The Crown

PRAISE FOR
THE CROWN

“Nancy Bilyeau’s polished, inventive debut has all the ingredients of the best historical fiction: a broad cast of characters, well-imagined settings, and vivid storytelling. . . . In Joanna Stafford, Bilyeau has given us a memorable character who is prepared to risk her life to save what she most values, while Stafford’s desperate search for a lost religious relic will satisfy even the most ardent mystery fans.”

—
DEBORAH HARKNESS, AUTHOR OF
A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

“An amazing first novel, filled with excitement, intrigue, espionage, and set against the background of one of the bloodiest periods of British history: the schism between Church and State. It’s an action-packed tale of one nun’s dangerous quest to discover the secrets of a relic that dates back centuries.”

—
KATHERINE NEVILLE, AUTHOR OF
THE EIGHT

“The events of the period come to life in Nancy Bilyeau’s dazzling and heart-wrenching novel.
The Crown
is evocative, provocative, and full of intriguing characters—gorgeously written, it has mystery and history, pathos and depth. This is a stunning debut about a woman whose spirit shines through and deeply moves the reader.”

—M.J. ROSE, AUTHOR OF
THE REINCARNATIONIST

An aristocratic young nun must find a legendary crown in order to save her father—and preserve the Catholic faith from Cromwell’s ruthless terror.
The year is 1537. . . .

Joanna Stafford, a Dominican nun, learns that her favorite cousin has been condemned by Henry VIII to be burned at the stake. Defying the sacred rule of enclosure, Joanna leaves the priory to stand at her cousin’s side. Arrested for interfering with the king’s justice, Joanna, along with her father, is sent to the Tower of London.

The ruthless Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, takes terrifying steps to force Joanna to agree to spy for him: to save her father’s life she must find an ancient relic—a crown so powerful, it may hold the ability to end the Reformation. Accompanied by two monks, Joanna returns home to Dartford Priory and searches in secret for this long-lost piece of history worn by the Saxon King Athelstan in 937 during the historic battle that first united Britain.

But Dartford Priory has become a dangerous place, and when more than one dead body is uncovered, Joanna departs with a sensitive young monk, Brother Edmund, to search elsewhere for the legendary crown. From royal castles with tapestry-filled rooms to Stonehenge to Malmesbury Abbey, the final resting place of King Athelstan, Joanna and Brother Edmund must hurry to find the crown if they want to keep Joanna’s father alive. At Malmesbury, secrets of the crown are revealed that bring to light the fates of the Black Prince, Richard the Lionhearted, and Katherine of Aragon’s first husband, Arthur. The crown’s intensity and strength are beyond the earthly realm and it must not fall into the wrong hands.

With Cromwell’s troops threatening to shutter her priory, bright and bold Joanna must now decide who she can trust with the secret of the crown so that she may save herself, her family, and her sacred way of life.

This provocative story melds heart-stopping suspense with historical detail and brings to life the poignant dramas of women and men at a fascinating and critical moment in England’s past.

NANCY BILYEAU
is a writer and magazine editor who has worked on the staffs of
InStyle, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Good Housekeeping.
She lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Visit her website at www.nancybilyeau.com, friend her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

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JACKET DESIGN BY CHRISTOPHER LIN
JACKET ART: THE CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN (OIL ON CANVAS), VERONESE, (PAOLO CALIARI) (1528–88)/SAN SEBASTIANO, VENICE, ITALY/
CAMERAPHOTO ARTE VENEZIA/THE BRIDGEMAN ART LIBRARY INTERNATIONAL
COPYRIGHT © 2012 SIMON & SCHUSTER

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