The Lost King: The Search for Richard III
by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones
Why read it
Originally published as 'The King's Grave' and later retitled to align with the feature film, this book presents an extraordinary real-life detective story. It weaves together the modern archaeological triumph of locating the lost burial site of Richard III beneath a Leicester car park with a revisionist historical exploration of the monarch's actual life and military career, moving past centuries of Tudor-era mythmaking.
Where to get it
In the Netherlands, English-language print editions (under both 'The Lost King' and 'The King's Grave') can be purchased online via bol.com and Amazon.nl, or ordered through bookshops such as Athenaeum Boekhandel and the American Book Center. Digital versions and audiobooks are accessible on Kobo, Storytel, and Kindle, and select Dutch public libraries (OBiA/onlinebibliotheek) carry copies in their English non-fiction or international partner catalogs.
What to expect
The book alternates between Philippa Langley's personal, impassioned memoir of navigating skepticism and bureaucracy to initiate the dig, and Michael Jones's accessible, narrative-driven history of fifteenth-century England. The pace moves briskly, shifting between contemporary suspense and medieval biography. It is welcoming to general readers without specialized historical background, though it includes descriptions of archaeological human remains and battlefield violence from the Wars of the Roses.
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