I have always been a fan of mysteries which I suppose challenge the reader to outwit the author who is supposed to be able to fool the reader. Nancy Bilyeau has written a mystery which lacks suspense, tension, and fear but replaces it with curiosity about an ancient religious relic that is hidden somewhere within the walls or grounds of the convent of Dominican nuns. A young woman who has been the maid in waiting to the Queen of England, Katherine of Aaragon, has entered the novitiate of the convent at the urging of the Queen. Joanna is the kind of girl whose loyalty to her family causes her to defy the orders of the Convent when she runs to witness the death of her cousin who is accused of treason against the King of England, Henry VIII.
While watching her cousin be humiliated in public, she spies her own father present at the site of the execution. She meets a kindly man, Geoffrey Scoville, who helps her to thwart some of the mob but both are arrested and taken to the Tower of London where it turns out that her father has also been taken. While at the tower, she is studied and examined, and helped by some unknown personality who eventually visits her to offer a deal, find the legendary crown that imbues strange powers to the heads that wear it, or face the loss of her father on the rack. She sees that her father has been tortured so she agrees to find the elusive, hidden crown if it is on the premises of the convent.
To assist her and make certain she achieves success are two religious monks, Brother Richard and Brother Edmund. She again encounters Geoffrey Scoville who is now part of the sheriff's department in the area in which she is living, and through the convent, she learns of the identities of many of the young women who have joined the religious group. During the reign of King Henry VIII, the Catholics were forced to close their religious institutions, and this particular religious group faces that prospect so that finding the crown is essential to their survival. However,Joanna is forced to secrecy regarding her part in finding this valued relic, the crown that originated in France and carried to England. While she is violating all her vows, she pursues the hunt for the crown with a zeal that takes her far away from the convent to a monatery, the Stonehenge, and a relative's home where she views and studies many tapestries that may possess clues to the whereabouts of the crown. One interesting tidbit in the novel is the relationship between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. The timeline for this is when Henry VIII has had to annul his marriage to his Spanish Queen, Katherine of Aaragon, and is in negotiations to marry Anne Boleyn. Joanna remembers back to a time when she has met Anne Boleyn before the King's annulment from his Queen. This is a very interesting scene which explains a lot about why it is that Joanne has a special feel for the court and its lifestyle.
I enjoyed the book for its insights into the problems that the Catholics had suffered at the time of the battle between the King and the Pope. It is safe to say that our heroine, Joanna, does achieve her goal, in a surprise finish to this threat to her happiness. The life of the average English peasant is given attention as well as the rich and luxurious court life of the Royals. Fear, anxiety, and desperation are well described in the England dominated by the bully king, Henry VIII.
There are many surprises, twists, and turns that keep the reader involved and interested in the life of women in the convent, life amongst the royals who probably suffered terrorism as much as did the peasants. Life was not kind and gentle in merry old England under the rule of King Henry VIII.
I recommend the book as it is a book that does give support to the needs of women who were totally dominated by the men who controlled them. Joanna is a great heroine of courage, imagination, tenacity, and stubborness. She is a nun whose love life is that of a spiritual quest to know fulfillment of Christ's peaceful teaching. The question left dangling to this reader is will she jump over the wall?
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