The Crown is a truly wonderful read, historical fiction at its best. This is the story of Joanna Stafford, a cunning woman and novice nun no less. Nancy Bilyeau manages to create a work which is richly detailed and engaging without losing her audience into tedium. Joanna is tasked to find a missing crown believed to hold certain powers in order to save her father from the tower of London. Her search is tangled up with the lives of important figures from Henry VIII reign, as well as the challenges facing the church at the time. The characters which Joanna encounters on this mission are all well developed, unlike many novels where the main character’s shine comes from the dullness of her competition. Bilyeau keeps you in anticipation through the mysteries, conspiracy, and journey with a masterful interconnection of the details and storyline. While not probably an entirely novel storyline, being set among the monasteries and priories gives this work provides a unique perspective on the time.