The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

This historical fiction series that Hilary Mantel has created around the life and times of Thomas Cromwell is a towering achievement. It is so real, so imbued with life that it is easy to momentarily forget that all of the events are in the very distant past and that while there is an "edge of your seat" kind of excitement and tension that runs through this and her two previous installments, that in fact, it is all quite known. This book especially feels like we are silently sitting on Cromwell's shoulder, that while he continues to have confidence in the direction he is moving the monarchy and England as a whole that there are people who are ready and willing to bring him down. The book opens where the previous left off, in May 1536, at the moment the French executioner has struck off Anne Boleyn’s head with his sword. Cromwell is much taken with this sword: Toledo steel, incised with the words of a prayer. It is only later in the book that we learn the words on the blade: Speculum justiciae, ora pro nobis. Mirror of justice, pray for us. It’s one of many references to both mirrors and light stitched subtly throughout the book--which is just one window into the cleverness and prowess that Mantel displays in the writing of this chronicle. The question of whether Anne and the men executed for adultery with her received justice is one that haunts many of the characters in the novel, not least the king and Cromwell himself. The two ultimately diverge in their answers and there is always a penalty for not walking closely with the king. This is a spectacular end to an amazing trilogy.