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The Pretender

‘A frontrunner for historical fiction book of the year’ – THE TIMES

The Pretender cover

Description

'An absolute delight … Funny, moving, filthy and original … A frontrunner for historical fiction book of the year' The Times
'Funny and devastating. I'm having a fantastic time reading it' Yael van der Wouden

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Kill the pretender. Do not let it be known that there was a pretender to kill.

The year is 1483 and England is in peril. The much-despised Richard III is not long for the throne, and the man who will become Henry VII stands poised to snatch the crown for himself. But for twelve-year-old John Collan, living in a remote village with his widowed father, these matters seem far away.

But history has other plans for John.

Stolen from his family, exiled – first to Oxford, then to Burgundy, and then Ireland – and apprenticed to a series of unscrupulous political operators, he finds himself groomed for power; not as John Collan, but as Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick – and rightful heir to the throne.

Far from home at the Irish court, preparing for a war that will see him become king or die trying, John has just his wits – and the slippery counsel of his host's daughter, the unconventional Joan – to navigate the choppy waters ahead.

Product details

Published 09 Apr 2026
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 464
ISBN 9781526678362
Imprint Bloomsbury Publishing
Dimensions 198 x 129 mm
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Jo Harkin

Jo Harkin studied literature at university. She da…

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