Kendall loads his book with facts and using his research to support his conclusions he presents a king who was kind, concerned for his people and a brilliant warrior. We first meet Richard as a child who was small and somewhat weak. He overcomes this by training to be an excellent soldier. It is Kendall's contention that Richard was not the deformed hunchback of Shakespeare's play but rather a man with a raised shoulder which may have become overly muscular due to his constant and intense training. Having dealt with his alleged physical deformities the author goes on to show Richard, the youngest brother of Edward IV, to be a loyal and brave soldier who the king called on whenever it was necessary to quell uprisings. Edward was proud of his brother and greatly rewarded him for his loyalty. Kendall states that the break with Edward occurred when Edward refused to commute the death sentence for treason of their brother, the Duke of Clarence. Richard blamed the king's wife Elizabeth for influencing Edward in this matter-Clarence partook in the murders of her father and brother. This was the culmination of many years of resentment towards the Queen and her family--the Woodvilles--and their manipulation of the king to gain ever more wealth and power. On the king's death Richard becomes the protector of his son. At this point we are introduced to the mysterious disappearance (death) of the two princes. While most biographers are of the opinion that this was Richard's doing, Kendall makes a good case that the Duke the Buckingham had the means, motive and opportunity to carry out the murders. He leaves it up to the reader to agree with him or not.