The Executioner's Daughter

The arresting cover of this first novel from Jane Hardstaff with its red Tudor Rose in the title gives the reader a clue that this is about Tudor England.  But it is not about the court of Henry VIII, rather the sometimes sordid and filthy life of his subjects.   Moss, a strange name not really explained, is the daughter of the executioner and it is her task to catch the heads of the unfortunate victims in her basket.  She has always believed what her father has told her and that they cannot leave the Tower of London where they live, but she becomes increasingly restless.  One day she discovers a tunnel, only accessible at low tide which gives her an opportunity to see the world outside – a dangerous place for her to be.  Her boots are stolen after she is rescued from the river by Salter, a boy who makes his living along the river banks by various means.  Moss determines to get her boots back at the next opportunity but overhears conversations and sees things which lead her into more danger.  She has heard that her mother died at Hampton Mill so decides to set forth to find out more, wary of the Riverwitch of legend.  Against the background of a desperately cold spell when the Thames freezes over Moss finds herself at Hampton Court where she has an encounter with Anne Boleyn who tells her she must be true to herself, followed by another rescue bySalter.

An authentic picture emerges of the seedy, grubby existence of children in Henry’s England and it is these scenes that ring most true.  Moss’s encounter with Anne Boleyn is the one episode that feels out of place and Anne’s somewhat heavy advice to Moss is rather laboured.  The fantasy element of the Riverwitch who is Moss’s mother and subplot of the children being stolen add to the excitement of the plot, but I suspect that it is the details of everyday life and adventure along the river bank which will engage most readers.  The river Thames and London Bridge with its teeming life and precarious buildings form the backdrop to an exciting historical adventure.