The Lady in the Tower by Alison Weir

In a court crammed with charismatic figures, Anne Boleyn was probably its most captivating player.

The daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, a courtier and diplomat, and a niece of the Duke of Norfolk, Anne may not have been a conventional beauty - but her attractions were sufficient for Henry VIII to break with Christendom to bed her. How her clever head ended up on the executioner's block so shortly after becoming queen is the subject of this book. The author of several previous works on the Tudors, Weir thinks that "Anne was probably framed" by Cromwell in a conspiracy that drew together her enemies. An episode of political history that has at its heart a more timeless drama – the story of the cherished mistress turned scorned wife.