The Devil's Chalice

Thomas Treviot #3

by D.K. Wilson

The third book in the acclaimed series of Thomas Treviot Tudor crime thrillers - Based on REAL TUDOR CRIME RECORDS.

The Real Crime

In the steaming summer of 1549 two men languish in the Tower of London. William West is accused of attempted murder. Robert Allen is under investigation for dabbling in the Black Arts. Meanwhile, England is in the grip of rebellions against the boy king, Edward VI. The connections between these facts remains a mystery.

Our Story

London goldsmith, Thomas Treviot, is sent by his patron, Archbishop Cranmer, to discover discreetly what connections West has with leading figures at court. But Thomas has problems of his his teenage son has gone off to Norwich to join rebels led by Robert Kett. Trying to find his son and please Cranmer, he is plunged into dangers from peasant mobs, London gangsters and political chicanery, not to mention an enemy wielding occult power...

Once again, D.K. Wilson bases his story on documented facts in order to evoke the feverish atmosphere of 1549's 'summer of discontent' in which magic was as real to people as mob violence and political scheming.

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'Derek Wilson is a fine historian - and he can also tell a gripping story. This is historical fiction at its best, effortlessly underpinned by a wealth of research by a writer whose understanding of the period is profound.' - Alison Weir, author of Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen

Genres: Historical Mystery, Mystery

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2016

About the author

D.K. Wilson is an historian and expert on the Tudor period, having already published acclaimed non-fiction books on Tudor England and Henry VIII.

Pseudonym of author Derek Wilson.


Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Iset · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I did win this book in a random raffle, but I was never approached in regards to a review, and allowed complete free rein.

I didn’t provide many status updates for this one, my friends may notice, mainly because I was too busy tearing through it to pause and offer quotes. When I did update, you may have noticed that I compared the book to C. J. Sansom’s Shardlake series. This may seem like an obvious comparison – indeed, when I reached the end of the book I discovered that I had unwittingly echoed the About the Author blurb – but it is an apt one. Both are historical mysteries, set in England in very close time periods. Not only that, but the comparison runs deeper; both feature fictional protagonists of middling status who are in a position to cross social boundaries, and the plots they get involved in are complex ones, marrying politics and religion. Is that a bad thing? Not in this case. The similarities are the book’s strength – there is, after all, a reason why Shardlake is so popular; people crave historical mysteries, and the Tudor setting is prime fodder to play in, no doubt.

Meanwhile, whilst the book echoes Shardlake’s basic strong points, it also distinguishes itself in certain key areas. The pacing is a key difference; Shardlake feels like a fast-paced thriller, but The Devil’s Chalice unspools the mystery over the course of months, making it feel like more of a compelling slow-burner. Perhaps the biggest difference is Chalice’s use of first person. I have a fairly clear idea of the personality of Matthew Shardlake; I don’t have as much of a distinct idea about the personality of Thomas Treviot, aside from the fact that he is intelligent and a decent man. But this seems deliberate, along with the use of first person; the reader in these books is much more able to project themselves in Treviot’s role, and it’s a very clever way of getting the reader more involved and invested in the story. Certainly that was the case for me; I got off to a slow start with the book, but after the 50 page mark very quickly accelerated into hungrily devouring the story and needing to know what happened next.

Wilson knows how to write well. I would say ‘as if that were ever in doubt’ given his excellent non-fiction books, but I have seen historians before try to make the leap to historical fiction and fail miserably, having no understanding of well-crafted story-telling. His cliffhangers were frustrating in the extreme – and I mean that in the best possible way. And, of course, being a non-fiction writer, he knows the subject extremely well and is able to bring to life a realistic vision of the characters and their lives. Again this is done well – it’s not clumsily plopped down in great big info dumps, but properly interweaved into the story. That realism does a lot for willing suspension of belief in the fictional main plot. I’ve always been a big fan of historical fiction authors taking the intriguing gaps in history as their inspiration and filling them with something interesting and plausible, something that, given the evidence available, could just about be true. I prefer that to writers simply changing the known facts and creating all sorts of outlandish developments; I just find that sort of thing harder to buy into and harder to enjoy the story. Fortunately, this is what Wilson does. I find myself wondering, at the end of the book, whether the cases of William West and Robert Allen were ever connected. It seems unlikely, and yet there’s nothing to gainsay the idea; and I like that. I like what Wilson has managed to weave using the gaps between facts.

It’s hard to come up with any criticisms, but I will say I would’ve enjoyed a longer tale, and I think an even 300 pages might’ve allowed a bit more space to explore some of the twists in a bit more depth and build up the tension and drama more. As is, it feels just a little short and rushed, and I think there's definitely room to get engrossed in a meatier tale.

[Samantha Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently, at MadeGlobal’s “Meet The Authors” event, I had the honour of not only being sat on a table next to D.K Wilson, but also listening to him talk on one of the panels hosted at the evening. At that point, I hadn’t read any of Wilson’s books (much to my horror and disappointment) but after listening to this excellent historian speak, hearing the absolute excitement in his voice when he spoke about the past, I knew I had to pick up one of his books. And so I downloaded “The Devil’s Chalice” on my kindle the day it was released.

And I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

The Devil’s Chalice is the third book in D.K Wilson’s Thomas Treviot series, in which he tells the stories of unsolved Tudor crimes. It’s certainly an interesting idea and as you read the narrative you can really tell that Wilson has done a hell of a lot of research. Not only that, the story is fast paced – I couldn’t put the book down, wanting to know what would happen next. Not only do we see power struggle, intrigue and black magic, but we also see family struggles as well – Treviot has to deal with his son doing the typical teenage rebellion thing in this novel, something which will only lead to his son being in no end of danger.

This truly is a remarkable book with a wonderful narrative and excellent characterisation. I found myself almost falling in love with some of the characters – Treviot in particular! And at the same time I found myself hating others. That really is a sign of excellent characterisation.

If you like historical fiction, crime thrillers and stories that keep you turning the pages until its 4 in the morning, then this really is the book for you. A highly recommended read – I’ll be getting my hands on Wilson’s other works, for sure!

[Alan Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is fast-paced and full of action, taking the reader on a fantastical adventure that leaves your head spinning. There's journeys to abandoned monasteries, Kett's rebellion battles in Norwich, a sea chase along the English coast, boat fights on the Thames, and a host of other scrapes that our hero Thomas Treviot gets himself embroiled in.

The author definitely knows his subject matter incredibly well and does a good job of bringing to life the era, the unstable political duration situation, the religious struggles and general every day challenges faced during the reign of Edward VI.

As with the first two books, Wilson bases the novel on real-life historical happenings and twists them into a mystery whodunnit.

While I appluad Wilson for his historical accuracies and his ability to create the time and feel of the era, I don't get the feeling that he's a master storyteller, like some other authors in the historical fiction genre.

The book is a little hard going, and the plot jumps around a bit. In trying to create a sense of suspense and mystery, Wilson makes it more confusing and over complicated.

There's a lot of action packed into the pages, and I enjoyed this better than book 2.

[Mary Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twists and Turns

I enjoyed the many different characters’ reasons for their behaviours. . Also, how Edward was overwhelmed by his protector. Many of the characters fought hard for the Protestant Church to remain in England, while the reader knows that Queen Mary will demand that Catholicism be reinstated In the most violent ways. I wonder how our hero will deal with that. Hopefully there is a “next book”about him and those times.

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another clever and well written story weaving fiction and non fiction to create a very interesting story.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engrossing and well researched.