A Dangerous Inheritance [Hardcover]

Although not vastly far apart in chronological terms, our two heroines are divided not just by a few decades of history, but by some of the great upheavals that shook England after the death of Edward the Fourth. His two sons, the Princes in the Tower, were his legitimate heirs, but power was usurped by his brother, Richard Duke of Gloucester who was finally defeated at Bosworth by the putative Henry the Seventh. The shifting tides of loyalty and religious struggles meant that almost overnight, a person could find themselves designated "traitor" simply by being on the wrong side of some divide or other. Many unfortunates paid the ultimate price for these ruthless schisms.

Katherine Grey is a descendant of Henry the Eighth through one of his sisters, and in the aftermath of the early death of the young King Edward (Henry the Eighth's sole male heir), she along with her older sister Jane find themselves in line of succession, if Mary Tudor does not succeed in claiming her birthright as queen to succeed her half brother. Mary Tudor does succeed and Jane Grey, having been forced by her family to accept the Crown, is then deposed after a reign of only 9 days - and despite her youth, executed - a horrible tragedy for a helpless, unhappy young woman. Katherine as her sister is denied the fulfilment of her marriage; her family now being on the wrong side of both religion and politics, and she no longer a matrimonial prize.

Lonely and sad, Katherine finds a portrait, and deciphers the person portrayed as Kate Plantagenet, illegitimate daughter of the ursurper Richard the Third. Her tale is also one of tragedy, as her young cousins disappear into the Tower and her father claims the crown. Is he a murderer? Can Kate uncover the mystery of the Princes and even find some happiness in her own life. Katherine and Kate seem destined to somehow share each others' experiences in ghostly fashion. Meanwhile, Katherine Grey does. briefly, find personal happiness and fulfilment of a kind in a new marriage, but one which is not sanctioned by her royal relative and new Queen, Elizabeth the First, who will not tolerate a close relative marrying and bearing sons who might threaten her reign.

It's a neat construct and is very well written with loads of accurate historical background, and non experts will welcome the family trees, which are included, The lives and destinies of the Grey sisters are well documented and so are historically accurate, with lives of Richard the Third and his family, slightly less so and the fate of the two Princes in the Tower as obscure now as it was then, although Tudor spin has always placed their Uncle Richard firmly in the frame for their destruction. This book offers a possible scenario in the form of a gripping narrative which keeps up a steady, highly readable pace.

Excellent book.

I am a huge admirer of Alison Weir and have read most of her books. She is an eminent historian so I was a bit surprised that she had ventured into the realm of the historical novel, although it may be more lucrative than writing pure history. This book was, to my mind, her best in the novel genre. It was absolutely fascinating, as much as anything, because I knew nothing at all about Lady Katharine Grey and Katharine Plantaganet. Alison Weir has written many books about the Wars of the Roses and the Tudors, so her grasp of the period is very detailed. Katharine Grey was the younger sister of the unfortunate Lady Jane Grey who was beheaded after a Protestant conspiracy proclaimed her queen after the death of Edward VI. Katharine became one of Mary Tudor's ladies and renounced her Protestant faith. However, she fell foul of Elizabeth, apparently even before the latter became queen, and although she was next in order of succession in the event of Elizabeth's death, this was never recognised, especially as she married for love without the queen's permission. Katharine Plantaganet was the illegitimate daughter of Richard III and her story is about the change in Richard's personality and ambitions after the death of Edward IV. Alison Weir is attempting to deal here with a great puzzle for many historians. Richard was a well liked and able administrator in the North of England - based at Middleham castle (now a ruin) until the death of Edward IV left England with a King who was still a minor and the possibility of a continuation of the kind of instability which prevailed in the reign of Henry VI. There can be no doubt at all that it was in the interests of Henry VII and the Tudors to blacken Richard's name, because their claim to the throne was not particularly strong, and many records of the time were destroyed. Reading this novel will excite your curiosity and make you want to read more into a fascinating period of history.

A Dangerous Inheritance is the story of two women who lived more than a century apart: Lady Catherine Grey in the 16th century and Lady Catherine Plantaganet in the 15th century; both known as "Kate". The two women are connected in the story by their fascination with the mystery of the Princes in the Tower, both obsessed with learning the truth about what happened to them.

Beautifully written, I found the story of these two women highly compelling. Each woman's story had plenty to keep readers enthralled with executions, court intrigues, dark secrets, and true love. They each suffered in their own way. It is evident that author Alison Weir did an incredible amount of research into the history behind the two young princes locked away and who ultimately disappeared from the Tower of London - a mystery that continues to this day. Even though it took a while to understand the link between these to women, all is revealed in a highly satisfying ending.

The novel is rather long, but this is understandable considering this novel covers the lives of two women. The historical details are also well portrayed in this vividly told story. Part drama, part mystery, part suspense, this story has something for everyone. I enjoyed every page of this excellently written novel and I'm sure you will too.