arrested for interfering with the king’s justice, Joanna, along with her father, is sent to the Tower of London. Defying the rule of enclosure, Joanna leaves the priory to stand at her cousin’s side. Joanna Stafford, a Dominican nun, learns that her favorite cousin has been condemned by Henry VIII to be burned at the stake. An astonishing debut in historical fiction, hailed as “part The Da Vinci Code, part The Other Boleyn Girl,” ( Woman’s Day), The Crown follows one nun’s dangerous quest to find an ancient relic during Cromwell’s reign of terror.

The chalice nancy bilyeau