Rebellious Grace

It’s the Christmas season of 1536, and the court of King Henry VIII is celebrating, even as Henry deals with a religious rebellion; 9,000 people are marching on his palace to demand the restoration of the monasteries and Catholicism in England (an event that will come to be known as the Pilgrimage of Grace). There’s also a gruesome murder to contend with: one of the queen’s servants was recently killed, and his body was found in the palace. Two weeks later, the corpse was dug up and disemboweled, which attracted Henry’s attention. But with Henry now distracted by the Pilgrimage of Grace, his jester Will Somers must investigate the murder. Will enlists the help of his wife, Marion, and his lover, Nicholas, to probe into the whereabouts of members of the court (even Queen Jane Seymour) at the time the servant was killed. All the while, someone is watching closely, and Will doesn’t always have Henry’s protection, though he does have his own wit and amusing remarks to fall back on.