Undiscovered Scotland

 

To be a really good author of historical fiction you need to know the era you are seeking to transport your readers back to so well that they buy into it without question. Steven Veerapen is a really good author of historic fiction and shows off his abilities well in "Of Judgement Fallen". His depiction of the world of the English court in the 1520s is rich, detailed and satisfying and everything feel just right. It's very easy for an author to undermine a historical world with a single anachronism, a single reference or detail that doesn't seem to fit. There's no fear of that here: the author draws you into his world and then takes you on an intriguing journey through it.

You get a good sense of the book from the publisher's description: "Spring, 1523. Henry VIII readies England for war with France. The King's chief minister, Cardinal Wolsey, prepares to open Parliament at Blackfriars. The eyes of the country turn towards London. But all is not well in Wolsey's household. A visiting critic of the Cardinal is found brutally slain whilst awaiting an audience at Richmond Palace. He will not be the las t to die. Anthony Blanke, trumpeter and groom, is once again called upon to unmask a murderer. Joining forces with Sir Thomas More, he is forced to confront the unpopularity of his master's rule. As the bodies of the Cardinal's enemies mount up around him, Anthony finds himself under suspicion. Journeying through the opulence of More's home, the magnificence of Wolsey's York Place, and the dank dungeons of London's gaols, he must discover whether the murderer of the Cardinal's critics is friend or foe. With time running out before Parliament sits, Anthony must clear his name and catch the killer before the King's justice falls blindly upon him."

As noted above, Stephen Veerapen gets his time and place just right in this book. He has also drawn his characters very convincingly. These are people you could almost imagine seeing in the background of a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger. What comes off the page are real people living in a world which is very different from the one we know today. If it's the setting and characters that draw you into the book, then it's the plot that keeps you turning the page. The author has produced an engaging and enthralling story that keep you guessing right to the end. This is a book I'd thoroughly recommend.