BY NIGEL GREEN

 

 

 

Set in an England beset by power wrangling and warfare at the end of the 15th century,

The King's Dogge (the first of a two book series) tells of Francis Lovell's meteoric rise from humble squire to closest ally of King Richard III.

 

Having courageously fought at Barnet for the great noble the Earl of Warwick, Lovell is introduced to Richard of Gloucester. Impressed by Lovell's military acumen, Gloucester assigns him the unenviable task of fighting the Scots in the West March. His initiative wins him a knighthood and turns him into Gloucester's most prized asset. In time, Lovell comes to respect Gloucester and a close friendship blossoms, each aware of one another's weaknesses but together able to advance one another's careers, military and political respectively. Lovell's future is further shaped by Gloucester's scheming wife Anne Neville, whose ambition exceeds that of her husband.

 

But when their Machiavellian scheming leads to the cold-blooded murder of the princes in the tower, Lovell is forced to weigh his conscience against his sense of duty and ask himself what dark acts he is prepared to carry out in Gloucester's name.

 

The King's Dogge is a fictional account of the rule of King Richard III as seen from the perspective of his closest adviser, Francis Lovell. It weaves a story around true events and throws the actions of the king into a new perspective when viewed against the ambition of his wife, Anne Neville. Just how far will one man go in the name of loyalty