The Watchers A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I

'An enthralling account of the murky shadow-world of Elizabethan espionage' Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves 'Alford has brought a dash of le Carré to the 16th century' The Times Elizabeth I's reign is known as a golden age, yet to much of Europe she was a 'Jezebel' and heretic who had to be destroyed. The Watchers is a thrilling portrayal of the secret state that sought to protect the Queen; a shadow world of spies, codebreakers, agent provocateurs and confidence-men who would stop at nothing to defend the realm. 'Absorbing and closely documented ... Alford vividly evokes this murky world of codes, ciphers, invisible ink, intercepted letters, aliases, disguises, forgeries and instructions to burn after reading ... flowing narrative and crisp judments ... engrossing' Guardian