England in the 1520s. Henry VIII is King; Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor and Thomas Cromwell is Wolsey’s right-hand man. But in Tudor England allegiances are tenuous and the King’s favour can change in a heartbeat. So, when Wolsey fails to secure Rome’s support for Henry’s longed-for divorce, his assets are seized, and his reputation ruined. Cromwell is well placed to step up to the King’s side, but can he exert any influence over the volatile monarch? The first in what is widely considered the greatest trilogy of the modern era, Wolf Hall is wildly ambitious, brilliantly written and utterly enthralling; cementing Hilary Mantel’s reputation as one of the greatest historical fiction writers.