This is an excellent source on the life on Mary Boleyn. Most of what is actually known about her fits into a nutshell. If you want something better than an encyclopedia article, this is a good choice. In this brief format, Bryson has managed to include the controversies of her life: was she Francis I's mistress? Were her children fathered by Henry VIII? Is there an identifiable portrait of her. The book includes a number of color pictures of relevant places, and most interesting, two portraits that might be of Mary. Bryson prefers the Horenbout miniature that is identified as being of Anne Boleyn, but which does not resemble her other portraits. It is worth putting Kindle on your computer just to see the pictures in a large size.

A longer look at Mary Boleyn is Alison Weir's Mary Boleyn. Even if you read that generally good book, this "In a Nutshell" is a worthwhile addition to your reading.

Interestingly, there is a worthwhile mystery series starring Susanna Horenbout, who came to England from what is now Belgium in 1525, the year the miniature was painted, to be Henry VIII's personal illuminator. She married a courtier named John Parker. The first book in the series is called In a Treacherous Court.

There is also an excellent mystery series by P. F. Chisholm starring one of Mary Boleyn grandsons, Robert Carey. The first book is called A Famine of Horses. He also wrote an autobiography which is still in print in various editions. ( )