Author: Alison Weir

ISBN: 978-0-345-49485-6

Publisher: Ballantine Books

It’s a match made in Heaven—a story by my favorite authors about one of my favorite historical characters. Alison Weir is one of our best contemporary historians specializing in sixteenth century England. Her nonfiction books on Henry VIII, Mary Tudor, Queen of Scots, and many others are always best-sellers.

Now, Weir has published her first work of fiction, Innocent Traitor—the story of the nine-day queen, Lady Jane Grey. Her fiction debut, which tells the story of the doomed teenage queen, is riveting. She begins with Lady Jane’s birth, which is just days apart from the birth of the kingdom’s heir, Edward VI, the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. While England celebrates the birth of a prince, Frances Brandon, the Marchioness of Dorset bemoans her terrible fate—to have borne a healthy daughter instead of a son.

Her bitter disappointment doesn’t stew long, because Edward will need a queen and who better than the great-granddaughter of Henry VII. With eyes toward the thrown, Frances educates her daughter to be a queen—using books, tutors, and even her horsewhip. One can only hope that Weir drew on her creative nature to portray Jane’s dark and miserable childhood, but most likely, it was every bit as cold and haunted as Weir describes.

When Edward dies unexpectedly, Jane’s parents conspire with the powerful Duke of Northumberland to drag Jane to the throne of England, and you already know the end of that tale—Jane becomes one of Bloody Mary’s first victims on the chopping block.

Weir calls this novel fiction, and I understand the constraints that force that category upon this book. However, it’s obvious that this book is the result of painstaking research. The only thing that sets this book apart from any of her earlier works is the voice. Weir tells the story from several points of view, allowing all of the participant to tell their stories, which are based on historical fact.

The above review was contributed by: Susan Sales Harkins:  Software consultant and the author of several articles and books on database technologies. She and her husband, William, collaborate on children's non-fiction. Click Here to read more of Susan’s Reviews