The Queen’s Agent
In the time of Elizabeth I, 16th-century England was in turmoil – Protestants against Catholics, wars with Spain, and a further outbreak of the plague, to name but a few of the problems facing the monarch. Plots against the queen of one sort or another abounded, the most famous of them being the Babington plot which resulted in the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. Onto this scene comes Francis Walsingham, who was to prove a most efficient spymaster. His agents were everywhere, and nothing escaped his notice or attention.
The Queen’s Agent tells the story of a man devoted to the queen and who would stop at nothing to protect her. Written more as a biography than a novel, it goes into great detail, and I can’t express it better than the writer in the Daily Telegraph who said: ‘it paints a John le Carré-like world of double-dealing and intrigue, where moles were planted in Catholic seminaries and loyalties were seen to shift opportunely. In the looking-glass war of Elizabethan diplomacy, traitors were never far away.’
A scholarly book, fascinating to read and one which would grace any library shelf.