Day of Wrath: A Mystery

Rating:
Summary: strong historical mystery
Review: Henry VIII sits on the throne of England and has ignored the papal refusal to annul his marriage. He gets a divorce to marry Anne Boleyn and is in the process of setting up a church independent of Rome. His first step is to inventory the monasteries so that he could add anything of value to his treasury before he disbands them and sells the buildings.

One of his advisors, Nicholas Peverell is sick about the regal decision since the one nearest his manor home in Sussex was built by his ancestors and supported by him. The king is planning on visiting Nicholas on his way to Portsmouth but there is a conspiracy to assassinate His Highness. Nicholas doesn't know if the threat comes from, the defeated York supporters or a rebellious churchman but he knows he must keep his king safe if he wants to live.

Iris Collier brings the pageantry and culture of the era when Henry VIII ruled England to vivid life in her meticulously researched historical mystery DAY OF WRATH. The mystery itself is cleverly constructed and there are enough suspects to keep the reader guessing until the author is ready to reveal the killer's identity. The hero is a warm caring man who makes this work a touch above the well written sub-genre novel as the age comes alive as much as the who-will-do-it plot.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: strong historical mystery
Review: Henry VIII sits on the throne of England and has ignored the papal refusal to annul his marriage. He gets a divorce to marry Anne Boleyn and is in the process of setting up a church independent of Rome. His first step is to inventory the monasteries so that he could add anything of value to his treasury before he disbands them and sells the buildings.

One of his advisors, Nicholas Peverell is sick about the regal decision since the one nearest his manor home in Sussex was built by his ancestors and supported by him. The king is planning on visiting Nicholas on his way to Portsmouth but there is a conspiracy to assassinate His Highness. Nicholas doesn't know if the threat comes from, the defeated York supporters or a rebellious churchman but he knows he must keep his king safe if he wants to live.

Iris Collier brings the pageantry and culture of the era when Henry VIII ruled England to vivid life in her meticulously researched historical mystery DAY OF WRATH. The mystery itself is cleverly constructed and there are enough suspects to keep the reader guessing until the author is ready to reveal the killer's identity. The hero is a warm caring man who makes this work a touch above the well written sub-genre novel as the age comes alive as much as the who-will-do-it plot.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: unfortunately, this well written novel lacks suspense
Review: I'm not a fan of the Tudors, and I've always taken strong exception to writers who whitewash the Tudors. Not that Iris Collier does this at all. This is, I think, one of the most even handed and well researched mystery novels I've ever come across, (no surprises there of course, after all the authour did read history at Cambridge) -- the authour manages to balance a realistic view of a ruthless and capricious king with the overwhelming praise and approval that he garnered from his subjects at the time of his reign. "Day of Wrath" also accurately captures the vibrancy and pageantry of Henry's court, and juxtaposes this nicely with the prosperous and somewhat idyllic lives of the people in Dean Peverell. The book also captures the perils of the period as well -- the fears that intelligent people had about the course that Henry VIII and his piggy friends were set on (the dissolution of the monasteries and the swift execution of all those who opposed their will); the religious dilemma (was England going to remain a Catholic country, or was Henry about to adopt some strain of Lutherism?); and if all this change would lead to more civil unrest (i.e. another civil war). There was only one problem I had with this book, and that was that the mystery at the core of the novel was not a very intriguing or suspenseful one at all.

Lord Nicholas Peverell, one of King Henry VIII's advisors at court, hurriedly makes for his manor house in Sussex. The King is about to sign into law an act dissolving all the monasteries, and Nicholas is anxious to warn Prior Thomas, prior of the priory that Nicholas's family have been patrons of ever since they founded it almost 500 years ago, of this latest development. Especially since the King's Commissioners are about to land en masse upon the Priory in order to access it's wealth and decide how to stripe it bear for their King. However, Nicholas is soon sidetracked by the mysterious murder of his steward, Matthew. The evidence suggests that Matthew had been killed as a result of an interrupted robbery. Nicholas however is puzzled as to why the robbers chose to strangle Matthew instead of merely bashing him on the head in order to make a quick getaway. And then his comely neighbour, Jane Warrener, discloses that Matthew and his betrothed (Bess Knowles) had overheard a plot against the King. Jane thinks that Matthew was killed by the conspirators in order to prevent him from warning anyone of their scheme. Nicholas is aghast. Could another civil war be in the offing? For although Nicholas does not agree with the King on the issue of the dissolution of the monasteries, neither does he want a civil war. Resolute, Nicholas decides to look into things, and in this he is ably aided by Jane (even though he'd rather that she didn't involve herself in such dangerous matters). Unfortunately, other distractions keep getting in the way of his investigation: the King who seems to constantly require for Nicholas to attend him at court; and Prior Thomas who has decided not to take the King's Commissioners seriously and who seems to have a Nero-fiddling-while-Rome-burnt attitude towards things! Will Nicholas discover who murdered Matthew and why? And will he be able to stop the conspirators before their Day of Wrath unfolds?

While the plot is an interesting one, and one that moves forward at an almost dizzy speed, the plotting left a lot to be desired. There was very little mounting of tensions or clever plot twists to keep you guessing or red herring clues/suspects that would have made "Day of Wrath" a truly exciting and intriguing read. On the other hand, the characters found in this novel were all very well developed, esp those of the conspirators, so that you really understood the motivations of those who plotted against the King. I would describe "Day of Wrath" as a wonderfully engrossing historical novel that has elements of intrigue with a murder mystery attached to it, rather than as a 'straight' historical mystery novel. Described that way the book rates a strong 4 stars; however as mystery novel, it rates somewhere around 3 1/2 stars

Rating:
Summary: Author needs to decide what kind of book she wants to write
Review: This first effort is disappointing: the author seems unsure whether she wants to write an historical mystery or bodice ripper. Also, the writing itself is poor, with modern expressions sprinkled casually throughout, and a lack of careful editing (e.g., Lord Nicholas Peverell compliments a monk on how well the wine goes with the suckling pig...except that the pig has yet to be served, something that's apparent a few lines before and a few lines after!). An amateurish novel.