Murder Most Royal: The Story of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard

Murder Most Royal is Jean Plaidy's best and most unforgettable work. It may not be as colorful as something written by Philippa Gregory, but Plaidy has an amazing way of humanizing historical figures so the readers feel they are living the events in the book and not simply reading a novel. Although the book is mostly about Anne Boleyn, it also includes naive little Catherine Howard who lurks...more

Murder Most Royal is Jean Plaidy's best and most unforgettable work. It may not be as colorful as something written by Philippa Gregory, but Plaidy has an amazing way of humanizing historical figures so the readers feel they are living the events in the book and not simply reading a novel. Although the book is mostly about Anne Boleyn, it also includes naive little Catherine Howard who lurks in the background awaiting her tragic fate. This book may seem graphic to some. I'll admit that the torture of Mark Smeaton was hard to read at times. I read this novel years ago, but even the second time around it has not lost any of its magic. Jean Plaidy is just a master storyteller. Absolutely brilliant!   hide

One of the best Anne stories ever...Jean Plaidy was amazing! (R.I.P). The combination with the story of Catherine Howard (whom I don't like so much) is perfect.

Great read, loved how Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard's lives were parallel in many ways.