DAVID Starkey said he wanted this book to be a political thriller, and although it may be a serious piece of scholarship by the country s best known historian, it certainly reads like one. As in his television documentaries, Dr Starkey keeps the emphasis

DAVID Starkey said he wanted this book to be a political thriller, and although it may be a serious piece of scholarship by the country's best known historian, it certainly reads like one.

As in his television documentaries, Dr Starkey keeps the emphasis on the "story" part of "history", tracing a clear and gripping narrative line through the tangled and turbulent events of the years before Elizabeth gained the throne.

He also has a sense of humour, describing one 16th century lady with admirable verve as a "bit of a goer".

History neither dusty nor dull.

Thanks to Ottakar's of Stevenage. 4/5