"I stood at the edge of the grave. The body had been interred with obvious haste but evident ceremony. Alongside the skeleton, which was lying on its back, were the rusted remains of a battered sword. Plus fragments of a circlet that could have been a crown. Most excitingly of all, the head had been badly damaged... "
The remains of Harold Godwinson, dispatched via the eye socket at the Battle of Hastings, have never been found. Now some ancient bones are discovered by student archaeologists. Dennis, the expert professor called to identify them, realises it could be the high point of his career. Harold is history's most famous loser. Dennis, world expert on Godwinson, has long felt underestimated too. By his university, his colleagues and his students. Most woundingly, by his wife, who wishes he was expert in the much more fashionable Tudors. But could mild-mannered, diffident Dennis now be a winner? If he authenticates the grave as Harold's - and no-one but him can do so - he will be famous. Lauded, respected, even rich. He will revive his ailing marriage and see off his hated rival, trendy telly academic Jim Skinner. Who, just as William grabbed the throne from Harold, is now poised to grab the top university job from Dennis. But can Dennis be sure the bones are Harold's? If not, does it matter? How far will Dennis go to win his own Battle of Hastings?
Wendy Holden is the author of ten consecutive Sunday Times top ten bestselling novels including Simply Divine, Fame Fatale and Filthy Rich. Her latest novel is the campus comedy Gifted & Talented and her new book Wild & Free, a romcom set at a summer festival, is due out next year. A former journalist on the Sunday Times, The Mail on Sunday, Tatler and the Sunday Telegraph, Wendy reviews books fortnightly for the Daily Mail, has a regular Country Life column and writes features and short stories for a wide range of other national publications. She is married with two children and lives in the country where she works in a hut in the garden. Visit her website wendyholden.net or follow her on Facebook or Twitter @Wendy_Holden
Genre: Literary Fiction
The remains of Harold Godwinson, dispatched via the eye socket at the Battle of Hastings, have never been found. Now some ancient bones are discovered by student archaeologists. Dennis, the expert professor called to identify them, realises it could be the high point of his career. Harold is history's most famous loser. Dennis, world expert on Godwinson, has long felt underestimated too. By his university, his colleagues and his students. Most woundingly, by his wife, who wishes he was expert in the much more fashionable Tudors. But could mild-mannered, diffident Dennis now be a winner? If he authenticates the grave as Harold's - and no-one but him can do so - he will be famous. Lauded, respected, even rich. He will revive his ailing marriage and see off his hated rival, trendy telly academic Jim Skinner. Who, just as William grabbed the throne from Harold, is now poised to grab the top university job from Dennis. But can Dennis be sure the bones are Harold's? If not, does it matter? How far will Dennis go to win his own Battle of Hastings?
Wendy Holden is the author of ten consecutive Sunday Times top ten bestselling novels including Simply Divine, Fame Fatale and Filthy Rich. Her latest novel is the campus comedy Gifted & Talented and her new book Wild & Free, a romcom set at a summer festival, is due out next year. A former journalist on the Sunday Times, The Mail on Sunday, Tatler and the Sunday Telegraph, Wendy reviews books fortnightly for the Daily Mail, has a regular Country Life column and writes features and short stories for a wide range of other national publications. She is married with two children and lives in the country where she works in a hut in the garden. Visit her website wendyholden.net or follow her on Facebook or Twitter @Wendy_Holden
Genre: Literary Fiction
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