A Secret Alchemy: A Novel [Paperback]

The cruel fate of the Princes in the Tower is one of the most fascinating—and most troubling—of all England's historical murder mysteries. But what was the truth behind the deaths of the young Edward V and his brother, Dickon, taken from their mother, Elizabeth Woodville, King Edward IV's beautiful widow, and their guardian, Anthony Woodville? And what about the man who would become King Richard III?

In a brilliant feat of historical daring, the acclaimed author ofThe Mathematics of Lovereimagines the tragedy of the youngest victims of the Wars of the Roses. Through the voices of Elizabeth, Anthony, and Una—a historian who herself knows grief, betrayal, and secret love—Emma Darwin re-creates the lethal power struggles into which the boys were born, their heart-wrenching imprisonment, and the ultimate betrayal of their innocence.

Powerful and utterly convincing.There are many twists and turns in this tale, some of them real, some of them not; together they add up to a spellbinding whole.Emma Darwin follows up on the great success of her debut novel The Mathematics of Love with this engaging work of historical fiction&This is a work of great atmosphere and a story well told.A Secret Alchemy was ... absorbing, interesting, well-written, and utterly enjoyable.