Margins
Crown of Fear book cover
Crown of Fear
2021
First Published
4.71
Average Rating
350
Number of Pages

Part of Series

England, August 1485. For almost thirty years, the Elder family has been ravaged by the feud between York and Lancaster. Now exiled John Elder, yearning for an end to the Elders’ troubles, throws his support behind a young, untried pretender, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. Henry’s tiny invasion force looks certain to be heavily outnumbered by the massive host that Richard III has summoned. But nothing is certain for some of King Richard’s subjects are wondering if the dire rumours they have heard about him are true. Since one of Richard’s most powerful nobles, Lord Thomas Stanley is also Henry's stepfather the king takes Stanley’s son hostage. If Stanley deserts him, the king must rely upon the vast army of Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, but the earl has long resented Richard’s power in the north. King Richard's chief councillor, Sir William Catesby, keen to protect his king decides to crush the dangerous Elder brood once and for all. So, one by one John’s kinfolk are captured and imprisoned. On a marshy plain not far from Market Bosworth the fate of the Elders and the kingdom of England will finally be settled.

Avg Rating
4.71
Number of Ratings
48
5 STARS
77%
4 STARS
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3 STARS
2%
2 STARS
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1 STARS
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Author

Derek Birks
Derek Birks
Author · 14 books

I was born in Hampshire in England but spent my teenage years in Auckland, New Zealand where I still have strong family ties. I came back to England and read History at Reading University. For many years I taught history in a secondary school in Berkshire but took early retirement several years ago to concentrate on my writing. My debut book, Feud, is set in the Wars of the Roses and is fast paced historical fiction. It is the first of the series, Rebels & Brothers including: A Traitor's Fate, Kingdom of Rebels the final book in the series, The Last Shroud. Kingdom of Rebels was selected as an Editor's Choice and was longlisted for the 2017 HNS Award. A second Wars of the Roses series, The Craft of Kings, followed comprising so far: Scars from the Past, The Blood of Princes and Echoes of Treason. The final book in the series: Crown of Fear will be out later in 2020. My latest book, The Last of the Romans, is a new foray into the post-Roman world of Ambrosius Aurelianus. A sequel will come out this year.

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