Here are 7 books that The Princes in the Tower fans have personally recommended if you like The Princes in the Tower. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I

Jo A. Hiestand Author Of Versed In Murder

From Jo's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Mystery novelist World War 2 espionage enthusiast Reader Cat parent

Jo's 3 favorite reads in 2025

Jo A. Hiestand Why Jo loves this book

I am a lover of the Plantagenet, Tudor, and Stuart decades of Britain. I enjoy reading about the history but also about the people who created that history. I didn't know anything about James VI and I except that he was Mary, Queen of Scots' only child and that he was the first monarch to hold the title in Scotland, Ireland, and England. I always he got short mention and was dismissed merely as a 'fool'. Which is why I was eager to read this book. It's a bit more than a biography -- it shows Scotland and England during his time, and what he had to govern. It was a much more violent and complicated time than I had ever expected. And my admiration for James increased dramatically as I learned of all the problems he had, both personal and with other countries as well as his own.
If…

By Steven Veerapen ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Wisest Fool as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

James VI and I, the first monarch to reign over Scotland, England and Ireland, has long endured a mixed reputation. To many, he is simply the homosexual King, the inveterate witch-roaster, the smelly sovereign who never washed, the colourless man behind the authorised Bible bearing his name, or the drooling fool whose speech could barely be understood. For too long, he has paled in comparison to his more celebrated Tudor and Stuart forebears.

But who was he really? To what extent have myth, anecdote, and rumour obscured him?

In this new and ground-breaking biography, James's story is laid bare and…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of The Caravaggio Conspiracy

Jo A. Hiestand Author Of Versed In Murder

From Jo's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Mystery novelist World War 2 espionage enthusiast Reader Cat parent

Jo's 3 favorite reads in 2025

Jo A. Hiestand Why Jo loves this book

This is a true story of how newspaper columnist Peter Watson -- using an assumed named and persona -- helped uncover theft and smuggling in the art world. He set up a huge sting, complete with his false identity, a residence in London, and actually meeting with various members of the art smuggling ring in the US, England, and the continent. I was fascinated not only by how he pulled off this elaborate scheme but also by information of art smuggling. I had no idea it is such a huge on-going concern.
If you like mystery, the art world of Old Masters, and learning of the behind-the-scenes of nabbing these crooks, I think you'll like this book. I honestly couldn't put it down.

By Peter Watson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Caravaggio Conspiracy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An account of fraudulent practices in the profitable world of fine art details the international search for Renaissance art treasures that have been stolen and smuggled out of Italy


Book cover of The Daughter of Time

Anne R. Allen Author Of Ghostwriters In The Sky: A Camilla Randall Mystery

From my list on classic mysteries NOT written by Agatha Christie.

Why am I passionate about this?

My whole family shared a love for classic British mysteries, especially light-hearted, witty ones. With the enduring popularity of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, people sometimes forget there were lots of other great writers from the “golden age” of mysteries. I first found most of these books on my parents’ bookshelves when I was a bored teenager growing up in snowy central Maine. Several of the paperbacks were so well-worn the cellophane was peeling off their covers. For me, reading classic mysteries is like listening to Mozart—they are endlessly stirring and fascinating, and in the end, order is restored, and all is right with the world. 

Anne's book list on classic mysteries NOT written by Agatha Christie

Anne R. Allen Why Anne loves this book

This book is one of my favorite mysteries of all time. It addresses one of the great unsolved mysteries in English history: Did Richard III kill the princes in the tower? Tey’s sleuth, Alan Grant, is a dogged investigator, and, in the hospital with a broken leg, he treats this historical mystery like a contemporary murder. His step-by-step investigation pulled me in and convinced me that Richard Plantagenet has been mistreated by history.

Miss Tey is so convincing that she inspired me to write the (very innocent) ghost of Richard III into one of my own mystery novels after the monarch’s body was found under a Midlands car park in 2012.

By Josephine Tey ,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked The Daughter of Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

_________________________
Josephine Tey's classic novel about Richard III, the hunchback king whose skeleton was famously discovered in a council car park, investigates his role in the death of his nephews, the princes in the Tower, and his own death at the Battle of Bosworth.

Richard III reigned for only two years, and for centuries he was villified as the hunch-backed wicked uncle, murderer of the princes in the Tower. Josephine Tey's novel The Daughter of Time is an investigation into the real facts behind the last Plantagenet king's reign, and an attempt to right what many believe to be the…


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of Richard III: The Maligned King

Philippa Langley Author Of The Lost King: The Search for Richard III

From my list on Richard III by the writer who discovered his grave.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a British writer/producer with a 30-year interest in Richard III (1452-1485). A visit to Bosworth Field, the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses changed my life irrevocably. This haunting place captured my imagination and with it the story of the last Plantagenet monarch who died fighting in this small corner of Leicestershire for crown and country.

Philippa's book list on Richard III by the writer who discovered his grave

Philippa Langley Why Philippa loves this book

This is a compelling and comprehensive study of Richard III’s reign. Annette Carson examines the events as they actually happened, based on the evidence of the original sources. In place of assumptions so beloved of traditional historians, she instead dissects motives and actions in light of the historical facts. Carson dares to investigate areas where historians fear to tread, raising many controversial questions and encouraging readers to think again.

By Annette Carson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Richard III as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In 2012 Annette Carson formed part of the team that discovered King Richard III's mortal remains, verified in 2013 by forensics including DNA matching. In response to the recent upsurge of interest, her 2009 paperback has been updated with details of the discovery plus new illustrations, and a larger typeface for easier readability. Carson's premise is that for centuries the vision of Richard III has been dominated by the fictional creations of Thomas More and Shakespeare. Many voices, some of them eminent and scholarly, have urged a more reasoned view to replace the traditional black portrait.

This book seeks to…


Book cover of The Secret Queen: Eleanor Talbot, the Woman Who Put Richard III on the Throne

Philippa Langley Author Of The Lost King: The Search for Richard III

From my list on Richard III by the writer who discovered his grave.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a British writer/producer with a 30-year interest in Richard III (1452-1485). A visit to Bosworth Field, the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses changed my life irrevocably. This haunting place captured my imagination and with it the story of the last Plantagenet monarch who died fighting in this small corner of Leicestershire for crown and country.

Philippa's book list on Richard III by the writer who discovered his grave

Philippa Langley Why Philippa loves this book

Following Edward IV’s death in 1483, his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was found to be bigamous and their children declared illegitimate. The crown then passed to Edward’s younger brother, Richard III, who was elected king. For centuries the story of Edward IV’s bigamy was believed to be a concoction. In this seminal work, John Ashdown-Hill brings to light the story of Eleanor Talbot, Edward IV’s legal wife. 

By John Ashdown-Hill ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Secret Queen as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Edward IV died in 1483, the Yorkist succession was called into question by doubts about the legitimacy of his sons (the 'Princes in the Tower'). The crown therefore passed to Edward IV's undoubtedly legitimate younger brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. But Richard, too, found himself entangled in the web of uncertainly, since those who believed in the legitimacy of Edward IV's children viewed Richard III's own accession with suspicion.

From the day that Edward IV married Eleanor, or pretended to do so, the House of York, previously so secure in its bloodline, confronted a contentious and uncertain future. John…


Book cover of The Survival of Princes in the Tower: Murder, Mystery and Myth

Philippa Langley Author Of The Lost King: The Search for Richard III

From my list on Richard III by the writer who discovered his grave.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a British writer/producer with a 30-year interest in Richard III (1452-1485). A visit to Bosworth Field, the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses changed my life irrevocably. This haunting place captured my imagination and with it the story of the last Plantagenet monarch who died fighting in this small corner of Leicestershire for crown and country.

Philippa's book list on Richard III by the writer who discovered his grave

Philippa Langley Why Philippa loves this book

The murder of the ‘Princes in the Tower’ is the most famous cold case in British history. Matthew Lewis delves into the context of the disappearance and the characters of the suspects and asks a crucial but often overlooked question: what if there was no murder? Lewis provides a rounded and complete assessment of this most fascinating historical mystery.

By Matthew Lewis ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Survival of Princes in the Tower as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The murder of the Princes in the Tower is the most famous cold case in British history. Traditionally considered victims of a ruthless uncle, there are other suspects too often and too easily discounted. There may be no definitive answer, but by delving into the context of their disappearance and the characters of the suspects Matthew Lewis examines the motives and opportunities afresh as well as asking a crucial but often overlooked question: what if there was no murder? What if Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York survived their uncle's reign and even that of their brother-in-law…


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of Domenico Mancini: De Occupatione Regni Anglie

Philippa Langley Author Of The Lost King: The Search for Richard III

From my list on Richard III by the writer who discovered his grave.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a British writer/producer with a 30-year interest in Richard III (1452-1485). A visit to Bosworth Field, the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses changed my life irrevocably. This haunting place captured my imagination and with it the story of the last Plantagenet monarch who died fighting in this small corner of Leicestershire for crown and country.

Philippa's book list on Richard III by the writer who discovered his grave

Philippa Langley Why Philippa loves this book

Domenico Mancini was an Italian visitor to London in 1483 who witnessed Richard III’s rise from Protector to King, and wrote the only genuinely contemporary account. His short narrative, less than 7,000 words, is so important that it’s used and quoted by every commentator who has anything to say about Richard III. This translation renders Mancini up-to-date and accessible for today’s readers. 

By D. Mancini , Annette Carson (translator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Domenico Mancini as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Annette Carson, a member of the team that found Richard III s grave, has produced this new edition of Mancini s important eyewitness report. Domenico Mancini was an Italian visitor to London in 1483 who witnessed Richard III s rise from Protector to King, and wrote the only genuinely contemporary account.
His short narrative, less than 7,000 words, was originally published in the 1930s in an edition that, for modern historians, leaves much to be desired. The title and a number of key passages were mistranslated. In addition, Mancini s misunderstanding of England s laws and governance, and his omission…


Book cover of The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I
Book cover of The Caravaggio Conspiracy
Book cover of The Daughter of Time

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