The First Horseman

Thomas Treviot, Book 1

By: D. K. Wilson

Narrated by: David Thorpe

1536: In the corrupt heart of Tudor London a killer waits in the shadows....

The real crime...

Before dawn on a misty November morning in 1536, prominent mercer Robert Packington was gunned down as he crossed Cheapside on his way to early morning mass.

It was the first assassination by handgun in the history of the capital and subsequently shook the city to its core.The identity of his assassin has remained a mystery.

Our story

Thomas Treviot is a young London goldsmith and a close family friend of Robert Packington. Through his own upstanding social connections - and some less upstanding acquaintances he has made along the way - Thomas launches a dramatic investigation into Packington's death. As Thomas searches for revenge, he must travel from the golden heart of merchant London, to the straw-covered backstreets of London's poorest districts before reaching the country's seat of power: the court of King Henry VIII. Before long he is drawn into a dark conspiracy beyond his wildest imaginings and claiming justice for his friend starts to look impossible. Especially when Thomas realises that Robert wasn't the man he thought he knew...

In the first of a new series investigating real unsolved Tudor crimes, D.K. Wilson brings the streets of Tudor London to spectacular life as Thomas Treviot faces a fight to bring the truth to light in the corrupt world of Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell, and Henry VIII.

©2013 Derek Wilson (P)2013 Isis Publishing Limited

Interesting but flat story

I enjoyed the book from a historical fiction point of view because it looked at religious events under Henry VIII from a new angle, the common man rather than palace. The information about the Tindale bible was fascination. The story concerns an actual unsolved crime from 1536. Unfortunately, the main character is flat and a bit thick. He sees violence all around him yet is confused when his actions set off reactions. He seems so naive at times. The book is missing the drama and intensity of the Matthew Shardlake books by C.J. Sansom.

The narrator does an excellent job. I would listen to other books narrated by David Thorpe.

Great Story, weak narration

Would you listen to The First Horseman again? Why?

No, I couldn't finish the audiobook.

If you’ve listened to books by D. K. Wilson before, how does this one compare?

I haven't

Would you be willing to try another one of David Thorpe’s performances?

perhaps. Certainly not another Thomas Treviot novel

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Any additional comments?

the story itself was a good one. I just hated the narrator. I recommend reading the book instead of listening