Publisher's Synopsis
A retelling of the story of Mary Queen of Scots - a saga on a Grand scale, but also 1 of the most complex and violent political thrillers in British history. Brought up in France, Mary returned to Scotland as a widow at 18 to take up her throne. Beautiful, clever, with immense personal charm, she was totally unprepared for the brutal realities of ruling a country just emerged from civil war. In an era when religion and politics were 1 and the same, the inevitable clash between Catholic Queen and Protestant subjects was intensified by the bitterest personal rivalries, and Mary found herself in ever increasing danger - from the fearsome John Knox, who preached damnation to Queens and death to Catholics; from her sanctimonius brother whose ambition was to rule in her place; from her brilliant secretary of state, dedicated to uniting the Crowns of Scotland and England; from Elizabeth I, dazzling and unscrupulouswho feared Mary as a threat to her own throne.
