The Lost King: The Search for Richard III

The first full-length book about the discovery of Richard III's remains, by the person who led the archaeology team and the historian whose book spurred her on

The mystery of who Richard III really was has fascinated historians, readers and audiences familiar with Shakespeare's dastardly portrait of a hunchback monster of royalty for centuries. In 2012, the remains of a man with a curving spine, who possibly was killed in battle, were discovered underneath the paving of a parking lot in Leicester, England. Phillipa Langley, head of the Richard III Society, spurred on by the work of the historian Michael Jones, led the team of archaeologists who uncovered the remains, certain that she had found the bones of the monarch. When DNA verification later confirmed that the skeleton was, indeed, that of King Richard III, the discovery ranked among the great stories of passionate intuition and perseverance against the odds.

The news was widely reported by the British and worldwide, and was front-page news for both The New York Times and The Washington Post. Many believe that now, with King Richard III's skeleton in hand, historians will finally begin to understand what happened to him following the Battle of Bosworth Field (twenty miles or so from Leicester) and, ultimately, to know whether he was the hateful, unscrupulous monarch of Shakespeare's drama or a much more benevolent king interested in the common man.

Written in alternating chapters, with Richard's 15th century life told by historian Michael Jones (author of the critically acclaimed Bosworth - 1485) contrasting with the 21st century eyewitness account of the search and discovery of the body by Philippa Langley, The King's Grave is an extraordinary portrait of the last Plantagenet monarch and the inspiring story of the archaeological dig that finally brought the real King Richard III into the light of day.