Michael Jones was awarded a history PhD by Bristol University and subsequently taught at Glasgow University and Winchester College. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and member of the British Commission for Military History, and works now as a writer, media consultant and presenter. Among his historical titles he has written books on the battles of Bosworth, Agincourt, Stalingrad and Leningrad. He was TV consultant for Channel 4's Richard III: Fact or Fiction and National Geographic's Mystery Files: The Princes in the Tower, and co-author, with Philippa Gregory and David Baldwin, of The Women of the Cousins' War. Philippa Langley inaugurated the quest for King Richard III's lost grave as part of her ongoing research into history's most controversial monarch. Her project marked the first-ever search for the grave of an anointed King of England, and was made into the acclaimed TV documentary The King in the Car Park for Channel 4. She is a screenwriter and the secretary of the Scottish Branch of the Richard III Society.
Jones's historical chapters are measured, reasonable and elegantly written Sunday Times [Philippa Langley] has just written a compelling book with historian and friend Michael Jones ... It is cleverly constructed: in alternate chapters she tells the story of her quest, while Michael details the life of Richard colourfully. It reads like an up-all-night thriller Mail on Sunday This is the year that Richard III rose up from his unmarked grave in a Leicester car park, and this is the book that describes the painstaking quest for the king's body, and the battle that destroyed him. Philippa Langley pursued his remains, Michael Jones pursued his reputation and together they have written a book which explains and defines the battle where he died, the grave that was lost, and the legend that followed him. This book is about an important excavation indeed, of the body from a lost grave, and of a king from a long libel Philippa Gregory The King's Grave ... reveals the remarkable story of how the remains came to be unearthed. And the result is a compelling portrayal of one of this century's most important archaeological discoveries BBC History Magazine History at its most fascinating www.booksmonthly.co.uk/nonfic.html A ... page-turner Current Archaeology Langley's invaluable contribution to the investigation is undisputed; she envisioned, facilitated and drove it for years. Her confidential, breathy, diary-style chapters recreate the immediacy of the dig for the reader ... The Search for Richard III makes for compelling reading TLS Interesting [and] engaging Daily Express The King's Grave tells two remarkable stories in alternating chapters Wall Street Journal Fascinating Bookseller