I thank NetGalley and Severn House for an advance reader copy of “The Twilight Queen.” All opinions and comments are my own.

Henry VIII’s Jester -- Will Somers -- is still trying to entertain his monarch, and keep him happy (this is book two in the series). And still trying to juggle his own, shall we say, colorful love life, which occupies a large portion of the narrative of “The Twilight Queen.”

To occupy the rest of his time, he has a mystery on his hands; someone has left a dead man in Queen Anne Boleyn’s quarters, and the queen has implored Will to sort it all out and save her reputation, which has already started its downward trajectory. That Will does this is pretty much a given, but how he does it and the trouble he encounters along the way showcases author Jeri Westerson’s ability to spin a clever story of the machinations involved in “a conspiracy to put the queen in disfavor,” as the book has it.

“The Twilight Queen” conjures up the terror and anxiety beneath the surface exceedingly well, as forces attempt to bring down the king’s wife for another -- yet again. Included are real historical figures; “Nan Bullen,” the King, our Will, the master manipulator Cromwell, alongside others, making up a complete and complex plot. An Author’s Note explains the truth and the real history behind the story. Jeri Westerson takes the tenor of the times and turns it into a real mystery, fraught with secrets and filled with gifted characterization and plotting once again.

Greenwich Palace is a Tudor palace full of glamour, intrigue, and murder. A musician has been found murdered in the chambers of the current wife of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn. Only one person can solve this crime while protecting the royal family. No, he is not a knight or a lawyer, but a fool. No, an actual fool or jester of the court of Henry VIII, Will Somers. A man who is loyal to his king Henry VIII, but can he save his second wife from the murderer lurking in the shadows? Jeri Westerson’s Will Somers follows the clues to uncover the truth to protect those who are the most important to him in book two of A King’s Fool Mystery series, “The Twilight Queen.”

I would like to thank Severn House and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I have not read any of Jeri Westerson’s previous novels, including the first book of the A King’s Fool Mystery series, so I was going into this one completely blind. What caught my eye about this book was the concept that Will Somers, a character who is not featured much in Tudor novels, acts as an armchair detective trying to protect Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

This mystery takes place in April 1536, when Anne Boleyn is nervous that her husband has lost interest in her and has chosen his next bride. To make matters worse, she comes back from a night of revelry to find a dead body in her chambers. What can a queen do but call on a man who recently solved a murder mystery, Will Somers, her husband’s fool.

Will Somers is a complex character. He tries to balance keeping his monarch entertained while speaking his mind about those closest to the king, especially Thomas Cromwell and Anne Boleyn. Will is married to Marion Greene, the illegitimate daughter of the Yeoman of the Records, Lord Robert Heyward, whom he loves, but Somers has his affairs with men at court, like his lover in this book, Nicholas Pachett.

While I did enjoy the characters of Will, Marion, and Nicholas, I felt that the whole love triangle situation distracted me from the actual mystery. There were a lot of good ideas, but it felt a bit rushed in a 250-page novel. Some elements made it feel a bit too modern than Tudor for my taste. Overall, I think some elements could be better, but I did feel attached to the main characters of Will, Marion, and Nicholas.

I think as my first dive into Westerson’s Tudor world, it was a bit rushed with compelling characters, but I do want to go back and read the first book in this series as well as see what kind of mystery Westerson will come up with next for Somers to solve. I think if you want an unconventional Tudor mystery that has an unlikely sleuth as the protagonist, you should check out “The Twilight Queen” and A King’s Fool mystery series by Jeri Westerson.

Henry VIII is losing interest in Nan Bullen. She has given him a daughter but Henry is desperate for a son and his eyes are turning towards another woman. Will Somers, the king's fool, is loyal to both King and Queen. However he is summoned to the Queen's apartment one night and asked to dispose of a dead body, planted to cause problems for the Queen. She asks him to investigate and Will finds himself embroiled in a plot to discredit the Queen, one that could also reveal his deepest secrets and brings him into conflict with the King's Chancellor

This is a short and entertaining caper set around the Tudor court. The characters are all known but this is a fictional plot around them. The research is excellent, great use of contemporary vocabulary. It's not very believable but is fun along the way!

The Twilight Queen

Initially, the first few pages feel a little clumsy and a bit confusing. The author also introduces the tone and language to be archaic and period-specific. Whilst this does take some adjusting to, I quickly got into its flow and it lent the novel a layer of authenticity and immersion into the court of Henry VIII.

Despite its slightly clunky start, the novel picks up pace very quickly and soon becomes a very moreish read. The character of Will Somers is great. I know a little about him from passing appearances in other books and films set in the Tudor period, but have never got to know him. He’s a very chaotic character, who juxtaposes a career of foolery and being an idiot, with the more serious things in life such as relationships and becoming a detective who faces threats from all sides. He’s very likable, facetious and easy to go along on the journey with.

He’s accompanied by a strong supporting cast, from his wife, Marion and his new friend, Nick. Not to mention King Henry himself - with whom he shares a tense but rewarding friendship - and Queen Ann Boleyn - whose honor he fights for.

The plot is well-written, and is believable. There’s romance, violence, politics and twists which make for a gripping murder mystery. No spoilers, but I didn’t guess the culprits until they were revealed, which demonstrates a skillfully written mystery story.

It’s a very readable novel which can easily be devoured in a day (as demonstrated by me), and although it does deal with not-so-pleasant themes and uses language which isn’t as familiar to modern readers, it doesn’t feel slow or heavy.

Overall, I enjoyed this and was intrigued until the end.

The latest King’s Fool mystery places Will Somers at the heart of a murder and plots against Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, in 1536, a dangerous year for all parties involved. With the strange murder of a musician, Queen Anne charges Will with solving the case and clearing her from the list of suspects, but this places Will in a dangerous position between Henry and Anne. Other figures from Will’s life reappear during this tumultuous time, and his personal relationships grow more and more complicated as his investigation progresses and the King’s Great Matter continues on. Readers familiar with the Tudor period should enjoy the historical figures populating this book and the spotlight Westerson places on Will Somers, who is both everywhere and no one during Henry VIII’s reign. Westerson’s characters are the stars of the novel, and she does an excellent job working between the cracks of the historical narrative with her unique mystery and the established cast of characters. Placing a murder mystery at court is a fascinatingly complex and lively atmosphere, creating further challenges for Will and his investigation. Readers are sure to enjoy the latest King’s Fool mystery and the twists and turns facing Will Somers as 1536 and Henry VIII’s reign progresses.

Wow - this was a speculative read, it sounded interesting, though Tudors are not my favourite read, and I was blown away but the artistry in the writing. Was it the descriptions themselves that were so good, or did they merely slot into scenes from Wolf Hall and The Other Bolyen Girl? It doesn't really matter how, I was transported to the court of Henry VIII wholesale. The language used was, at first, archaic and odd but soon felt familiar; some words were known to me and others explained in the useful glossary, something I usually dislike.

The homosexual plot isn't my favourite, seems to be a quick, easy way to make a book 'inclusive' without trying, but it did work and the little menage a trois is created was a step more interesting than it could have been.

I wasn't fully aware, though suspected and had it confirmed as I read, this is a sequel, indeed the second of what is likely to be a series, but it works perfectly well as a stand alone book. There is enough back story and explained carefully enough that, even if there were no other book, it works. It becomes the characters having had a previous existence that is alluded to but has little real impact on the current concerns.

A quick and rather fabulous read.

Jeri Westerson's King's Fool mysteries are new to me. This is the second in the series, the first that I've read. I read a *lot* of historical mysteries and have a particular fondness for those set in Tudor England. I've read enough of them by now that what I find most interesting is the ways in which these mysteries play with the genre.

In the case of the King's Fool series, the most original aspect of this mystery is its central character, Will Somers, Henry VIII's fool. First, he's in a unique position both part of the court but outside of it as well. He's able to speak to Henry with a directness that would be unthinkable for any of his courtiers. And, Westerson's Will is bisexual: happily married to a loving, self-possessed and self-assured by-blow daughter of one of those courtiers, but also with an eye for the handsome young men the court is populated with. His wife isn't always pleased with this aspect of Will's identity, but she accepts it as genuine.

Another original aspect of the series is that not only is Thomas Cromwell one of the "baddies" in this series, but his protégé Rafe Sadler is as well. I've read the Wolf Hall series multiple timesad am inclined to think of Cromwell as one of the "good guys," though I know many of his contemporaries in those novels see him quite differently. But Rafe Sadler. All I know of Sadler is Mantel's version of him, the polite, thoughtful young man who doesn't seem bound up in the prejudices of his time. So seeing an anti-Sadler, as it were, is surprising and interesting.

This volume in the series takes place at the beginning of the downfall of Anne Boleyn. She's still queen, but Henry is tiring of her and Cromwell no longer finds her useful. Will, however, is deeply fond of Anne and frustrated by the ways becoming queen has made her a less engaging partner for Henry.

So, we've got interesting characters with unexpected traits. We also have court politicking. If you enjoy historical mysteries, particularly those set in the Tudor era, you're in for a treat.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

Twilight Queen’s fate moves inexorably towards night!

Will Somers—Fool to Henry VIII. Only Jeri Westerson could craft such a delicious novel of intrigue and hi-jinx set in Henry’s Tudor Court.
There’s people of power who stalk the corridors whom Will in his role is Fool, tweaked their importance and vanity. Dangerous foes like Cromwell.
But Will loves the Princess Elizabeth, his little Bess, has sympathy for Mary no longer counted as legitimate, and has care for Queen Anne, whom he refers to as Nan. Will sees which way the wind is blowing. Who does Nan call when she finds a murdered man in her apartment? Why Will it seems! Can Will deflect the eye’s of the King away from what would be misconstrued as Nan having committed treason. A murdered man in the Queen’s rooms speaks volumes! The court and Henry will assume the worst. We know Henry already has his eye on Lady Jane Seymour.
Henry’s relationship with his Fool is interesting. Will must tread warily.
Then there’s Will’s true love, Marion Greene, illegitimate child of the king’s Yeoman of the Records, Lord Robert Heywood. Marion is now Will’s wife, a talented seamstress and embroiderer, who plies her craft in the courtly ladies enclosures.
Will also finds a new lover, Lord Nicholas Patchett. Can Will trust him though? Will is bisexual and Marion accepts this but we do see the pain it causes her. Nicholas and Marion find themselves joining forces to help Will.
Who is behind this attempted poisoning of the King’s regard for his wife? Who has the most to gain?
A thrilling denouement awaits.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This was my second attempt at reading a Jeri Westerson book, particularly because it dealt with Anne Boleyn.. But it just didn't work for me. I think that the fact the main character is portrayed in an overtly gay manner, and his wife is okay with it. That's not realistic for the time period. Even the most open minded wife would not countenance that. The premise of Anne being set up for murder or collusion is more realistic, but even that I found a little contrived. An overall disappointment for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read the first of The King's Fool mysteries (Courting Dragons) because of my fondness for the Crispin Guest series. While I haven't found The King's Fool series to be quite as engaging, it's still a treat to see behind the scenes (albeit fictitiously) of Henry VIII's court.

Jeri Westerson wrote fifteen mysteries about Crispin Guest, the social pariah and former English knight who in 1383 strikes out on a new career as a private investigator. Now she has given her attention to the court of Henry VIII, which one might think has been thoroughly explored. However, Westerson has turned the slight historical references to Will Somers, the court jester, into a real person and the center of a new mystery series.
In the second book The Twilight Queen, to be released in January by Severn House, some time has lapsed since Will’s debut. The court is in a quiet uproar, as Henry is losing interest in Anne Boleyn, the woman he defied the Catholic Church to marry. Anne has failed to produce a son, and Henry is starting to look around the court for her replacement, a scant three years after their marriage. Some are pleased, as Anne made enemies on her way up and they are eager to engineer her downfall. Others, like Will Somers, are appalled at Henry’s treatment of his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and now fear a similar fate, or worse, is waiting for Anne.
Within this hot bed of political treachery, Anne issues an urgent summons to Will. He finds her in her chambers, where she shows him a dead man near her bed. She doesn’t know him and believes the body has been placed in her room to discredit her with the king. She begs Will to take him away and find out who is trying to damage her reputation. Thus Will embarks on his second investigation.
Will is a fascinating character with an innate sense of fairness and decency. He tries to persuade Henry not to abandon Anne so readily, drawing the wrath of some of Anne’s enemies who are working to remove her. Westerson has drawn a vivid and frightening portrait of a court ruled by an unstable egomaniac, where anyone within the king’s sphere could be knighted or beheaded with equal ease and with as little cause.
Will has a far more adventurous love life than a respectably married man should have. The book is as much about his romances as it is about his budding career as a detective. His long-suffering wife holds her own in their marriage, as well as any woman could at that time. How their relationship evolves will be interesting to watch as the series unfolds.
For fans of well-written and well-researched historical mysteries. Recommended.

Love all her books - well written and full of court drama

I love this era and read a lot of books about the Tudors

Liked that it was from Will Somers perspective -
Good historical fiction - real people with a helping of fiction

Will must solve another murder - plays well on the Anne Boleyn theme

Period well researched and highlights the drama - back stabbing - alliances of the Tudor Court

Would definitely recommend

Queen Anne Boleyn is being framed for a murder! A man's body is in her apartment and she is triffied that she will be accused of not only having a man in her apartment, the king is already turning his eyes to the other women in the court, but also will she be accused of killing him. She calls on the king's fool Will Somers to take the body away and find out what is happening. Is it a plot of get rid of her or? A fun read and the very well put together. I recommend with delight.

I quite enjoyed reading this story but I love anything from the Tudor period. Having said that, I can also get bored easily if there is nothing new written. However I’m happy to say that I would recommend this book as it’s quite different!

This is an interesting and entertaining book. I haven’t read the first book but this one is written in such a way that I don’t feel I’m missing out or confused by not reading that first. It’s a nice easy read with good characterisation, plot and dialogue. This book is quite short compared to other books of this type (which are normally 350 pages or so) but I don’t feel that anything is missing by the fact that it’s shorter.

In picking Will Somers as her main protagonist, Westerson has been inspired. She’s captured the audience that love historical Tudor fiction but given herself a lot of wiggle room & room for embellishment because so little is known about the real Will Somers. I did find the homosexual element surprising because it’s not something that I would have considered. Again there doesn’t seem to be an indication this was true but there’s no indication that it wasn’t. It’s unusual but it does add something to the plot as it’s another way for Will to make connections. I would be interested to see if more is made of this in future books & Will potentially gets in trouble or Henry finds out & lets it slide. I feel like this is definitely a continuing plot arc.

Overall an interesting book & I’ll look out for the others.

Thanks to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc, in return for an honest review.

I am a hardcore Tudor fan, mostly because of the long ago 70’s TV series The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R. I inhaled everything Tudor during high school and went on to major in history in college. So when Jeri Westerson asked me if I’d care to read her book about Will Somers, Henry VIII’s jester, the answer was easy. Set a few months before Anne’s ultimate demise, Will is called to the Queen’s presence one evening as she’s discovered a corpse under her bed. She doesn’t know who the man is but she does know that a dead body in her chamber will be bad and she asks Will to move the corpse. Reluctantly, he agrees, and moves the man to the garden.

I’ve of course read Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy which follows Thomas Cromwell’s path to power as he places two women on the throne, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour, followed by his ultimate downfall. Westerson comes at her story from the point of view of a servant instead of a member of Henry’s administration, so the focus is a different one. Will Somers was a real person, but Westerson has embellished his life, adding a wife (with handy ties to the nobility) and a gay sex life that his wife tolerates. Both are good additions, rounding out Will’s character and giving him more range in his investigations, as his lover is also a member of the nobility.

I thought the strength of this book lay in the vividness of Westerson’s portrayal of the court. It’s like a city in itself, with nobles and servants having rooms and apartments within the castle, all revolving around Henry. In this period – 1536 – Anne has given birth to Elizabeth, who is three, and is increasingly desperate about Henry’s obvious infatuation with Jane Seymour. Jane had her own apartment at court, next door to her brother and his wife, and connecting to the King. She’s obviously Anne’s polar opposite – quiet, meek, godly.

Westerson portrays in a non-confusing way the intricacies of court politics, and for the first time, she truly made me understand the way a fake plot accusing Anne of multiple lovers could have been orchestrated. Westerson brings humanity to her story through her portrayal of Will, his loving marriage, and his relationship with Henry, whom he calls “Uncle”. He is one of the few who can tweak the King, and he’s often caught between a rock and a hard place. Pleasing everyone at court is never possible. One of the most trenchant illustrations of this (for me) was Will’s playing with the toddler Elizabeth and then reluctantly catching Mary, Henry’s first child and now a lady in waiting to her usurper, out of the corner of his eye. He tries to give her some message of friendship but he has to hide it.

The mystery part is fairly straightforward, and Will’s investigation is somewhat hampered simply by his status at court, though, as the King’s Fool, he can come and go almost wherever he pleases. He is Henry’s servant though and Westerson is also excellent at conveying Henry’s assertion of royalty.

I loved the details of the food, the clothes, the way people lived in the palace, even the description of the man in the stables who makes the saddles. I really loved Will himself and loved Westerson’s imagining of him, and I appreciated the way she was able to further illuminate Tudor court life through her clever story. If you are a fan of the Tudors, don’t miss this read. She has a good historical afterword at the end that highlights Anne’s upcoming fate. That’s a story I always hope will end differently - but it never does.

Will Somers, jester to Henry VIII, finds himself in the mire of conspiracies circling Queen Anne Boleyn, even as he's dealing with his own marriage (and infidelities). It helps tremendously to have a sense, at least of the period (and I spent a bit of time seeking info on the various characters, most of whom were real people). It's got a slender mystery but complex politics, good humor, a bit of steam. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I enjoyed the first book in the series but think this one should be fine as a standalone.

The Tudors is my favourite period in British History, it was so opulent and yet so brutal and this book depicts that perfectly. I would highly recommend

The mystery at the heart of "The Twilight Queen" is pretty lame. Fortunately for me, though, I don't read mysteries for the plot so much as for the characters and the milieu, and on those fronts, this book delivers. The narrator is Will Somers, Henry VIII's real-life fool (who also served in the courts of Henry's three legitimate offspring). Not much is known about the real Will, but this fictional Will is a randy bisexual whose love for his wife doesn't prevent him from bedding male courtiers. His wife isn't crazy about his insatiability, but she does like to hear about his escapades. The relationships between these two, and between Will and Henry, and between Will and a new-to-the-palace courtier, kept my attention and are why I'll likely read the next book in the series. The power games and minutiae of life at court were depicted in what seemed to be a well-researched manner, which also appealed. And though this is the second book in a series, you needn't have read the first (I hadn't) to enjoy it.

Thank you, Severn House and NetGalley, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

224 pages

4 stars

This is my first Will Somers novel. I really enjoyed it. Many of the people in this story were real, although the mystery in the story is not. Ms. Westerson has a real talent at bringing characters to life. Will was exactly as I imagined him. His poor wife Marion suffered her conundrum with patients and good grace. I liked her very much.

It is 1536 in London. A body is discovered in a very unfortunate place. Against his better wishes, Will moves the body to a less dangerous place. He is drawn to investigate the murder and sets about doing so.

With a little background revealed, the identity of the murderer is not surprising. But, it was so much fun getting there. What is interesting is the conspiracy involved in how the body arrived at its unfortunate location, in a lady’s chamber. And not just any lady, but the Queen of England, Anne Boleyn.

This book is great fun. I’ve read many of Ms. Westerson’s other novels, and will continue to read her work.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.