Anne Boleyn's Downfall Seen Through Thomas Cromwell's Eyes

“Once you have fixed on the destruction of an enemy, that destruction must be swift and it must be perfect.” Bring Up The Bodies 

 Hilary Mantel’s ‘Bring Up The Bodies’ (2012) is the second instalment in a three-book series chronicling the life of Thomas Cromwell, King Henry VIII’s chief henchman. This novel, and Mantel’s first novel in the series, Wolf Hall (2009), both won the Booker Prize. Bring Up The Bodies focuses on the final nine months of Henry’s fractious, three-year marriage to his second wife, Anne Boleyn (September 1533 to May 1536). The story is told entirely from Cromwell’s point of view, which provides a window into what Cromwell is thinking, seeing and feeling, although his true motivations and inner thoughts remain a mystery. What’s really going on here? King Henry has grown bored and exasperated with Anne, who has failed to produce a male heir, and he commands Cromwell to orchestrate her downfall so that Henry can marry a new love interest, Jane Seymour. Cromwell resorts to treachery, torture and legal maneuvering to fulfill the king’s wishes. As intriguing as Cromwell’s life is, however, it is overshadowed by Henry VIII himself. The king - nicknamed Harry - is portrayed as a brute: vain, cruel, cunning, paranoid, petty, charismatic, miserly, and tyrannical. This is an immersive novel with dense prose and a dreamlike quality to it. Characters weave in and out of the narrative at whim, and it’s often difficult to know who’s speaking to whom. Thankfully, Mantel includes a wide cast of characters to help readers keep track. Mounting drama, political intrigues and shifting loyalties make for an engrossing read. Kudos to Mantel for breathing fresh fictional life into historical figures who continue to fascinate, almost five centuries after the fact..

Book Signing at Indigo Belleville

Attention crime / thriller / suspense fiction readers in Belleville, Napanee and Prince Edward County. I’ll be at INDIGO BELLEVILLE on Saturday April 25 (11 AM  – 3 PM) for a Meet and Greet and book signing. I’ll be signing copies of my two crime thriller novels, A Case Against the Clock and The Ghosts of Willow Beach. For each copy of A Case Against the Clock sold, $1.00 (CA) will be donated to ALS Canada.  

 

‍The Ghosts of Willow Beach: A haunting thriller set in cottage country, where a peaceful lakeside retreat turns deadly. As secrets resurface, the past comes back to claim its due...

 

A Case Against the Clock: Time is running out in this gripping crime novel where a detective races to uncover a truth that could change everything.

The Audrey Jessup Short Story Contest

Have you written an unpublished short story featuring a crime? Why not enter it into the Audrey Jessup Short Story Contest? The contest is open to Ottawa and the National Capital Region residents as well as all members of Capital Crime Writers. Visit the link for contest rules, deadline and prize info. Deadline is April 1, 2026.

capitalcrimewriters.com/events-contests/

Of Human Bondage Explores A Complex Inner Life

W. Somerset Maugham’s novel, Of Human Bondage, was published in 1915. On the surface, it’s a rather drab story about an impressionable young man’s coming of age during the waning years of the Victorian era. The main character, Philip Carey, is born with a club foot and is orphaned at nine, then is sent to live with his stodgy aunt and uncle. Philip goes to boarding school and ignores his uncle’s pleas to attend Oxford, opting instead to travel to Germany, and later to Paris where he aspires to be a painter. After Paris, Philip returns to England to study to become a doctor. The action limps along without fireworks; most of the drama happens in Philip’s mind as he follows his passions and instincts rather than a careful life plan. Maugham writes: “he [Philip] seemed to see that the inward life might be as manifold, as varied, as rich with experience, as the life of one who conquered realms and explored unknown lands.” After Philip returns to England, he becomes infatuated with Mildred, a waitress at a tea shop. Mildred treats Philip horribly, and yet he can’t stop pursuing her. Mildred flits in and out of Philip’s life at different times, but her indifference and cruelty remain constant. (This is the most accurate account of unrequited love I’ve ever encountered in fiction.) One of my favourite sections in the novel is when Philip is introduced to the work of the Greek painter, El Greco (1541 - 1614). Philip has sympathy with El Greco who expresses the yearnings of his soul, and sees in the painter a new way of interpreting the world. The eyes of his subjects “look only in their hearts, and they are dazzled by the glory of the unseen.” Philip’s musings about El Greco continue for five pages, but this narrative detour is sheer delight. With simple language, subtle dialogue and slow, deliberate pacing, Of Human Bondage is a powerful story that captures the complex inner life of a man searching for truth, beauty and adventure, with his ragged hopes, fears, longings, demons and shortcomings, laid bare.

Italian Soccer Seen Through the Eyes of An Outsider

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro is a striking work of non-fiction by American author Joe McGinniss (1942 - 1914), published in 1999. Driven by a sudden obsession with Italy’s most popular sport, McGinniss followed a fledgling soccer team around for an entire season as it competed in the coveted Serie B league. Playing in Serie B was an unlikely feat for Castel di Sangro, an impoverished town of 5,000 in the Abruzzo region. At stake was the pursuit of ‘la salvezza’ (the avoidance of being relegated to a lower division) and the pride of a remote town that had known little glory or distinction.

There is a charming ‘fish out of water’ element to this story as McGinness imbeds himself in the Italian culture and fumbles with the language and customs. “My own personality had merged so totally with that of the town and the team that I could not imagine a future without either,” he explains. But his passion for soccer, his journalist instincts and an eagerness to embrace all things Italian override any shortcomings and endear him to his hosts, many of whom seem equally baffled and flattered by his attentions.

With access to players, coaches and managers, McGinness provides a spirited account of the team’s ‘miracle’ season, which includes triumphs, scandals, heartbreaks, tragedies, and dramas; he does so with great flair, compassion, sensitivity, enthusiasm and humour. By his own admission, however, toward the end his stay, McGinness’s soccer obsession had become insufferable to some because of his strident views and opinions.

Those ‘insufferable’ views are not unfounded. As the author discovers to his dismay before the final game of the season, the miracle of Castel di Sangro isn’t so much a miracle as it is a fairytale, and the story ends on a rather sour note. But for all those who invested in this miracle season - townsfolk, players, families, fans, advertisers and the media - it was a fairytale worth believing in and a season to remember.

Chapters Peterborough Meet and Greet / Book Signing

Attention crime / thriller / suspense fiction readers in Peterborough! I’ll be at Chapters Peterborough on Saturday September 20 (11 AM – 3 PM) for a Meet and Greet and book signing. I’ll be signing copies of my two crime thriller novels, A Case Against the Clock and The Ghosts of Willow Beach. For each copy of A Case Against the Clock sold, I’ll be donating $1.00 (CA) to ALS Canada.  

Fun Fact:  A Case Against the Clock contains a Peterborough connection to the plot.  

 

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my second crime thriller novel, The Ghosts of Willow Beach. It’s a darkly disturbing story about a grisly discovery made inside a dead man’s basement, which prompts an investigation led by homicide detective Dieter Gorman. Shocking revelations about key suspects will expose a decades-long mystery and forever alter Gorman’s perceptions of good and evil. 

A special thank you to Jaret Fattori, Emma Fattori, (the late) Rod Urquhart, Amy McIntyre, Anna Di Meglio, Kathy MacLellan, Darryl Oreskovich, Diane Brousseau and Sigrid Macdonald for their professional assistance, and to the many friends, family members and fellow authors who have provided support, encouragement and inspiration.

The Ghosts of Willow Beach is available as an e-Book and a paperback on Amazon. Stay tuned for news about upcoming book signings in the spring and summer of 2025.

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