The Falcon and the Lion

London is a city on edge. King Henry VIII rules by divine right, and his obsession with replacing Katharine of Aragon with the younger, more vivacious Anne Boleyn has thrown the English court into turmoil. Power-hungry nobles stoke the king's passions as they exploit his most ruthless impulses, while beneath a brittle veneer of smiles and civility, the aristocracy wage a silent and deadly war for influence.Queen Anne's enemies are determined to see her fall. Clever, resolute, and acutely aware that failure will have brutal consequences, Anne fights to survive in a court where loyalty is fragile and betrayal is richly rewarded.Claire is Anne's trusted friend and confidant. A gifted healer, her rare knowledge grants her privilege, and peril in equal measure. Despite having committed no crime, she is imprisoned without charge in the notorious Newgate Gaol.Newgate is a stinking, disease-ridden hell, a place where despair thrives and even Claire's skills cannot save those trapped within its cold stone walls. Escape is her only hope. Without it, the iron bars of her cell will be the last thing she ever sees.As Claire fights for her life, Queen Anne is drawn toward the same brutal fate. In a world where ambition, treachery, and betrayal are the price of survival, secrets wield extraordinary power, and the truth may be the deadliest weapon of all. Mark Dowler was born in 1965. Growing up in Campbelltown, an outer western suburb of Sydney, he worked in the family Garden Centre on weekends and during school holidays, developing an interest in horticulture and the great outdoors. After finishing school he attended the University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, completing three courses, including a Masters Degree in Applied Science.Working in different roles in the field of horticulture for 20 years, he had a major career change in 2004, when he became a train driver.Now living in Wollongong with his wife Vicky, he drives passenger trains for NSW Trains and still maintains an interest in horticulture and enjoys bushwalking, fishing, gardening and reading.