A fresh new look at the reign of Edward VI. Was he murdered? I found this novel exciting & interesting. Highly recommended.

The premise of this book is intriguing, unfortunately for me it just didn’t work. It just read like a retelling of Tudor history with nothing new added. It was more a lot of facts linked together, and sometimes not all the facts at that. There is little evidence offered for the poisoning or dramatisation. I struggled to engage with the authors style.
I’m sorry but this one didn’t work for me.

I like reading Historical fictions about Royal Houses. And this one caught my attention. I love the plot, its well written, though i think there are too many characters that it's hard to keep up with. The Grammer is well written and the pacing is quite normal.

This book has an awesome premise. Unfortunately, it fails in execution. It doesn't work either as history or as fiction.

- There are many gripping dramatizations of the lives of the Tudors. This book reads like a classroom lecture.
- It doesn't delve into the emotions or psychology of the characters. It's a recitation of facts, which anyone familiar with the history of the Tudors already knows.
- The birth of Edward VI doesn't occur until the 80% mark of the book. Everything up to that point is exposition.
- There is no intrigue surrounding the alleged poisoning of Edward VI. No compelling evidence is provided. About two pages of the book are dedicated to the supposed poisoning itself, when that's supposed to be the subject of the book.

I received an ARC from Netgalley, and this is my honest review.

This is pretty good, particularly if you're not seeking an accurate account of history. The author has talent, and does a nice job of putting the reader "there". Recommended.

I really appreciate receiving the review copy!!

The murder of Edward VI is a good book. Many events that happened in this story were very fictional, so if you are looking into a more accurate depiction of the period you probably won't find it here. I was well aware of that and I cannot call myself at all an expert in this subject so that part didn't bother me at all. In fact, I enjoyed this book knowing it was a work of fiction.
In general, the book was good. The writing was great and the way of telling the story, through what we can call an unreliable narrator as this character looks into his past, is one of my favourite ways of writing a book. There were definitely some parts that I found boring specially in the beginning. Not to mention some graphic moments with animal death that I never enjoy. Otherwise, it was good. I really liked seeing the characters that I've been researching for a time. Henry VIII and his wives are a part of history that I love. I found the main character really interesting though and his story plus his connections to all these well-known characters from history were super interesting. I only wish we had more of that.
This book recalls the many political events from the moment when Henry VIII decided he wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragorn until the death of his male son. The events of the story are being recounted by a man called Richard Barton, a fictional character. This man is trying to prove that he was wrongfully incarcerated and that Queen Mary, the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, murdered Edward VI.
I recommend that you give this book a go, especially if you enjoy reading about Henry VIII and the political and religious turmoil around his many attempts at getting a male heir for the throne.
Thank you to GenZ Publishing and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

I love a good story and iBarton's view of the Tudor court was no exception. I was captivated until the very end. Tudor history fascines me so much!
I don't know of any other man that has had so many wives. And that has been written about down through history. Just fascinating!
We all know that Edward was Jane's son Of course he wouldn't cone along until much later.
I think it's OK to add fiction with facts but I feel that some of them were just a bit off so four stars for this one.
I think I enjoyed the mystery part of it. I love guessing games!
I recommend this book for Tudor fans everywhere.
My thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this eBook.
I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own
I thought I'd already written my review for this one. But, anyway here it is.

1559 Sir Richard Barton, third Earl of Sussex (a fictional character) has been imprisoned in the Tower by Queen Mary 1, or Bloody Mary. During the reign of Elizabeth 1, he is visited by William Cecil. Cecil wants to hear Barton tell his story of why he was imprisoned, to determine whether there is any truth behind the story. Barton begins his tale from the reign of Henry and his failure to sure a son.
An interesting fictional historical story.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

How much it was the truth and how much it was fiction? This is the question you will ask when you finish this novel.

The Murder of Edward VI" is a good reading. It is written like a mystery full of suspense which is difficult to give up as the story is so captivating. The story takes place in England during the middle of the 16th century. David Snow described very well the context and the real protagonists who lived and were involved in the period of Henry VIII and Edward VI reigns.The author also came up with his version regarding the death of Edward VI.

The fictional chracters were very well designed and seemed realistic. I liked Richard Barton character's and his narrative capabilities. I particularly loved the part of the book where he was traveling to Roma and has meet Martha.

I really spent good time reading this book and my rating is 4.5*

I really liked the idea of this book as a bit of a Tudor mystery. Snow states that the work is fiction but positions taken and ideas expressed by individuals are based on evidence.

This story follows Sir Richard Barton as he tells his story to William Cecil of how he came to be in the Tower.

Although I somewhat enjoyed the character of Barton I found it took almost to the end of the book to get to the events of Edwards death, the majority of the story focuses on Bartons service to Henry VIII so whilst it was an enjoyable read I wasn't expecting the majority of the book to focus on Henry.

If you don't like authors making use of artistic licence then this is definitely not for you. I don't mind some use but I do prefer key facts to be correct. This book contains a lot of events not based on fact such as Cromwell being the prosecuting lawyer against Wolsey, Anne Boleyn pregnant before Henry requested an annulment, Catherine petitioning Charles to invade and Henry being an opium addict. I actually really like historical fiction but for me personally there were too many alternatives to fact in this.

For those who aren't aware of facts of this era I think this would be a much more interesting and enjoyable read. Those who don't mind diversions from fact may also enjoy this, I think it is entirely dependent on your personal preference for how accurate you like historical fiction to be.

That being said I did enjoy reading it and did like the character development of Barton I was just put off by certain inaccuracies.

I really enjoyed the author's perspective. I love it when a book provides additional information from what I already know about a particular time period. This book was very informative and interesting!

The premise is the murder of Edward VI, son and heir of Henry VIII of England, with events being recounted by one Sir Richard Barton, a confidant of Henry.

This is a fictional work and one in which the author has admittedly taken many liberties with the facts. It is speculative history, positing an alternate or plausable scenario for an historical event that may have been shrouded in a bit of mystery. Sometimes it works - sometimes it doesn't. Unfortunately, this didn't.

The plot - the alleged murder of Edward VI - was a good start. However, it was in the execution (pardon the pun) of the storytelling that I think a good idea became quite lost. We begin with the imprisoned Barton retelling the tale of how he came to be in this predicament to William Cecil, Chief Minister of Elizabeth I.

Unfortunately, we spend far too much time in the court / reign of Henry VIII before we get anyway near the murder plot (page 357 out of 408). I am fairly certain that the narrative of the preceding thirteen chapters could have been condensed and then the final chapters expanded to reveal more of the "plot" and courtly intrigue.

In addition, I did not feel that the Marta narrative necessary, nor did I find the Catherine / Mary narrative convincing. Fast-forward to the succession of Lady Jane Grey - which was skip over - and then onto Mary's quest for the throne. Just what our narrator was doing at this time in unknown until he comes before an "angry, aggressive, bitter" Mary, and ends up in the tower.

I just really did not bond with Barton - I didn't gel with of the portrayal of some of the actual historical characters - and I wasn't a fan of the structure of the narrative which really let down what could have been a more engaging story.

Those who liked the TV Series, "The Tudors" and are fine with a generous amount of artistic license may like this - but I would suggest doing so with a very open mind. For the purists, maybe not.

This is a retelling of Tudor history by a fictional character, Sir Richard Barton, that witnesses events starting with Catherine of Aragon to Elizabeth I. I don't think a fictional character is needed but it is still a good story.

**Rating: 3.5/5**

Refreshing historical fiction.

One of my favorite monarchs in history is Elizabeth I of England, and I have always had a sound fascination with the House of Tudor. To the point where, even as a young student, I was pouring over histories and historical fiction novels about what is - arguably - one of the bloodiest families in English history. Now, as an adult, I am extremely pleased to have added The Murder of Edward VI to my HF collection.

Snow's masterful retelling of the history of Henry VII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, and Edward IV was a fast-paced journey that kept me up late two nights in a row. His fictional Barton the perfect mix of senility and poise, pulling me in as a reader and making it possible for me to imagine myself sitting in his cell in the Tower and listening first-hand to his account of the events leading to Elizabeth taking the throne. From Henry's fall into delerium to the events that put Lady Jane Grey on the throne, Barton's compelling (and fictional) account of the uncertainty on the English throne was hard to walk away from.

However, I did find the ending really...disappointing. Snow builds such an exceptional tale that I found the ending a little lack luster. Barton deserved better, and I wish that, as a reader, I got to see more of Elizabeth. Scenes with Mary as a child also felt stilted but the other characters in the book are strong enough to support her rather awkward interactions.

My favorite character out of the whole story would have to be Marta - someone whom I also wish we'd seen more of.

I receive a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publishers, GenZ Publishing, All opinions and views in this review are my own.

A great read on Tudor England and how king Edward vi dies, well written and researched I recommend for historical fiction readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an e-ARC of the book in exchange for my honest opinion. I really liked the book - yes it truly is a work of fiction and some of the facts are wrong - but I don't care - it entertained me. It's historical FICTION and so I don't get hung up with incorrect truths - to me it just makes the story more exciting - especially if its a story I already know so well - such as this.

I found myself feeling like I was with Cecil in the dungeon hanging on every word that Richard was saying, however, I had the luxury of a comfy chair, blanket and snacks! I loved the story telling and the story itself. I would definitely recommend to every Tudor fan. Just don't get hung up on details - just go with the flow of the story and I promise you will enjoy it!

361 pages

2 stars

This book is wholly a work of fiction. Mr. Snow took considerable poetic license with the truth.

This book is a “what if” story about Mary Tudor plotting – and succeeding – in the murder of her half-brother King Edward VI.

First, let me say that I have no problem with revisionist history, but good golly, at least get the timeline correct and the historical characters in their proper place. Otherwise, write a wholly fictional book.

Sadly, this book is filled with historical inaccuracies. It is as though Mr. Snow never picked up a history book at all, nevermind actually peruse the historical documents of the period.

These are just a few of the problems I had with the text:

Wolsey never went to trial
Wigs did not become popular for lawyers until about 1680
Anne was not pregnant at the time of Henry's first appeal to Pope Clement
Catherine was very careful to never speak against Henry, she pleaded with her nephew Charles not to invade England on her behalf
There is no evidence that Henry ever hit Catherine
Cromwell was loyal to Wolsey and did not “prosecute” him
There is no evidence to support Snow's claim that Henry used opium
Henry and Thomas More couldn't have been childhood friends, for Thomas was approximately thirteen years older than Henry (Although they did become close later in life.)
Thomas More, not Cromwell would have been Chancellor when the “Great Matter” was under discussion. He didn't resign the post until 1532. Cromwell was a principal advisor, secretary (1534) and Lord Privy Seal in 1536. Thomas Audley was chancellor from 1532 to 1544.
Snow doesn't assign any blame to Anne Boleyn, which astounds me
Mary was not allowed to stay with Catherine. She had her own residence. Thus Mary and Catherine were not the conniving witches as portrayed by Snow

This book was not at all what I expected. I confess I was looking for a scholarly work about the theory that Mary just might have had Edward murdered. There were numerous typos, misspellings and word misusage. The book is badly in need of an editor. While the writing itself was pretty good, there were moments when the author seemed to lose coherency. The story wandered in a few places. For a man who has been chained to a wall for nearly six years, Sir Richard certainly recovered quickly. An interesting premise on which to base a novel, but the overall execution lacked something. I did not like Richard. His personality was too uneven, especially his dealings with Pope Clement. He was almost showing madness at that early stage. Of course, I'd be terrified of Henry myself...

I want to thank NetGalley and GenZ Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review.

Known to history as Bloody Mary, this book asks the question; did Mary Tudor murder her half brother, King Edward VI? Queen Elizabeth 1 sends her chief advisor William Cecil to interview Sir Richard Barton, the third Earl of Sussex, who has been imprisoned in the Tower of London for almost 6 years, what he knows about the events that lead to his imprisonment.. In a series of interviews in Barton's filthy, rat infested cell, Cecil hears the tale of Barton's involvement in Henry VIII's Star Council and the failed attempt to gain a annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon from Pope Leo X. Barton weaves a tale of betrayal, revenge and church and court politics as Henry attempts to jettison Catherine, who has been unable to give Henry the legitimate son he desperately desires and marry Anne Boleyn. The simple solution is to get an annulment from the Catholic Church. This is complicated by the fact that the Pope is controlled by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who just happens to be Catherine's nephew, so no annulment. Okay, go to Plan B, leave the Catholic Church and the authority of the Pope and make Henry the head of his own church, The Church of England, where he can make any rules he likes. As we all know from history, this is what happened. But what this book explores is what happens later, after Henry executes Anne, marries Jane Seymour, who finally gives him the coveted son, but is a pawn when he comes to the throne when Henry dies. Only 9 years old when he becomes king, Edward has to rule through a Regency Council, but he died age 15. Mary Tudor came to the throne next and exacted her revenge on those involved with the effort to remove her mother and also instigated violent reprisals against Protestants. Richard Barton is arrested, taken to the Tower, chained to the walls and left to rot. He is shocked and thrilled to learn that Mary is dead, then tells Cecil how she plotted, and sometimes succeeded, in killing her targets, including Henry VIII, her brother Edward VI, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey and so many others. Cecil has to determine if this tale is a figment of a mind gone mad and destroyed from a brutal imprisonment, or could have really been true.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC