Winner of THE HW FISHER BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZESPECTATOR SUNDAY TIMES DAILY TELEGRAPH TLS FINANCIAL TIMES GUARDIAN DAILY MAIL and SUNDAY TELEGRAPH BOOKS OF THE YEARImagine Wolf Hall rewritten by John le Carr ... gripping ... a rare achievement Tom Holland GuardianIt is 1501. Henry VII has won the throne of England through luck guile and ruthlessness. But for many he remains a usurper. Now his elder son is to marry in a wedding upon which the fate of the country and the entire Tudor dynasty will hang ...A masterpiece. Rich resonant and utterly compelling Helen Castor Sunday Telegraph Books of the YearGripping ... brilliant ... The enigmatic Henry is brought thrillingly to life as one of the most unlikely but tenacious kings ever to wear the English crown Dan Jones Daily Telegraph Books of the YearThrilling and sinister Simon Sebag Montefiore Daily Telegraph Books of the YearEnthralling ... Penn captures the weirdness the ferocity and a glint of unexpected tenderness The Times Literary Supplement Books of the Year