Review - A Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Weir

My thanks to Random House Group and Ballantine Books for a review copy in advance of the US 

Publication

2 October 2012

Dangerous Inheritance

by 

Alison Weir

Ballantine -October 2 2012

In A Dangerous Inheritance, Alison Weir brings to life both the Tudor era, and the last of the Plantagenets, and explores the myth surrounding Richard III’s involvement in the disappearance of the young Plantagenet princes. Her use of two female protagonists, eighty years apart, allows the story to evolve, not just as a royal commentary, but also as an insight into scandalous political intrigue. Cleverly blending fact with fiction, Weir intertwines the story of Lady Katherine Grey, sister to the infamous Lady Jane Grey, with the story of Lady Katherine Plantagenet, the illegitimate daughter of Richard III. The story of the ‘princes in the tower’ has long been the subject of divided historical debate; it’s interesting therefore to have a fictional slant on the story told from two different female perspectives. For the purposes of A Dangerous Inheritance, Katherine Plantagenet has the benefit of having lived through the last of the turbulent Plantagenet dynasty, and by involving her with the tragic story of Lady Katherine Grey; it allows the introduction of a supernatural element linking the two women, and the clever blending of two historical time frames.

As always Weir’s research is impeccable, her ability to weave historical magic is evident in the way she controls the narrative, and she cleverly blends fiction, with factual historical accuracy. Although the story is enjoyable to read a standalone novel, there is some continuation of the story started in Weir’s previous book, Innocent Traitor.


A Dangerous Inheritance is published in the UK by Hutchinson 21 June 2012